There is so much coming across our radars these days about food, eating local, where or how to connect. People all over the world are being increasingly more innovative when it comes to growing and buying their food.
I have established this page as a place to share some of the resources, websites and stories that I have come across so others besides myself can learn some lessons from others.
Enjoy the journey.
Bernadette
Articles written by Bernadette Logozar, Regional Local Foods Specialist
You & Local Foods: Putting it all together Through the NNY Regional Local Foods Initiative
Lately if you turn on the radio, pick up a magazine or take a bit of a scout around on the internet you will probably stumble onto something about local food. Whether it is surrounding the most recent recall of food products from a big-box store or the opening of a local farmer’s market local food, buying local is a hot topic in popular media. So what is all the fuss about, why should we be paying attention and what is happening in NNY in the arena of local food? This article goes through a bit of what the fuss is about.
What’s Happening Out There? (All that fuss)
- Nationwide consumer demand for locally grown food is increasing due to higher concerns about health and safety of industrialized food products; this is exacerbated by the increased frequency of food recalls due to contamination or incidences of food borne illnesses being reported in the media.
- Here in the Adirondack North Country Region, the Direct to Consumer (D2C) agriculture sector is growing. In fact, this region has seen a 22.3% increase in the number of D2C farms even while there has been a 6.6% decrease in the overall number of farms in this region.
- D2C farms in all Northern counties had positive growth; however, Essex & Franklin Counties led the way with 28.8% & 68.5% increase respectively.
What do I mean when I say “Direct to Consumer” (D2C) farm? D2C farms are those farms selling agricultural products to the end user for human consumption. It should be noted that these statistics do not include sales of non-food agricultural products. Click Here to read the full story
Building a Successful Business with the Right Partners: Quality Dairy Farms Inc., Mercer’s Dairy and Sustain Brand, Part One
They say farming is hard work. As many farmers know, the most successful farms are those able to handle the ups and downs of the weather, prices, economy and family. Just as farming is hard work, so is starting, running and staying in any business in today’s economic climate. One of the ways to strengthen your chances of success is to find the right partners who have the skills, talents and knowledge you personally may not possess. Finding partners who can help move you and your business forward in the direction you want to go is critical. The best partnerships are mutually beneficial.
A great local example right here in the North Country is Mercer’s Dairy. Mercer’s has worked diligently to build successful business through partnerships. This business is owned by Quality Dairy Farms Inc. (QDF)–a cooperative with members from Lewis and Jefferson Counties. And as with any story, it is best to start at the beginning. Click Here to read full story
Building a Successful Business with the Right Partners: Quality Dairy Farms Inc., Mercer’s Dairy and Sustain Brand, Part Two
In Part One of this article, we looked at how the Mercer’s and Sustain Brand products are marketed and distributed but we did not have change to explore how they produce their products. Mercer’s has developed partnerships in product development as well as marketing.
Given that Mercer’s is owned by dairy farmers, my first question was whether they use the milk from those farms to produce their products among other things. Click here to read full story
Earlier Postings:
Australia
Article: Avoid a Yeti-Sized Carbon Footprint
Cuba
Article: In ‘eat local’ Cuba is Years ahead
Urban Agriculture
Article: Farm Fresh from the City
Article: Visionaries Work to get Rooftop and Vertical Farming off the Ground
Links
visit: www.localharvest.org
