Honest Marketing
How to market your farm honestly: telling the real story of how you grow and what it costs, while keeping every claim truthful and backed up.
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The Two Rules Behind Every Honest Claim
Federal Trades Commission · Advertising FAQs for Small Business:
Federal law sets a simple bar for any marketing claim: it must be truthful and not misleading, and you must have a reasonable basis to back it up before you say it. This plain-language FTC guide explains how that applies to product claims, pricing, and online and social media posts. Start here before you write a label, a sign, or a post.
https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/advertising-faqs-guide-small-business
Origin, Testimonials, and Online Claims: The Full Rulebook
FTC · Advertising and Marketing Business Guidance:
Beyond the basics, specific kinds of claims carry their own rules: "Made in USA" and other origin claims, customer reviews and testimonials, and claims made online or on social media. This FTC hub links the guidance for each, so when you say "American made" or share a customer's words, you know how to do it honestly.
"Sustainable," "Eco-Friendly," and "Regenerative": Backing Up Practice Claims
FTC · Green Guides, Environmental Marketing Claims (16 CFR Part 260):
How you farm is one of your strongest marketing stories, but words like "sustainable," "eco-friendly," "green," and "regenerative" are environmental claims the FTC expects you to be able to back up. The Green Guides explain how consumers read these terms and how to qualify a claim so it stays truthful. Broad, unqualified claims like "eco-friendly" are the easiest to get wrong.
Marketing Direct: Reaching Buyers and Capturing Retail Value
University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension · Direct Marketing:
Selling directly lets you keep the retail margin instead of the wholesale price, but it means you do the marketing. This Arkansas Extension hub covers direct channels like farmers markets, CSAs, and farm stands, and how to connect with the consumers looking for local food. It is the practical foundation for building your own customer base.
https://www.uaex.uada.edu/farm-ranch/economics-marketing/direct-marketing/
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture · Experience Arkansas Agriculture:
The story of your family, your land, and how you grow is what sets you apart, and it is what local buyers want to connect with. This Division of Agriculture program shows how Arkansas farms invite consumers in through farm experiences, U-pick, and agritourism, turning practices into a story people can see for themselves.
https://www.uaex.uada.edu/farm-ranch/economics-marketing/experience-arkansas-agriculture/
Pricing to Your Real Costs: Enterprise Budgets and Planning
University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension · Economics and Marketing:
Honest pricing starts with knowing what it actually costs you to produce, so you can price for a fair return instead of guessing or racing competitors to the bottom. This Extension hub provides crop and livestock enterprise budgets, planning tools, and decision aids to calculate your true cost of production. Your price is easier to defend to a customer when you know the numbers behind it.
https://www.uaex.uada.edu/farm-ranch/economics-marketing/default.aspx
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