Are You a Farmer Seeking New Markets? Join us in Cooperstown, NY

Are You a Farmer Seeking New Markets? Start Selling to Food Hubs, Groceries, Restaurants and Cooperatives

logopictures_verticalAre you looking to diversify sales beyond the farmers market, CSA and farm stand?    Food hubs, grocery stores, restaurants and cooperatives are looking for your products to meet growing consumer demand for local and sustainably-grown food.  Yet, doing successful business with wholesale buyers requires planning and preparation.  Ensure your success by joining us for ‘Baskets to Pallets’, a comprehensive two day introduction to selling wholesale.  The course will take place on Tuesday, January 24th and Tuesday, January 31st from 10:00am – 4:00pm at Templeton Hall in historic Cooperstown, NY.  The ‘Baskets to Pallets’ course is designed for farmers of all enterprises and will cover building relationships with buyers, customer management and record keeping, pricing, grading and packaging, uniformity and consistency, and food safety, among many other topics!  This fun course includes plenty of hands-on activities and opportunities for peer learning and small group discussion.  The course includes one break-out session for livestock and produce farmers.
The cost of the ‘Baskets to Pallets’ course is $35.00 which enables 2 people per farm to attend. The fee also includes breakfast refreshments and a delicious locally sourced lunch each day.  Lodging has been reserved at the Inn at Cooperstown (one block from Templeton Hall) at a discounted rate of $105.00 plus tax per room.  To take advantage of this special rate, reserve your room by December 23rd.

To register, click here.

Farmers that complete the two day course will be invited to meet wholesale buyers at a Farmer-Buyer Mixer at Brown’s Brewery in Troy, NY on March 6th from 3:00pm – 6:00pm.  The Mixer will provide a structured space for farmers to begin making new business connections and sales opportunities.  The Mixer is free and complementary appetizers will be provided.
Space is limited to 40 participants and early registration is encouraged.   The ‘Baskets to Pallets’ course is co-hosted by the Cornell Small Farms Program, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Delaware County, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schoharie and Otsego Counties and the Center for Agricultural Development and Entrepreneurship (CADE), and funded via Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE).

Baskets to Pallets Course Agenda: DAY 1: Tuesday January 24th, 2017

Time Topic Instructor
10:00AM-10:15AM Consumer Trends & the Demand for Local Violet Stone, Cornell Small Farms Program
10:15AM-10:45AM Overview: What is Wholesale Marketing? David Ross, Farmers Web
10:45AM –11:45AM Inform Your Buyers, Build Your Brand  David Ross, Farmers Web
11:45AM – 12:45PM Lunch, locally sourced, included  Networking
12:45-2:15PM Building Relationships With Buyers Violet Stone, Cornell Small Farms Program
David Cox, Cornell Cooperative Extension
Sonia Janiszewski, CADE
2:15PM-2:30PM Break
2:30PM-3:00PM Customer Management & Record Keeping David Ross, Farmers Web
3:00PM-4:00PM Basic Financials Mariane Kiraly, Cornell Cooperative Extension

Baskets to Pallets Course Agenda: DAY 2: Tuesday January 31st, 2017

Time Topic Instuctor
10:00AM-11:30AM Uniformity, Consistency And Scheduling
BREAK-OUT for produce and livestock
 Crystal Stewart & Rich Taber, Cornell Cooperative Extension
11:30AM-NOON Labeling, Grading And Packaging  Crystal Stewart, Cornell Cooperative Extension
NOON–1:00PM Lunch, locally sourced, included  Networking
1:00PM-2:00PM Labeling, Grading And Packaging, Cont  Crystal Stewart, Cornell Cooperative Extension
2:00PM-2:30PM Production Records  Crystal Stewart, Cornell Cooperative Extension
2:30PM-2:45PM Break
2:45PM-3:45PM Meeting Your Market’s Produce Safety Requirements  Erik Kocho-Schellenberg (Unconfirmed)
 3:45PM-4:00PM Evaluation and Closing Violet Stone, Cornell Small Farms Program

For more information, please contact:

  • Violet Stone, Cornell Small Farms Program, vws7@cornell.edu or (607) 255-9227
  • David Cox, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schoharie and Otsego Counties, dgc23@cornell.edu or (518) 234-4303, ext. 119
  • Mariane Kiraly, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Delaware County, mk129@cornell.edu or (607) 865-6531
  • Sonia Janiszewski, The Center for Agricultural Development & Entrepreneurship (CADE), sonia@cadefarms.org or (607) 433-2545

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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