A new Michigan program is giving local farms marketing support and digital tools aimed at helping growers attract more customers, increase farmers market attendance and build more consistent sales.

Program Details

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has partnered with the Michigan Farmers Market Association on the Farmers to Markets program, which is designed to help address marketing challenges that can make it harder for smaller farms to reach consumers.

Ten farm businesses at five farmers markets around Michigan were selected to receive customized marketing plans and assistance through a partnership with Taste the Local Difference.

Coleen Stowell, owner of Coleen’s Greens in Bancroft, is one of the farmers receiving assistance through the program. Stowell said the marketing support has helped her farm take a more focused approach to selling its products.

Another participating farmer, Mayumi Roller, said the program is helping her farm establish a stronger online presence. Roller said developing a website had been on the farm’s to-do list, and the program is now helping make that project a reality.

Goals and Benefits

The marketing assistance is intended to give participating farms tools they can continue using to build their customer bases and create more reliable sales. The program also focuses on the farmers markets themselves, with the goal of bringing more shoppers through the markets and increasing consumers’ access to locally grown food.

MDARD Director Tim Boring said in a press release that the partnership is intended to address obstacles facing farmers while also benefiting communities and local economies.

Original reporting: WOWO News/Talk (Fort Wayne) — read the source article.