PACIFIC GROVE, Calif. — A one-day intensive workshop on Jan. 25 will provide small-scale farmers guidelines for increasing profits by applying value-added food production strategies. Value-added involves processing raw produce into a product that will sell for more, such as infused olive oil, baked goods, jams and specialty sauces.

The workshop provides an update on laws that govern value-added products and gives an introduction to the roles of retailers, distributors and brokers.

Three producers will share their challenges and successes in marketing organic, value-added products. The speakers are Magali Brecke, who cooks and jars batches of organic bone broth; Kathryn Lukas, who uses ancient fermentation traditions to produce fresh organic kraut; and Jenna Muller, who runs a processing and catering kitchen from an organic farm.

Additional speakers are Merrilee Olson of Preserve Farm Kitchens, Danielle Shaeffer of New Leaf Community Markets, Erin DiCaprio of the UC Davis Food Science and Technology Department, and Shermain Hardesty, UC Cooperative Extension specialist based at UC Davis.

The 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. workshop, organized by Hardesty, precedes the EcoFarm Conference at Asilomar, Pacific Grove. The workshop is open to EcoFarm registrants and all members of the public. Registration is $75 per person and includes an organic lunch.

Register on the EcoFarm Conference website at http://eco-farm.org/conference/2017/register-now. For more information about the workshop, contact Hardesty at shermain@primal.ucdavis.edu.

–Jeannette E. Warnert
UC ANR

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