NY Small Farms Summit: Wayne Cty Site Added!

Chicks_Higher_ResWe are pleased to announce a new host site location for the 2014 NY Small Farms Summit. If you are located in the Fingerlakes Region, you can now attend the program, Beyond Direct Marketing: Exploring New Ways to Sell, at the Wayne County Cornell Cooperative Extension office in Newark, NY.
Are you currently selling through a farmers’ market, csa, u-pick, or road-side stand? How well is it working? Direct-marketing usually provides a higher return on your dollar and the satisfaction of a personal relationship with the customer, but wearing the ‘marketing hat’ has the disadvantage of consuming lots of time and energy.
In recent years, a variety of new wholesale markets such as food hubs, online marketplaces, restaurants, and grocery stores have begun recruiting regional products from small to mid-sized farms. Could these emerging wholesale markets be right for you?
You can find out at the upcoming Small Farms Summit on March 12th, 2014 from 9:30am – 3:30pm. The program, Beyond Direct Marketing: Exploring New Ways to Sell, features small farmers’ perspectives on the pros and cons of selling wholesale. Farmers that have made a successful switch to a new wholesale market will reflect on their decision making process, benefits and challenges, costs, and infrastructure needed. Farmer speakers will also address how well the new market meets their goals, values or other lifestyle preferences.
After sharing lunch, you’ll have the opportunity to join fellow farmers from your region to swap ideas about specific wholesale marketing opportunities in your area. This interactive ‘wholesale market mapping’ activity will result in generating regional needs for projects that the Cornell Small Farms Program may fund over the next few years.
To register for the Small Farms Summit, Beyond Direct Marketing: Exploring New Ways to Sell, locate your nearest host location from the list below and then register online. If you prefer, you may also register via phone. The meeting is free to attend and lunch will be provided. General questions about the Summit should be directed to smallfarmsprogram@cornell.edu


Small Farms Summit Regional Host Sites

New! Fingerlakes Region: Wayne County, Cornell Cooperative Extension office
Address: 1581 Rte 88N, Newark, NY 14513
Contact: Elizabeth Claypoole at wayne@cornell.edu or 315-331-8415
Central NY: Mann Library, Agriculture Quad, Cornell University Campus
Address: Tower Road, Ithaca, NY 14853
Contact: Violet Stone at vws7@cornell.edu or 607-255-9227
Eastern NY: Albany County, Cornell Cooperative Extension office
Address: 24 Martin Road, Voorheesville, NY 12186
Contact: Gale Kohler at gek4@cornell.edu or 518-765-3500
Hudson Valley: Ulster County, Cornell Cooperative Extension office
Address: 232 Plaza Road, Kingston NY 12401
Contact: Carrie Anne Doyle at cad266@cornell.edu or 845-340-3990
Northern NY: St. Lawrence County, Cornell Cooperative Extension office
Address: Extension Learning Farm Classroom at 2043 SH 68, Canton, NY 13617
Contact: Brent Buchanan at bab22@cornell.edu or 315-379-9192 Ext 231
Western NY: Cattaraugus County, Cornell Cooperative Extension Office
Address: 28 Parkside Drive, Ellicottville, NY 14731
Contact: Lynn Bliven at lao3@cornell.edu or 585-268-7644
Long Island: Suffolk County, Cornell Cooperative Extension Office
Address: 423 Griffing Ave, Riverhead, NY 11901
Contact: Sandy Menasha at srm45@cornell.edu or 631-727-7850

Register Online

Violet Stone

Violet's work focuses on creating retreats, workshops and programs for the agricultural community centered on themes of connection, wellness, purpose, integrity and courage. She sees this work as contributing to a more inclusive ‘culture’ of agriculture where all voices are warmly welcomed, honored and celebrated, including the voices of our ‘inner teachers’, sometimes referred to as 'spirit' or 'soul'. Violet serves as the NY SARE Coordinator and can help farmers and educators navigate NESARE grant opportunities.
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