Are food hubs part of the answer….
….we recently hosted a roundtable on the problems smaller producers face in marketing their grass fed beef. (see below, “Roundtable: Can I make money selling grass fed beef”)
We were a bit surprised that farmers markets didn’t come up. Several cattlemen we know have tried them and generally found them useful in building a customer base. Eventually, they tired of the commitment, of being tied-down every weekend, and settled for marketing from their farm.
A better solution might be so-called “Food Hubs”, which are really a higher octane version of farmers markets. They have legal structure, and financial underpinning, but again require a real commitment from the participants. By coincidence the USDA recently published a report on the phenomenon and there are more Food Hubs than we realized.
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/SupportDocuments/USDAReportFoodhub2013.pdf
2 Comments
Edward Taylor
I have not heard of food hubs- it’s a great idea! I just scanned the link you provided. They serve to aggregate supply and must give an opportunity for branding.
Another idea- it’s being pursued by Sandy Lewis (http://lewisfamilyfarm.com)- is to establish inroads with local colleges and schools. There’s an opportunity in that to both a be a supplier and to engage students in the issues surrounding industrial agriculture.
– Edward Taylor
Rich Hamilton
We participate in two food hubs, or Co-op’s, that service Richmond and the surrounding counties. A very good solution for us – and much less time demanding than market work!