Baskets to Pallets: Preparing Small and Mid-Size Farmers to Enter Food Hubs, Cooperatives, Restaurants and Groceries
2 Day Training
Tug Hill Vineyards, Lowville, NY
January 29 & January 30, 10:00am – 4:00pm
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. Additionally, the training includes an end-of-day session to start crop-planning for selling to the NNY Food Hub, based out of Jefferson county CCE, during the 2018 growing season.
The training cost is $35.00, which enables 2 people per farm to attend and includes breakfast refreshments and a delicious locally sourced lunch each day. Space is limited to 40 participants and early registration is encouraged. Lodging is available at Ridge View Lodge at a discounted rate of $80-90 per night. Reserve by January 15th!
The ‘Baskets to Pallets’ course is co-hosted by the Cornell Small Farms Program, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Lewis County and funded via Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE).
REGISTRATION OPEN: CLICK HERE
Training Agenda
DAY 1: Monday, January 29th
9:00am – 10:00am | Arrival. Enjoy breakfast refreshments | |
10:00am – 10:15am | Overview of the Training | Introductions | Violet Stone, Cathy Moore and Melissa Spence |
10:15am – 10:30am | Consumer Trends and the Demand for Local | Violet Stone |
10:30am – 11:00am | Choosing and Evaluating Market Channels | Lindsey Pashow |
11:00am – 11:30am | Building Relationships with Buyers | Violet Stone |
11:30am – 12:00pm | Perfecting the Pitch and Cold Calling | Violet Stone |
Noon – 1:00pm | Lunch & Socializing | |
1:00pm – 1:30pm | Inform Your Buyers, Build Your Brand | Lindsey Pashow |
1:30pm – 2:30pm | Voice of Experience: Dan Kent, Kent Family Growers | Dan Kent via webinar |
2:30pm – 2:50pm | Snack & Networking Break | |
2:50pm – 3:30pm | The Ingredients of Good Marketing | Sell Sheets | Download Samples | Violet Stone |
3:30pm – 4:00pm | Learn about the new Northern NY Food Hub | Cathy Moore |
DAY 2: Tuesday, January 30th
9:00am – 10:00am | Arrival. Enjoy breakfast refreshments | |
10:00am – 10:15am | Reflecting on Day 1 and Overview of Day 2 | Violet Stone |
10: 15am – 10:45am | Grading | Liz Higgins |
10:45am – Noon | Uniformity, Consistency and Scheduling BREAK OUT SESSION for Produce and Livestock |
Crystal Stewart and Betsy Hodge |
Noon – 1:00pm | Lunch & Socializing | |
1:00pm – 2:00pm | Buyer Panel Q&A | Guest Buyers |
2:00pm – 2:30pm | Labeling | Liz Higgins |
2:30pm – 2:50pm | Snack & Networking Break | |
2:50pm – 3:15pm | Packaging | Liz Higgins |
3:15pm – 3:45pm | Keeping Production Records & Food Safety Basics | Crystal Stewart |
3:45pm – 4:00pm | Evaluation & Closing | Violet Stone |
Training Instructors
Are you an agricultural educator or service provider in the Northeast interested in supporting farmers seeking to enter food hubs, groceries, restaurants or cooperatives? The Baskets to Pallets Teaching Manual contains a series of presentations, discussions, activities, videos and other teaching resources that an agricultural service provider can adapt and tailor to local farmer audiences. The Manual incorporates two Case Study Farms, based on an actual produce and livestock farm currently operating in NY. Over the course of the Training, various Units examine the two farms from different angles, enabling trainees to understand real-life management, production, and promotion strategies through the lens of ‘wholesale’ marketing.
The 16 Lesson Plans may be taught in sequence over the course of a two-day training, or excerpted for a series of shorter workshops. Please note, the Teaching Manual is available by request only. To gain access, please fill out the User Request Form.
2018 Farmer Trainings
We’re pleased to announce our 2018 farmer training calendar.
