Marketing Agricultural Products and Services

Times are changing. Until fairly recently many farmers were simply producers. Their energies were focused on growing crops and producing livestock. Selling was often just a matter of sending produce to the local saleyards or silo or contacting their stock and station agent. Producers were price takers rather than price managers. 

Official marketing authorities are playing less of a role in marketing Australian agricultural produce. As part of this deregulation, farmers have many more choices, marketing tools and options that they can use to their advantage provided they know how to use them.

At the same time consumer expectations have become more complex. Farmers find themselves required to respond to concerns about animal welfare practices, health and food safety aspects of their products, and the environmental and ethical impact of their production methods.

This book gives farmers the tools to become a marketer rather than just a producer. It details market specifications, product promotion, quality control and how to respond to consumer demands for animal welfare practices, health, food safety, environmental and ethical issues.

Contents: 
Introduction
Chapter 1  Basic considerations
Chapter 2  Market specifications and quality focus
Chapter 3  Selling unbranded products
Chapter 4  Price risk management
Chapter 5  Marketing branded or niche products
Chapter 6  The marketing plan – putting it all together
Chapter 7  Further reading, support and training