Value Added Products Increase Revenue for Small Farmers and Ranchers
Jars of jam from Browntown Farms
In Virginia, 10,862 Virginia farmers earned less than $1,000 from their farm operation (USDA, 2017). Conversely, USDA (2018) reported that Virginia producers sold nearly $1.3 million in value added products, which were sold directly to customers through farm stands, farmers markets, Community Supported Agriculture and online sales.
With market demand skyrocketing for ready to eat specialty food products, educational outreach on cost effective methods of producing and marketing value added farm products to Virginia small and minority farmers may provide significant economic benefits. Additional education and technical assistance are needed to assist small, minority, limited-resource farmers to adopt value added production and marketing practices.
From 2010 to 2019, in collaboration with the Virginia Food Works (VFW) Processing Facility, the Southern Virginia Food Hub and the VSU Small Farm Outreach Program (SFOP), more than 15 educational, hands-on workshops and processing facility tours have been conducted with more than 500 limited-resource, socially disadvantaged farmers and food artisans throughout Virginia. Additionally, direct technical service from the VCE Marketing and Agribusiness program at VSU and cooperating VCE Extension specialists and VSU SFOP agents is provided to participants needing additional assistance in understanding regulations, label creation, consumer promotional materials and cost-effective packaging options. In 2019, the Marketing and Agribusiness program created an outreach brochure for VFW to distribute to potential clientele to explain the value added opportunities available from VFW.
As a result of collaborative value added farm tours, workshops and the VFW brochure, educational outreach efforts on behalf of the Virginia Food Works Processing Facility and Southern Virginia Food Hub, 100 unique value added farm products from strawberry jam to spicy tomato salsa have been created with Virginia grown farm products and are being sold directly to the public through farm stands, farmers markets, Community Supported Agriculture, food hubs and online sales with an estimated retail value range of $5 to $15 per specialty product netting 100 limited-resource, socially disadvantaged farmers and food artisans a minimum annual gross income range of $125,000.