Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe to “The Beginning Farmer” YouTube Channel!
October 4th, 2015 was the 9th Annual Farm Crawl, and the 5th that our farm has been a part of. This is an amazing event that was begun by some farmer friends of ours in the area and we have been blessed to be a part of it’s growing future! Each year after the Farm Crawl we try to decompress a little bit and then look back at the event to see what needs to change or what we can do better. One thing I know for sure though is that on-farm events are a great thing no matter how big or small they are. With that in mind I thought it would be beneficial to share my take-aways from the day and what we think is important for an event.
Farm Crawl 2015 Take-Aways:
- You need help: Don’t try to handle that on-farm event alone, even if it is a small one. It is important to have some help so that you can share the story of the farm and make as many connections as possible.
- Have plenty to do: I’m not talking about the farmers, of course they have plenty to do, but rather I’m talking about having something to engage the people visiting the farm so that they feel a connection to the farm.
- Make sales easy: If you have people on the farm you should be able to sell them something (and make it as quick and easy as possible). Not just because of the income, but rather because if they are making a connection to the farm then you probably want them to have a connection with your product!
- Have flyers and information for people to take home: This is pretty self-explanatory. Have something that quickly shares your story and how people can purchase products from your farm.
- Share as much as you can: One of the main reasons that we farm the way we do is because we think that it is important for people to have a connection with their farmer and the farm. So, share as much of the farm as possible when the people come visit.
Check out The Beginning Farmer Show on Facebook!
As always, I want to thank you so much for listening and supporting the show with your encouragement and reviews on iTunes! I am continually working to produce a better show, and I’m thankful for all of the listeners sticking with me as I learn.
If you do enjoy the show, don’t forget that you can subscribe on iTunes and leave a five star rating and review (by clicking the link). If you are an Android phone user you can also subscribe on the free Stitcher App. It is so very encouraging to know that people are listening and enjoying the show!
I would love to hear your questions, show ideas, or comments about the show. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail! As always you can follow along with “The Beginning Farmer” and Crooked Gap Farm by checking out these links …
So how many people did you have?
Instead of slowly driving back and forth pulling a gravity wagon to haul your oats, have you thought about trying something like using some “super sacks” and a trailer to haul your oats?
Super Sacks go by different names in different parts of the world, but I’m talking about the big white squarish bags usually used to hold seed, feed, etc.
Depending on the size, I think one bag can hold up to 2000 lb. of feed, they usually come with lifting straps on the corners, and some have spouts on the bottom so you can easily empty them out. I’ve never actually used super sacks, but at one time I thought about buying some to store some wheat, and if I’m remembering it right it was possible to buy used bags for a reasonable price.
Those are great!!! I would recommend them.
Rich you nailed it! I actually have one (although it has a hole in it) from some soybean meal. I’m calling around to the local CO-OP’s to find more of them and then I should be able to haul 4-5 at a time on my uncles trailer. That will make things much more better!
I haven’t been to thebeginningfarmer in a long time and decided to check in. Hope you and your regular readers are doing well! Glad to see you’re going strong.
Great idea Rich. When we looked into getting organic hog feed shipped to us, one option was to use super sacks.
Thanks for checking in Steven! So great to hear from you.