Survival Tactics for Farm Marketing in Suburbia

LOU ANN GOOD
Food and Family
Features Editor

HERSHEY, Pa. — During a workshop at the Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention recently, Kenneth Wightman revealed secrets for successfully operating a farm market in suburbia.

The tried-and-true “location, location, location,” was the first requirement on his list, but, Wightman cautioned, “farm marketing in the age of high speed computers, cell phones and a global marketplace requires a whole new set of survival tactics.”

Wightman’s Farms was established in 1922 by Wightman’s grandparents, and has the advantage of being located on U.S. Highway 202, five miles south of Morristown, N.J., near five major intersections and 30 miles from New York City.

From the beginning, Wightman’s grandparents capitalized on the location by adding to the farm-grown produce, a restaurant, tourist lodging and recreational activities including an amusement park, zoo and rifle range, and gasoline stations on both sides of the street. But the Great Depression brought a screeching halt to the rip-roaring 1920s, and the recreational activities dwindled to zero. The farm, again, became the primary focus for the Wightmans.

In 1937, the Wightmans tentatively expanded the buildings to market produce and feature their famous cider. Three additional expansions were completed throughout the next three decades and added more freezer, deli and bakery space until they reached their maximum expansion and retained a parking lot for 1,000 customers. “Because we are no longer able to build permanent structures, we became creative in using portable sheds and tents,” Wightman said. The in-store setup enables them to move portable aisles on casters.
“We are lucky to have our retail and support buildings in a commercially-zoned area, which is only 200-feet deep, but it allows us to sell a much wider range of products than a non-commercial site.”

The 45 acres behind the buildings is preserved and given full protection under New Jersey’s right to Farm Law that eliminates nuisance complaints. “We have a 45-acre hillside with an orchard that never failed,” Wightman said. They raise five acres of peaches and 20 acres of apples, with additional acreage for raspberries, strawberries, pumpkins, cut flowers, and a hardwood forest. They farm an additional 40 acres within a four-mile radius.

Wightman said he, his wife Liz and foreman Adam Costello have a basic farming and marketing philosophy. The main endeavor is to offer a quality product. Also at the top of requirements are making everyone coming to the farm feel special and offer customers an experience that is not available at upscale supermarkets, and make the farm a destination rather than a quick stop.

The market, located within seven miles of five major highways and within 30 miles of New York City, gives access to many clients, but that also means they are in competition with upscale food markets. “We must make sure our customer leaves with a feeling that he can’t get in any other store,” Wightman said.

They recognize that parents are looking for opportunities to spend quality time with children. To meet that need, Wightman’s Farms offers hayrides not only in the fall to the pumpkin patch but also to the orchards when the fruit trees are blossoming and to Bunny Land for an egg hunt during the Easter season. Actually they incorporate almost every religious and ethnic holiday, even Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, into a special promotion on the farm. They offer photo opportunities, pedal tractor riding, and mazes made in many different ways such as through corn, rope and hay bales. Hay tunnels are another attraction to the younger set.

The view from the orchard hillside encompasses more than 20 miles, and adds visual appeal to the tours.

Wightman said the pumpkin slingshot activity is an example of how fun encourages people to spend money. At a dollar a shot, customers often spend $10-$20 a day on the activity and return the following week to do it again. Full compliance with food and safety issues are always of prime importance. A pick-your-own apple tour has been so successful the farm added a pick-your-own peach tour. They organized a pick-your-own club for for a yearly $10 membership fee, which guarantees admittance to the orchard during the different harvest dates. The fee includes $8 of redeemable coupons, which has been extremely successful in bringing additional sales. Members pay for whatever fruit they pick.

Suburbia is mostly composed of people who are totally unfamiliar with agriculture and its required tasks. Visits to the farm are an opportunity to educate people, and Wightmans take full advantage of that by clearly identifying everything with signs and verbal and written information. They started school tours in 1981, and later added individual tours. The tours have become so successful that it has required them to have 12 tractors and wagons for transporting the groups around the fields. “We market the experience as much as the product,” Wightman said.

Reservations must be confirmed. Participants pay for the ride. For that, children can pick an in-season fruit, and receive a balloon, goodie bag and a coupon for a free doughnut inside the market. “It’s a great way to get their parents inside the market,” he said.

More space is needed for parking, and the market is researching a possible satellite site with transportation pickup. Pedestrian control is needed and safety precautions maintained by paying a policeman $75 an hour.
With so much exposure to urban settings, it is surprising the farm also needs to deal with a totally opposite nuisance — wildlife. A 50,000-acre refuge borders the farm and has resulted in the Wightmans erecting an 8-foot fence around the perimeter of the fields. “If it isn’t eight feet and made of woven wire, it isn’t worth putting up,” Wightman said. “It’s the only kind that keeps out deer.”

Just like his grandparents, Wightman said, “We still offer quality fruit and specialize in what we do well.”

But to compete in the age of upscale food markets and electronics, Wightman’s offer customers a unique service. Customers leave with a feeling that they reaped a big reward — quality time with their children, and they’re spending money at Wightman’s to do so.

Wightman’s Farms is located at 1111 Mt. Kemble Ave. (U.S. 209), Morristown, NJ 07960. Phone (973) 425-9819. Website: www.wrightmansfarms.com.