Monday, July 9 and Tuesday, July 10, 2012 Space is limited, Sign up Today!
A two-day farm market bus tour during the growing season… We may be crazy, but we guarantee it’ll be worth the trip!
Explore some of the best examples of farm markets in the region on this two day tour through western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio. We will learn about direct marketing as we sight see—with plenty of discussions, food and fun for all.
We will tour eight premier farms and businesses with a focus on the marketing strategies that have helped make these businesses successful.
We will begin the tour at Giant Eagle’s flagship Market District in Robinson, PA and make our way north looking at some great examples of family owned and operated farm markets, ending the day with a relaxing wine tour and tasting at Wilhelm Winery. On day two we will head west to Covered Bridge Gardens in Jefferson, OH and fill the day with focuses on local meats, produce operations, CSA’s and agritourism.
We have something for everyone — seasonal, year round, produce, food, tourism, value-added, entertainment and educational farm direct-to-consumer
Who Should Attend: Anyone interested in what makes a great farm visitor experience. Farm or farm market owner, manager, personnel or general food enthusiast interested in seeing and learning from a variety of retail farm markets and agritourism entrepreneurs.
What You Will See: We will tour each operation and focus on what has made it a success. The emphasis is on seeing what other farm markets and businesses are doing. This is a great opportunity for peer networking, sharing and learning!
For more information, check out the Are you Crazy Bus Tour 2012 Brochure or call the Penn State Extension office : 412-473-2540
Registration can be done through mail, email, or over the phone
Early Bird Pricing Ends June 11 so act fast!
Price includes overnight hotel in Meadville, PA, snacks, breakfast on day 2, 2 lunches, 2 dinners, and deluxe motor coach transport.
Posted 1 day, 8 hours ago at 3:24 pm. Add a comment
Helping new farmers price their products is often difficult, part art and part science. Setting prices for the organic produce, sold in a local market, is much different than conventional wholesale prices. The new AMS price report is a welcome service.
Data miners at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Market News office are developing a weekly report to help consumers compare the costs of conventional vs. organic produce.
Information for the report will be gleaned from the Agricultural Marketing Service’s Market News reports, according to Audrina Lange, assistant to the director of Fruit and Vegetable Market News. She mentioned the new report during a Web seminar March 28 when she was discussing how the agency uses data from grocery advertisements.
The AMS Market News reports track weekly advertised prices of fruits and vegetables at retailers, in addition to other market data. Although the reports are available to the public, they are mainly used by businesses involved with the fresh produce industry.
Lange said during the Web seminar that the opportunity to provide pertinent information to consumers about retail prices of fresh produce could lead to increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, which both the USDA and the White House have been heavily promoting in recent years.
Although no launch date has been set yet for the new report, Lange said it would like not be regularly available to the public until the agency can run a pilot project on it, which could take six months to a year.
Posted 4 weeks ago at 11:26 am. Add a comment
Three Sisters Farm has some exciting workshops lined up for the spring:
Grafting
Saturday, April 14 11 am – 2 pm $50
Want to learn how to graft selected varieties of fruit onto rootstock? Join us for this day-long hands-on workshop to explore the types and uses of cuts, timing, tools, and maintenance. Try your hand at grafting (with a practice round first!). See how it is done in the field. Lunch is included, and there is an option to take home a small fruit tree.
Mushrooms in Permaculture Systems, with Steve Gabriel of Work with Nature, LLC
Saturday, May 12 10 am – 4 pm $75, includes an inoculated mushroom log
Mushroom cultivation and wild foraging have become increasingly popular in recent years as growing interest in the organism has led to a range of discoveries that mushrooms provide a range of benefits to both ecosystems and human health.
This class focuses on a discussion of the role mushrooms play in permaculture systems and how functional interconnection of mushrooms can support healthy gardens, farms, and forests.
The class is provided with support from: Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute and the Northeast Mushroom Growers Network
They also have a few spots left for their summer internship program!
For more information about Three Sisters’ courses, workshops, or internships, visit our website at http://bioshelter.com, or contact us at ThreeSisters@Bioshelter.com or (724) 376-2797.
Posted 1 month, 2 weeks ago at 11:38 am. Add a comment
Exploring the Small Farm Dream
Exploring the Small Farm Dream: Is Starting and Agricultural Business Right for You?
Whether your vision includes making goat cheese, selling cut flowers, or growing rare tomato varieties, this course will give you the tools to start making that dream come true. Participants will discuss current opportunities in small-scale agriculture, explore objectives, assess personal and financial resources, conduct preliminary market research, and develop an action plan for pursuing their interests in food and farming. All levels of experience are welcome. If you are thinking about starting a farm, this course is designed for you.
