SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Small family farms are highly dependent on direct marketing to sell the majority of their farm products. But are they reaching their full potential?
Direct marketing information will be presented during the Farmers Market Federation sessions at the Empire State Producers Expo on Wednesday, January 18 and Thursday, January 19. Farmers will learn how to increase their customer base, develop their marketing skills and build greater sales with their direct marketing outlets. The sessions will look at building a marketing plan for your farm, effective use of social media to build a loyal customer base, understanding farmers market currencies, understanding the science behind pricing for retail success, and understanding and catering to the various ethnic cultures in your markets.
This Expo session was organized by Diane Eggert, Farmers Market Federation of NY.
Farmers Market Federation
Wednesday, January 18, 2017 and Thursday, January 19, 2017
9:00 am – 4:30 pm
The 2017 Empire State Producers Expo is January 17-19 at the OnCenter Convention Center in Syracuse, NY. This annual show combines the major fruit, flower, vegetable, and direct marketing associations of New York State in order to provide a comprehensive trade show and educational conference for New York and neighboring producers. Attendees can expect presentations by Cornell Cooperative Extension personnel and highly regarded speakers from across the country. Panel discussions feature some of the top industry experts and growers in New York. Between educational sessions, attendees can visit the trade show featuring over 150 commercial vendors and non-profit exhibitors.
Educational sessions offered at the 2017 Empire State Producers Expo include commodity specific programs in berries, cabbage, processing vegetables, hops, grains, cut flowers, tree fruit, sweet corn, tomato, onion, potato, Cole crops, root crops and specialty crops; and focused programs in water management and irrigation, weed management, wildlife management, soil health, post-harvest handling, biopesticides, beginning farmer, marketing using social media and apps, transplant and greenhouse production, climate and forecast models, GAPS, labor, and hard cider production. DEC pesticide recertification credits and Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) credits will be offered during the appropriate educational sessions.
For more information about the Expo and to register, visit the NYS Vegetable Growers Association website at nysvga.org/expo.
—Cornell Cooperative Extension
For more articles out of New York, click here.