DECISION SUPPORT TOOLS
CSA Innovation Network – Farmer to Farmer Exchange: Ecommerce Platforms
This report details farmer ratings for the five most popular farm-specific sales platforms plus four additional platforms that are not farm-specific and are used by many farmers. It is intended as a companion to the National Young Farmers Coalition guide below.
National Young Farmers Coalition – Farmer’s Guide to Direct Sales Software Platforms
This publication, created by the National Young Farmers Coalition, compares farm-specific software platforms that support direct-to-consumer sales, and highlights related educational resources.
The Land Connection – Considerations for choosing an e-commerce platform
This set of questions from The Land Connection is designed to help you narrow your e-commerce selection by assessing your current resources and needs.
Oregon Tilth – Questions for Considering Online Sales Platforms for Farms Direct Marketing
A list of questions compiled by Oregon Tilth to consider when choosing an online selling platform.
WEBINARS
Find Your Right Fit: E-commerce Platform Comparison [WEBINAR SERIES]
This webinar series investigates three e-commerce platforms (Food 4 All, Local Food Marketplace, and Open Food Network), exploring their functionality and user experience across various sales channels.
A New(ish) Frontier: Exploring Online Direct-to-Consumer Sales Platforms for Farmers [WEBINAR]
A New(ish) Frontier: Exploring Online Direct-to-Consumer Sales Platforms for Farmers [PRESENTATION SLIDES]
This webinar presents an overview of considerations and options for selling online.
Your Virtual Farm Stand: Getting Up and Running with MarketMaker and Local Line [WEBINAR]
This webinar presents an overview of how to set up your profile on MarketMaker and how to begin building your online store using your MarketMaker profile through Local Line, an e-commerce platform for farmers.
Farm to Freezer: The Logistics of Online Sales & Shipping Meat [WEBINAR]
Three farmer panelists experienced with selling meats online & shipping direct to consumers discuss: setting up an online store, different web platforms, accepting payments, updating inventory, subscriptions versus a la carte orders, maintaining cold chain, shipping carriers, costs, and regulations.
Hoosier Young Farmers Coalition – Navigating Online Sales Chats [WEBINAR SERIES]
Indiana farmers discuss their experience using various online sales platforms. Platforms include: FarmersWeb, Square, Harvie, and Market Wagon.
Online Sales Platforms for Farmers [WEBINAR]
Industry representatives from online farm sales platforms discuss how their platforms work. Platforms discussed include: Barn2Door, Harvie, Local Food Marketplace, Food4All, and Open Food Network.
Choosing an Online Platform and Selling Online: Four Missouri Farmers Share Their Experience [WEBINAR]
Four Missouri farmers share their successes and challenges with e-commerce platforms. Platforms discussed include: Square, Harvie, GrazeCart, and WordPress with Woo Commerce plugin.
COURSES
Alderspring Ranch – Start Selling Online and Shipping in 5 Days [COURSE]
Shopify’s “Lettuce Class” [COURSE]
WEBSITE BUILDERS
PROCESSING COMPANIES
Square (Square E-commerce Platform HERE)
E-COMMERCE PLATFORMS – FARMER CENTRIC
1000 EcoFarms
Online sales profiles for farms. Display your product inventory online and process credit card sales.
Barn2Door
Online storefront which can be embedded into your website. Multiple third-party integrations. Subscription (CSA) sales possible.
Cropolis
Build and send order forms / availability lists to your customers which they can buy from directly; unlimited number of forms and customer groups.
CSAware
CSA management: create shares and add-on product, share customization, member management, and distribution tools. Owned by Local Harvest, a national directory of family farms and farmers markets.
EatFromFarms
E-commerce storefront with variable weight pricing feature. “Subvendor” feature that supports multi-farm sales.
Farmers Web
Build and send order forms/availability lists to your customers which they can buy from directly. Integrates with AgSquared crop management software for an additional fee.
Farmigo
Comprehensive sales management platform for CSA and multi-farm sales.
Food4All
Online storefront to display product inventory and process sales, with some reporting features.
GrazeCart
Online storefront to display product inventory and process sales. Includes website builder and robust distribution management tools. Originally designed by a farm family for their own sales needs.
GrownBy
CSA, farm stand, and farmers market sales and support software. No startup fees, no subscription costs. Designed, built, and owned by the farmer-owners of Farm Generations Cooperative.
HarvestHand
CSA management software owned and operated by farmers in Canada. No credit card processing supported, only Paypal or bank transfers.
Harvie
Comprehensive CSA management platform designed for member share customization, with robust customer support.
Local Food Marketplace
Comprehensive sales management platform for CSA and multi-farm sales.
Local Line
Online storefront and order management platform for single farms, farmers markets, or multi-farm collaborations. Option to embed into your website.
Local Orbit
Comprehensive order management platform for multi-farm sales.
Market Wagon
Direct-to-consumer platform where farm uploads product information to be posted on online shopping platform. Provides centralized distribution for consumer home delivery.
MyRealFoods
Ordering platform with features that support multi-farm buying clubs. No credit card processing; online payments processed through Paypal.
Open Food Network
Open source farm sales platform, operated by a global collaborative network. Designed to support multi-farm / food hub sales.
Online Farm Markets
Online storefront to display product inventory and process sales, with some multi-farm sales features.
WhatsGood
Virtual farmers market application that processes online sales. Offers ”white label” apps for individual farmers markets.
GENERAL E-COMMERCE PLATFORMS
WordPress for Beginners – 5 Best WordPress E-commerce Plugins Compared (2020)
