Earlier this year, we created a way for Small Farm Central users to quickly create Google Maps directions pages for their farm.



The example above is from Oak Ridge Farm's "Directions to the Farm" page. On the left, the page asks for the origination address and then the destination address is already programmed by the farmer.

The user then hits "Get Directions!" and they are immediately shown turn-by-turn directions from their originating address to the farm. The user does not leave the Oak Ridge Farm website at all.

In my case it shows a 651 mile trip from Pittsburgh to Neenah, Wisconsin.

A special feature for our farms is the ability to drag and drop the destination point, so even if Google Maps does not recognize your rural address, you can direct your customers to find your location.

If you are already a Small Farm Central subscriber, login to your control panel and navigate to:
Create Content / Maps / Directions Pages

...you will have a directions page on your website within a few short minutes.

If you are not a subscriber and would like to take advantage of this and our many other features, sign up today!

Our CSA member management service, the Member Assembler, was a success in it's first season with over 5,000 CSA members signed up. From farms with well over 1,000 members to farms with 25 members, the system eased data entry, collected payments, and is now serving as a repository for membership information as the season progresses.

It is fun to watch the automated "pickup reminders" go out each night to CSA members that are receiving a CSA box the next day. I can imagine a great box of veggies and fruit behind each one of those emails. Quite exciting.

If you are running a CSA in 2010, consider using our system for online member sign-up, balance tracking, credit card integration (or old fashioned checks; your choice), member management, pick-up reminders, and more.

We are planning a lot of improvements for later this season and next season:

• Survey/questionnaire integration for end-of-season surveys and next season we'd like to have a way for members to give feedback on a weekly basis like Village Acres Farm does it now.
• PayPal integration to complement/replace Google Checkout.
• Improved interface for easier interaction with membership information.
• And much more based on the feedback from our subscribers.

Google Checkout Problems

The biggest hiccup for the Member Assembler this Spring was related to Google Checkout. Google apparently does not understand or appreciate the collective risk of the CSA system and, for a couple of farms, was holding back 10% of gross sales to cover any charge-backs.

Despite reasonable explanation from Small Farm Central, our farms, and numerous emails from CSA customers, Google could not be budged. If we cannot get a guarantee that this will not happen for 2010, we will remove Google Checkout as an option in the Member Assembler and move to use PayPal as the credit card processor.

We Love CSAs

We love the CSA concept -- I've helped start and manage a CSA farm, been a member of a number of CSA programs, and seen the logistical issues of complex CSA programs in my experience delivering CSA boxes for Penns Corner Farm Alliance which collects products from 25 farms in the Pittsburgh area, packs CSA boxes, and then delivers them across the city.

Keep up the hard work this year - I know the CSA delivery season has just started for most of you. Another 20 weeks, give or take, left! We'll keep working for you to make sure the Member Assembler continues to improve and can become an even more useful tool for your CSA.

Shannon Knepper will be helping us out this summer with email correspondence and support. We'd like to introduce you so you know who you are talking on the phone or via email.

Shannon also works with the Pennsylvania Buy Fresh Buy Local program's buylocalpa.org which is a custom development project of Small Farm Central. It is a mapping application that visualizes Pennsylvania's local food sources among many other interesting features. Shannon helps support the farmer and consumer queries that come through that site.

Her work with buylocalpa.org and commitment to calm, knowledgeable support makes her a perfect fit for our team.

A Little About Shannon

Shannon Knepper is a Pittsburgh printmaker & graphic designer who breaks for taco trucks, leafy greens and stinky cheeses. Connecting the public with great farms is a personal mission & she's happy to be a part of Small Farm Central team.

Our newest premium template, Blossoming, is now ready. Visit the sample site at: http://premium3.smallfarmcentral.com.

To celebrate this third premium template, we'd like to offer the next three new subscribers to Small Farm Central a free upgrade to use premium templates. This is a $100 value. If you would like to take advantage of this offer, sign up now and use the coupon code "blossom382".

We'll make sure your account is upgraded to use our premium templates.

The best marketing is, of course, word-of-mouth. It is free and respected by consumers more than anything you write on your website. Have a great product, get people talking about it, maybe have a website for more information, and you are on your way to a great marketing plan.


There is a way that you can cross your website copy with word-of-mouth advertising: the testimonial.

Kehrer writes: "Testimonials are the missing link for prospects considering a commitment to your product or service. Reading what others have to say gives them instant comfort. It helps them connect the dots, put a real face on your business and see the satisfaction others have garnered from working with you."

Create a page on your site where you can collect the nice things customers say about your farm and build it slowly over time as positive comments are made. Small Farm Central farmers say lots of nice things, that's why we created the What Our Farmers Say page.

Once you have created a repository on your site of testimonials, you can sprinkle the comments throughout your site in places where the specific comment augments the point you are making. Strawberries are going strong across the country right now, so let's say you have created a page about your strawberries with information about "U-Pick", varietals, growing practices, and more. A comment from a customer about how different the strawberries are than store-bought is perfect for the strawberry page!

When someone sends you an email with a quotable line, send them a message back and ask them if you can use their words on your testimonial page. You don't want that customer to visit your site a few weeks later to find their email pasted all over your site without permission -- that is a good way to turn a happy customer into an disgruntled customer!

Be Specific!

Specific testimonials are better than the general. What sounds better?

"I like to eat your produce because it is so fresh!"
or
"We're so excited for the strawberries. The kids and us ate them as our bedtime snack, and like last week, my husband and I had to "fight" to get more than one! The kids love them, and we all love all the greens, too. Tonight before bed, my four year old said, "I'm thankful for the farmers who grow us healthy food." Thanks for feeding our family!"

Village Acres Farm Weekly Survey

Village Acres Farm has compiled a very impressive list of customer quotes this year which you can see on their website in the "recent comments" area in the right-hand column. In fact, the specific testimonial above was taken from their site.

I asked Patrick at Village Acres Farm what they were doing to generate such an impressive amount of positive comments.

Patrick writes:

Photo by: saguayo