New Farm Store Opening in Onondaga County

Dan Palladino of Palladino Farms in Pompey is opening a new farm store at 2 p.m. Friday Jan. 13 (today).

Palladino said "we will have product samples and tastings by Trinity Valley Dairy, Clean Slate balsamic vinegars and honey, breads by Alambria Springs farm and maple products from Dutch Hill maple."

Palladino said the primary reason for starting the store is he believes there is a "huge unmet need for a place selling local foods in our town and area. In addition, the town of Pompey passed a very farm friendly law in 2015 called the "farm business overlay", which allows qualified farmers to have commercial enterprises on their farm if they meet certain criteria."

One of the main criteria is a certain percentage of foods sold must be actually grown in Pompey.

"Our goal is to bring the connection between consumer and farmer even closer," Palladino said. "The store will give other small farms that only produce one or a few items an outlet to sell their products where they otherwise could not afford to."

Palladino also believes food should be affordable and some stores and retail sites sell healthy local foods at higher prices.

"While this is unavoidable with some premium and organic products, I plan to price as competitively as possible so that all people can enjoy shopping for local products at our farm store and not have to go to a large retailer or buy from unknown sources," he said.
 
Palladino said his goal is to carry as many made in Onondaga County products as possible, as well as some regionally produced products (from other counties and a few items from Pennsylvania) until he can find a local source of those products.

Tops Friendly Markets Promoting NYS Grown & Certified Program

Tops Friendly Markets will promote the New York State Grown & Certified program to highlight farms that qualify under the New York State Grown & Certified seal. 

Tops is the first grocery retailer to feature and market product grown by New York farmers who adhere to the program’s requirements, including verification of safe food handling practices and participation in environmental sustainability programs. 

Producst sold under the state’s NYS Grown & Certified seal will be available at more than 80 Tops stores in the Western New York and the Finger Lakes regions. As the state continues to roll out the retail component of the program, product will be available at additional retailers.
 
“New York is supporting locally-grown products and promoting healthy lifestyles by connecting farm-fresh food with consumers across the state," said Gov. Andrew Cuomo. “Under the NYS Grown & Certified program, Tops Friendly Markets will bring certified foods to local communities, support our hard-working farms and provide nutritional food options to New Yorkers statewide.”
 
A state Grown & Certified pilot display was unveiled at a Tops store in Erie County Jan. 6 that features produce, including herbs, cabbage and acorn and butternut squash from farms in the Western New York and Finger Lakes regions. 

Consumers will also find fruits and other vegetables branded under the NYS Grown & Certified seal at participating Tops stores. A total of 145 Tops stores across the state will begin promoting NYS Grown & Certified products in the coming weeks. 

The state Department of Agriculture & Markets is also working with other retailers to market NYS Grown & Certified products.
 
A NYS Grown & Certified social media campaign has launched to further market New York farms involved in the initiative and educate consumers on the value of the program. Consumers can now follow NYS Grown & Certified on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
 
Additionally, several promotional videos were created to give consumers an inside look at NYS Grown & Certified farms. The videos feature Satur Farms on Long Island and Minkus Family Farms in the Hudson Valley. 

They are available by clicking https://www.facebook.com/NYScertified/videos/vb.1229590680433967/1255164281209940/?type=2&theater at this link and https://www.facebook.com/NYScertified/videos/vb.1229590680433967/1254963777896657/?type=2&theater at this link.
 
To highlight the New York producers who meet program requirements, NYS Grown & Certified is supported by a multi-pronged marketing campaign, including on-product labels, promotional materials, website and social media channels. 

Cuomo launched the NYS Grown & Certified program in August 2016. The program identifies and promotes New York producers who adhere to New York’s food safety and environmental sustainability programs and assures consumers that the food they are buying is local and produced at a higher-standard. 

It requires that producers be verified for safe food handling practices through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Good Agricultural Practices program (or an equivalent program) and enroll in the state’s Agricultural Environmental Management program. 


The initiative was the focus of the state Department of Agriculture and Markets’ exhibit at the New York Produce Show in New York City in December, and the New York State Agricultural Society annual forum Jan. 5. It also will display at the Empire State Producers Expo Jan. 17-19 in Syracuse. 

For more information on NYS Grown & Certified, go to http://certified.ny.gov/ this link.