G&R Farms Expands Retail Promotion Supporting Ag Scholarships - Southeast Produce Weekly

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Glennville, Ga.-based G&R Farms is continuing the Growing America’s Farmers program with regional and national retailers, looking to grow sales while supporting scholarships for Future Farmers of America students planning careers in production agriculture.

GAF is the brainchild of Walt Dasher, a third-generation southeast Georgia farmer and FFA advocate. Thanks to past retail partnerships, the program has helped raise more than $150,000 for FFA member scholarships. As it enters its sixth year, G&R is expanding the program to add more consumer-based initiatives, such as geotargeting and social content, as well as deeper interaction with FFA members and potential partnerships with other commodities and brands.

For participating retailers, G&R Farms will set aside a percentage of all sales and will make a matching contribution that will be donated to the National FFA Foundation in the participating retailer’s name. Those funds will be redirected back to state and local FFA programs of the retailer’s choice.

National Agriculture Month Kickoff

The program launch is planned to coincide with National Agriculture Month in March, as well as the start of the Vidalia onion season in April, but can be launched at any time of the year including during the Peruvian onion season. It is recommended that the program run for eight weeks to maximize promotional efforts and build consumer awareness to achieve the greatest sales success for scholarship donations.

The GAF marketing program can be tailored to each retailer’s internal needs and includes:

charitable scholarship donation in retailer’s name
digital marketing (including geotargeting and social)
in-store displays and point-of-sale materials
possible cross-promotional opportunities with other produce department-or store-requested brands and products
consumer PR (including in-market media)
co-marketing and coordination with local, state and national FFA programs
customized content (including interviews with past and present FFA Members)
and coordination with retail communication teams.

“As a third-generation family farm, this is about more than marketing and promotions, this is a personal mission that hits at the heart of who I am and what I stand for,” G&R Farms Vice President Walt Dasher said. “As professionals in the food industry, even as consumers, we should all recognize how important it is to support, foster and inspire the next generations of producers who will not only grow our food, but also elevate our food systems. This is how we will be able to secure our ability to have access to one of the safest, most accessible food supplies in the world.”

For more information about building a GAF marketing program for your organization, call the G&R sales staff at (912) 654-2100.

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