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7 Ways to Quickly Grow Your Food Business

An online course to help you grow your food business.

COURSE CONTENTS

COURSE OVERVIEW

7 Ways to Quickly Grow Your Food Business

Dr. James Barnes

1: START YOUR BUSINESS THE RIGHT WAY

Three Consumer Insights That Could Help Your Small Food Business Grow

Dr. Alba Collart

The Basics of Starting A Small Business

Mr. Hamp Beatty

How to Use AgPlan to Launch and Grow Your Food Business

Dr. R. Curt Lacy

2: BOOST YOUR SALES WITH THE RIGHT MARKETING PLAN

5 Marketing Mistakes That Are Costing You A Fortune

Dr. James Barnes

How to Create a Clear Marketing Message

Dr. James Barnes

How to Build A Website That Sells

Dr. James Barnes

3: USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO CONVERT FOLLOWERS INTO CUSTOMERS

5 Social Media Mistakes That Are Costing You A Fortune

Dr. James Barnes

7 Ways to Launch Your Food Business with Instagram

Lauren-Colby Nickels

5 Ways to Grow Your Food Business with Facebook

Andy Collins

Video Production for Beginners

Zac Ashmore

4: CHARGE THE RIGHT PRICE FOR PROFITS

Considerations When Pricing Your Agricultural and Value-Added Products

Dr. Elizabeth Canales

5: GROW YOUR LOCAL BRAND AWARENESS IN YOUR COMMUNITY

How to Grow Your Local Food Business Brand

Dr. Rachael Carter

Creating A Farm-to-Table Event

Dr. Rachael Carter

Grow Your Business with Genuine MS

Paige Manning

Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce

6: UNDERSTAND YOUR COMPETITION AND CREATE A STRONG VALUE PROPOSITION

How to Beat Your Competition

Dr. James Barnes

7: UNDERSTANDING LOCAL FOOD POLICIES AND REGULATIONS IN MISSISSIPPI Food as a Business: Navigating Food Safety Regulations

Dr. Courtney Crist

 


COURSE OVERVIEW

7 Ways to Quickly Grow Your Food Business

Dr. James Barnes

 


1: START YOUR BUSINESS THE RIGHT WAY

Three Consumer Insights That Could Help Your Small Food Business Grow

Alba Collart

 

The Basics of Starting A Small Business

Hamp Beatty

 

How to Use AgPlan to Launch and Grow Your Food Business

R. Curt Lacy

 


2: BOOST YOUR SALES WITH THE RIGHT MARKETING PLAN

5 Marketing Mistakes That Are Costing You A Fortune

James Barnes

 

How to Create A Clear Marketing Message

James Barnes

 

How to Build A Website That Sells

James Barnes

 


3: USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO CONVERT FOLLOWERS INTO CUSTOMERS

5 Social Media Mistakes That Are Costing You A Fortune

James Barnes

 

7 Ways to Launch Your Food Business with Instagram

Lauren-Colby Nickels

 

5 Ways to Grow Your Food Business with Facebook

Andy Collins

 

Video Production for Beginners

Zac Ashmore

 


4: CHARGE THE RIGHT PRICE FOR PROFITS

Considerations When Pricing Your Agricultural and Value-Added Products

Elizabeth Canales

 


5: GROW YOUR LOCAL BRAND AWARENESS IN YOUR COMMUNITY

How to Grow Your Local Food Business Brand

Rachael Carter

 

Creating A Farm-to-Table Event

Rachael Carter

 

Grow Your Food Business with Genuine MS

Paige Manning
Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce

 


6: UNDERSTAND YOUR COMPETITION AND CREATE A STRONG VALUE PROPOSITION

How to Beat Your Competition

James Barnes

 


7: UNDERSTAND LOCAL FOOD POLICIES AND REGULATIONS IN MISSISSIPPI

Food as a Business: Navigating Food Safety Regulations

Courtney Crist

 

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News

Rows of lettuce
Filed Under: Greenhouse Tomatoes, Specialty Crop Production July 31, 2023

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Vegetable growers soon will have two chances to learn about managing pests on produce in greenhouses and high tunnels.

The one-day workshop Vegetable Pest Management in High Tunnels and Greenhouses will be held at two locations: the Mississippi State University Extension Service Forrest County office in Hattiesburg on Aug. 30, and the MSU Extension Lafayette County office in Oxford on Sept. 1.

canned fruits and vegetables
Filed Under: Local Food System Economies, Food and Health, Food Safety July 14, 2023

Some canning mistakes can be deadly if your products are contaminated by the botulinum toxin, which causes botulism poisoning. You cannot see, smell, or taste this toxin, but the tiniest taste of contaminated food can kill you. You want to avoid these 10 major canninng mistakes.

