Taste NY Event March 4 in Albany

On Wednesday, March 4, state Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball will join local leaders at the Times Union Center in Albany to announce a new “farm to fan” initiative designed to support local agriculture and enhance the “Taste NY” experience for visitors.  

In a given year, annual attendance at the Times Union Center ranges between 550,000 and 650,000. This new partnership will be a tremendous opportunity to expand the reach of New York agricultural producers, Ball said.

“While this is the first such partnership of its kind between ‘Taste NY’ and a large-scale arena, I’m optimistic it won’t be the last,” Ball said.

The press conference announcing the partnership will be at 2:30 p.m. at the Times Union Center, 51 S. Pearl St., Albany. In addition to Ball, those attending will be Bob Belber, SMG Regional General Manager, Times Union Center; Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy and Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan.

Samples of local foods soon to be available at the Times Union Center will be at the press event.

Sign Up for Your CSA Today!

Today is National CSA Sign Up day.

Check it out http://modernfarmer.com/2015/02/its-national-csa-sign-up-day/ by clicking here.

Fifth Annual Food from the Farm Tasting Event Set for March 7

News from the North Country:

The public will be able to meet Northern New York farmers, food processors, wine and cider makers and chefs at the fifth annual Food from the Farm event from 2 to 5 p.m. March 7 at the Plattsburgh Recreation Center gym.

Visitors will be able to sample and buy locally-grown or produced foods, wine and cider; pick up recipes and gardening tips; meet local food producers, and support the local economy and food industry. Products for sale may include crops such as carrots, beets and potatoes; winter greens, frozen meat, maple, honey, wine and hard cider.

Anyone who would like a supply of fresh local food throughout the growing season will be able to meet farmers offering Community Supported Agriculture subscriptions and purchase a membership for 2015.

This family-friendly event includes Cornell Cooperative Extension nutrition educators providing tips on using local food year-round, and 4-H Youth doing cooking demonstrations sponsored by the Produced in New York Project.

Food from the Farm is coordinated by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Clinton County, Adirondack Harvest, and Master Gardener volunteers. Unlimited sampling, door prizes and helpful information are all included in the admission of $5 per adult, $20 per family, 5 years and under free. 

Tickets are available in advance on the CCE website at http://cce.cornell.edu/clinton, at the CCE office in Plattsburgh, or at the door.

For more information contact CCE at 518-561-7450 or email Amy Ivy at adi2@cornell.edu. Cornell Cooperative Extension provides equal program and employment opportunities.

Happy New Year from Empire State Farming Blog

Just think how easy it will be to make health a priority if we all eat healthy, fresh, wonderful food grown and produced right here in New York by New York farmers?

Happy New Year, everyone!! Let's support our farmers!

It's Important for Consumers to Know Their Farmers

Nice blog entry from Buffalo Eats!

Go to http://www.buffaloeats.org/2014/11/20/recap-nys-dairy-tour-2014/ to read the story.

Guess Where America Is Buying Its Food?

Comments anyone?

http://www.care2.com/causes/america-isnt-buying-its-food-at-farmers-markets-its-doing-it-at-walmart.html

Areas Farmers To Show Off Their Goods to Buyers

Here's a great event coming up right here in Central New York.

A group of local farmers and meat producers are gathering at Piggy Pat's BBQ in New Hartford to share what they grow and produce with local representatives who buy food.

The event is from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 27. 

Made possible in part by the New York Farm Viability Institute, the event will be filmed for a project report. Local growers and meat producers will display products and samples and there will be a buffet with all local products and beverages.

Buyer representatives are expected from Sodexo Foods, St. Elizabeth Medical Center, St. Luke's Healthcare, at least four area colleges, Oneida County Tourism, Turning Stone Resort and Casino, New York Restaurant Association, and area grocers, restaurants and caterers

Project leader Pat McCann says he is amazed at how excited some of the big food buyers are about buying local and this opportunity for regional producers to bring their A game to their attention before the spring 2014 season.

Restaurateur Buys Farm to Supply Produce for his Business

If you can't find enough fresh veggies for your restaurant, do what this enterprising guy did.

Check it out http://upstart.bizjournals.com/companies/innovation/2014/01/12/why-restaurateur-david-zecchini-bought.html?page=all at this link.

State Will Buy More Local Food Thanks to Bill

From state Sen. Patricia Ritchie:

A bill that seeks to use the tremendous buying power of  state government to boost purchases of locally grown foods for use in state prisons, hospitals and other agencies has been signed into law by the governor. 

