My Digital Farmer Podcast
Episode 340: Farm Marketing School Success Story - Patty from Lonely Lane Farms
Host: Corinna Bench
Guest: Patty Cloft, Lonely Lane Farms
Date: December 3, 2025
Episode Overview
In this episode, host Corinna Bench interviews Patty Cloft of Lonely Lane Farms, a multi-generational livestock farm in Mount Angel, Oregon. Patty shares her detailed sales funnel and marketing journey—from their origin as a grass-fed beef operation to a robust, value-added business with a strong retail and wholesale presence. The discussion covers strategies for scaling, customer retention, building a branded farm identity, leveraging word-of-mouth, developing marketing systems, using digital tools, and more. Farmers at all stages will find actionable gems in Patty’s story.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Farm & Business Overview (07:14–12:09)
- Patty’s Background: Grew up in an agricultural family; married into the Lonely Lane Farms lineage.
- Farm Profile: 350 acres (120 actively farmed for hay, silage, etc.), run by Patty and husband Mike. Multi-species: beef (grass-fed/finished), pork, lamb, goat (mainly for brush control), plus value-added meats (sausages, deli meats, bacon, jerky).
- Customer Base: Serves 12+ retail partners (wholesale) and hundreds/thousands of individual weekly customers via home delivery and one farmers market.
Memorable Quote:
“With our team we sell grass fed meats to grocery stores. We do one farmer's market, and we have a slew of home delivery customers. That's kind of the 32nd version.” — Patty (07:34)
2. Value-Added Expansion & Processing Facility (09:59–11:58)
- Moves into Value-Add: Responded to customer and market demand, especially for convenient, ready-to-eat products.
- Processing Facility: Built their own USDA-inspected facility for control and quality—15 years of in-house processing.
- Benefits: Ability to manage quality, scheduling, new product development; crucial for premium local meat positioning.
3. Product Mix Evolution (12:09–14:54)
- Gradual Diversification: Started with beef, quickly added pork (via family partners) and, later, lamb and goat.
- Strategy: More product choices increase average order value and purchase frequency, but add marketing complexity.
“The longer the...where you make your money is in the product ladder...it's going to increase the average order value. It's going to increase the number of times they come back and buy again.” — Corinna (13:41)
4. Promotions & Seasonality (15:13–16:27)
- Promotion Calendar: Started formal promotion calendar after Farm Marketing School—now sees opportunities for themed or gap month promos.
- Key Periods: Q4 is the best revenue period due to stock-ups before winter and holidays; spring/fall structured around holiday-themed items (corned beef, Easter hams, seasonal sausages).
5. Fulfillment Systems (16:27–18:44)
- Farmers Market System: Pre-orders via Local Line account for ~2–5% of sales; rest is walk-up. Careful cooler management (212 SKUs!), systems for ease and staff consistency.
- Home Delivery: Monthly or bi-monthly rhythm, with a $125 minimum order for free delivery (otherwise surcharged).
6. Data & Customer Insight (18:44–22:45)
- Data Use: Leans on intuition but does spot checks for problems; found via social media analysis only a third of customers saw posts—led her to take over social to re-focus efforts.
- Top Sellers: Value-added products (sausages, deli meats) are trending; specialty/seasonal items (e.g., cranberry sage sausage) spark excitement and sales.
7. Managing Product Overwhelm (21:19–24:11)
- Large Catalog Challenge: 212+ items can confuse buyers; solved partly by bundling, curated product “packs,” and (soon) curated categories on the Local Line store.
8. Pathways for New Customers (26:45–27:30)
- Gateway Products: Recommend ground beef or bacon as the trial purchase—familiar, reveals quality, low barrier to entry.
9. How Customers Discover Lonely Lane Farms (27:30–28:19)
- Word of Mouth: 85–90% of new customers are referrals—testament to quality and loyal base.
- Google & Web: SEO strength for Oregon-raised and grass-fed searches.
- Social Media: Recent small uptick since shifting strategies.
Quote:
“Almost every email I get for someone asking a question is ‘my friend such and such told me about you.’” — Patty (27:42)
10. Wholesale Growth (28:19–30:46)
- Retail Loyalty: Oldest retail clients still buying after 25 years—relationships key.
- New Accounts: Mix of inbound (via other retailers) and selective outreach.
11. Handling FAQs/Objections (30:46–34:36)
- Marketing Answers Major Questions: Organic, allergen-friendly, grass-fed/finished, family/outdoor practices.
- Channels: FAQs addressed continually in social, website, in-person and via email.
- Storytelling for Trust: Leverages her husband’s food allergies narrative to accentuate allergen-free value.
Quote:
“We don't use any of the big nine...none of our products have that in it. And yeah. And I have some clients that have bought from us for years and then like you don't use any of those? I was like, no, no we don't.” — Patty (32:42)
12. Customer Warm-Up & Buying Journey (34:39–41:32)
- Education & Warm-Up: Most customers seek her out already informed; refers to weekly stories in emails and farm stand conversations as significant engagement points.
- Storytelling Emails: Patty writes personal, story-driven emails (no hard sell). Her list grew organically via pop-ups and sign-ups at market.
