February 2019 - 36

FARM MARKET & AGRITOURISM
Social media lets farm marketer target customers
By Dean Peterson
VGN Correspondent
Nearly 40 years off the family farm
brought one solid message to Don
and Wendy Wenzel - they wanted to
go back.
" We always wanted to go back to
where we started, " Don Wenzel said.
Strong local support and effective
use of social media helped them
reach that goal and establish Donnie
Appleseed Orchard. They now live
and grow apples and vegetables on
the farm where Don was raised.
" We did almost 40 years working
in corporate USA, " Wenzel said.
The couple was building a house for
retirement on the farm near LaSalle,
Illinois, and saw the opportunity to
start an orchard. They planted their
first trees in 2000 and added more
over the years.
" The first year of retirement we
had enough apples to do one farmers'
market, " Wenzel said. More farmers'
markets were added as production
expanded. " Communities have really
supported us well, " he said.
Two large state parks are located
Having a Google account helps ensure out-of-town visitors can find Donnie Appleseed
Orchard, said Don Wenzel, left. Don and his wife, Wendy, established the orchard after their
retirement. The operation also grows vegetables for summer marketing. Photo: Dean Peterson
near LaSalle. " We get a lot of
clientele that come out from the city
for a couple of days and they look
around for places to visit, " Wenzel
said. " As people get the flow of the
season, they know when to expect
certain crops and that's when they
visit the farm. We're really fortunate
to have that clientele. "
Facebook and Instagram help
Donnie Appleseed Orchard stay
connected with its customers. " I
really enjoy social media, " Wenzel
said. " I have a great time with it. We
get lots of responses when we put
a post on Facebook. " This provides
direct feedback from customers on
what they like and want.
Having a Google account helps
ensure out-of-town visitors can find
the orchard. People stay in the area
because of the state parks and use
Google to find a place where they
can buy apples. Donnie Appleseed
Orchard frequently shows up as the
top choice in searches for the area.
" When new customers come out
to the farm, people I haven't seen
before, I ask them where they're from
- it's a good conversation starter, "
Don said. " I then ask them how they
found us and they say Google. "
The orchard also has a newsletter
that is targeted more toward regular
customers. The newsletter is more
personal and tells people what will
soon be happening on the farm and
what crops will be available.
The operation started growing
vegetables to draw customers during
the summer before apple harvest.
Tomatoes, bell peppers and onions
are some of the top sellers.
The sweet corn they sell comes
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February 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2019