1. Developing Your Farm Brand: What is YOUR Story
Developing Your Farm Brand: What is YOUR Story? Chris Becker Strategic Planner

2. Special Thanks
We would like to give a special thank you to all of our partners:
Kentucky Department of Agriculture
University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Services
Food Systems Innovation Center
Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development.
We would also like to give a special thank you to the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program for helping fund MarketReady’s Master Course Webinar Series.

3. PURPOSE/PROCESS/PAYOFF
To discuss why Provide cases You will want to
telling YOUR story of how other farmers tell your story
is an important have been successful
element for success in crafting and telling their
marketing your products stories

4. Seminar Topics What’s the opportunity?
What does “your story” really mean?
Examples of producers and their stories
The process to define your story
Questions and Discussion

5. The Opportunity Among the top 20 food trends in 2016: Trend Rank
Locally sourced meats 1
Locally grown produce 3
Hyper-local sourcing 4
Farm/Estate Branded Items 13
Source:

6. The Opportunity
Increasing demand by consumer for “locally grown” farm products
Community farm markets
On-farm retail
Community Supported Ag (subscription)
Home delivery
Restaurants
Grocery
Farm to school
Farm to college

7. The Opportunity What is Local? Town, county or state boundaries?
Northeast Region?
Made in the USA?
Production within specific mile radius to consumer’s purchase and consumption?

8. Sales of Locally Grown Food ($Bil)
The Opportunity
Business is booming:
Sales of Locally Grown Food ($Bil)
(P)*
Farm-to Table Farmers Markets
Farm-to-Table Restaurants
Big Retail Chains that carry locally grown produce and meats *Packaged Facts

9. The Opportunity Consumers embrace locally grown: Reasons why:
1 in 2 will pay +10%*
1 in 3 will pay +30%*
Reasons why:
High quality, fresh(er), more authentic, trustworthy
Food tastes better, retains more nutrients
Buying local = supporting the community
The farmer or producer’s story
*Packaged Facts
Where do the consumer figures come from? Should they be referenced like the other stats?

10. How can you take advantage of this?
What will influence the customer to purchase your products rather than another farmer?
Two reasons:
Technical: The way you raise your crops or what you feed your livestock
Emotional: What are your reasons for wanting to do this?
What’s Your Story?
What motivates you and/or members of your family to farm?
What does farming and your farm mean to you?
What are your values as a farmer?
How are they reflected by you, your products?

11. Stories SELLS Food People like learning about other people
Consumers enjoy and will pay a premium when they can learn more about you
On your farm: they can actually interact with you
At the grocery: they can learn about you through your packaging, collateral or on-shelf merchandising
At restaurants: they can meet and interact with you or learn about you from the restauranteur or on-menu or on-table collataral

12. Producer Stories

13. Laura’s Story ’85 Laura Freeman takes over family farm near Lexington
Builds her story around two consumer trends:
Beef = high levels of fat and cholesterol
Consumers gaining interest of locally raised beef
Laura’s commitment to Raise “better beef” to help her customers
Intentionally “brands” as Laura’s Lean Beef
Started as $10,000 year on-farm brand to sales of $135 million by 2008
Company sold to Meyer Natural Angus in 2008 for $200+ million
I am a little confused by “on-farm brand”

14. Laura’s Story Story Platforms Packaging Website Social Media Blogs
Print Ads

15. Jeff and Jill Burkhart’s Story

16. Picket Fence Creamery Started in 2003 by Burkharts in IA
Their Story: The Real Taste of Milk
Nutrition looks and tastes delicious
Milk production with higher levels of butter fat
Sell milk only from cows from their and surrounding farms
Results
Robust on-farm retail
Distribution at local retail
Sold through local restaurants
Remind me to move the Picket Fence logo when I clean up presentation

17. Cynthia’s Story
This is not referenced in slide 11. Should it be added?

18. Cynthia’s Bohn’s Story
Opened in 1997
Her story
Blended tradition of wine-making in non-traditional place: Horse Country
Ms. Bohn grew up on tobacco farm so embraces the hard work
Converted tobacco, hay and cattle land to plant vines
Community coming together to plant the first vines
Today
91,000 cases per year
-15 varieties of wine
Revenues:
One of the most popular attractions in KY
Needs a blurb about the results

20. How to tell your story
Get started on telling your by beginning to more clearly define out some important elements of your narrative
Mission: What is your goal for the farm, you business?
Vision: How do you see accomplishing these goals?
Business Philosophy: How do you want to do business with your customers?
Business Goals: What are your goals to grow your business?
The family and farm legacy or history
Stewards of the land for generations
“Faith Farm Family” or your core values

21. What are some potential themes?
The family and farm legacy or history
Stewards of the land for generations
“Faith Farm Family” or your core values

22. Your Story’s Important Chapters
Chapter 1: Your Business Objectives
Chapter 2: Your Most Important Customer
Chapter 3: Your Story for that Customer
Chapter 4: How To Tell Your Story
Logo and Packaging Label: The Cover of the Book
Key Message: The Heart of Your Story
Chapter 5: How to deliver your story
Budget
Media Platforms

23. Ale-8-One: Re-telling a Legendary Story
The Situation
One of Kentucky’s most iconic brands has a long history as the only family-held and privately owned soft drink in Kentucky. Founded in 1926, Ale-8 is as popular in the Commonwealth as Bourbon.
Four years ago they planned to expand the brand outside of Kentucky into IN, OH, TN, WV and eventually across the Southeastern part of the US.
The Challenge
Making the Ale-8 story relevant to consumers in these new areas
The Approach
Fieldtrip worked with the Ale-8-One team to ensure that the Ale-8 story was relevant to a new consumer without losing the extreme loyalty of their current users

26. How Can Fieldtrip Help You?
We can help you write and tell your story
Interviews with you, your stakeholders and 2-3 loyal customers to develop your business plan and define your special connection with customers
Category research: what have other producers done to tell their story
Write your story: work with you to lay your story out in a way that will appeal to your customers
Design your logo: utilize the talents of design professionals to craft the most important element of your story
Instead of “write your story” should it maybe be “tailor your story” or something similar?

27. Discussion and Questions

28. Next Steps
To learn more about how to create and tell your story, or call:
Chris Becker – Strategic Planner
Fieldtrip
(502)

29. Thanks for joining us!
Watch our new website for future webinars coming soon.
… And don’t forget to like us on Facebook.
Contact information
Dr. Tim Woods – Extension Professor University of Kentucky Department of Agricultural Economics (859)
Alex Butler – Extension Associate University of Kentucky Department of Agricultural Economics (859)