Many of the producers we spoke with mentioned struggling with distribution because, as P1 emphasized, “if you try to follow traditional channels of selling you can't succeed as a small farm.” He explained how small-scale producers had to embrace community distribution channels like Farmers Markets and CSAs rather than sell exclusively to grocery stores or other retail outlets (though some of our producers did this as well) in the fashion of big, industrialized agriculture.

 

Even though our producers encountered a range of problems, often differing depending on their scale and preferred method of distribution, it was clear that a way to help centralize this distribution and support these variations was needed.

 

For producers who sold at the Farmers Market, like P13, coordinating truck routes and sharing in this delivery process was one area for improvement.

 

He explained:

 

“All these small farmers have to truck to the city but how could we get down to the city together and just send two? There is no really good person who is bringing people together and bringing it to market, everyone has to go alone..everyone too busy to figure out how to coordinate and if you bring in a middle  man they try for lowest price.”

 

For producers who only grew specific crops, like P1 who just grew Asian pears and apples, a CSA was not practical since they did not have enough variety. However, connecting these producers with other producers in the area who run CSAs that mainly have vegetables would be beneficial for both parties since P1 would be able to sell more fruit and the other producer would have value added to their boxes.

 

Other producers mentioned helping customize distribution methods.

 

For example, P7, who ran a CSA, mentioned customers often finding that the amount of produce in each box was too much for them. So he said that sometimes customers would split the box each week or alternate weeks receiving the box.

 

Some producers, like P6, felt that distribution channels like a CSA program were “a lot of work” and that, at his small scale, he “would like to have people order periodically,” directly from him than have to deal with a CSA or go to a Farmers Market. Assisting with this type of direct distribution to the customer could also be useful for new producers just starting out who sometimes struggle to get accepted to the Farmers Markets in their area, depending on room.

 

Additionally, some producers mentioned not having an appropriate outlet to benefit from extra production.

 

P13 stressed that such assistance needed to focus on helping the farmer:

 

“Not to make a buck off the farmer but make it easier..an easier distribution network. ‘What do we do with extra production?’ We can sell to Greenleaf, but they won’t give us much money for it.”

 

P11 specifically mentioned a situation she thought would benefit from the creation of appropriate outlets to deal with extra or unusable production:

 

“For instance, we have these cheesemakers all over the state and sometimes they make a mistake and they don’t know what to do with their waste. I’m thinking of a hard cheese that has a rotten end to it, can they cut that off and shred it and then can we get that into the school lunch program at a discount or something like that.”

 

On the whole, most of the producers we spoke with found the logistics of coordinating distribution frustrating and annoying, especially producers who dealt with retailers like restaurants. 

 

For example, P12 mentioned how it was difficult to take and organize orders from all of the restaurants he sold to and continually maintain the back and forth exchange of information with them, often on the phone or through fax.

 

He described some of the challenges he faced when trying to coordinate these logistics, saying:

 

“That’s a whole aspect of your business, taking orders and organizing it. Just ‘cause I take an order doesn’t automatically mean that that restaurant gets it. I have to make sure I have the animals, that they get to the processing facility, that they get to wherever it is in between the restaurant, and then that they get to the restaurant.”

 

Often, he had to coordinate logistics with limited, fragmented bits of information. He mentioned how once a restaurant called him asking where the pig they ordered was only for him to find out that the processing plant he was using had not called to tell him the USDA had shut them down for two weeks.

 

He reflected on all of these issues, saying:

 

“It’s a constant hassle because I would rather be focused on the animals and my vineyards and being outside, going and doing stuff and driving around and being with the animals and the plants.”