Blog Post #12
Blog Post #12: Identifying Market
Trends
Outline how you will research market trends relevant to your identified target market(s). Describe how you will incorporate your research into your seed crop planning.
Already working at an established farm and retreat business: the potential sales markets I envision are selling onsite to guests and to the local community through our onsite farm store. As well as selling wholesale to local seed companies. Having already established a costumer base selling vegetables and plant starts, I think selling seeds will fit in well with our onsite sales. Our plant start sales have doubled in the past years, as we have noticed more and more people wanting to start their own gardens.
The varieties that home gardeners are looking for are easy, prolific, and do well in adverse setting- through my crop planning I will incorporate research into seed varieties that are popular with the larger seed companies and start trials to grow them in this area.
Outline how you will research market trends relevant to your identified target market(s). Describe how you will incorporate your research into your seed crop planning.
Already working at an established farm and retreat business: the potential sales markets I envision are selling onsite to guests and to the local community through our onsite farm store. As well as selling wholesale to local seed companies. Having already established a costumer base selling vegetables and plant starts, I think selling seeds will fit in well with our onsite sales. Our plant start sales have doubled in the past years, as we have noticed more and more people wanting to start their own gardens.
The varieties that home gardeners are looking for are easy, prolific, and do well in adverse setting- through my crop planning I will incorporate research into seed varieties that are popular with the larger seed companies and start trials to grow them in this area.
Hi Meghan;
ReplyDeleteWorking at Stowel Lake, with it's history of seed production and marketing through different avenues, is very helpful for you as you have close resources to help you identify market trends. It could be the notes of other farm managers before you, people currently working there, or even Dan Jason and others that Stowel Lake Farm sells seed to, if that is still done.
I think the idea of marketing seeds, both on site and online, to retreat centre guests is a great one. Those people will already have a positive opinion of the farm and thus an interest in your seeds and in supporting your business. Definately a good place to market to. It might be interesting to try some kind of eval form that retreat guests fill out telling you what they might be looking for in seeds.
Staying current with seed varieties you see in larger catalogue and trialling them on your farm is important, and will introduce you to new varieties for both your market gardening and seed production that may in time become favourites. Just remember that any seeds you sell must be public domain.
Hi Meaghan - you have identified two very clear and different target markets: local individuals who visit your retreat and onsite store, and seed companies that may be marketing and selling their seeds across the country. As you've stated, you have a pretty good idea from operating your farm and, especially, selling starter plants, what types of seeds and varieties your local customers will be interested in.
ReplyDeleteSeed companies may be interested in very different types of seeds and varieties, based on such factors as their own customer base, what seeds they are growing themselves and what seeds they are already purchasing from other suppliers. You may want to contact local seed companies directly to get that information and maybe more specific interest in being potential buyers of your seed.