Articles : Farmers Attend First Meeting on NYFarms Express

Farmers Attend First Meeting on NYFarms Express

By Paula J. Schafer
March 2004

Over 30 farms from Saratoga, Washington, and Rensselaer Counties attended the first meeting held to discuss the NYS Ag and Markets funded grant, NYFarms Express. The information meeting began to discuss and explain the idea behind the NYFarms Express project and generate issues that should be worked on to make the project a success. Also in attendance at the meeting were New York City chefs Mary Cleaver (at right) and Robert Oliver from the Cleaver Company; Jody Hunter from the Stone House Farm; Nicole Wester from Savoy Restaurant; and Nina Planck from Local Foods.

The objective of NYFarms Express is to create a direct marketing and distribution link between farmers of the three counties and New York City chefs. NY Farms Express has two components: 1) a Marketing Liaison who will facilitate transactions between farmers and chefs and 2) the refrigerated trucking services of an Upstate carrier that will deliver fresh products to City restaurants from the farmers.

At the meeting, the chefs spoke to farmers about the need of delivery, product consistency, pricing efficiency and packaging; how they currently purchase from small farms and make a commitment to purchase from the farms. The chefs suggested farmers should be able to work directly with the chefs and talk about the product prior to the season and that farm-to-chef conversation is vital to a workable relationship.

Some suggestions of what products are currently needed by restaurants in New York City include poultry, eggs, dairy products, meat, fruit, and vegetable products.

Many farmers voiced their thoughts and concerns on issues such as quality control of the products, pricing, farm identity, cooling capacity at the drop off point, loading the deliver truck, and payment by restaurants. All of these issues were brought to the surface and will be address as the project moves forward.

The funding for NYFarms Express presents the opportunity to establish a beneficial project for our area farmers. To sustain the NYFarms Express beyond the first year, it is desired to have farmers supported and grow NYFarms Express into their own entity for the future. A farmer participation membership fee will be developed as well as pricing cost s for sending product on the delivery truck.

The next step for NYFarms Express is to hire the part time Marketing liaison and develop the guidelines for the project so it may begin this spring. If you are a farmer from Saratoga, Washington or Rensselaer County and would like to participate, visit www.aedpws.org and click on NYFarms Express to download a Farmer Information Sheet and return it to the address listed. For other questions or ideas for the project, please contact me at 885-8995 or 746-2560 or by email at pjb11@cornell.edu.

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