Lots of us are already doing that!

Instead of dwelling on the conditions of factory farmed animals - which leaves a negative feeling in your customer's mind - focus on how happy and content your critters are. People like the image of happy chickens running around in the grass and happy cows wandering the pasture - play up that image.

Show pictures of your beautiful garden on an early summer's day so all the leaves are fresh and glistening. Talk up how healthy truly fresh produce is.

Marketing takes work and flexibility. What works for me in a vacation area near a fairly affluent city may not work at all somewhere else.

 

For me, to do what you suggest, would require a series of state regulations that I would have to meet in order to advertise and sell. I choose not to make as much by using word of mouth, and farmers markets. Each state, and sometimes counties, have different rules for selling products. For me, part of the draw of homesteading is not having to deal with alot of government stuff.

 

If you're going to sell and even attempt to break even or make a profit you will have to sell to the people with the money. The biggest problem we've found in this area is that many people will undercut prices because they think they have to or are competing with the supermarket. I spoke with a woman the other day. She was selling her eggs, some Arucana's, for $1 per dozen. I had just bought feed and she did too and feed had gone up 10% but she was still going to sell for $1 since she couldn't eat them all anyway and $1 was all she thought people would pay.

 

Wow, I sell my eggs for $3 a dozen without a problem and know someone else that sells theirs for $4.50 a dozen. My daughter sells her raw goat milk for $5 per half gallon.

We sell by word of mouth though and mostly through my BIL's work, an organic veggie/fruit co-op distribution place.

We have thought about doing a weekly "farm day" and selling raw cow milk, goat milk, eggs, and things like fresh bread. We can't sell the milk except for on farm here.

I spoke with a woman the other day. She was selling her eggs, some Arucana's, for $1 per dozen. I had just bought feed and she did too and feed had gone up 10% but she was still going to sell for $1 since she couldn't eat them all anyway and $1 was all she thought people would pay.

 

I'll be starting a class on agricultural entrepreneurship this week. It will provide financial, legal and business information for existing and startup farm businesses. At the end we should have a business plan suitable for taking to the bank. It should be very interesting and informative. Its sponsored by the extension and managed by a local small farmer.
One of the hardest things to get when you start a business is knowing who you need to talk to, this will provide that most essential element.

 

My "competition" is the big city health food stores that sell free-range, grass fed beef from New Zealand for $8 - $13 a pound. And pork for $3 - $5 a pound.

So my grass fed beef at $5 a pound and free range pork at $2.25 a pound is a great deal.