The Off-Season Checklist: How Farm Stores Can Stay Profitable

For some farmers, the coldest and quietest months of the year represent a time to rest and relax. Livestock still need to be fed and cared for, but there are no farmers markets to attend or orders to fulfill.

But for others, the slow season represents something else entirely: a time to get ahead.

These proactive farmers use the off-season to stay connected with their customers, launch new websites, and map out smarter strategies for the next year. When spring rolls around, they’re ready to hit the ground running and achieve new goals.

In this blog, we’ll help you come up with an off-season plan for your farm store. Keep reading to access our free off-season checklist and get expert insights on how to stay productive and profitable all year long.

Free Checklist: What To Do During Your Farm’s Off-Season

Want to know exactly what to do during your farm’s downtime? We’ve made a handy checklist of what to do during the off-season — from updating your website to repairing equipment around the farm. Download it for free at the link below!

Now, let’s take a closer look at some of these off-season strategies.

1. Keep Revenue Flowing With Frozen Meat Sales

Unfortunately, your farm’s operating expenses don’t drop when the temperatures do. Some farmers even spend more money during the off-season as they purchase new equipment, make repairs, and upgrade their technology.

To make it all possible, continue to sell frozen meat during the off-season. Here are a few tips:

• Invest in cold storage: To keep enough inventory on hand to fulfill orders year-round, you need adequate freezer space to keep meat fresh and organized.

• Focus on delivery: Customers are less likely to make the trek to your farm store during the cold months, so make sure you have solid delivery infrastructure.

• Offer subscriptions: Guarantee repeat sales and accurately forecast demand by offering subscriptions. Each month, customers can get their favorite proteins delivered right to their door.

• Set up preorders: Do you know you’ll run out of Easter hams or Thanksgiving turkeys when the holidays arrive? Set up preorders for these products to secure early sales.

Offering year-round frozen meat sales helps you maintain customer loyalty and secure the revenue to fund your off-season projects.

Related Read: How To Sell Freezer Beef on Demand: 6 Top Tips & Tools

2. Launch or Refresh Your Farm Store Website

During the busy season, there’s barely time for minor website tweaks, let alone major changes to your online farm store.

That’s why we recommend setting aside time during the off-season to polish up your farm’s online presence. You might:

• Launch your very first website using a drag-and-drop website builder.
• Make the switch from a generic platform like Shopify to a purpose-built farm e-commerce tool like GrazeCart.
• Spruce up the copy on your homepage, about page, and product descriptions.
• Expand your shipping and delivery ranges and offer new fulfillment options.
• Design a new logo, choose brand colors, and make sure every element of your website is aligned.

A well-designed, up-to-date farm store website is critical for search engine optimization (SEO) and earning customers’ trust.

Related Read: 10 Best Practices for Farm Website Design

3. Spruce Up Your Marketing Strategy

Don’t want customers to forget about your farm over the winter? Stay in touch with them!

The off-season is the perfect time to experiment with new strategies and nail down an effective marketing plan. Here are a few things to try:

• Email newsletters: Create an email newsletter template to keep customers up to date on everything happening at your farm — from new harvests to meat sales.

• SMS messages: Send timely, personalized promotions directly to customers’ phones. Make sure to include a link to your farm store website.

• Social media posts: Post fun, educational content to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube.

• Blogging: Consider taking a deep dive into your family farm story or specific regenerative farming methods in longer blog articles to post on your website.

The quiet months in between busy seasons should help you identify which marketing techniques you enjoy and which ones actually resonate with your customers. For example, you might track social media engagement metrics, email open and click rates, or SMS promotion redemption to see which strategies are worth your time.

4. Strategize for Next Season Using Your Sales Data

The off-season is a time for decision-making. How much will you invest in livestock? What will you plant? Which farm products are most profitable?

Instead of relying on gut feeling, dig into your sales data from last season. Examine:

• Most popular products: Which farm goods were your bestsellers in terms of revenue generated or total units sold?

• Most profitable products: Ground beef might’ve been your bestseller in terms of volume, but lamb products have the highest profit margin.

• Stockout rate: Which products did you run out of? Consider investing more heavily in these goods or offering them as preorders during the next season.

Your goal should be to identify areas for higher sales and profits, and also to spot areas where you’re losing money. For example, if poultry sales are down overall, you may invest less in chicken and turkey in the upcoming season, adjust your pricing, or promote these products more actively.

Come Back Stronger Each Year With a Rock-Solid Off-Season Plan

Don’t forget to save our farm store off-season checklist! It includes our top ideas to help you stay productive and profitable during the slowest months of the year.

If one of your goals is to upgrade your farm store website or expand your online operations, we’ve got you covered. GrazeCart is an all-in-one website builder and e-commerce platform designed to help farms sell directly to their consumers.

With drag-and-drop functionality, pickup and delivery options, inventory management, and weight-based sales, it has everything you need to launch and grow your online farm store.

See GrazeCart in action by scheduling your live, personalized demo today.