Producers, processors and purchasers of local food are invited to the Farm to Market Connection March 21st from 9 am to 5 pm at the CVI Building at One Cablevision Center in Liberty, NY. Organized by the Pure Catskills Buy Local Campaign, the event will serve as both an educational and networking opportunity for key players in local food across our region. The day will include panel discussions featuring farmers and business people from across New York State, workshops related to direct-sales marketing of farm products, a lunch of local food and an afternoon tradeshow for farmers and buyers.
Building upon the success of the 2010 Farm to Market Connection, with over 150 in attendance, each of the day’s workshops will feature local farmers, regional buyers and agricultural advocates. Planned workshops will address increasing sales success at farmers’ markets, production of local grain and flour, connecting with community groups through buying clubs, whole carcass marketing of local meat and recent policy developments related to regional food infrastructure.
Full conference details are available at purecatskills.com or register online. The fee to register is $25 before March 22nd. Early registration is strongly encouraged as the event regularly sells out. For more information or to register, visit purecatskills.com or contact Challey Comer at ccomer@nycwatershed.org or (607) 865-7090.
Additional support for this event has been provided by the Norcross Foundation, the Gerry Foundation and the New York City Environmental Protection. Pure Catskills is an economic initiative of the Watershed Agricultural Council. The purpose of WAC is to protect both the rural, land-based economy of the watershed region and the drinking water quality of over nine million people. Working with farmers, agribusinesses, forest landowners, forest industry professionals and others, WAC seeks to enhance both business profitability and environmental stewardship. It also champions the use of conservation easements as an option to keep land within a working landscape context. The Council works through partnerships with other nonprofits organizations, government agencies and community stakeholders to achieve its purpose.
