Getting out of the dairy business was looking like the only option for New Horizon Farm and Dairy in 2015.
“My father and his family have been dairy farming in Clinton County for 60 years,” said Jackie Bickel from Happy Cows Creamery at New Horizon Farm and Dairy. “When milk prices took a dive, we were looking to do an exit strategy because at the time, we were shipping our milk bulk as a commodity.”
Instead, her daughter, Maggie, came home from an FFA trip with an idea she learned about: bottling their own milk and directly selling it to customers. She created a business plan, for which she won a national award, and the family started to refocus the operation and invest in their future.
It was in spring 2020, just as the pandemic hit, when the farm was licensed to bottle milk. However, the lockdown disrupted their distribution plans, so they were looking for new options.
“We had just started a partnership with Market Wagon on our freezer beef and eggs,” Bickel said. “We started bottling it right when the pandemic started. That’s when we received our license. We had no outlet to get the milk out to the customers, and then Market Wagon was deemed an essential business. So we were able to ship our milk through Market Wagon. As soon as we posted it on the portal, it just took off.”
An online farmers market Started 10 years ago in Indianapolis to give farmers another outlet to sell their products year-round, the Market Wagon online farmers market has three hubs in Ohio.
“Market Wagon is a way to connect local producers to local customers,” said Jeremy Lewis, regional operations manager for Market Wagon. “So producers that don’t have a traditional online outlet to sell their products now can sell through Market Wagon and have their products delivered right to customers’ doorsteps.”
Market Wagon isn’t meant to replace traditional farmers markets or on-farm stores, Lewis said, but it gives farmers a place to sell their products every day of the year.
“During the winter months when maybe farmers markets are not going, or if you’re not willing to go out to the farmers market because you don’t want to brave the snow, you can (use) us and get it delivered every Tuesday or Thursday,” he said.
Trish Barbee of Barbee Market said Market Wagon “made our business, to be honest.” Barbee Market has pasture-raised beef and poultry in Orient, Ohio, in Pickaway County. “We had plans to open a storefront when we were told about Market Wagon,” Barbee said. “Sales just exploded and we were having trouble keeping up with demand, so we actually tabled our plans to do the storefront.”
While Barbee Market still participates in traditional farmers markets, and the storefront shop is still a possibility down the road, Barbee said she regularly directs her customers to Market Wagon.
“It’s such a great asset. They have all these fresh foods, these farm-raised items delivered right to your front door. You can’t get more convenient than that,” she said.
Seeking more participants Market Wagon works with about 90 producers in Ohio, Lewis said, and is always looking to work with more.
“We’re always looking for more – more farmers, more producers, bakers, dairy farmers, produce, meat, cheese, everything,” Lewis said.
As long as a farmer is licensed to sell their specific product by the regulatory body that’s appropriate, they are welcome to sell on Market Wagon, Lewis said.
“Market Wagon customers are looking to support their local vendors, the local producers within their community,” he said. “They’re looking to support those in their community who are supporting them by growing these products.”
Source: ofbf.org
Photo Credit: gettyimages-shotbydave
Categories: Ohio, General, Livestock, Dairy Cattle