LFPP, Education
Brent Lackey
Mapping Kentucky's Local Food System Series: ...

Maps help us navigate the world, and they not only show us how to get from point A to point B, but, depending on the type of map, they can also help us to see where patterns, clusters, and gaps exist in a spatial environment. As part of KCARD’s state-wide Local Food System Expansion Initiative, a series of interactive maps has been developed to visualize the Kentucky local food system. Stay tuned for parts two and three of the series in the next few weeks. We will present a closer look into local food sales in Kentucky and the various industries that make up the local food system. 

Mapping Kentucky's Local Food System Series: Introduction

Marketing

Email Marketing 201: Expanding Your Reach with Email

Email Marketing 201: Expanding Your Reach with Email

Today our inboxes are flooded with email marketing campaigns, some feeling spammy, but there is no denying the impact a well-crafted message can have on your customers. Email marketing has one of the best return on investment, for every dollar spent over $40 is returned, on average. In our previous Email Marketing 101 post, we talked about what email marketing is and some quick tips to get started. In this post, we’ve put together a few tips to help you expand your knowledge in email marketing and continue to increase your return.

Marketing Series: Customer Retention

Marketing Series: Customer Retention

Consumer trends changed drastically when the coronavirus hit. You probably have customers who never thought of purchasing local until it became a necessity. While stores, restaurants, and other businesses are opening back up, many consumer trends are sticking around. Keeping those new customers around will be key for sustaining the growth your business has had the past six months. So how do you keep your new customer coming back again and again? Here are five tips to keep your customers.

Pivoting Your Marketing During Changing Times

Pivoting Your Marketing During Changing Times

If you are like many business owners, the coronavirus pandemic has turned your world upside down. Your cash flow or product availability might have changed, which means you might have to change up other pieces of your business, such as your marketing strategy. Now is not the time to cut your marketing budget or marketing efforts. Why? With so much uncertainty now, you need to reassure your customers that you are here for them and that your business isn’t going anywhere. Check out five tips to pivot your marketing during changing times.

Consumer Trends – Now and Going into Fall

Consumer Trends – Now and Going into Fall

Due to COVID, consumers are changing the way they are buying and what they are buying. While many consumers are settling into learning to live with the reality of COVID, the impact of the pandemic has left more lasting effects on the way consumers are shopping, and what is important to them. What does that mean for you? In this post, we discuss 3 major themes in consumer trends that are projected to continue into fall.

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Direct to Consumer Beef Webinar Series Takeaways

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Direct to Consumer Beef Webinar Series Takeaways

In mid-July we hosted the “Direct-to-Consumer Beef Webinar Series” with several partners including the University of Kentucky Department of Animal and Sciences, Kentucky Beef Council, and several others. We offered this series to respond to the conversation and education around proper production, processing, business development, marketing, and sales for finished beef. We’ve pulled together a few of the noteworthy takeaways from the webinar series.

Hashtags 101

Hashtags 101

Have you heard of a hashtag? A hashtag is an online tagging device used on certain social media platforms. Using hashtags helps others easily find content centered on a certain theme or subject. A hashtag starts with the number (#) symbol followed by a series of words. Placing the hashtag symbol before the words will automatically turn the phrase into a searchable link.

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Top 5 Tips for Direct Marketing Meat

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Top 5 Tips for Direct Marketing Meat

Direct marketing is a wonderful way to promote your farm and fulfill a need for consumers. Our guest blogger, Dr. Gregg Rentfrow, has been with the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension program since 2006 as the Meat Specialist. Dr. Rentfrow works closely with meat and livestock producers, and the 4-H and FFA programs in the state to provide training and education about meat production. Dr. Rentfrow is a trusted and valued resource for KCARD wit his extensive knowledge of the meat and livestock industries and has participated in several KCARD Marketing Locally Grown Meat workshops in the past.

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Q&A with Olivia: Local Food, Increasing Your Markets

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Q&A with Olivia: Local Food, Increasing Your Markets

Olivia Vogel, KCARD’s new Local Food Project Coordinator, took a little time to answer some questions about herself, the new Local Food Initiative Expansion Project, and give some helpful tips for producers interested in expanding their markets.

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KCARD’s Local Food Expansion Initiative

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KCARD’s Local Food Expansion Initiative

The Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development (KCARD) is launching the Kentucky Local Food System Expansion Initiative to expand the work of multiple organizations that have laid a foundation in Kentucky for local food purchasing. Organizations involved in the project include the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Kentucky Horticulture Council, Feeding Kentucky, Bluegrass Farm to Table, the University of Kentucky, and the Community Farm Alliance.

Social Selling – What it means to your online marketing

Social Selling – What it means to your online marketing

Chances are you are already doing some social selling if you have a Facebook business page, Instagram business page, or professional Twitter page. So, what is social selling? It is the art of using social media to find, connect with, understand, and nurture sales prospects. In short, it is the modern way to connect with current and potential customers to develop meaningful relationships. The goal with social selling is to bring value to your customer by anticipating their needs rather than just spamming them with “buy now” posts. We’ve put together some best practices to include with your social selling strategy.

About KCARD

The Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development is a non-profit organization established to facilitate agricultural and rural businesses in Kentucky. We are supported primarily through grants provided by the USDA Rural Cooperative Development Program and the Kentucky Agricultural Development Board. Additional support is provided through our work with partners around the state and through fees charged for select client services.

Contact Us

411 Ring Road
Elizabethtown, KY 42701

p: (859) 550-3972
f: (888) 319-4962

kcard@kcard.info