MDA Marketing Update – 2009 promotions

MDA Farmers MarketConference

March 12, 2009

Mark S. PowellChief, Marketing

Trends

Locavore Know the

farmer, food safety concerns

Michael Pollan U.S. Secretary

of Agriculture Vilsack planting a garden

Schaefer Study 2009

2009 Schaefer study

2009 Schaefer study

Local, know the farmer

Leopold Center study, Sept. 2008 http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/pubs/staff/consumer2/consumer2.pdf

Local, know the farmer

Leopold Center, Sept. 2008

Maryland’s Best www.marylandsbest.net … is growing, improving

March 2008 – March 2009 up 460 percent!

December 2007 – 554 distinct visitors

December 2008 – 2,845 distinct visitors

Almost 30,000 Marylanders have viewed 180,000 pages on the Web site since measuring started in the fall of 2007

Maryland’s Best Web site is connecting consumers with buyers, telling farmers stories

Farmer profiles

http://www.remsberg.com/soundbooks/shlagel_web/index.html

http://www.remsberg.com/soundbooks/csa_web/index.html

2009 Advertising & Promotions

Monthly promotions on WYPR, WAMU, WSCL and WVPM (Western Md.)

Maryland Life magazine, Edible Chesapeake

Maryland Public Television Facebook, Google Trade press – The Packer, Produce

news

2009Advertising & Promotions

2009Promotions by Month January/February – CSAs March – Maryland meat, nutrition month April – Maryland wine May/June – Farmers’ markets, milk, vacation

routes July/August – Buy local challenge,

watermelons, farmers markets September -- Apples, farm to school October/November – Ag tourism, turkeys December – Christmas trees

Press Releases & Media

Regular press releases from MDA key part of promotions

Events including Buy Local Challenge In July, will host chefs, food buyers at

a picnic Food writers & chefs are being

recruited for a tour of MD farms to promote local, local, local this summer

Ideas!

Always welcome. We want to help you promote your farmers markets.

Amy Crone, Farmers’ Markets Marketing Specialist, 410-841-5776

Kate Mason, Maryland’s Best Marketing Specialist, 410-841-5779

Jane Storrs, National Marketing Director, 410-841-5777

Mark Powell, Chief of Marketing, 410-841-5775