by Katie Navarra
Why food safety?
Providing farm products that are as safe as possible is important to assure customers that quality, safety and their health are important to you. Not only is it an obligation to provide safe food, but it can also be used as a good marketing tool to encourage other customers to shop at your farmer’s market or farm stand.
The Center for Disease Control estimates that 1 in 6 get sick from foodborne illnesses, said Londa Nwadike, University of Vermont Extension Food Safety Specialist. “It (foodborne illnesses) are highly underreported,” she said, “there can be food borne illnesses from farmer’s markets products even Continue reading
North Country School
by Katie Navarra
Rain or shine, blazing sun or blistering cold, students rise at 6:30 a.m. and report to an assigned chore rotation. “Sometimes in the middle of winter when it’s 40 below they are all bundled up, goggles and all,” Mike Tholen, Farm Manager at the school said.
Over the course of a 33 week school year, 90 students enrolled in grades 4-8 at the North Country School in Lake Placid study the “3 R’s”, reading, writing and arithmetic, as well as music and art. While learning the skills essential for success, North Country School students learn to appreciate agriculture and where/how the food they consume is produced. Continue reading
Chenango County crowns its 50th Dairy Princess
On Saturday night, June 1, at the Norwich Campus of Morrisville State College, Chenango County celebrated 50 years of Dairy Promotion. During the banquet, we crowned our 50th Dairy Princess.
The evening drew a crowd of over 100 people, 2 princess candidates, and 14 dairy ambassadors. We had three judges: Marsha Cornelius (Executive Director Norwich Campus), Mike Ferrarese an attorney in Norwich and an Assistant District Attorney, Georgiana Rowe (Roweview Farms) the 2001 and 2004 Chenango County Dairy princess as well as the 2005 New York State Dairy Princess. Continue reading
Pricing farm products: An art or a science?
by Sanne Kure-Jensen
Pricing farm products can be challenging for beginning and experienced growers alike. As a farm business, correct pricing will affect sales, marketing strategies and ultimately, determine farm viability. Cooperative Extension staff and a New Hampshire farmer shared their experience with farm product pricing at the 2013 Harvest New England Ag Marketing Conference & Trade Show in Sturbridge, MA. Michael Sciabarrasi and Nada Haddad of UNH Cooperative Extension recommended pricing models and addressed market trends. Tracie Smith of Tracie Smith’s Community Farm shared her plans to adjust product pricing for the 2013 season. Continue reading
