More than 500 registered for a webinar hosted by the Council on Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics (C-FARE) and the Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association (NAREA) April 24, the most since the council began producing lunchtime webinars.
E-Commerce During COVID-19: Opportunities for Food Producers to Make Direct Market Sales Online was created and moderated by C-FARE board member, NAREA president and Rutgers University economist Gal Hochman. He was joined by three panelists:
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Jeffrey O’Hara of the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) outlined the resources USDA makes available for producers to develop e-commerce sales, the latest data and research, and examples of ways farmers have migrated online.
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Chyi Lyi “Kathleen” Liang, the W. K. Kellogg Distinguished Professor of Sustainable Agriculture and the director of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, discussed various online platforms, the merits of using digital sales strategies, and sample innovative aggregated venues online.
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Gary Matteson, vice president for Young, Beginning, Small Farmer Programs and Outreach at the Farm Credit Council, emphasized the need for business planning with clear goals for inputs such as time and money, and clear expectations for sales and profitability when approaching new markets.
After the presentation, attendees asked for additional information on a number of organizations, trends and developments…