Value-Added Agriculture

During a recent webinar that I led addressing vending at Farmers’ Markets, a participant asked how to discover food trends and consumer purchasing preferences. While we discussed several resources for searching out “what’s hot and what’s not”, the real key to keeping our customers engaged is more about understanding their wants and needs than trying to capitalize on any one trend or specific product. Peter Drucker’s timeless adage that “the purpose of any business is to have a satisfied customer”, still holds today in our multi-channel, wireless, 24/7 shopping arena.

Processing For Profits-An Assessment tool and guide for small-scale on-farm food processors This publication addresses product development, manufacturing, understanding the food safety system, labeling, acidified food, FAQs about Maryland’s food regulations, specific Maryland processed farm products, business planning, and marketing for specialty food producers and processors. Any producer interested in the potential and pitfalls of on-farm and value-added food processing will find this new resource helpful in their planning and implementation process.

The first issue (July 2020) of the "Maryland Retail Products Producer News & Notes". In this issue Ginger shares the results of a survey that was conducted.

Are you a small livestock farmer in Maryland wanting to capitalize on your urban location and strong demand for locally produced meats? If so, this web module, Farm to Table Marketing Model for Small Farm Meat Producers, was created specifically for you. This module delivers educational materials developed for several training sessions by educators and professionals who are highly knowledgeable and who are presently engaged in Farm-to-Table production and marketing.

Your Ag Business Venture: Dream, Plan, Implement is a guide designed to put you in the driver's seat while on the road to making your ag business idea a reality. There are many good tools and resources within this guide to help you along the way.