Georgia Mountains Farmers Network

From Markets to a Mission:

The role of farmer organized networks in

building Local Food Systems.

Presented by:

Justin Ellis

GMFN organizer

Chuck Mashburn

Farmer @ Mill Gap Farm

and GMFN president

Andrew Linker

GMFN Field Coordinator

Basic Premise:

• Networks Matter!

• Farmer collaboration

benefits farmers.

• Farmers should play a

central role in shaping

local food systemsInitial Organizing

Support provided by:

The Local Food System of Northeast Georgia

NC

SC

FARMERS in Habersham & Rabun

Counties

• Recognized the need for more

REGIONAL communication and

collaboration especially in building

MARKETS

• Had experience with Athens Locally

Grown Market.

Or in this case “Agroecologist!”

In rural areas

• Customers are far apart

• And so are Farms

White

Habersham County –

Clarkesville

Rabun County-

Clayton

Organic and

sustainable

farms 2009-2013

Benefits of Regional Markets and Networks

Hall County- Gainesville

Markets are usually

what bring regional

farmers together in

the beginning

& a rural food distribution networkApril 2010

Launched

Northeast Georgia

Locally Grown Market

Advantages

Less time / Labor relative to traditional farmers markets

Less risk of waste (products are presold)

Provides a year round market

Reach customers across broad region

Midweek market enhances freshness

Drop off locations create opportunities for networking/ knowledge exchange

Market generates its own funds

Locally Grown – an internet market

& a rural food distribution network

Primary value is as a CENTRALIZED MARKETPLACE across a wide

rural region. And as a DISTRIBUTION NETWORK.

Distribution pattern and driving routes of farms delivering to the Tiger and

Clarkesville delivery locations

Tiger pick up

Clarkesville pick up

Shuttle Run

Locally Grown – an internet market

Distribution pattern and driving routes of farms delivering to

the Tiger and Clarkesville delivery locations.

DELIVERY MILES

Miles Saved w/ Shuttle per year 18,523

SAVINGS

Gas and Labor ($10/hr) SAVINGS $6,931.36

Less cost for SHUTTLE RUN $1,000.00

TOTAL SAVINGS $5,931.36

Delivery miles reduced and savings achieved through the

distribution efficiency of a shuttle run

Collaboration improves EfficiencyLocally Grown – online market

the SHUTTLE RUN

between

Market locations is the

most efficient aspect

of the Locally Grown

system.

MARKET

VOLUNTEERS

distributing food is the

second most

efficient aspect

STEP ONEApplied for a small grant through Certified Naturally Grown that would pay a NETWORK organizer $20 an hour for up to 100 hours (funding from USDA Farmers Market Promotion Program)

STEP THREEHeld first meeting January 25th, 2012Have followed same format for 11 meetingsFARM TOUR > POTLUCK > MEETING

STEP TWOConducted phone survey of what farmers wanted to see a farmer’s network accomplish. Used feedback to populate a list of priorities.

The Formation of GMFN

Possible Activities for a Growers Network

or what would you like a Growers Network to

accomplish?

1. Cooperative Marketing efforts (8 VOTES)Example- Develop systems for bulk deliveries to ATL area, restaurants, etc.

2. Coordinating Bulk Orders (7 VOTES)Increase availability and reduce shipping on amendments, supplies, seeds, potatoes, etc

3. Share up-to-date Contact Lists (6 VOTES)To include other farmers, but also restaurants who buy local, suppliers, technical experts

4. Host Farm Tours (5 VOTES)Specifically for GROWERS (focused on sharing information)

5. Acquisition and Sharing of Equipment (5 VOTES)Such as compost tea sprayers, bed shapers, others?

6. Obtaining or Producing Organic Feed (5 VOTES)It is difficult and costly to obtain organic feed easily.

7. Organization of Crop Mobs (4 VOTES)Labor assistance. Bringing volunteers to your farm to have them work on a project or

weed for an afternoon.

8. Create Forums for more frequent Farmer Communication (3

VOTES)Possibly a Yahoo Group or website to post information for each other to see.