Alt Text: Close-up of freeze-damaged blueberries
Filed Under: Agriculture, Crops, Commercial Horticulture, Commercial Fruit and Nuts, Fruit, Local Flavor, Specialty Crop Production March 27, 2023

POPLARVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi blueberry producers expect to see substantial yield losses in the state’s largest commercial fruit crop after the hard freeze that hit the state on the weekend of March 18. Eric Stafne, fruit and nut specialist with the MSU Extension Service, said growers will see significant losses. The condition of the crop is poor based on what commercial growers are reporting to him and his observation of damage to blueberry plants at the South Mississippi Branch Experiment Station in Poplarville, where he is based.

Canned goods at a farmers market.
Filed Under: Local Flavor, Farmers Markets, Local Food System Economies, Marketing and Business Planning, Specialty Crop Production March 24, 2023

Have you considered becoming a vendor at your local farmers market? It’s important to do some research, check regulations, and make a plan before you begin a business or begin selling your products at one.

These tips can help you create a plan for selling at farmers markets and other similar venues.

Close up of tomatoes and yellow squash in farmers market baskets.
Filed Under: Local Flavor, Farmers Markets, Local Food System Economies, Marketing and Business Planning, Community, Small Business January 25, 2023

POPLARVILLE, Miss. -- Current and prospective market vendors can learn valuable marketing skills in a Feb. 9 workshop in Poplarville. Farmers Market Vendor Workshop: Boosting Your Revenue will teach participants valuable skills to help them increase sales. The workshop is open to vendors who sell at festivals, farmers markets and other similar venues.

Success Stories

: A man with a blue cap and glasses grabbing a blue bag of coffee for a blonde, smiling woman.
Marketing and Business Planning, Rural Development, Small Business, Technology, Marketing
Volume 9 Number 2

Bricks to Clicks provides free, low-cost, and easy-to-use marketing resources to help small businesses grow their audiences and income. Free marketing resources include a website course, one-on-one coaching, webinars, podcasts, a blog, and a bimonthly newsletter. With these marketing resources, business owners can get personalized guidance backed by decades of marketing experience to drive online awareness and engagement to increase sales.

Two women stand on either side of a machine.
Agri-business, Marketing and Business Planning
Volume 1 Number 2

VIP help female business owner reach online customers

After Becky Tatum acquired Delta Grind in 2008, she wanted the wholesale cornmeal production business to remain true to its roots, but she also had her own vision for what it could be. 

A woman wearing a white visor, maroon shirt, jeans, and boots marks a clipboard as five cows and three calves rest under a tree.
About Extension, Beef, Marketing and Business Planning, Rural Development, Food, Food Safety, Health, Nutrition, Rural Health
Volume 4 Number 3

See what's new in Extension: Gather for First Extension Beef-Production Workshop, the Food Factor Goes Digital, Extension Professionals Share Expertise, and Extension Offers New HappyHealthy Program. 

Red potatoes in a biodegradable basket are flanked on either side by green snap beans.
Agri-tourism, Culinary Tourism, Farmers Markets, Local Food System Economies, Economic Development, Rural Development, Food, Health, Nutrition, Rural Health, Vegetable Gardens
Volume 4 Number 2

From the youngest to the oldest generations, thousands of people are visiting, shopping, and enjoying themselves at the Hernando Farmers’ Market, held Saturdays on the historic DeSoto County Courthouse lawn.

The market has more than just fresh produce. It connects the community by uniting the shoppers, producers, and artisans who come.

Five people, three men and two women, stand in front of a Farmers Market Building sign
Farmers Markets
Volume 3 Number 4

Ruby D. Rankin spent 33 years leading, serving, and working hand in hand with the people of Kemper County. Her position with the Mississippi State University Extension Service linked her to the community and made her unforgettable to the people who knew her.

Select Your County Office

Your Extension Experts

Portrait of Dr. James Newton Barnes
Associate Extension Professor
Portrait of Dr. David Buys
Associate Professor
Portrait of Dr. Rachael Carter
Extension Specialist II
Portrait of Dr. Christine E. Coker
Extension/Research Professor
Portrait of Dr. Courtney Crist
Associate Extension Professor
Portrait of Ms. Elizabeth Powell Gregory North
Head, Ag Communications
Portrait of Dr. Ben Posadas
Extension/Research Professor
Portrait of Dr. Juan L. Silva
Professor
Portrait of Dr. Eric Stafne
Extension/Research Professor
Portrait of Dr. Jeff Wilson
Assistant Professor