Value Added Marketing: Connecting with Customers (Video)

By SARE

In the initial full-length video (Added Value: Direct Marketing for Farmers and Ranchers) on the Imperial Stock Ranch in eastern Oregon, Jeanne Carver described how her and her husband’s ranching business had to come up with a new marketing approach to address declining markets and competition from overseas. Their new approach was to develop and market a value-added product, yarn spun from their sheeps’ wool.

Their strategy revolved around four key activities:

1. Identify the product and its market potential.
2. Determine the type and level of processing needed for your product.
3. Create a marketing package and message.
4. Develop a plan for how to market and sell your product.

In this short companion video, Jeanne provides a clear example of how the new approach has unfolded, emphasizing that farmers and ranchers must listen to the customer and adapt to changing circumstances and needs. She goes on to describe how they have opened up a whole new market by creating not only homespun wool, but ready-made apparel for people who don’t knit. An inspiring video for anyone interested in developing and marketing value-added products on the farm.

Tags: carver imperial ranch, developing new markets, jeanne carver, marketing, oregon history, ranching, sare, sheep, sheep wool, sustainable agriculture, sustainable agriculture research and education, Sustainable Living, value added