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Allen
Wagner |
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Allen
Wagner |
Profile
Background. When the hog market plummeted in the mid-90’s, Allen Wagner realized
that he had to do something different than just take the price that the
commodity markets would provide. He wanted to continue farming, but only if he
could set his own prices and stop being at the mercy of the markets, or rely on
government subsidies to stay afloat. What he started then has grown slowly into
a retail meat sales business that Wagner has processed and packaged at a nearby
business, and sells directly to consumers from his farm.
Ag
Advancements – Niche Marketing to Choosy Consumers.
Wagner determined that he couldn’t compete with the low prices that the large
retail stores provided, but he did know that he could produce a high-end product
that tasted like the pork his grandfather cured and smoked. He realized that
people would come to the farm to get something unusual, that they viewed as
higher-quality, fresher, and healthier than grocery-store pork. To find
customers, Wagner markets his products through word-of-mouth by satisfied
customers, through his brother’s concession business, and through a new
farmers market that started last summer in Marion. The product doesn’t even
have its own label yet, but there are customers that won’t settle for anything
else.
Benefits
to the Operation.
The limiting factor to the growth of Allen’s meat business so far has been
refrigeration. He is currently expanding the refrigeration capacity so he can
keep a higher inventory of meat. In the last few years, Wagner has seen his farm
go from a market-dependent farm to a profitable farm by marketing his own
farm-raised products to a niche group of consumers. He enjoys doing business
with the people who appreciate his type of farming operation.
Benefits
to Customers. People
who wanted to buy farm-fresh meat in the past have had to purchase a whole hog
or half a hog, but Allen realized that wasn’t practical for every family. So,
he has his products packaged in family, meal-sized packages. Families can get
pork chops, sausage, and ribs in quantities that won’t be wasted when the meal
is done. He is also aware of the desire by consumers to have low or no
antibiotics in their meat, to have their meat raised on a family farm, and
raised in an environment that takes animal welfare into consideration. The
consumer is so close to the live animals when they visit the farm to purchase
their meat, they are aware of every aspect of the production of their product.
Farming
Philosophy: Bigger in Niche Marketing, Not in Size. Allen
says he farms because he enjoys it, sometimes so much that he forgets that
it’s a business. “There just isn’t profit to take a commodity to the
marketplace and accept whatever the market will give you. I have more control
– set my own price, and create my own market.”
Quote/Unquote. “When you see people come out to the farm from the city and you talk to them, and they see what you’re trying to do, they realize that farming’s not as bad as it’s portrayed in the media.” – Allen Wagner, Marion area farmer.
Compiled
by Melanie Wilt, ODA Communications (614) 752-9811.