The class is $100 or $150 per couple / business unit
Class dates are: May 7,14,21 and June 4 from 6-8pm
More info: http://www.smallfarm.org/main/for_new_farmers/exploring_the_small_farm_dream/
July 9-10, 2012 – Local Agriculture Summer Farm Tour
Join PSU and OSU extensions for a two day bus tour through western PA and eastern OH to visit businesses who exemplify success at marketing farm products. We will visit farms and business which are outstanding examples of direct marketing of agricultural products. Between stops, we will learn fun fact about local agriculture and include a scavenger hunt along the way. Stops will include Soergel’s Orchards, Volant, a winery, White House Fruit Market, Covered Bridge Gardens, Molnar Farms, and a few more. Price includes overnight hotel in Meadville, PA, snacks, breakfast on day 2, 2 lunches, 2 dinners, and deluxe motor coach transport. Full details and price will be confirmed in late March.
Call 412-473-2540 to reserve your spot!
Posted 1 month, 3 weeks ago at 1:57 pm. Add a comment
| ReFuel Pittsburgh Fish Fry Supper Club |
| ReFuel Pgh is teaming up with The Pittsburgh Lenten Fish Fry Society to support some of the Churches who will be donating oil to ReFuel Pgh for recycling this Lent. Join us every Friday at a new location!
Here is the schedule of remaining Fish Fry Suppers this season:
3/9 @ 6:00pm – Immaculate Conception, Bloomfield (311 Washington Road, 15216) – w/ ReFuel Pgh
or @ 6:30pm – St. Bernard, Mt. Lebanon (311 Washington Road, 15216) w/ Pgh Fish Fry Society
3/16 @ 6:30 – St. Rosalia, Greenfield (411 Greenfield Ave, 15207) w/ ReFuel Pgh & Pgh Fish Fry Society
3/23 @ 6:30 – St. Mary on the Mount, Mt. Washington (115 Bigham St, 15211) w/ ReFuel Pgh & Pgh Fish Fry Society
3/30 @ 6:00 – Madonnna del Castello, Swissvale (2021 S. Braddock Ave, 15218) w/ Pgh Fish Fry Society
4/6 @ 6:00 – St. Matthew, Lawrenceville (5322 Carnegie St, 15201) w/ ReFuel Pgh & Pgh Fish Fry Society
For more information, check out the Facebook page. Also, check out the feature about ReFuel Pgh and Lent oil Recycling on The Allegheny Front. |
Posted 2 months ago at 1:14 pm. Add a comment
Food enthusiasts don’t miss out on the third annual Local Food Showcase. Join us in 11 days to celebrate local food and the arrival of spring.
The event is open to the public, with no pre-registration necessary, just come out and have a good time! It brings together Western Pennsylvania farmers, value added producers, food industry purchasers, and consumers.
This is a great opportunity to find local sources of fresh and processed foods for retail, restaurant, CSA (community supported agriculture), wholesale, farm markets, and home use. This event begins with morning workshops, and then features a trade show format to foster networking in the afternoon. Local food producers will be displaying their products and seasonal availability to potential customers. In addition, there will be chef demonstrations, tastings, cook offs and educational information on local farms, composting and gardening. Many area organizations will be on hand contributing to this event.
The goal of the “Local Food Showcase: a Grower / Buyer Event” is to foster economic development through business relationships between farmers and chefs, retailers, wholesalers, institutions, for the upcoming 2012 growing season and beyond. It is part of a larger effort to strengthen the local food infrastructure in Western Pennsylvania.
The Local Food Showcase will be held on March 20, 2012 at Shady Side Academy – Senior School in Fox Chapel, PA. Workshops last from 9:30-11:30 and the Showcase Expo is from 1-4. Admission is $50 for the entire day and $10 for just the afternoon expo. Check out Penn State Extension’s website for more information.
Here are our confirmed vendors at this point:
| Adrienne’s Sassy Gourmet Sauce |
| Backyard Gardens LLC |
| Clarion River Organic’s |
| Dillner Family Farm |
| East End Food Coop |
| Edible Flowers |
| EJ Weiss Co. |
| Enrico Biscotti |
| Farm to Table Pittsburgh |
| Fox Chapel Garden Club |
| Frankferd Farms Food Inc. |
| Friendships Farms Inc. |
| Glade Run Adventures |
| Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank |
| Harvest Valley Farms |
| Hidden Hills Dairy, LLC |
| Jamison’s Farm |
| Latimore Valley Farms Inc. |
| Laurel Vista Farms |
| Logan Family Farms |
| McElhaney Family Farm |
| Metz Culinary Management |
| Microgreens |
| PASA |
| Penn’s Corner Farm Alliance |
| Pittsburgh Public Market |
| Plum Run Winery Inc. |
| PSU Master Food Preserver |
| Pucker Brush Farm |
| Shramm Farms & Orchards |
| Sito’s Salad Dressing |
| The Farmers Wife |
| The Purple Spoon |
| Ujamaa Collective |
| VanGrouw Family Farm |
| Vegan Goddess |
| West Heritage Farm, LLC. |
| Wigle Whiskey |
Posted 2 months, 1 week ago at 1:45 pm. Add a comment
Another reason to eat local: JOBS.