Under Senate Bill 4061, officials will be directed to create a list of competitively priced food products available for institutional sale, giving state agencies easy access to farm fresh products. State officials will also be required to regularly update their local food purchasing lists and measure state agencies’ compliance with directives to expand purchases from local food sources.

“Eating local is a big trend right now—and it can mean big business for local farmers and food producers.   This legislation builds upon that movement, seeking to use the purchasing power of state government to help farmers grow,” said state Sen. Patricia Ritchie, chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee and a sponsor of the bill. 

“Not only will this measure promote nutrition by putting more locally grown foods in our prisons, hospitals and other state facilities, it will also boost the bottom lines of our state’s hardworking farmers.”

Also known as the “Food Metrics Bill” the measure is widely supported by a broad array of groups, from farmers to environmentalists.

The legislation was named a top priority by America’s Farmland Trust, a nationwide organization that promotes eating more local foods as a way to help preserve farmland, farm industry and open space. In addition, the New York League of Conservation Voters recognized Senator Ritchie for her sponsorship of the legislation.

Ritchie also is a sponsor of the “Buy from the Backyard Act” (S.978), which aims to boost local farming by requiring state agencies to purchase 20 percent of their food supplies from New York-based sources.  In addition, she worked to put New York milk back in employee lunchrooms at the Capitol, which serve tens of thousands of state workers and visitors every day. 

Know Where Your Food Comes From

Great video.

Check it out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9sbFsac1_g&list=SPsRNoUx8w3rOk9GWb2AbaW9UrDMiJEPwn&index=6 at this link.

Check Pride of New York Website for Local Foods During the Holidays

From Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office:

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is encouraging New Yorkers to take advantage of the state’s revamped “Pride of New York” website, located at www.prideofny.com, to search for the best in locally grown and produced New York state food and beverage products this upcoming holiday season.

“Whether you’re looking for a bakery on Long Island or a winery in the North Country, the ‘Pride of New York’ website offers an extensive collection of New York’s finest local producers to help complete your holiday season,” Cuomo said.

“Buying food and beverages that are grown and produced right here in New York is an important way to support local vendors as well as the state’s agricultural industries. I encourage every New Yorker to use this valuable resource as they prepare for the upcoming holidays and taste the very best that New York has to offer,” he said.

“Pride of New York” is the state’s branding program for the promotion of New York food, beverage and agricultural products. It is an important component of Governor Cuomo’s Taste NY initiative, which is dedicated to bringing to New Yorkers the best products grown and made in the state.

In October of this year, Cuomo unveiled the “Pride of New York” Pledge, a new initiative that encourages restaurants and chefs across the state to increase their use of New York products by 10 percent or more.

The newly-redesigned “Pride of New York” website allows people to conduct specific searches of databases from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets in a user friendly format. Searchers first choose from among the main categories, such as Agritourism, Baked Goods, Dairy, Nursery/Plants and Seafood.

They can then choose the type of business they’re looking for, whether it’s a retail outlet, a restaurant, a farm, a manufacturer or several other classifications. They then give their zip code and choose how far they’re willing to travel. There is an additional option for those who would like directions to the location.

The website also features a map and list showing various search results, which include addresses and contact information of each establishment. There are more than 3,000 members of the “Pride of New York” program listed in this database along with numerous other agribusinesses.

Farm Bill Will Help Growth of Marketing Opportunities for Agriculture

A weekly column by Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack:

One very important reason for Congress to expedite work toward a new Food, Farm and Jobs Bill is to continue today’s rapid growth in local and regional marketing opportunities for American agriculture.

From local farmers markets to regional food hubs, these new opportunities benefit a wide range of Americans from all walks of life.

They benefit farmers and ranchers who are looking to start selling locally or scale up to regional sales. Farmers markets and regional food hubs have a particularly positive impact for small and limited-resource producers.

Sales of local foods are growing rapidly, creating a multibillion-dollar market opportunity for producers.

Local markets also have an impact on our work to bring folks into the business of agriculture. As the average age of the American farmer increases, we need more new folks on the farm. Local and regional markets help these new farmers – who include returning veterans, immigrants and more women than ever before – get started and sell their product.

American families interested in buying local benefit as well. Under the Obama Administration, we have helped to create more than 2,800 new farmers markets that give families additional options in buying local foods.

In many areas of high poverty, low food security or limited access to healthy, fresh produce, farmers markets provide low-income parents with an important way to put healthy food on the plate for their families.

By more than doubling the availability of EBT technology in farmers markets – and supporting more than 450 projects to help farmers markets expand and grow – USDA has focused on amplifying these benefits for families.

Schools and school districts are working harder than ever to source their food locally and provide healthy meals at school – ultimately benefiting our young people. 

