Promotional Videos Are Live

ODA Grant Kick-off May 3rd

In March 2010, six farmers’ market managers and the organizers of one soon-to-be farmers’ market eyed the 2010 Ohio Specialty Crop Promotion Program request for proposals (RFP) from the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA). Their hopes were to use the grant funding to bolster their individual markets and improve the experience of their customers. Their individual grant prospects, however, were challenged by the ODA’s desire to see more regionally focused projects apply, coupled with difficult questions like: How much impact can one farmers’ market really have on the Ohio specialty crop (OSC) industry? Would it be enough to warrant a grant award? Who from the market would have the time to write the grant proposal on the eve of spring market season? Who would do all the planning and grant program management, not to mention track expenses and fulfill all grant reporting requirements? These difficult questions, and the ODA’s desire for a regionally focused application, encouraged the individual farmers’ market managers to team up with Growhio to increase their chances for funding. The result was something that otherwise would have been impossible – an award of funding for all seven farmers’ markets. Under Growhio’s leadership, the group developed and submitted to the ODA a collaborative grant proposal with shared programming, promotion and deliverables aimed at shared outcomes, and ODA responded with a $65,000 grant award. Read the full article. Learn about our new programs developed pursuant to this grant at our kick-off event.

Event registration for Growhio and the Cleveland Farmer's Market Guild ODA Grant Kick-Off Event

ODA Specialty Crop Grant - Video Production

Growhio's ODA Specialty Crop Grant (introduction article from our Autumn Newsletter follows, if you have not read it yet) covers the cost of a promotional video to promote the availability of specialty crops (fruits and vegetables) at the seven farmers' markets in the Cleveland Farmers' Market Guild (CFMG). Growhio issued an RFP to solicit videographers/producers, and received 13 proposals from a diverse range of talented proposers. After a lengthy and diligent review process, Growhio and the CFMG selected Hyndsight Productions as its videographer/producer.

Over the past month, Hyndsight Productions, led by Kelley Hynds, shot on-location interviews at Coit Road, Tremont, and Downtown Cleveland farmers' markets. Hyndsight also took b-roll film at the other four farmers' markets and the Ohio City Farm. Filming has wrapped. The next step is editing, followed by graphics and final touches. Check the pictures below and on our Flickr page!


Article:
In partnership with the Cleveland Farmers' Market Guild (CFMG), Growhio was awarded a $65,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Grant Program to promote the availability of Ohio Specialty Crops (OSCs) at these farmers' markets. The one year grant will cover a marketing campaign, educational program, and new vendor start-up program.

The marketing campaign includes development of promotional videos, postcards, newspaper and RTA bus advertising. The educational program will be planned in partnership with Ohio State University Extension-Cuyahoga County, and will include educational presentations by farmers' market managers at various events, such as block club meetings and other community gatherings, in their focus neighborhoods.

The new community vendor assistance program (CVAP), perhaps the most exciting part of the ODA grant, provides each of the seven farmers' markets with an incubator vendor set-up. Vendors of OSCs who might not have either the resources to rent their own vendor space, or the capacity to fill an entire space with product, can rent the incubator vendor space for free, as needed, and share the space with other start-up vendors. In addition, a going-to-market workshop will be given to first-time OSC vendors to assist them in getting started at one of the seven farmers' markets.