Photo Credit: Edwin Remsburg
BEGINNING FARMER SUCCESS FALL 2015
Food Processing and Purchasing Trends– Getting Out Ahead of the Curve
In This Issue: Food Processing and
By: Ginger S. Myers, University of Maryland Extension
Purchasing Trends–
During a recent webinar that I led addressing vending at Farmers’ Markets, a participant asked how to discover food trends and consumer purchasing preferences. While we discussed several resources for searching out “what’s hot and what’s not”, the real key to keeping our customers engaged is more about understanding their wants and needs than trying to capitalize on any one trend or specific product. Peter Drucker’s timeless adage that “the purpose of any business is to have a satisfied customer”, still holds today in our multi-channel, wireless, 24/7 shopping arena. “To consider what customers want or need, we need to identify “Who are your customers?” The largest portion of your customer base is now the Millennials. Millennial is the name that has taken hold to describe the generation of young people born between 1981 or 2000. Ashton Kutcher, Serena Williams and Mark Zuckerberg are famous Millennials. Your neighbors, coworkers and gym buddies are everyday Millennials. All have been hit hard by the 2008 recession, 9/11 and numerous school shootings. Just entering their prime spending years, Millennials will soon be the group driving the economy. Fueled by credit cards and shopping malls in an age of relative affluence, the Baby Boom era is over.”
Getting Out Ahead of the Curve
Pg 1-2 How to Attract and Conserve Pollinators/ Natural Enemies in Your Garden
Pg 3 Upcoming Events
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Food Processing and Purchasing Trends– Getting Out Ahead of the Curve Ginger Myers, University of Maryland Extension According to a Goldman Sachs report, Millennials: Coming of Age in Retail 9.13, Millennials as shoppers are: ►Earning less than previous demographic groups, having been hit hard by recession. ►In no hurry to get married, start households, buy homes, appliances and cars. ►Much more health-conscious; attracted to athletic brands.
markets, buying clubs, CSA memberships and even the “meal in a box delivery models” attract customers by giving their food an identify- a story, if you will. Your story needs to include: 1. Food with a message- transparent and attractive information about how it’s produced and the impact of their buying choices.
2. A super sensory experience- this includes the ►Extremely tech-savvy. Because they are so product’s visual appearance. It also helps to engaged in sharing knowledge and opinions with provide directions for preparing and storage. peers digitally, they are early adopters of new Keep that simple. ideas, concepts and products. This will drive the speed of change even faster than what we've 3. The My Health trend- maintenance of one’s known. health and well-being ►Not brand loyal. So if Millennials are your target audience, what do they want and/or need when food shopping? Keep in mind that they are very comfortable eating a variety of foods due to the population’s multicultural makeup. Various market surveys have identified that they shop for food looking for very identifiable traits such as organic, natural, antibiotic-free, GMO-free, etc. Yet, few can really detail what these production practices entail or how they affect the nutrition or taste of the product. This opens up an opportunity for producers to educate their customers about what all these labels mean and help convert a “trend” into an exceptional food retailing experience.
4. The Eater Identity Trend- “personifying” food as part of one’s own identity whether as an individual or as part of a group with specific dietary preferences. When identifying trends that convert into product preferences, consider the emergence of food as a craft and not as a commodity- craft beers and spirits, artisanal baked goods, homestead cheese, and custom butcher shops. These products can have staying power in the market because they all have the attribute previously listed that can aid in food purchasing decisions for your target audience.
Knowledge about market trends and emerging marketing models is important to any business. But few local producers have the production caGive customer a “story” about your product. Not pacity to set a trend. What you do have is the just how it’s produced but why they should buy flexibility to detect a new business opportunity, it. Today’s customers want to know how, where, anticipate the competition, and keep your target and by whom their food was produced. While customers’ wants and needs in the forefront grocery stores are still our primary food when changing the product or market mix. purchasing location, the increase in farmer Extension.umd.edu/agmarketing
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How to Attract and Conserve Pollinators/Natural Enemies in Your Garden Mike Raupp, Jon Traunfeld, Chris Sargent Many beneficial insects feed on the pollen and nectar provided by flowering plants. They also need the shelter offered by: 1. Perennial plants growing in untilled areas 2. Woody plant material such as unused firewood 3. Undisturbed soil in areas that are not mowed or cultivated You can be the architect of a garden that provides for both of these needs, and in return enjoy the pest control activities of these beneficial creatures. The following suggestions will help you get started: Plant a variety of flowering annuals and perennials in borders around the garden and as rows within the garden, to provide habitat and food for beneficials. Provide a water source in or near the home garden. Consider a dish or bird bath, or even a small pond, and change the water every other day to prevent mosquitoes from breeding. Surround the garden with natural vegetation or perennial plant beds that offer sheltered overwintering sites, particularly for predaceous ground beetles. If natural strips include cool season weeds, mow in late winter before seed-set. Dandelion blooms provide nectar and pollen for the adults of some beneficial insects early in the season when nothing else is blooming. However, mow dandelions prior to seed formation, and to encourage movement of beneficials into the garden. The best flowering plants to attract and conserve beneficials tend to have small, relatively open blossoms. Plants in the aster, carrot and buckwheat families are especially good choices; alyssum provides pollen and nectar throughout the summer. Parasitoids in particular will benefit from the blooms of wild parsnips, wild carrot, buttercups, and other wildflowers. Other pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds are attracted to larger blossoms and tubularshaped flowers.To provide resources for as long as possible, chose plants that have overlapping periods of bloom. For example, use plants from the daisy or sunflower family (Asteraceae) in mixture with those of the carrot family (Umbelliferae). In the fall, broccoli stubble can be left so that the side shoots bloom and provide a nectar source into early winter. Excessive use of nitrogen fertilizers tend to favor an increase in the number of pests in the garden, so be careful with the amount of fertilizer used. Minimize or do not use pesticides and avoid pesticide application when plants are in bloom and beneficial insects are present. Use straw mulch during the growing season to provide humid, sheltered hiding places for ground dwelling predators. Cover the garden with mulch or plant a cover crop for the winter. Leave parts of the landscape undisturbed to encourage ground nesting beneficials to become residents. Unbarked firewood, bolts of wood, or nesting tubes can be used to attract and maintain solitary bees, such as mason bees.
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Upcoming Events June 6/16– Commercial Poultry Growers Discussion Group 6/17– Using Goats for Vegetation Management 6/19– Fundamentals of Nutrient Management, Maryland Department of Agriculture 6/19– Commercial Poultry Growers Discussion Group 6/24– Master Gardener Composting Demonstration, Harford County Extension Office 6/25– Harford Co. Farm Visitation Day July 7/9– Master Gardener Beekeeping Demonstration 7/26– Hiring Farm Employees– Process and Recommendations, Online Webinar 7/26– Women in Agriculture Webinar– Hiring Farm Employees– Process and Recommendations 7/27– Poultry Mortality Composting Course
Click event for details, or visit: extension.umd.edu/events for a full list of events. To see the list of Maryland’s Agricultural Shows and Fairs, visit: www.maafs.com/calendar/
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“This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number #2012-49400-19552. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The University of Maryland, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources programs are open to all and will not discriminate against anyone because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry, or national origin, marital status, genetic information, or political affiliation, or gender identity and expression. 6