Growing Assets: Linking Direct Market Producers

Beth Zabel, BBC Program CoordinatorNational Extension Risk Management Education ConferenceApril 17, 2007Phoenix, Arizona

Bridging Brown County

Mission

Strengthening the Brown County Minnesota

community by bridging relationships

of understanding and communication

Bridging Brown CountyGoals

• Foster better communication among communities• Raise awareness of the interdependency among

communities• Promote the county’s quality of life • Support economic development throughout

the county• Support individual community traditions

Blandin Foundation Community Advantage

Leadership ProgramIn 2005, BBC sent a county-wide group

to an intensive 3 days workshop

to learn about identification

and development of community assets.

CALP training results

• Target Asset – Agriculture.• Goal – Increase on-farm income.• BBC hired a facilitator to support

group activities.

Refining the goal• Invited direct market producers to join group. • Phone survey of direct market producers

in 5 counties.• Help us market!• Help us spread the word about local food!• Help customers use fresh foods.• Help us build our businesses.• What about a year-around market?

• Changed name • FARM Team - Food, Agriculture and Rural Marketing Team

• Started looking for funding• Blandin Foundation Community Grant• Beim Foundation

Ground to Gourmet

• Cooking demonstrations featuring local cooks and local foods

• Goal – 1 presentation in each community and each farmers’ market in Brown County

• Flyer with producers and local food information

• Basic supplies• portable oven• electric fry pan• table• disposable sample cups/spoons

Results•Consumers and producers wanted MORE!•Quick and easy recipes

Will the consumers in Brown County support a year-around Farmers’ Market ?

• Identified potential site in Sleepy Eye• Hired a market consultant• What is the best way to get this

information to producers?

Feasibility Study

Asset identification and development workshop

• Assist producers in identifying their own assets • Bring together producers with community

members • Interested consumers• Business people• Community groups

• Assist producers and community members develop collaborative working relationships

• Identify topics for further study.

NCRM Grant Proposal

1. Growing Assets Asset identification workshop in Fall 2005.

2. Growing Assets II Series of producer directed workshops in winter and spring of 2006.

3. Ground to Gourmet 2006 – summer of 2006

1. Recipe cards – consumer education/marketing

2. Producer coupons – measure effectiveness

Growing Assets:Using Assets to Grow Business and Community

• Karen Lehman• Minnesota Project• Asset-Based Community Development

(ABCD) Institute at Northwestern University

Growing Assets:Using Assets to Grow Business and Community

• 18 producers and community leaders • Small group exercises

• identifying personal, association and institutional assets.

• action plans linking assets together.

• Shared results of Feasibility study• Identified topics for further study

Identifying Assets• Personal

• What do you grow?• What do you know how to do?• How do you want your business to grow?

• Association• Social capital – who do you know?

• Institutional• Community assets• Feasibility Study Results

Action Plans

Heritage tomatoes

Adult Daycare

Migrant School

Action PlansTriple Rivers Producers

Ground to Gourmet

Community Education

Feasibility Study ResultsPositives

• Historic Berg Hotel has Main Street location, good traffic and is centrally located to producers

• Triple Rivers Producers recently started a web site

Negatives• inconsistency of farmer's

market shoppers• inconsistent volume and

quality in current supply chain.

• distance from the farms to distribution points

Recommendation•Continue to develop consistent market through TRP website•Possible future project with cultural and educational components ie: “destination market”

Topics

• Ag-Tourism • Market Planning • Community Supported Agriculture• Business Planning• E-Business• Heartland Food Initiative

Growing Assets II

• Ken Gustafson, University of Minnesota Extension Specialist

• Terry Sveine, Chamber of Commerce Tourism Specialist

• RichNes Alpacas

Topic: Ag-Tourism

Growing Assets IITopic: Marketing Plans• Nancy Pehling, Creative Ad Solutions

• Freebies• Print ads• Web marketing• Branding• Logos • What is a

destination?

Growing Assets II

Topic: Community Supported Agriculture

• Local CSA producers • (100 mile radius)

• Gary Guthrie, Harmony Farm• Corry Bregendahl, North Central

Regional Center for Rural Development

Growing Assets II

Heartland Food Initiative• Minnesota Project• Explore and support use of local foods in

commercial venues (restaurants and stores)• Convening focus groups with chefs, food

distributors and producers• Transportation issues• Quality issues

• Standardization• Quantity

Ground to Gourmet 2006

30+ demonstrations• Farmers’ markets• Community celebrations• Event

• Putting Green Grill –n Golf

Overall Results• 18 producers and community members attended

the Growing Assets workshop• 72 producers and community members attended

the Growing Assets II sessions• 30+ Ground to Gourmet demonstrations

• More frequent demonstrations = more participants• Often tried different variety/type of product

• 200+ producer coupons reimbursed• Increased overall sales

Thank you for this opportunity to share the FARM Team story with you!