The challenges that regenerative organic farmers need to tackle are not just found in the field. Connecting with the right customers for their crops and their context is also something that can require creative solutions and a regenerative mindset.
In Treherne, Manitoba, Dan and Fran DeRuyck run Top of the Hill Farm. Growing good, healthy crops for their own family and others is at the heart of what Top of the Hill Farm is all about. They grow a wide range of crops that appeal to a variety of consumers – including wheat, spelt, flax, rye, oats, lentils, and buckwheat – and also run their own on-farm mill where they process grains. The DeRuycks set out to find a local market of folks who were interested in the good, healthy food and ingredients they produce.
Getting started by talking with just a few small local businesses, the DeRuycks have been able to build a strong local market for what they grow. They deliver fresh, quality products straight from the farm to 40+ businesses around their region throughout the year – including bakeries, restaurants, and retail stores – and more than 300 individual local customers.
To other regenerative organic farmers who feel like a local direct-selling network would be right for their farm, Dan and Fran suggest embracing that selling your crops in this way is a “people business”. The relationship with customers is a big focus, and to nurture it they suggest starting small with offerings you can manage. If you develop the relationship but can’t provide the product, that relationship is likely to disappear. But if you’re able to follow through and offer the high quality goods they’re looking for, word of mouth can help you scale up at a strategic pace and build a strong local network of customers over time.
The relationship with customers is also a big opportunity, and being able to talk directly to customers has been a big plus for the DeRuycks, allowing them to be responsive to specific requests, avoid growing crops that don’t have a market, and find creative offerings they might not have come up with otherwise. One fun example Dan and Fran share is a recent request from some of their bakery customers for whole wheat berries, inspired by a social media influencer who was promoting using them in baked goods. Although they would usually sell a more processed version, the DeRuycks were able to listen and pivot their processing so they could meet this new niche need!
Dan and Fran also appreciate that having a one-on-one rapport provides an opportunity to directly educate customers about regenerative organic farming and realistic expectations. Hearing directly from the DeRuycks about why a new crop a customer has requested may take time to grow from seed to delivery can make it easier to understand timelines and appreciate their high-quality products.
From a regenerative organic perspective, another big plus of this type of sales strategy that the DeRuycks recognize is the diversity of crops being grown on the land. Dan and Fran grow many different plants on their farm, with 30+ offerings to meet the needs and requests of their customer base. Growing and rotating different crops in and out to provide everything their customers request is not only good for business, it’s good for the health of their soils.
Want to learn more about how a regenerative mindset can influence all of the different parts of your farming?
Both the Resource Library and Benchmarking Library on COG’s Regenerative Organic Hub have lots of pieces of content tagged with the “Regenerative Mindset” icon to help you learn more.
Want to read about how COG’s Regenerative Organic Oats (ROO) program works with program participants like the DeRuycks? Visit our ROO program page to learn more.
Are you in Manitoba and eager to visit Top of the Hill Farm for an exciting day of hands-on demonstrations, displays, and discussions on all things regenerative organic farming? Learn about our Regenerative Organic Oats Field Day at Top of the Hill Farm!