Needs Assessment at Berry U-Pick Farms in Monroe County

This 3-part workshop offered:

Project Review

Through farmer interviews and customer surveys we examined the factors influencing success at U-Pick farms and investigated what motivates people to visit them. By knowing what influences visitors satisfaction, farmers can make adjustment to their operations and services and attract more visitors to their farms and grow their business. Presenters Dr. Ya-Ling Chen and Dr. Nick Pitas, Department of Recreation and Tourism, SUNY Brockport, developed the customer survey and will share the findings.

Our goals were to:

• Create a series of best-practices
• Provide recommendations for U-Picks to better serve their customers
• Develop a network of locally sourced fresh food suppliers
• Expand the range of berry fruits available for picking
• Provide safe, environmentally sound food systems
• Increase awareness of local agriculture
• Grow farmers’ profitability through increased customer visitation

Follow-up workshop

Grow your Your Business through multi-media marketing strategies and drive sales at your farm. The workshop content will focused on the customer feedback received. Presented by: Bree Bacon Woodbridge, Business Advisor, SBDC, Niagara County Community College.

Focus Group Discussion

Participants were invited to join a focus group to discuss the findings, propose solutions and initiate collaborations to further strengthen the U-Pick operations in our area.

The ‘Needs Assessment of Berry U-Pick Farms in Monroe County’ was funded by the Genesee Valley Regional Market Authority and conducted in collaboration with SUNY Brockport, Department of Recreation and Tourism and SBDC Niagara County.

Last updated June 25, 2021