Farm gate marketing options for dairy and meat products

The New Zealand Kellogg Rural Leaders Programme develops emerging agribusiness leaders to help shape the future of New Zealand agribusiness and rural affairs. Lincoln University has been involved with this leaders programme since 1979 when it was launched with a grant from the Kellogg Foundation, USA.Currently when marketing farm products the farmer has a choice between direct or indirect selling, (or perhaps a combination of the two). Indirect selling is the most used option at present, selling produce to another party who process it, thereby adding value and who then sell the processed items on. Direct selling gives the producer opportunities for direct consumer contact and enables them to process and add value to their own product. The aim of this paper is to examine the local meat and dairy industry, to investigate the options for marketing of farm produce and maximise profitability using the available options