9. Developing Marketing as a Group (2 VOTES)Co-branding regional products like a logo, identity

10. Organizing specific and technical workshops (1 VOTE)Bringing in experts from other areas

11. Hosting Public Events (wasn’t an option at time of voting)Increase customer base / awareness

Possible Activities for a Growers Network

or “what would you like a Growers Network to

accomplish?”

Growers Network PRIORITIES

or what would you like a Growers Network to accomplish?

#1 - Host Farm Tours

We’ve hosted 8 grower tours/potlucks.

#2 - Hosting Public Events – The Georgia Mountains Farm Tour helped create a

sense of unity of purpose and pride in our region. Goal is to increase

customer base / awareness

#3 - Cooperative Marketing efforts

Little to No interest in wholesale markets. Focus has been on RETAIL

SALES, the LOCALLY GROWN internet market, and expansion into nearest

urban market (Gainseville in our case)

#4 - Create Forums for more frequent Farmer Communication

Creation of a GMFN website / blogsite has been key. Announce tours, events,

post information. Also Facebook - Not that useful for communicating with

farms, but great for interaction with the public

#5 - Coordinating Bulk Orders

One bulk order – February 2012

Haven’t done most of these yet

Share up-to-date Contact Lists

Acquisition and Sharing of Equipment

Obtaining or Producing Organic Feed

Organization of Crop Mobs – gonna do this before this year’s FARM TOUR

Developing Marketing as a Group

Received Locally Grown grant in 2014

Organizing specific and technical workshops

The Top 5

Growers Network PRIORITIES

Farmers have repeatedly told us what they like the most about the NETWORK is the opportunity to visit each others farms.

The Value of Farm Tours (for farmers)

Tour #1

Burton Mountain Farm

Tour #2

Woodland Gardens

Tour #3

Taylor Creek Farms

Tour #4

Melon Head Farms

Tour #6

Blairsville Cannery

Tour #5

LadyBug Farms

Tour #7

Leah Lake Farms

Tour #8

Mountain Earth Farms

Tour #9

Wilbros. Compost

Tour #10

Mill Gap / Fortify

#1 - Host Farm Tours

We’ve hosted 8 grower

tours/potlucks.

Organizing a FARM TOUR (for the public)

BENEFITS of a FARM TOUR

• Provides structure to the GMFN

• Helps promote / market everyone’s

farm and local foods regionally

• Creates a Revenue Source

HOW to host a FARM TOUR

• Steal good ideas from others

• Pick dates, farms, what to charge

• Layout a brochure

• Write good directions

• Partner with others to help promote

• Find Volunteers

• Concerns / Liability

• Benefits / Video

#2 - Hosting Public Events – The Georgia

Mountains Farm Tour helped create a sense of

unity of purpose and pride in our region. Goal is

to increase customer base / awareness

Expanding the Locally Grown Marketto Urban Customers

#3 - Cooperative Marketing efforts

Little to No interest in wholesale markets. Focus

on RETAIL SALES, the LOCALLY GROWN

internet market, and expansion into nearest

urban market (Gainseville in our case)

Gainesville

Clarkesville

Tiger

Cooperative Marketing Discussions

kept leading back to:

• Need to access URBAN markets

• Need to earn a RETAIL dollar

REALIZED that Locally Grown

solved the most problems simply

Need to access higher density of

customers BUT ALSO

• Expand our community

• Build and promote our own market

• Build distribution capacity

incrementally (as demand grows)

• Spending $ costs farmers $

– tap into community resources.

• Demand for Sustainable Local Food

in Gainesville is high because it’s

unavailable from other sources.

