Market Producers

Like many consumers, New York State's consumers are becoming more aware of the importance of supporting local agriculture. According to the 2007 Empire State Poll, conducted by the Cornell University Survey Research Institute, 78.5% of state residents age 18 and older buy local foods and 37.4% said they go out of their way to buy local foods. Tapping into this market can benfit farmers directly. A local food market economy also creates local jobs through production, processing, and retailing, provides a choice for consumers in the marketplace, increases access to healthier and more diverse foods, maintains a working landscape, and reduces the vulnerability of a highly centralized food supply.

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Clinton County is in the process of helping regional market producers. We would like to draw on the resources and experiences from across the region to create a coordinated approach to education and marketing strategies. Doing so can help prevent duplication of services, competing infrastructures, or gaps in organizaitonal support. If you are a market producer, please feel free to Anne Lenox Barlow to find out what we are doing or to share your ideas.

Local Late Blight Outbreak

Tomato transplants infected with late blight were shipped to "big box stores" throughout the east recently. The infected plants were found at two stores in Plattsburgh. To find out more about late blight, please read this article. If you suspect that you have late blight, please bring in a sample. When you take your sample, please bring in any stem samples with lessions. It is important that we try to limit this outbreak.

3 Summer Field Meetings Scheduled

John Mishanec, the regional Integrated Pest Management Vegetable Specialist will be making three visits to Clinton County this summer to host field meetings. The first meeting will be on managing sweet corn pests. The sweet corn meeting will take place on June 30 at Lamoy's Produce at 6:00pm. The second meeting will be a general vegetable session at Shield's Produce at 6:00pm on July 15. On September 10 there will be a 6:00pm field meeting at Rulf's Produce to disucss pumpkins. Anyone needing more information regardning these meetings or wishing to attend these field meetings should contact Anne Lenox Barlow. DEC pesticide recertification credits will be available for those attending these meetings.

NY Farms! News to Share

Every month NY Farms! publishes News to Share to provide information about food and farming to a wide range of interested individuals, organizations and businesses. It is a compilation from a variety of sources. Articles do not necessarily represent official positions of NY Farms! nor Cornell Cooperative Extension. For more about NY Farms! Visit www.nyfarms.info. We would appreciate receiving your information and announcements for News to Share, at nyfarms@nyfarms.info. To read the most recent NY Farms! News to Share click here.

Marketing For Tough Times

There's no doubt that people are watching the money these days. While this creates a different market for farmers and producers, it doesn't mean our farms, greenhouses, and local producers will have to close shop. For more information on how to make it through economic tough times, read this article!

Agricultural Plastic Recycling Comes to Clinton County!

The Clinton County Soil and Water District recently purchased an agricultural plastics baler with grant money they received. This piece of machinery bales agricultural plastics for recycling. Here in Clinton County, the bales of plastic are stored at the Morrisonville transfer station until there is enough plastic for a tractor trailer load. The plastic is then transported to a factory in Michigan and turned into plastic lumber. There are many different types of plastic that can be recycled - silage plastic, greenhouse plastic, nursery pots, drip tape, maple syrup tubing, and plastic mulch. We are encouraging all producers to start saving their plastic. Each bale can only contain one type of plastic. If you have enough plastic to make one 1,500 pound bale, the baler can be dropped off at your farm. If you don't have enough, but still would like to recycle your plastic, we will be having collection days during the spring and summer of 2009. For more information on how ag plastic recycling works, visit the Cornell University Recycling Ag Plastics Project, call our office at 561.7450, or call the Clinton County Soil and Water Conservation District at 561.4616 ext 3.

Looking for a New Marketing Tool?
Check Out New York Market Maker

If you are looking for a way to help market your product, I encourage you to check out New York Market Maker. This website helps manufactures, restaurants, and consumers find local products through an inter-active search engine. The tool is easy to use and free. I encourage everyone to sign up today since you can never promote your farm too much!