Collaborative Marketing for Small Farms
Collaborative marketing is a realistic solution for small- to mid-size farms that are seeking access to larger markets, but are unable to individually serve such accounts. In collaborative marketing, several like-minded producers join together formally to market and distribute farm products, but not necessarily under the governance or control of a cooperative.
The range of farm products that can be sold through a collaborative group is as diverse as the farms themselves: meats, vegetables, forest products, fruits, grains, flowers, nursery & greenhouse products, cheeses and other dairy products, and livestock.
Collaborative marketing may influence many areas of your farm. By choosing to market jointly with other farms, you will adjust your planting intentions, harvesting and storage techniques, crop schedule, certifications, buyer relationships and many other farm office decisions. It is not a decision to be taken lightly. In fact, establishing some type of business collaboration may be one of the more complicated decisions you will make for your farm.
The financial bottom line for family farms is profitability. Collaborative marketing could reduce your marketing expenses, but it might not make your farm profitable overall. Fortunately, there are ways for you to collaborate with other farms for trial periods to assess the economic strengths or weaknesses. The opportunities opened up through multi-farm marketing need to be tempered with good agreements and procedures.
Generally, small farms should consider temporary, limited-scale collaborative projects before developing substantial business agreements. Such arrangements can be a simple as consignment sales, or as complex as a corporation dedicated to marketing and distribution.
The PDF below contains information on creating a collaborative marketing strategy: considering the different types of collaborative marketing business structures, seeking attorney assistance to develop a collaborative marketing agreement, managing commmon problems, and a handy worksheet to help you organize the basic aspects of a collaborative marketing agreement.
Collaborative Marketing for Small Farms: Selling & Working Together (pdf; 447KB)
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Upcoming Events
NOFA-NY's Virtual Winter Conference
January 16 - January 23, 2021
There's still time to register for NOFA-NY's Virtual Winter Conference! One registration gives you access to more than 90 workshops presented by farmers, gardeners, homesteaders, and advocates to learn from.
Knowing Input Costs to Maximize Profits - Farm Financial Management Tuesdays
January 19, 2021
CCE Ag Business Educators are offering online farm financial management education programs this winter!
On January 19, from 12:30-1:30, Join CCE CNY Dairy and Field Crops Ag Business Educator, Nicole Tommell and Gabe Gurley of NY FarmNet, for a one hour program on managing your input costs in your farm business. Managing your costs is a key aspect of being profitable.
This program is the second of three Farm Business Management Tuesdays planned for this winter.
Cash Flow Management and the Annual Operating Cycle - Farm Financial Management Tuesdays
January 26, 2021
CCE Ag Business Educators are offering online farm financial management education programs this winter!
On January 26, from 12:30-1:30, Join CCE ENYCH Ag Business Educator, Elizabeth Higgins, for a one hour program on cash flow management and the annual operating cycle. Lack of cash is one of the primary reasons why small businesses fail. Put together the knowledge you learned in the first two sessions to think about how to use various tools and strategies like loans, lines of credit, managing timing of payments, budgeting and forecasting, and timing of major purchases to better manage your farm's cash flow.
This program is the third of three Farm Business Management Tuesdays planned for this winter.