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WINTER WORK:�PLANNING, IMPROVING, AND SELLING IN THE OFF SEASON

By: James Klett

Owner, Fairgrown Farm

Hopewell, New Jersey

As of 1/1/24

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AGENDA

Background – Our operation, history, model.

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Planning – Approaching the off-season with a goal. Setting yourself up for success the coming year.

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Improving – Building capacity, implementing new systems, fixing old systems.

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Selling – Generate revenue through both pre-sales and winter crop sales.

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PRESENTATION TITLE

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PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

  • Started farming at 17.

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  • RBS 2019.

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  • Fairgrown 2019- Present.

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  • Skillset: Business Management and Organic Vegetable Production.

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BACKGROUND – FAIRGROWN FARM

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  • Started in May of 2019.

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  • Just finished 5th consecutive season – doubling sales yearly.

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  • Direct-to-consumer, with focus on CSA.

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CSA – A COLLABORATIVE MODEL

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PLANNING: ��APPROACHING THE OFF-SEASON WITH A GOAL. SETTING YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS THE COMING YEAR. �

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ESTABLISH YOUR FARM VISION

What do you WANT your farm to be?

  • What kind of lifestyle do you want?
  • What work do you enjoy doing, and what work do you want to avoid?
  • What are your values, and how do you want your farm to represent those values?

What CAN your farm be?

  • What’s your skillset? What are you best and worst at?
  • What type of operation will be most successful in your area?
  • What resources do you have at your disposal that can be leveraged?

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BUILD A STRATEGY

Business strategy is not a set of planned out actions. Strategy is your approach – your positioning – to achieve your goal.

  • You’ve established your goal – now what is your general approach to make that goal a reality over time?
  • In other words, how will you be competitive?
  • Example: A wholesale farm might have the goal of increasing revenue and farm size. They choose to invest in equipment to increase production efficiency and decrease price. Their strategy is to reduce price through efficiency to be competitive as a low-cost producer. This is their mindset, their positioning, their approach to achieving the goal.
  • A small, direct-to-consumer operation may have the goal of making the farm viable for themselves as a full-time job. Their strategy may be multifaceted – creating a sustainable balance between production and customer demand.

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CREATE GOALS AND A PLAN

“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth” – Mike Tyson.

  • Establish short term goals – what can you do this year to move towards your vision?

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  • Plan what actions you need to take to accomplish those goals.

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IMPROVING: ��BUILDING CAPACITY, IMPLEMENTING NEW SYSTEMS, FIXING OLD SYSTEMS. ��

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A PROACTIVE OFF-SEASON

This is your one opportunity to prepare for the coming wave of work. THIS is the most important time to focus, even if it feels like the break.

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  • Setup new management systems and workflows.

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  • Repairing equipment and facilities.

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  • Building new infrastructure, acquiring new equipment.

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PRESENTATION TITLE

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2/11/20XX

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BASED ON YOUR OPERATION

What improvements you choose to make will be based on your operation and where you want it to go.

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  • Things won’t always work… The most important thing is to stay proactive before the season starts, instead of reactive while it’s happening.

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SELLING: ��GENERATE REVENUE THROUGH BOTH PRE-SALES AND WINTER CROP SALES. �

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PRE-SALES - CSA MODEL – IMPORTANCE OF OFF-SEASON ENROLLMENT

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PRE-SALE STRATEGIES

How do you sell something that doesn’t yet exist?

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  • Isolate your key audience and determine how they get their information.

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  • Paid advertising through media channels.

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  • Organic marketing through community.

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WINTER CROP SALES

PRESENTATION TITLE

2/11/20XX

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HOW TO SELL

Determine what you can have.

  • What crops are you capable of producing or storing?

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  • What will your infrastructure allow for?

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  • What are you good at?

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Determine how to sell it?

  • What type of model do you already have?

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  • What type of model fits the selection of crops you can offer?

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  • Who is your best customer base?

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ADVANTAGES OF WINTER CROP SALES

Generally, not profitable alone, but…

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  • Employee retention.
  • Increased revenue – cover overhead expenses.
  • Spread out revenue – no longer crazy on and off.

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THANK YOU

James Klett| James@fairgrownfarm.com | Fairgrownfarm.com

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