MARKETING PLAN PROJECT

Each group of 3-4 students will be assigned one of the Farms. The group will start with the basic information provided, and build a story of their farm. Using the worksheet, the group will develop the information needed for the marketing plan. Some research will have to be done. Once the worksheet is filled in, a finished report can be written, with the same sections as the worksheet.

Marketing Plan Worksheet

1. Present market situation.

Resources

Products

Markets available

Personal strengths and weaknesses

Current trends at the regional and national levels

2. Objectives, both long term and short term. Reasonable, measurable goals need to be set.

Where would you like the business to be in 6 months?

In a year?

In 5 years?

  1. Budget.

Estimate the costs of production and marketing and subtract from estimated income based on sales. Carefully consider the reasonable costs of production of your crop and marketing costs, depending on the type of marketing you choose. Sales numbers should be consistent with the volume and type of marketing chosen.

Set up records to help you monitor the relationship between cost and income.

  1. Action plan.

Write down specific things that can be done immediately to implement the marketing plan.

Marketing Plan – Farms

  1. Farm A is run by a young couple who are leasing 12 acres of bottom land from the husband’s uncle. They live in a small house about a mile down the road. They are growing a variety of produce from beans to squash to peppers to tomatoes. The wife has a part time job in town, and the husband works fulltime on the farm. They have an old tractor and a few implements.
  1. Farm B is owned by a middle-aged man who inherited the farm from his parents. His parents and grandparents grew cotton. The farm is 85 acres of mixed woods and fields. He works and lives full time on the farm. He grows some cotton, but mostly sweet corn and soybeans. He has a lot of old, but useable equipment. He uses sustainable practices and would like to transition to organic. He has a helper who has worked with him for many years.
  1. Farm C is a student organic farm on a university, run by the students. There are 5 acres and a small tractor and implements. The farm also has a small greenhouse. Most of the production centers around salad ingredients, such as lettuce, greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, and carrots.
  1. Farm D is a berry farm owned by an older, retired couple who have been growing berries for 20 years. They have 2 acres in strawberries, 2 acres in blackberries, and 5 acres in blueberries. About 5 years ago they switched to organic growing practices. They have a hard time finding anyone to help harvest the berries. They have a modest house on the farm.
  1. Farm E is owned by a retired military man. He grows mostly fruit, such as figs, muscadines, blueberries, pears, apples, and strawberries. His home is on the farm of 8 acres. He uses a local commercial kitchen to turn the fruit that does not sell into value-added products such as jams and jellies. He has an intern that works with him.
  1. Farm F specializes in herbs. The young woman who runs the farm grows many types of herbs on 3 acres. She does all the work herself with hand labor. She has no tractor and lives in a trailer on the farm.
  1. Farm G is owned by a man who lives in town with his wife and 5 children. The farm is about 10 miles out of town. He works part-time as a lawyer and part-time as a farmer. His farm is 20 acres in corn and soybeans. He has been putting in an acre of tomatoes the last couple of years. He has a big tractor and lots of equipment.
  1. Farm H is on 4 acres of land owned by a housing community. The farm is run by a single man who lives in the community. He grows a large diversity of vegetables and fruit to serve the needs of the people of the community. The community pays him by giving him a percentage of what the farm makes. He has small power equipment.
  1. Farm I is owned by two women. They have 60 acres with woods, a pond, and 20 acres in organic fields. They specialize in heirloom tomatoes and peppers. They use immigrant labor in their fields. They have a tractor and equipment, but no barn or preparation area. They live in the farmhouse on the farm.
  1. Farm J is 2 acres in a subdivision with large lots. The woman that runs the farm works full time on the farm, getting help from her teen age children occasionally, while the man works a job in town. She grows cut flowers organically. She has a tiller and a small lawn tractor. She also does some design work for weddings and special occasions.