Assessing

our needs

How to Expand your Regional Market

FIND A PERFECT GRANT

• USDA – Value Added Producer

Grant (had to be incorporated)

Designed to allow us to:

• Expand to Gainesville / Hall County

• Develop a Marketing Strategy

• Develop Marketing Resources

• Pay for Technological Upgrades

• Stipends for market managers,

volunteers, drivers

FIND A PERFECT LOCATION

• Free, centrally located, covered,

attractive, pedestrian friendly

FIND A PERFECT PARTNER

• Non-profit with overlapping

interests, base of supporters

FIND PERFECT VOLUNTEERS

• Locals, know the lay of the land,

connect with customers

Locally Grown / Grant = Get Bigger, Faster

The first day of Market

June 11, 2014

DescriptionTOTAL

GRANT MATCHTOTAL

PROJECT

PERSONNEL $13,600

MARKETING $10,000

OFFICE EQUIPMENT $6,525

TRAVEL $3,610

SUPPLIES $2,050

CONTRACTUAL $1,600

OPERATIONAL COSTS $1,200

MATCH 0 $38,672

TOTALS $38,585 $38,672 $77,257

• Invest in better technology,

• Widely promote the market using new

MARKETING TOOLS

• More marketing means we can

RECRUIT MORE FARMS (setup a new

delivery location)

• GRANT is relatively small ($38,500) but

will accomplish a lot.

• Grew from $48,000 in 2013 to $76,000

in 2014 (60% ).

• Expect $100,000 in 2015, shooting for

$120,000 (100% growth rate in 2 years).

• Building a Relationship with A New

Community – using FEATURED

FARMERS

Elements for a successful network

• FARMER DATABASE

• COMMUNICATION TOOLS

• Blog – free website

• Facebook

• Logo – you exist!

• BOARD or Steering Committee

• PARTNERSHIP with non-profit

• Accounting

• Access to office equipment

• YOUNG DRIVEN volunteers (or

very low paid staff)

• KEEP IT FUN!

• SHARE GOOD MEALS TOGETHER

Sage Advice for Farmer Networks• WITHOUT MARKETS farmers often

don’t know each other and don’t

collaborate.

• Collaboration around markets is a good

start (especially regional markets)

• However, markets are always going to

serve the narrow needs of the market

first, not necessarily the broader needs

of farmers.

• Who will serve farmers needs if not

farmers themselves?

A good start for a Network is:

• SIMPLY GETTING TOGETHER

to exchange information and

knowledge. A lot of positive things

occur just through that.

• Encourage Farmers to VOTE on

their PRIORITIES to work on

together (regularly). Farmers voting

on a clear set of goals and priorities

is the best way to give the network

a MISSION.

• A MISSION helps motivate farmers

to continue to meet, and also brings

in other supporters (often non-

farmers) that can help with

organizational tasks.

Sage Advice and NEXT STEPS

PARTNER with individuals that

already possess key talents and skills

• Non-profit organizing skills

• Photography, design, marketing

Find an organizer with time and skills

But still has farm knowledge

Question is, Who is gonna do it?

Grow it incrementally – Networks help

you see the next collaborative

opportunity

OUR NEXT STEPS?

Full Plate for next 12 months but…

Educational Storehouse

• Local expertise is important

• Need to try and capture, &

disseminate as tools to help new

farmers.

Invited Technical Workshops

• More targeted and focused on what

our educational needs are.

• Invite Expert Farmers that speak

directly to critical needs.

• Open these up to broader

community.

Group Insurance

Non-Profit status? Funding?

The Potential for Farmer Networks

“What is most

important about a

farmer network and

sets it apart from, for

example, traditional

Extension-based

classes, is that the

farmers decide what

they want to learn

and create together.”

- Pacific Northwest

Extension Publication

2013

GIVES FARMERS A COLLECTIVE VOICE

&

A Mechanism for partnership and

collaboration

Diminishes emphasis on competition

Focuses on Collaboration

• Easier to be competitive with people you’re not

exchanging ideas with.

• Communication can help you diversify products to

reduce competition.

• Collaboration can help you expand markets

accessing more customers.

• Competition does you no good if you’re fighting over

10 customers.

• Growth and expansion benefits everybody.

How to FIND US

Northeast Georgia Locally Grown Website

http://northeastgeorgia.locallygrown.ne

tGMFN website

http://eatwellbuylocal.org

Justin Ellis

Justin.nglg@gmail.com

Chuck Mashburn

Chuck.nglg@gmail.com

Andrew Linker

Andrew.nglg@gmail.com

3rd Annual

Georgia

Mountains

Farm Tour is

June 27 and 28th