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CULTIVAR WALNUTS OFFER INCOME POTENTIAL
Growing black walnut trees that have been grafted to improved cultivars have potential for excellent production and financial return. Some farmers grow the walnuts on their land, pick and sell them for extra money, but there is a potential to do much more using grafted trees. Farm Direct Tip Sheet

SMALL FARM DIRECT MARKETING
Direct marketing refers to selling that is based on a personal, one-to-one relationship that ties farmers and consumers together. Many times this relationship is face-to-face, like at farmers' markets. Other times, the consumer and farmer may not actually meet, for example, Internet sales.. Farm Direct Tip Sheet

MARKET FOSTERS SMALL FARMERS The two-year-old Fondy Farm Project of Fondy Market in Milwaukee, Wisconsin is supporting small-scale farmers with low-cost leases ($150 a year) on 80 acres of land north of Port Washington. Organizers hope the experimental project will bring more fresh fruits and vegetables to people living on Milwaukee’s north side. In the project's first year the participating farmers harvested 370,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables and sold nearly everything at the Fondy Market. Open Air

WUWM

TARGETED GRAZING WITH SHEEP AND GOATS Goats and sheep have a reputation for eating vegetation that most other grazing animals would not touch.  The practice of using sheep and goats to clear out unwanted brush is called targeted grazing, and many government agencies, municipalities and private landowners are using it to keep vacant lots, steep back yards, parks and right-of-ways clear of brush.  Farm Direct Tip Sheet

FARMERS MARKET ON A BUS
At Change.org, Katherine Gustafson reports on how Mark Lilly, founder and owner of Farm to Family, operates a mobile farmers market in a tricked-out school bus packed with "fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy, baked goods and a few pet rabbits." 

The produce is gathered from Lilly's own garden as well as those of family members, friends and farmers with whom he is trying to build relationships. His marketing route is limited to the Richmond, Virginia, area but varies from day to day. He posts his location for potential shoppers hour-to-hour info on his Facebook page and Twitter feed and responds to special requests for stops.

DIRECT MARKETING MEAT
The first step to selling meat products to neighbors or in a public market is to find a processor that is a state inspected facility. Ohio extension educator Rory Lewandowski points out that many custom red meat plants have facilities and equipment approved for slaughter and processing but do not have a regular inspection program. Livestock may be slaughtered and processed into meat products at these plants for the owner of the livestock, but those products must be identified by stamping all product packages with the wording "Not For Sale."

HOME DELIVERY, DIRECT FROM THE FARM
Home delivery of produce direct from the farm is a growing trend in Michigan, according to a report in The Detroit News. "Many Michigan farmers who deliver say they've seen a significant increase in home delivery customers during the past few years," Jennifer Youssef reports. "And consumers say they like the delivery services because they want farm-fresh food but can't always get what they're looking for at the grocery store." Youssef profiles home delivery services by Avalon Farms in Climax, Michigan, and To Your Door Delivery in Niles. Home delivery works best in rural areas with high-income residents willing to pay a premium for the service, according to grocery analyst David Livingston, but middle- and lower-income consumers nmay be a harder sell and urban locations will be difficult to reach. 

 He offers free advice, based on his 40 years of horticultural experience, to any customer that asks, even a month after the original purchase. Farm Direct Profile

MANAGING TIMBERLAND AS AN INVESTMENT
If you're a savvy investor, you know your financial portfolio should include a retirement plan, some stocks, some bonds, a money market fund -- and that timberland you inherited from your grandfather 20 years ago. Timberland as an investment? Absolutely. Timber is a commodity, and it needs to be treated like any other investment a landowner manages. Farm Direct Tip Sheet

RAISING MEAT GOATS
Increased market opportunities have led many folkss to consider raising meat goats, but many are unfamiliar with modern production techniques. And because the interest in meat goat production is new, there are few experienced goat producers in most areas to help newcomers in their desire to learn as much as possible The following tip sheet covers a range of topics that potential producers should understand before launching a meat goat enterprise. Farm Direct Tip Sheet

MARKETING MEAT DIRECT TO THE CONSUMER
Selling directly to the consumer may significantly increase profits and prices above those received in conventional markets. Small-scale operators and part-time producers, in particular, have the opportunity to market additional services or special aspects of their product and realize significant price premiums. Farm Direct Tip Sheet

GROWING A HOME BUSINESS WITH HERBS
Phyllis Shaudys of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, turned her hobby of making herbal sachets from dried home-grown herbs and flowers into a full-time business, Herbal Acres. In a profile of her enterprise in Mother Earth News she explained: "I had always made potpourris and sachets to give as gifts, but it had never occurred to me to go into business." Shaudys sold small pillows filled with fragrant herbs, packages of potpourri, and herbal wreaths.

THE BEST MARKET
Some one has said that the great difficulty with farmers is that they sell at wholesale and buy at retail; and this difficulty is nowhere better shown than in the fruit business. The less fruit you can sell a customer, at one time, the more he is willing to pay for it. Did you ever stop to think of that? Traditional Orcharding

OHIOANS WANT TO BUY DIRECT
Ohioans are unquestionably interested in buying high quality fresh produce, according to an Ohio State University survey of "Ohio Consumer Opinions of Roadside Markets and Farmers' Markets." The survey of the general population in Ohio was designed to gather information regarding purchasing behavior and attitudes in regards to fresh fruits and vegetables. Over 88% of Ohio households said they believe they receive higher quality produce directly from the farmer and an even greater percentage (90%) of the households said they prefer to buy their fresh fruits and vegetables directly from the farmer, whenever possible. OSU Horticulture and Crop Science