Growing Diverse Farmers and

Sustainable Markets

Presented By: Josh Hardin

Laughing Stock Farms

Sheridan, AR

Overview

• Marketing yourself

• Marketing your

product

• Resources that will

help you improve your

skills and knowledge

• Wrap-up & Questions

Better Practices = Better Marketing

●On Farm

Composting

●Trap Cropping

●Cover Crops &

Green Manure

●Raised Beds

●Drip Irrigation

Start Strong Markets By Starting

With Committed Growers

●Producer only

markets benefit

young beginning

farmers &

established

producers

●Direct Marketing

Challenges with

imports and resellers

Variety Variety Variety

Increase Price By Selling Per Box

• Customers don’t want to buy too much at once

• Reduce waste and handling• Easier to manage table space• Increases flow of traffic

Resources

●Internet & Software

●Seed Catalogs

●Conferences

●Fellow Farmers

Market Farm Forms

●Whole Farm Plan

Template

●Seed & Plant

Spreadsheets

●Crop Succession

Templates

●Harvest & Yield

Calculators

Ability to completely

customize your farm plan

Cost free with a

suggested donation if it

becomes useful to your

farm

http://code.google.com/p/c

ropplanning/

Mail to Clayton:

cropplanning@gmail.com

Open Source Crop Planning

Seed Catalogs

●Check with local

providers first

●Compare Prices!!

●Find out what is hot

for this year

●Make sure it is

adapted to our

climate

Farm Conferences

●AR OK Horticulture

Industry Show

●SSAWG

●Acres

●Missouri Organic

Ask A Farmer

●Others have already

made your mistakes

●Most farmers want

to share experience

●Advice is free but

take it with a grain of

salt

Summary

●Create consistent

garden plans to

share with farmers

and chefs

●Communication &

Interaction

●More Diversity =

Less Risk

Thank You!!!

Laughing Stock Farms

laughingstockfarms@gmail.com

(870) 866-3753

Sheridan, AR