WILLIAMSTON, Mich. (WOWO) — 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.
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.
The Williamston Farmers Market is among the markets selected to participate.
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.
“It’s really done a lot, as far as helping us focus our sales,” Stowell said.
She also said the program is designed to extend beyond a single growing season.
“It’s a multi-year program, it’s not just this year, it’s for four years,” Stowell said.
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.
“They’re working on building us a website, which is, it’s been on our to do list,” Roller said.
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.
“We’re breaking down those barriers to benefit not just farmers markets and their vendors, but Michiganders and our local economies,” Boring said.
For farmers, increased visibility can be particularly important as they work to turn seasonal products into dependable sales. Marketing plans can help growers identify customers, promote their products and make it easier for consumers to find them.
Roller said she hopes the effort ultimately encourages more people to continue buying locally produced food.
“Hopefully the taste, the flavor, the way people feel good, not just our farm, but all the local farmers produce, hopefully that keeps them coming back and realizing this is the way to go,” Roller said.
The Farmers to Markets program is part of a broader effort to strengthen connections between Michigan farmers, farmers markets and consumers.
By combining marketing assistance with direct access to local markets, state officials and participating farmers hope the program can help growers develop larger customer bases while making locally produced food easier for Michigan consumers to find.
For the farms taking part, the support is designed to go beyond simply attracting shoppers for one market day. The longer-term goal is to build marketing strategies, digital tools and customer relationships that can help local agricultural businesses grow over time.
