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The most recent “Back to Business Iowa” podcast from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach features Cherie Edilson, co-founder and CEO of Shop Where I Live. This Marion, Iowa based company works with chambers of commerce and economic development groups statewide to create online “storefronts” where all of the community’s businesses can sell their products in one spot. This model is surging in popularity with COVID-19 pandemic-related closures and social distancing requirements.

The horticulture team at Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is debuting a new video series with detailed information on vegetable production and management in Iowa. Videos can be viewed by visiting the ISU Extension and Outreach Integrated Pest Management YouTube channel.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on businesses from large to small, and there are many questions surrounding what business owners and entrepreneurs should do as the state prepares to re-open. To help answer some of these questions, and to help Iowans understand the many resources available, the Community and Economic Development program and the Farm, Food and Enterprise Development program with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach are providing a series of podcasts and webinars, in partnership with the Iowa Small Business Development Centers.

Direct-market farmers face closures of farmers markets, restaurants, and other in-person sales outlets this spring due to COVID-19. What options can replace these important markets? I recently attended a webinar sponsored by the non-profit Oregon Tilth called “Online Sales Platforms for Farmers” (view the recording). Representatives of five platforms gave overviews of their products.

All of these online platforms operate in similar way. Farmers set up an online “store” with their products and prices listed. Shoppers visit the website, select products, fill their “cart,” and check out. The platforms are designed to make it easy for customers to access healthy, locally grown food. And they want to give farmers tools to manage inventory, customer communications, sales, and delivery options.

Now is the time to get creative. Travel experts predict a pent-up demand to “hit the road” as soon as people are able to get out. Are you ready? Here are ten inexpensive ideas your business and community can use right now to help capture that eager market, avoid a tourism industry wipeout, and build long-term success.

Produce growers may not grow the same quantity of product as farmers who plant conventional crops, but tracking the numbers is just as important, if not more so. Enterprise budgets are available for more than a dozen fruits and vegetables commonly grown in Iowa, and producers can update them with their own numbers and unique situation.

Previous issues of the Visit Iowa Farms newsletter highlighted the first three steps a business must take to provide excellent service to its customers. The final steps are: step four, Make it SATISFYING, and step five, Make it MEMORABLE.

Whether your agritourism destination includes livestock, food, seasonal activities, or farm stays, a successful marketing plan will expand your customer base and ultimately lead to additional revenue. This article will give you 5 steps to help improve your farm marketing.

Although the title has changed, the farmer still comes first for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach’s Farm, Food and Enterprise Development Program. The new title is the result of a merger of the Value Added Agriculture and Local Foods teams, but their mission and goals haven’t changed. This is also true for the programs they offer, such as the Small Farms Team, which works to improve profitability and efficiency of growers across the state.

Google’s annual Economic Impact Report features one business from 50 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. In their 2018 report, released today, the featured Iowa business is North Liberty's Colony Pumpkin Patch.

Weeds compete with small fruit plants for the elements needed to grow and produce fruit, which means gardeners need to be diligent about weed control. Horticulturists with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach provide weed control options for gardeners with strawberries, raspberries and vineyards. 

Would you sleep with cows? Yes?  No? Maybe, if you had a comfy bed and a private bathroom?  Sounds like New Day Dairy Bed & Breakfast located north-west of Waverly, Iowa, near Clarksville, scheduled to open this summer
Iowa's First Authentic “Farm Stay” Bed & Breakfast To Open on Central Iowa Dairy Farm