Farm Stalls Stay Fresh with Credit Card Processing
There’s been a lot in the media about the declining food belt. Farm produce prices are dropping, and farming families are branching out, especially their younger members. There are stories of miles of untilled land with nobody to cultivate it. But it’s not all bad. Organic farming is still lucrative, and farming businesses that have switched to tech are thriving.
Among young Americans, especially health-conscious ones in gentrified neighborhoods, farmer’s markets can receive more traffic than commercial grocery stores. And in that set-up, credit cards are still the most logical form of payment. Moreso with seasonal plants or weekly shoppers. As a farmer, you should engage a payment processor that supports this system.
Ease of business
You basically want a merchant account where your fee is levied per transaction instead of per week or per month, so it costs you less in the long run. Some merchant processors can even integrate your credit card payment system with cash payments, check payments, and bank-to-bank ACH payments, allowing you to seamlessly manage your cash flow, measuring client income against farm supply expenditure and transport costs.
It’s especially helpful if your farm is focused on a specific seasonal crop, so most of your sales fall within a given window, and you don’t want to get stuck with bank charges for unused services throughout the rest of the year. Another advantage of today’s credit card processors is their mobile payment apps. Instead of lugging around a till, or stuffing your pop-up farmer’s market stall with portable card readers, you can receive payments using your phone or tablet. This is useful for your farming business, because expenses always crop up, and mobile payment processing ensures you always have cash on hand.
Modernize!
The best approach is a mix of traditional farming values and modern farming tools, which includes technology. So apart from using credit cards to make and accept farm-related payments, you can look into farming apps that can boost your farming business. These include ways to find off-season customers and social farming networks outside your town.
For more information on credit card processing for your farm, or to sign up for a merchant account, please call (888) 924-2743 or go to Charge.com.