A friend to farmers

Posted 8/21/12

LIBERTY, NY — Farmers are busy people. Busy during planting season, during the harvest, and generally busy on a day-to-day basis. While they work on growing their product, it’s easy to lose sight …

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A friend to farmers

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LIBERTY, NY — Farmers are busy people. Busy during planting season, during the harvest, and generally busy on a day-to-day basis. While they work on growing their product, it’s easy to lose sight of marketing and selling that product. That’s where certain programs and initiatives can step in to help.

At the first Catskills Farm and Food Conference, held at Cornell Cooperative Extension, speakers from various groups came to present to farmers, food business entrepreneurs and community members from far and wide. The day-long event included workshops, panel discussions and a tour of the new Catskills Kitchen.

The workshops focused on product, promotion and packaging and included “Marketing your Food Business,” “Thinking Outside the Box: Packaging and Distributing Your Product,” “Starting from Scratch: Processing 101,” “Food Processing Rules and Regulations” and “Food Labeling: The Do’s and Don’ts.” During lunch, there was a speaker from the Taste NY and the Grown and Certified Program, which are initiatives of New York State Department of Agriculture.

The Taste NY initiative was launched by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2013. It promotes New York State’s food and beverage industry. Locally produced products are sold at cafés, concessions, stores, events and bars. There are multiple locations including the Javits Center, Grand Central Station and the Long Island Welcome Center, which had just opened the day before, and new locations will be added. This program basically allows farmers and food producers to get their products (from beer to vegetables to maple syrup) into stores, and it connects the dots between agriculture, food and the consumer.

There was a panel discussion with representatives from Pure Catskills, Hudson Valley Bounty, The Sullivan Catskills Regional Food Hub and Lackawaxen Farm Company. Sky Ballentine of Lackawaxen Farm Company based in Honesdale, PA said, “I understand how difficult it is to move perishable product.” His company works with 25 to 30 farms to distribute their goods in both wholesale and CSA packages (Community Supported Agriculture). “Not only does it help growers find ways to move their product, but it also helps people and businesses source their products,” Ballentine said. “We have to get creative.”

Hudson Valley Bounty is a web portal for farms and agribusiness to list their business. Close to 500 farm and food enterprises throughout the Hudson Valley are featured on the site, which is searchable by county, with interactive maps pinpointing each farm or food business in Orange, Sullivan, Ulster, Dutchess, Columbia, Rensselaer and Washington counties. Each business listing is free and can include product lists, photos, maps and wholesale and contact information.

Pure Catskills is a regional, buy-local campaign developed by the Watershed Agricultural Council to improve the economic vitality of the community. The guide represents nearly 300 diverse farm and forest-based businesses, restaurants, local artisans, accommodations and other non-profit organizations throughout Delaware, Greene, Otsego, Schoharie, Sullivan and Ulster counties.

The Catskills Food Hub is a new initiative of the Sullivan County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) and the Sullivan Catskills Regional Food Hub Inc., a not-for-profit corporation that is currently in formation. Jen Flad of the IDA said, “I see a lot of synergy between the food hub and the folks sitting up here. It’s exciting. There are a lot of options.” The food hub will provide a way for farmers and food producers to sell to regional businesses and organizations, providing a web-based marketplace and integrated transportation service. According to a press release, “More broadly, the Catskills Food Hub will improve public health, as area institutions serving local residents will have better access to nutritious locally and regionally grown and produced products.”

Farming is a quintessential business to New York. Farms cover 23% of the state’s land area (7.1 million acres), and New York is home to over 36,600 farms. The farming industry generates over $4.4 billion for the state’s annual economy. Further, there are nearly 3,600 food processors that make a variety of specialty items in New York. Organizations like Cornell Cooperative Extension and the people they brought to the Catskills Farm and Food Conference provide a network of resources for these farmers.

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