Illinois produces a lot more than corn and soybeans. Illinois farmers produce a wide variety of specialty crops apples to zucchini, specialty meats, honey, wine and everything between. But, producing is only a part of running a profitable specialty crop business. Marketing is the key to success. Cynthia Haskins, FB’s manager of Business Development says you can’t just take a truckload of fresh produce to the grocery store and hope they will buy it.
To help producers find out who the serious buyers of specialty products are, Haskins has put together nearly thirty ‘meet the buyers’ events in recent years. The next ‘meet the buyers’ event is coming up October 10th in St Louis. Farmers who attend will learn marketing tips, and actually have a chance to talk with a host of buyers including grocery chains, restaurants, and food wholesalers from the St Louis area. You can register on line.
A lot of farmers are seeing big profits from small acreage, but to be successful, putting together a solid marketing plan is essential.
