RECAP: Practical Farmers of Iowa Conference
You know you are at an Iowa Practical Farmer Conference in January— in Ames, Iowa— when everyone is wearing work boots or sorrells, and the ‘swag’ from vendors includes glove-liners and purse-sized ice scrapers. (Though, I think the belt-loop drill bits took the cake!).
The venue was fantastic— the Scheman Building in Ames— and the conference was well run, with great content and energy. The exhibitor tables were on 2 floors, at the center and surrounded by all the rooms and sessions. (FYI this is ideal versus an ‘exhibitor hall’ shoved in the basement with no traffic #beentheredonethat). All the tables were interspersed with traffic, making it convenient for attendees jetting from one session to the next.
A worthy mention: conference staff would walk the main pathways and ring a cowbell as each session was about to start. We love cowbells!
We also love seeing Farmers we work with in person! We spent time meeting Farmers, meeting new partners-in-sustainability and attending sessions to learn more, be inspired and find new ways we can support Farmers.
Here is a recap of 3 sessions we attended (in case you missed! #cliffnotes):
Session: Farming in a Changing Climate
Speaker: Denis Todey, Ron Rosmann from Rosman Family Farms (hogs, cows, chickens)
Take-Aways:
Climate is always a changing variable and its effects are regional, seasonal, crop-category specific & can impact harvest times, soil and nutrients.
How to deal with it? Water management. Learn to pay attention and work / adjust with nature. Know your crops and soil so you can plan and compensate.
Hint: cover crops! If you do one thing do this! Be good stewards of your animals, include diversity and invest in your soil.
Session: Resources for Beginning Farmers
Speaker: Greg Padget
Take-Aways:
There are apps and resources to match land-seekers and land-owners aka ‘tender for land matching.’
Create a business plan.
Find mentorship! There are many resources out there to match you with Farmers that have steep experience and are happy to share their learnings. Find individual Farmers as well as Meetups or Groups!
Session: Marketing Your Uniqueness
Speaker: Diahann Lohr
Take-Aways:
If you aren’t doing it - they are. Your competition is marketing their business!
Marketing ‘how to’ has changed - no longer a little ad in the yellow pages. It’s better. Social media has changed the game and is much more effective --- and free!
Important: the consumer / buyer has changed! (Don’t put your head in the sand on this one!)
They don’t want to be ‘advertised to’ and don’t accept hype. Buyers now do their own research and make their own ‘informed’ decisions on what brands to follow and buy from.
They especially want food transparency (who grew it, what’s in it!?)
This gives Farmers an advantage --- but requires you to lean in!
Five Tips to apply to your Farm business
Build Relationships - get on Instagram and Facebook and use Hashtags.
Know your Product - people love to learn intimate details about products, further connecting them to their food (and increasing the likelihood of purchasing).
Add Value - give a little bit more! Delight your customers with a ‘baker's dozen,’ free sample or recipe printed and included with purchase.
Today’s customers respond to: Video! Pictures. Words (in that order).
Educate Consumers about your Farm, practices and product
Share the Love - promote others - brag and include your partners, drop-sites, event-hosts and customers through social. They will love the love!
Meet them Offline, and bring them Online
Online is how you build relationships
You must have a website! And social, email
All-in-all, it was a great event!