Market Strategy
Rag & Frass grows a diverse selection of vegetables year-round for two farmers markets and their roadside stand. Julia relies on market observation and customer behavior to determine which products go to which market, and the quantity sizes of the products sold at the markets. She has found that different markets tend to have different buying trends, and that it’s good practice to get to know your customers and cater to them accordingly. For example, in Macon, smaller quantities sell best, and larger quantities sell better in Atlanta; Julia infers that this is likely due to older customers or smaller households in Macon, and bigger families in Atlanta. Julia and her staff track the inventories of what is sold week to week, and use their intuition based on experience and real-time feedback to plan for their markets and customers’ preferences. Another tip would be to walk through the market at the beginning of the day before customers arrive to see what other farmers have at their booths. If everyone is carrying a ton of salad greens, for example, then you could expect to not sell out or if you did, you would know the demand of the market is being fill by multiple farms and you could probably bring more the following week. It’s about understanding the limits of customer buying so that you minimize waste.
Infrastructure Through NRCS EQIP
Strategic whole-farm planning is central to building long-term resilience at Rag & Frass Farm, and federal conservation programs have played a key role in that strategy. The USDA National Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) has supported climate-smart conservation projects on the farm, including:
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A well
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Irrigation box installations for each zone in the fields
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Two high tunnels
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Synthetic reusable mulch
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High tunnel gutters for roof runoff management
Julia cautioned farmers not to apply for too many practices at once, as NRCS EQIP programs operate as reimbursements, and up-front costs can add up quickly. She advised using EQUP programs strategically so that they work for the farmer, and not the other way around.
For example, Julia had seen success using woven black-on-white landscape fabric on her farm, which kept cooler in the summer, reflected heat, and helped reduce aphid pressure on the plants. She is able to double crop in the landscape fabric, as long as she fertigates the second crop, and can reuse the fabric for up to 10-12 years. Using the EQIP Mulching 484 Conservation Practice Standard, Julia was able to get financial support to purchase the synthetic mulch by thinking outside of the box and considering the specific needs of her farm and farm systems. If you’re an organic farmer using reusable landscape fabric, make sure that, like Julia, you monitor the integrity of the fabric to make sure it is not degrading in the field so that you remain in compliance with the National Organic Program regulation 7 CFR 205.206(c)(6).
