Russell Johnston tells about his adventure

The audience at the Georgia Farm Bureau in Macon Thursday morning was enthralled with Morgan County dairy farmer Russell Johnston‘s compelling description of the past two years and four months as he built his business selling milk directly to local consumers.

Johnston shared some what he’s learned:

• Set yourself – and your product – apart from others. Don’t expect to compete with major marketers.
• People are willing to pay for local and fresh. In fact, for people who are willing to buy local and fresh, price points are way on down the list.
• Get to know your customers. Use local farmers markets as your testing grounds. Put them to work for you. Ask them to tell their friends and family about your product. And ask them to ask retailers to carry your product.
• Start small. Do it as cheap as you can. The money doesn’t pour in at first. If you have big loans, you may not be able to make those payments.
• You well may lose money every single time you do a farmer’s market, but the experience is invaluable.
• Build on successes one step at a time.
• Cultivate a positive public image. Tell your story everywhere you can. Do tours of your facility. And presentations wherever possible.
• Use the social media to connect and engage with your customers. A quick tweet about what you’re doing today makes them feel as if they are keeping up with you. They love to hear from you.