Across the nation, USDA is working with school districts under our Farm to School program, helping districts establish relationships with producers. During the 2011-2012 school year, school districts purchased and served more than $350 million in local foods – and that number is set to grow as we undertake even more efforts to support Farm to School projects.

To help show the rapid growth of the local food market across the nation, USDA created the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass – an online tool illustrating the many places USDA has supported these opportunities nationwide.

Local and regional marketing opportunities hold great promise for folks across the nation. They’re helping our producers grow and thrive. They’re bringing fresh foods to underserved areas. They’re helping our kids get good nutrition at school.

USDA intends to continue our record support for these markets – but to do so, we need a Food, Farm and Jobs Bill as soon as possible. 

A new Farm Bill would enable our continued efforts to expand farmers markets and food hubs, while expanding healthy food access for low-income Americans and kids in our schools. All of these efforts would benefit the rural economy, while helping to achieve new opportunity in agriculture in the years to come.

USDA Issues Grants to Get More Local Food in School Cafeterias

From the USDA:

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Tuesday announced grants for 71 projects spanning 42 states and the District of Columbia that support the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) efforts to connect school cafeterias with local farmers and ranchers through its Farm to School program.
"In rural and urban communities across the country, Farm to School programs teach students where food comes from, while providing healthy foods that are grown locally on farms and ranches across the nation," said Vilsack.

"These programs also create new market opportunities for local farmers and ranchers interested in partnering with nearby school districts – and by helping to create an even more diverse and thriving agriculture sector, Farm to School efforts hold potential to create new jobs in rural areas," he said.
Selected projects will serve more than 13,000 schools and 2.8 million students, nearly 45 percent of whom live in rural communities.

Two projects in New York state are being funded: The New York Botanical Garden and the Orange County Department of Health in Goshen.

USDA Officials Talk Growth in Ag Marketing Opportunities

From the USDA:

Monday, Nov. 18, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack joined Farmer Veteran Coalition Executive Director Michael O’Gorman and Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner James Comer to highlight the rapid growth of local and regional marketing opportunities in American agriculture.

Local and regional markets provide new opportunity in agriculture and expanded availability of fresh, local foods for all Americans. Link to today’s call: here

Local and regional markets also provide a unique opportunity to help America’s returned service members get started in agriculture, and keep growing. Today, more than four million veterans call rural America home – comprising more than 11 percent of the rural population – and agriculture holds a promising new career for many.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is focused on expanding opportunity for new and beginning producers across the nation, and on creating new opportunities for existing farmers and ranchers. Secretary Vilsack has identified these new opportunities as one priority to help revitalize the rural economy and create jobs.

• Local food sales provide a rapidly growing market opportunity for American agriculture – especially for farmers and ranchers who are just getting into agriculture. The opportunity to produce and market products locally has a particularly positive impact for small and limited-resource producers. Local food is a multibillion-dollar market and growing.
  
• Local markets also have benefits for Americans who live off the farm. In areas of high poverty, low food security or limited access to healthy foods, farmers markets provide an expanded opportunity for low-income families to purchase fresh, local products.

To help producers take advantage of this multi-billion dollar marketing opportunity, USDA has made historic investments to support these expanding markets.

USDA created the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative in 2009 to help connect producers with new opportunities in local and regional marketing – and to better inform Americans about the business of agriculture and opportunities to connect with farmers and ranchers.

Since 2009, USDA has supported over 2,600 projects nationwide to build new market opportunities in local and regional foods, mainly through programs authorized in the Farm Bill.

• USDA has invested in the future of farmers markets through the Farmers Market Promotion Program, providing assistance for nearly 450 projects nationwide to grow and expand farmers markets.
  
• USDA has invested in more than 860 projects under the Specialty Crop Block Grants program to expand the production of fruits and vegetables for sale at local markets.
  
• The National Institute of Food and Agriculture has provided 89 Community Food Project awards in 36 states to expand local food opportunity in low-income communities.
  
• Over 40,000 young and beginning farmers in 48 states have received assistance in business planning, risk management and farming practices through the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program.
  
• Since 2009, USDA has provided assistance to create more than 10,800 high tunnels – low-cost greenhouses that extend the growing season – through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program of the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
  
• USDA has provided more than 4,000 microloans under the Farm Service Agency’s new microlending program. This program provides smaller loans of up to $35,000 for small-scale producers who can also take advantage of local marketing opportunities.

For a complete breakdown of USDA investments by state and region, and to view the growing number of farmers markets, food hubs and other local food indicators, visit the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass map at www.usda.gov/kyfcompass. It is searchable by zip code, key word and program.

