Want to direct market?
Sell what you are given.
Ingrid Johnston is a woman of powerful words and creative actions. Reading her Nuffield Canada report was like walking into an inviting space wooed by her sense of connection and leaving feeling empowered and ready to rock your business from the roots to the roof.
A ranch woman from the historic area of 150 Mile House, Ingrid went on a global journey over 24 weeks to 9 countries through Nuffield Canada to capture all that made for a successful farm to table business. In her quest she found that providing a beautiful box of grass-fed beef raised on regenerative land took more than just smart marketing – it needed a sense of space and place to be found.
The culture of a place
When direct marketing and inviting folks to the farm it is important to ask yourself – what is the culture of this place? Being a warm human is necessary but people need things – like bathrooms and knowing that their six-year-old who is creating chaos is welcome – as is their pet. “Let them bring who they love” says Ingrid, and she reminds us to always go that extra step by answering every question in a personal and simple way.
Meeting people where they are at builds trust and allows for you to tell your farm or ranch story creatively and to invite your guests and customers to participate at a higher price. When telling your story Ingrid reminds us to refer to our childhood in a deep and descriptive way – bringing to life such experiences as personal as taste and smell. For Ingrid, much of her commitment and determination in her own story is based on the strong ranch women who inspired her.
Selling at a premium
“Sell what you are given” she advises. There is indeed enough uniqueness between farms and ranches to do this. Not only are we all different but so is our soil, climate and season. We know this and are intimate with our surroundings. Nothing builds us like the challenges on our beloved land. This is part of the story: who we are, why we are here, how we got there and how we faced the challenges of the land we live and work on.
In all of that story is a premium product at a premium price. And, she advises to “make it expensive” which is excellent instruction. Knowing the value of your product because of the story is a critical piece in marketing. It is all at a premium, after all, the ingredients include food, farm and family!
A tough business
But let us not kid ourselves, this is a tough business – taking a farm or ranch product to market at the volume that is required to make a living. There is much more to it and although the first step is to “teach them and feed them” the focus has to be on each tiny technical piece – including selling it all. Ingrid uses the example of the boots she found made from regenerative grass-fed leather. From tip to tail, the value is often in the offal and little bits, the hide and hidden internal treasures. From dog food to candles, there were examples around the world on creating value to the beef animal.
Part of the honest assessment of direct marketing is the capability within our own fence lines. Ingrid did not avoid pointing out the pitfalls and the very traps of fanciful thinking that entrepreneurs fall into. She developed an extensive ‘do not pass go’ list. If you do not have a “willingness to interact with a larger cross section of personalities” then direct marketing is a no go. A lack of money, expertise, help, access to customers, time or energy are signs that the intensity of this business may not be for everyone.
It’s more. More than just raising beef – it is food, it is a story, a box, a label, a promise and an assurance. Everything must mirror the culture of the place and clearly invite the customer to participate. And all must be first class along the way. She encourages that we need to “let the label speak” but then again – so must we. How we present ourselves and our story is part of that label.
Marketing 101
Yes, it is important to entertain in the marketing space but only if you are sincere and can consistently deliver on the promise. Social media is powerful and as Ingrid explains: “Social media plants the seeds and grows one snippet at a time.” And though the proximity of customers is a challenge for many farm-based food products, social media helps to deliver the message and E marketing is a real advantage. The trial is in delivering the product and working with or creating systems that function well without chipping away at the profit.
At the Onward Ranch https://www.onwardranch.ca/ that Ingrid owns with her husband Ty and shares with her four children, there is a harmonious sense of place – but that does not mean that there are not intensive business discussions going on behind the barn door. There is the matter of the longevity of the farm and as Ingrid so candidly reminds us “it is not about succession but continuation” of the ranch and the business that matters. Building that along with financial resiliency is critical at every juncture in the business plan that focuses on those smaller and more subtle pieces of the puzzle that she refers to.
Putting the puzzle together
Ingrid’s report can be found at https://www.nuffield.ca/scholar-reports and includes extensive strategies and a tool kit for frozen marketing. As you read it, identify the pieces of the puzzle in your business and ask yourself again – what is the culture of this space?
In the ecosystem that has been created at the Onward Ranch, there is an opportunity to create and to grow. The intersection of all that happens on the ranch and to the people who live there is found in both product and promise. A consistent and delicious product every time and the promise of a new day filled with opportunity as each member of the family follows their hearts and lets life graciously unfold.
Brenda Lee Schoepp @Brenda Schoepp October 18 2025