Quote:
“My whole weekly email is my weekly story. Like, this is what happened this week on the farm. And normally in the P.S. I'm like, hey, this is available this week. Go buy it. I'm a very soft person.” — Patty (39:44)
13. The Lonely Lane Farms Difference Branding (35:55–38:52)
- Branded Phrase: Website features the “Lonely Lane Farms Difference”—a badge of quality and distinction.
- Purpose: In a crowded “local” market, explains why choose Lonely Lane over other grass-fed sources.
Quote:
“That's why we did it. It's like, what makes us different, what makes us unique? Why should you buy from an Oregon family that lived here their whole lives...” — Patty (36:33)
14. Customer Value & Retention (50:02–54:25)
- Customer Lifetime Value: Typical home delivery client spends $125–$150/month = ~$1,500/year; loyalty means high multi-year value.
- Order Minimums: Strategic increases to delivery minimums improved efficiency and profitability.
15. Encouraging Pre-Order Behavior (55:17–56:53)
- Challenges: Market shoppers resist pre-ordering unless the item is limited (e.g. flank steak).
- Behavioral Nudges: Limiting some high-demand/low-stock products to pre-order only gently funnels customers online.
16. Farmers Market Marketing (57:06–58:50)
- Physical Setup: Large booth, prominent signage on allergens, farm credentials, product list (on a “giant sign”), cutesy illustrations, product samples for upsells.
- Customer Engagement: No more samples due to space/logistics, so relies on signage and display.
17. Community Events & PR (59:46–63:01)
- Oktoberfest: Custom sausage for 7–8 local nonprofit booths, logistical support, and in-booth advertising (signs, QR codes).
- Long-term PR: Participating in community events and TV features brings long-term web and market traffic.
Quote:
“We've actually had two or three people come to us at the farmers market, which is in a totally different community, that said that's how they found out about us. And now they buy from us. So sometimes even if you don't do anything for a lot of money, it comes back to you in other places.” — Patty (61:27)
18. Reviews, Testimonials, and Social Proof (63:04–66:07)
- Natural Referrals: Few formal testimonials/reviews; loyalty and word-of-mouth come naturally.
- Plan to Encourage Reviews: Contemplates mechanisms for gathering and displaying new testimonials but currently relies on organic sharing.
- Consistency: Weekly market presence and regular social communication cements customer trust.
19. Website & Marketing Systems (68:08–70:04)
- Website: Professionally developed but self-updated; features “buzzwords” and clear navigation geared to customer priorities.
- Key Phrases: “Grass fed”, “allergen free”, “USDA-inspected”, “100% hand cut meats”, “processed in-house.”
- How It Works: Simple, clear process for ordering—essential for customer conversion.
20. Marketing School Experience (72:12–75:00)
- Why Farm Marketing School?: Wanted to systematize social media and email marketing; avoid winging it as business grew.
- Benefits Experienced: Efficient content planning (social posts in 30 minutes/week), new nurture emails, written promo plans, “pack” product bundles, and increased self-sufficiency.
- Pace & Practicality: Liked self-paced modules and step-by-step approach.
Notable Quotes & Timestamps
- “With our team we sell grass fed meats to grocery stores. We do one farmer's market, and we have a slew of home delivery customers.” — Patty (07:34)
- “We don't use any of the big nine...none of our products have that in it.” — Patty (32:42)
- “Almost every email I get for someone asking a question is ‘my friend such and such told me about you.’” — Patty (27:42)
- “My whole weekly email is my weekly story...I'm a very soft person. I'm not...hard sells...it's just been like, here, this is what happened.” — Patty (39:44)
- “That's why we did it. It's like, what makes us different, what makes us unique? Why should you buy from an Oregon family that lived here their whole lives...” — Patty (36:33)
- “We've actually had two or three people come to us at the farmers market...that said that's how they found out about us. And now they buy from us. So sometimes even if you don't do anything for a lot of money, it comes back to you in other places.” — Patty (61:27)
Important Timestamps
- 07:14—Patty's Farm Background & Customer Base
- 09:59—Product Mix & Value-Added Focus
- 10:18—How Processing Facility Changed Their Business
- 12:09—Product Mix Evolution
- 15:13—Promotional Calendar & Seasonality
- 16:27—Ordering & Fulfillment Details
- 18:44—How Data & Instinct Shape Decisions
- 21:19—Managing the 212+ SKU Catalog
- 26:45—Gateway Offers for New Customers
- 27:30—How New Customers Discover the Farm
- 35:55—Branding with "The Lonely Lane Farms Difference"
- 39:44—Storytelling through Email
- 50:02—Customer Value & Frequency
- 55:17—Encouraging Pre-Orders
- 57:06—Farmers Market Marketing Practices
- 59:46—Oktoberfest/Community PR
- 63:04—Testimonials and Referrals
- 68:08—Website Strategy
- 72:12—Farm Marketing School Experience
Summary Takeaways
- Lonely Lane’s success is rooted in authenticity, steady product diversification, superb systems, and a powerful narrative around quality and allergen safety.
- Word-of-mouth and consistent presence (online and in-person) form the backbone of customer acquisition.
- Farm Marketing School and digital tools (like Local Line) helped move their marketing from “winging it” to repeatable, documented systems—critical for scale.
- Storytelling and genuine connection (via email and market) build trust, drive sales, and foster superfan loyalty.
- Patty’s journey shows that even advanced, established farms benefit from reworking the basics: clear messaging, curated online experiences, data-driven adjustments, and ongoing, heart-centered communication.