In the state of Kentucky, fruit and vegetable producers are right in the middle of their busiest time of year. All of their hard work put in this past winter and early spring planning and preparing for harvest has paid off and the bounty is plentiful. Most days are spent collecting the fruit (and vegetables) of their labor and the weekends are spent marketing and selling their product in one of the 160+ farmers markets and roadside stands across the state of Kentucky.
This busy season will end just as quickly as it began, and then the process will begin all over again later this year preparing for next year’s harvest. Although most preparations take place later this year, or even early next year, there are steps producers can take now that will make next season that much better.
Always note how much product you are selling. Point-of-sale systems make this data easy to track, but you can also track with a pen and paper with the weigh in – weigh out method. (Weigh the product brought to market, then weigh what is brought home, note the difference.) Also make notes of product that you could have sold more of. Could you have sold 20 more pounds of tomatoes? Are customers asking for roma instead of cherry tomatoes? Write it down! These details will be much easier to remember come planning time when you have notes to refer to from your time at the market.
Make notes of any burnout weeks. It’s real this time of year. Is there something you can do to address this? Consider scheduling a break from market for yourself and staff by taking the week off from market or by arranging work schedules accordingly so everyone has some time to refresh and refuel.
Identify areas in your marketing and sales or in farm production that bring you frustration. Write it down and determine to address the areas of frustration by creating a plan this winter. You don’t need to fix it all now, but capturing the information now will help you address it at an appropriate time.
The market season can be both wonderful and exhausting all at the same time. By taking some extra steps this season, you will be better prepared for the seasons ahead!