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Illinois Arnold Family Business
In the hills surrounding Elizabeth, Illinois, the
fourth and fifth generations of the Arnold family farm can be found. Tom and
Jessica Arnold started farming conventionally, but have since found success
specializing in the niche- production of beef, hogs, pastured chicken and
turkey, sheep, hay for horses, and firewood.
After several years of disappointing prices in the late 1980’s, the Arnolds
decided to try marketing their products directly to consumers.
"We don't have a 'crop farm’,” said Tom. "Only a third of our acreage is
tillable, with another third in timber and a third best suited for pasture.
Livestock was the natural fit for our farm and a diversified mix still
seemed appropriate. To do that we
needed to have a unique product that could command a premium for the extra
work involved. That led us to producing for a growing market that wanted
meat from animals raised without antibiotics, hormones, or animal
byproducts."
The Arnold’s started off advertising a few sides of pork in the paper. They
then marketed a pork package, which increased sales quite a bit. From there,
the Arnold’s started making handouts to mail and put in the public, and
eventually created a Web site. With an increase in their customer base,
they were able to offer individual cuts and find a market for most
everything available from the carcass.
Tom himself also drives the 2.5 hours to Chicago, where Arnold’s market is
the strongest, several times a month to deliver meat. He emails a newsletter
with current products, prices, and delivery details to a customer list.
Interested folks email back their order. The orders are filled from cuts
stored at the farm and delivered to pick up points in Chicago area
neighborhoods.
“The majority of our market is young, middle class families. They realize
that when they buy bulk from us, cost is not as much of an objective, and
they know exactly where and how the meat was raised. They also know that
they can ask questions or visit the farm whenever they like,” Tom said.
The Arnold children, Vanessa, Cody and Andrew, are involved with marketing.
They help service customers that stop out to the farm's on-site retail store
by filling orders, including weighing the freezer-wrapped meat cuts,
figuring up the total purchase cost, and lending a hand with the products to
the customer's vehicle. They are also a unique source of information to
customer's questions about the farm. Jessica assists in marketing and has a
talent for brainstorming promotional ideas.
Besides the 50 head of pigs that the Arnolds sell directly to consumers,
they also sell around 1,000 head each year to Niman Ranch Pork Coop, based
in Thornton, IA.
For more information on the Arnold farm, visit their Web site at
www.arnoldsfarm.com.
The Arnolds can be reached at 815-858-2407 or at to
arnoldfarm@juno.com.
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