Wholesale Market Watch – Join the Listserve
This list-serve provides information and resources to connect small and mid-sized farmers to larger markets such as food hubs, grocery stores, restaurants, online marketplaces and cooperatives. Farmers, educators and prospective buyers are all welcome: Sign up here
Small Farms, New Markets: Webinar Series Illuminates how Farmers and Buyers Connect
Are you looking to get your farm products into bigger markets? Local food is in high demand, but with so many possible avenues — grocery stores, food hubs, restaurants, cooperatives — to name a few, it’s not always easy to know which new market will be the best match for your farm business. Watch the recorded presentations of 4 farmers who successfully transitioned from direct-marketing to selling some product into larger venues. Many of the presentations also feature a buyer or two who offer perspectives on what the buyer needs to make a wholesale relationship successful.… Read More
Wholesale Markets…in the News Recently….
March 10th, 2017. Basket to Pallets offers producers wholesale options and training from Countryfolks
November 28th, 2016. Are You a Farmer Seeking New Markets? Start Selling to Food Hubs, Groceries, Restaurants and Cooperatives
December 21st, 2016 Results of Local Food Marketing Survey from Morning Ag Clips
June 30th, 2016 Are Farmers Markets Losing their Appeal? from Growing Produce
March 7th, 2016 Educators: Register now for ‘Baskets to Pallets’ Statewide Training
September 30th, 2015. Survey shows farmers, consumers want food hub in North Country from North Country Now
August 10th, 2015 New York Food Hub Survey Results from the Northern NY Ag Development Program
May 8th, 2015 What Farm Cooperatives Can Do for the Food System – and Farmers from Grist
May 6th, 2015 Using Food Hubs to Create Sustainable Farm to School Programs from the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets
April 24th, 2015 Business matchmakers pull local food sector together from the Wallace Center
April 22nd, 2015 RI Farm to Institution Survey Report Released
March 30th, 2015 Small Farms, New Markets: Webinar Series Features Farmers and their Wholesale Buyers from the Cornell Small Farms Program
March 10th, 2015 Can small farms sell to big institutions? from North Country Public Radio
About the Project
Over the past 8 years, farmers markets have grown by 38% in the state of New York, giving NY the second highest number of markets in the country. While this growth has provided an abundance of easy-to-access markets for small and beginning farmers, established farmers have started reporting slower sales and customer loss due to increased competition. These farmers complain of ‘burn-out’ from investing significant time and energy in direct-marketing strategies that are yielding diminishing returns. Meanwhile, distributers such as food hubs, grocery stores and restaurants are now recruiting product from small to mid-sized farms to meet growing consumer demand for local and sustainably-grown food. Although technically ‘wholesale’ venues, these businesses are often eager to establish attentive relationships with their suppliers, offer attractive prices and terms, and maintain a product’s branding and integrity.
New York’s small farmers expressed strong interest in exploring these ‘new models’ of wholesale in a highly detailed marketing trends survey conducted by the Cornell Small Farms Program in February, 2014. Nearly half (39% )of the 445 NY survey takers reported currently selling at farmers markets, farm stands or CSA’s, but 25% indicated plans to explore either a food hub or a restaurant over the next 2 years. An additional 7% indicated interest in a grocery store or cooperative. However, respondents identified many questions and perceived risk factors in making a transition to wholesale that need to be addressed. The following farmer quote represents a typical question: “I need to increase my sales to people interested in high quality locally grown products, but cannot afford the time to sit at a farmer’s market. Where are the food hubs, and how do I go about providing products?”
To address this gap in Wholesale Market Training, the Cornell Small Farms Program and Northeast SARE have developed the Baskets to Pallets project. To receive opportunities and information, sign up for the Wholesale Market Watch listserve above.
About Northeast SARE
The NY SARE State program on Wholesale Market Training for small – mid-sized farmers is funded through Northeast SARE. SARE offers competitive grants to projects that explore and address key issues affecting the sustainability and future economic viability of agriculture. The NY SARE coordinators are available to offer information and presentations on SARE funding opportunities. Learn more about Northeast SARE by visiting www.nesare.org
NY SARE State Coordinator
The NY SARE State Program is led by Violet Stone (vws7@cornell.edu). Learn more about Violet on the Cornell Small Farms Program staff page.