A 2011 USDA study finds that produce growers selling into local and regional markets generate thirteen full time operator jobs per $1 million in revenue earned, for a total of 61,000 jobs in 2008. Additional farm labor is not included in this figure. In contrast, farms that do not sell into these markets generate only three full time operator jobs per $1 million in revenue.
USDA, The What and Why of Local and Regional Foods
Last week the USDA launched a new web resource which is part of the ‘Know your Farmer, Know your Food Program’. This resource, called ‘Compass’ is a way for the USDA to report facts to the public about its local and regional food system development programs, as well as share general information about growth in those areas. The Compass site presents information in a user-friendly, innovative way; it is one part digital guide and one part interactive map. The guide is broken down into sections including:
- The What and Why of Local Foods
- What is Know Your Famer
- Local Food Infrastructure
- Stewardship and Local Food
- Local Meat and Poultry
- Farm to Institution
- Healthy Food Access
- Careers in Agriculture
- Local Food Knowledge
- Local Food: Not Just USDA
Each section is supported with pictures, graphs, fast facts and case studies.
The map allows you to see what kind of local food projects the USDA is supporting in your area. For example, around Pittsburgh, the Main Street Farmers Market in Washington, PA received a grant to establish an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Program. The program will allow for the use of food stamp EBT cards at their market. Also nearby, Willow Brook Farms in McDonald, PA received grant funds to expand marketing efforts for their local beef production.
The new Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass site is definitely worth checking out. The site establishes that investing in local and regional food systems does create jobs and is an important step to validate this work as an economic driver. This science-based data will help to overcome the stereotypes that local food is only benefiting small organic farms and foodies. The KYF Compass helps to do this by using USDA research and case studies to show that local/regional food systems involve small, medium and large scale farms selling a variety of products to many different players including local distributors, grocers, restaurants, and directly to consumers.
According to an article last week in NPR’s Food Blog, the KYF Compass site is also a tool to address concerns within the Federal Government that the KYF initiative is focused on “hobbyist producers” rather than “conventional farmers”. In April 2010, seven months after KYF began, three Senators wrote a letter to the USDA expressing these concerns. The funding restrictions for the KYF initiative were also a point of debate last year as the House passed the 2012 Agriculture appropriations bill. ‘Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food’ is not a USDA program and has no full time staff but is rather an “initiative seeking to leverage existing USDA resources, promote greater collaboration between the Department’s 17 agencies and multiple staff offices, and identify ways to improve the administration and implementation of programs.”
Posted 2 months, 1 week ago at 3:08 pm. Add a comment
February is the doldrums, no matter how you look at it. So why not daydream about spring, which is now only weeks away, instead of months.
Securing your share of the bounty for the upcoming harvest season can be done in any number of ways, but subscribing to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is one of the most fun. In exchange for a pre season financial commitment, home consumers are guaranteed a share of the harvest. The bounty is typically shared through a weekly box of whatever is in season. Spring usually brings greens, herbs, onions and summer boxes are filled with tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and fruit. Fall gives way to squash, spinach and more tomatoes.
Often, CSA’s engender a spirit of community, as the name implies, by sharing recipes, a newsletter or blog, and photos of dishes that members create from the produce. Boxes of food are usually dropped off at convenient locations.
If this sounds interesting to you, check out the Western PA CSA Directory, put together by the Buy Fresh Buy Local team.
Posted 2 months, 3 weeks ago at 10:37 am. Add a comment
Position available: Assistant Field Manager at The Seed Farm, a Lehigh County Agricultural Business Incubator and New Farmer Training Program in Emmaus Pennsylvania.
The Seed Farm offers a three-year new farmer training program and agricultural business incubator. New farmers have access to the training, land and equipment to start their own farms on County-owned land.
The Assistant Field Manager’s responsibilities will include general field work, including significant tractor work; management of weed management and tillage on farm demonstrations; harvest; pack and marketing as needed.
This position requires two or more years of production experience. Tractor experience required. Please direct inquiries to Sara Runkel, The Seed Farm Executive Director at sara_runkel@theseedfarm.org
Posted 2 months, 3 weeks ago at 9:32 am. Add a comment
National Good Food Network Webinar
The Price Point Conundrum:
How the Sustainable Farmer Can Afford Her Own Tomato
Thursday, February 16
3:30 – 5:00pm ET
(note extended time)
The dream of the food movement is a system where all eaters, wealthy or not, have access to affordable, healthy, sustainable food, while producers earn a fair price for their product.
Can that dream become reality? A few pennies more to the producer could significantly increase a tomato’s price once it has traveled through the supply chain. Coupled with a host of other price pressures, it might appear that there is no solution outside of government or philanthropic aid.
As you’ll learn in this webinar, this is simply not the case. We will present building blocks for real solutions, looking at the constraints in a new and different way. Our webinar presenters represent links in a functioning food value chain that discovered some answers to the price point conundrum.
Posted 3 months, 1 week ago at 2:13 pm. Add a comment