• Since 2009, USDA’s has helped to create more than 2,800 new farmers markets, which provide farmers and ranchers with new opportunities to sell their produce and expand food options for families. The number of farmers markets has grown by 70 percent nationally since 2009.
  
• USDA efforts also have helped expand the number of regional food hubs, which aggregate products from small and midsize farms and distribute them to large-volume buyers. The number of regional food hubs has risen by 65 percent since 2009, and more than 230 are now operational around the country.

Much of this support was made possible through programs authorized under the Farm Bill.

To continue support to grow local and regional food systems across the nation, Congress should expedite passage of a comprehensive, multiyear Food, Farm and Jobs Bill. A new Farm Bill would:

• Expand support for local food enterprises through a new Local Food Promotion Program, which would replace the Farmers Market Promotion Program. FMPP is currently without funding due to the lack of a Farm Bill.
• Restore critical funding to the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, which trains the next generation of farmers, including returning veterans. BFRDP is currently without funding due to the lack of a Farm Bill.
• Launch a new program to help low-income consumers purchase more fruits and vegetables, particularly locally-grown produce, by providing incentives at the point of purchase.
• Continue critical infrastructure funding for food storage, processing and distribution businesses, including food hubs, through Rural Development programs such as the Business and Industry Loan Guarantee Program.

A new Farm Bill would also provide many other critical programs that would grow the rural economy and create jobs in rural America.

Do Consumers Really Want to See Where Their Food Comes From?

Go to http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2013/08/19/glass-walls-slaughterhouse/ to check out the blog entry.

Harvesting Opportunities in NY Seminar Coming in November

New York state is filled with opportunities to help grow and produce local food for people in your community.

American Farmland Trust's New York office is conducting a seminar called "Harvesting Opportunities in New York" to look at what people can do to get in on the 'buy local' and 'locavore' trends.

Go to http://newyork.farmland.org/harvestingopportunities2013 to find out more and to register for the program.

Desire for Locally Grown Food Helps to Drive Farm Growth

Cool story from The Buffalo News during National Farmers' Market Week.

Go to http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20130727%2FBUSINESS%2F130729196%2F1003 to check it out.

National Farmers' Market Week Begins Sunday

National Farmers' Market Week runs from Aug. 4-10.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is kicking off the week with an announcement Saturday at a Washington D.C. market of how many markets are registered in the 2013 National Farmers' Market Directory.

Go to http://search.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/Accessible.aspx to search the Farmers Market Directory. Once at this site, you can plug in where you live by zip code and how many miles you are willing to travel. Hit search and a great list of farmers' markets will pop up, telling you what is sold there, where they are located and hours of operation and if they take WIC, SNAP or credit cards.

The full Farmers Market Directory, which can be found  farmersmarkets.usda.gov at this link, also identifies new farmers' markets, the states with the highest number of markets in operation and the total number of farmers' markets that have registered throughout the United States.

The number of farmers' markets in the United States and New York state is increasing. The USDA stated there were 6,132 farmers markets in the country in 2010, 7,175 in 2011 and 7,864 in 2012.

In New York, there were 575 farmers' markets in 2012, 520 farmers’ markets in 2011 and 500 in 2000. Diane Eggert, executive director of the Farmers' Market Federation of New York based in Fayetteville, said the 2013 count is more than 600. 

And just think, in 2000 there were a mere 235 farmers’ markets in the state.

The new updated National Farmers Market Directory lists 8,144 farmers markets, up from about 5,000 in 2008. 

Farmers' market managers voluntarily supply their market information to the USDA directory providing a snap shot of the number of markets that have registered with the directory.

Farmers' markets are important not only to the farmers selling their goods, but they also are key to consumers. The whole locavore or buy local movement — people who want to buy food grown locally — has pushed the number of farmers’ markets and those buying at farmers’ markets into the stratosphere.

New York's Locavore Ranking Improves

Shoppers look at locally grown produce at the Downtown Syracuse Farmers' Market

Rodale.com has ranked states for how locavore friendly they are. That means, how enthusiastic are consumers in getting out and buying locally grown and raised foods.


Go to http://www.rodale.com/locavore-index?cm_mmc=Facebook-_-Rodale-_-Content-RecentNews-_-IsYourStateLocavoreFriendly to see where New York state ranks.

Buying Local has become more and more popular in recent years in New York state and Central New York. Madison County has its own Buy Local Week each year http://blog.syracuse.com/farms/2011/05/buy_local_week_in_madison_coun.html and more and more farmers' markets and Community Supported Agriculture locations have popped up recently.