Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
TIPS FOR MARKETING YOUR UNIQUE PRODUCT
Acquaint yourself with historical societies and nostalgic groups who may
want to use old-fashioned traditional poultry for an annual celebration
Tap into “foodie” groups in your area or even on the Internet
Get to know the hunting groups in the area and market your birds for the wild
game meals they organize as fund-raisers
See if there are fly-fishing groups or fly tiers locally who may be interested in
the feathers of many of your fowl
Contact arts coops and crafters that may also want feathers or blown eggs
How it is better for the earth, their health, and the health of the birds to buy loc-
ally grown, farm-raised poultry
Why their advantages make buying your poultry products worth more than the
poultry sold in the supermarkets
About feed costs and feeding practices on your farm, including the use of pasture
if that's part of the production
Once your buyers begin to weigh the quality of your product against that of most su-
permarket birds, they'll be hooked. I entered the farmers' market scene here in Iowa in
1990 — a time when your typical Iowan was not concerned about where his or her food
came from as long as it was cheap. I struggled to sell my high-quality, pastured poultry
eggs for a decent price, just enough to cover my costs, really, because many people ex-
pected my eggs to be even cheaper than those in the supermarket a block down the road.
Of course, there were always a few who realized the quality of the product was great
and bought them every week.
Now, 20 years later, many more people seek out the few farmers who sell fresh
pasture-raised eggs. A tide of change has risen and consumers are becoming more and
more thoughtful about the source of their food.
Heritage or Commercial?
Many people seeking out heritage-type breeds are an educated bunch. They understand
the time, effort, and cost associated with raising a healthy, tasty traditional bird in a sus-
tainable manner that supports poultry breed diversity (see
chapter 6
, Heritage Breeds,
for a discussion about the value of heritage breeds). They are ready to pay a fair price
