Access to profitable retail and wholesale markets is a challenge for small- to mid-scale family farmers. “The days of showing up with your cantaloupes in the back of the pickup are no longer a way to make a living,” said Diana Endicott of Kansas City, Missouri. “So you have to be willing to make a change.” A Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) grant helped Endicott and other area farmers launch a marketing cooperative that secured access for their all-natural beef products in 19 local supermarkets. A second SARE grant explored consumer demand for natural beef at the retail level, contributing to a 33 percent increase in sales.
This new video shows how
Good Natured Family Farms
has grown into a network of more than 100 farms that sells a range of products through 30 area supermarkets and generated $4.5 million in sales in 2015.
Watch the SARE video about independent farmers.
Want to read about more impacts like this? Check out Fresh from the Field, a weekly bulletin showcasing transformative impacts made by grantees funded by NIFA.
