How consumers use social media to connect with food retailers - Penn State Extension podcast series

Food retailers, large or small, have an opportunity to use social media tools, such as Facebook, Twitter, and blogs, to connect with the public, including their customers. Many are using these tools with various levels of success. To use them effectively, one must understand how consumers are, or may, use them to connect with food retailers.

Research completed at Penn State provides insights into consumer use of Facebook, blogs, Twitter, and online review sites (such as Yelp!). The results of the research are being released as a series of short videos. The first one, an introduction to the research, is available now at http://www.youtube.com/user/PSUFoodandFarmBiz/videos. Videos are scheduled to be released each Tuesday and Thursday over the next 10 weeks.

To receive regular notifications when new videos are released, you can Like us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/FarmBusiness) or send an email to farmbusiness@psu.edu.

--Rick VanVranken

Small and Beginning Farmer Workshop

With modifications, low cost backpack sprayers are an accurate, efficient tool for your small operation.
In this workshop, John Grande, Director Rutgers Snyder Research Farm, teaches more effective ways to use a backpack sprayer: increase sprayer accuracy, successfully apply alternative organic products, create greater farmer/operator ease, make better use of precious time and money, and improve safety.

When: Tuesday, February 7th 2012 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Where: Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Mercer County, 930 Spruce Street Lawrenceville, NJ 08648

Topics Included:

• Backpack sprayer calibration - John Grande,
  Director Rutgers Snyder Research & Extension Farm
• Hand tools for weed control - Ed Dager,
  Farm Supervisor Rutgers Snyder Farm
• Surround trial results: apples, potatoes, & eggplant - Win Cowgill,
  Hunterdon Co. Ag Agent  
• Crop insurance options for small farms -
  Garden State Crop Insurance Education Initiative

For more details and registration visit:
http://events.rutgers.edu/pdfs/2_7_2012.pdf

-Meredith Melendez

Upcoming Conferences - North American Direct Marketers and New Mex Chile

For NJ farm marketers, the North American Farmers Direct Marketing Association's annual conference expands the programming that used to be available at our old MADMaC show, and again this year, will be hosted in our old territory in Williamsburg, VA, Feb 10-16, 2012. Details about the event and registration materials can be found at http://nafdma.com/VA2012/.

Likewise, if you'd like to learn about all things pepper, check out the 2012 New Mexico Chile Conference to be held Feb 6 & 7 in Las Cruces, NM. Details on their website at http://www.chilepepperinstitute.org/conferences.php.

Before that, of course, we'd like to see you in Atlantic City, Jan 17-19, for the combined 2012 Atlantic Coast Agricultural Conference & Trade Show and NJ Ag Convention.


Wishing you the best for the holidays and for a prosperous New Year!

--Rick VanVranken

Rutgers NJAES to Host Agritourism Conferences Throughout NJ in January

Agritourism is sometimes defined as, “Touring agricultural areas to see farms and often to participate in farm activities.” Farmers in New Jersey are finding a demand for local tourism and a desire from the consumer to “buy local”. To assist New Jersey’s agricultural community in these endeavors, a program at Rutgers University has been developed to provide education and outreach to farmers who currently operate on-farm direct marketing businesses, like agritourism ventures, and for those who would like to develop an agritourism business.
- M. Infante-Casella

New SARE Fact Sheet Available on Tomato Grafting

Growers and researchers around the world using tomato grafting demonstrate that grafting can protect plants against a variety of soil-borne diseases in various climates and conditions. SARE has a new fact sheet, Tomato Grafting for Disease Resistance and Increased Productivity that helps farmers and agricultural educators learn how to graft tomatoes to fight disease and improve the health and vigor of tomato crops.

Grafting is particularly useful in High Tunnel culture where crop rotation options are limited. Grafting has been successfully used to battle diseases like Verticillium and Fusarium wilt, corky root rot and bacterial wilt, among others. Along with maintaining high fruit quality, tomato grafting can also help overcome crop stressors such as salinity, excess moisture and soil temperature extremes, and extend the growing season and increasing total marketable yield.
- Wes Kline and Jack Rabin

Fresh Market Green Bean Company Seeking NJ Growers

C&E Farms is a grower packer shipper of fresh market green beans, based on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. They partner with over 45 growers in Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, covering 3500 acres.

C&E Farms has decided to expand their program in NJ. They are specifically looking for irrigated acres. The requirement of irrigation is to have consistent quality and supply of green beans for sales.

C&E Farms has contacted South Jersey Rutgers NJAES Cooperative Extension Agricultural Agents to disseminate information to growers about this new opportunity. A meeting with C&E Farms will be held on December 15th at the Woodstown Diner in Salem County.
For more information email: Justin Colson justincolson@cefarms.com

Posted by Michelle Infante-Casella, Agricultural Agent

Should you offer price discounts or coupons to increase retail vegetable sales?

Coupons versus offering price discounts at retail; which is likely to be more effective at increasing consumer purchase behavior of fruits and vegetables? The USDA ERS recently asked this marketing question. The answer has implications for Jersey produce grower and retail marketing strategies.
-Jack Rabin