Beyond the Tailgate Market Workshop March 12

We will be holding a great workshop for growers who are thinking about scaling up beyond Tailgate markets to wholesale markets.  If you are considering this and have questions, please come to this great program.

What:  Beyond the Tailgate Market Workshop
When:  March 12, 2013  8 am - 4:30 pm
Where:  Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center
How much: $20, includes lunch and resource notebook

Topics:

• Food Safety, GAPS, Audits & Certification
  
• Post Harvest Handling
  
• Grades & Standards for
  Retail Markets
  
• Pricing and Building
  Relationships as buyers
  
• Selling to Grocery Stores,
  Food Hubs, & Distributors
  
• What to expect ondelivery:
  Farmers Panel 
  
  
  To learn more or to register click here.  

ANDI Scores for Produce

Some of you may find this useful or use it as a marketing piece for your customers...

This is from Whole Foods Market - Guide to Healthy Eating

Top Ten ANDI Scores

ANDI stands for "Aggregate Nutrient Density Index." An ANDI score shows the nutrient density of a food on a scale from 1 to 1000 based on nutrient content. ANDI scores are calculated by evaluating an extensive range of micronutrients, including vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidant capacities.

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/healthy-eating/health-starts-here/resources-and-tools/top-ten-andi-scores

Pack 'N Cool

N.C. State University’s Plants for Human Health Institute (PHHI) has developed a mobile, cost-efficient cooling unit for farmers. The “Pack ‘N Cool” is a refrigerated trailer designed to keep fruits and vegetables at ideal temperatures during transport to and from farmers markets or as they’re harvested in farm fields. The unit was developed to be a free training tool and model that farmers can use for building their own versions.

View the full news release   “Pack ‘N Cool” Provides Farmers with Mobile Refrigeration Solution | Plants For Human Health Institute- as well as building instructions, step-by-step photos and a budget - on our website. A photo is attached as well ("Dr. Penelope Perkins-Veazie, postharvest physiologist with PHHI, coordinated development of the Pack 'N Cool.").

Very cool!!

Consumer spending on fruits, vegetables stagnates, study says

Tom Karst
The Packer
07/30/2012


While buying more sweets and processed foods, Americans are spending virtually the same percentage of their budget on fruits and vegetables in 2012 as they did 30 years ago.

A study by Planet Money/National Public Radio released this summer shows consumers spend an average of 14.6% of their grocery budget on fruits and vegetables, compared with 14.5% in 1982.

Processed foods and sweets showed the most dramatic gains over the past 30 years, rising from 11.6% of the grocery budget in 1982 to 22.9% in 2012.  Reflecting the efficiencies gained in larger scale animal facilities, the percent of the grocery budget spent on meats dropped from 31.3% in 1982 to just 21.5% in 2012.

The data, compiled from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, showed that the percent of groceries spent on dairy products dropped from 13.3% to 11.1%, while the amount spent on grains and baked goods rose from 13.2% to 14.4%.

Comparing 1982 and 2012, the study found inflation-adjusted prices of selected fruits and vegetables (measured in 2012 dollars) showed mixed trends.

The 2012 prices of apples, bananas, lettuce and tomatoes were cheaper than 1982, while grapefruit and pepper prices were higher compared with 30 years ago.

U.S. Grocery expenditures

                                           2012                                     1982

Meats                                  21.5%                                    31.3%

Fruits and vegetables              14.6%                                    14.5%

Grains and baked goods           14.4%                                    13.2%

Beverages                             11.1%                                    11%

Dairy products                       10.6%                                    13.2%

Other foods                           5.1%                                      5.3%

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Planet Money/NPR

Original link: http://www.thepacker.com/fruit-vegetable-news/Consumer-spending-on-fruits-vegetables-stagnates-study-says-164270706.html

Senate Agriculture Committee Invests in Fruit and Vegetable Industry

Report from United Fresh Produce
April 26, 2012

Yesterday, the Senate Agriculture Committee voted 16-5 to pass the  Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012. This marks the beginning of efforts to reauthorize the 2012 Farm Bill, which is set to expire on September 30, 2012. For the fresh fruit and vegetable industry and United Fresh  members, this bill answers the call over the last year to continue to build on the investments made in the 2008 Farm Bill.

“While this is just the 'first inning' of a long and difficult Farm Bill process, it is extremely important that the Senate Agriculture Committee has confirmed what our members have been saying for quite a long time: investments in fruit and vegetable producers translate into a healthy industry – from field to table – while creating job opportunities and improved nutrition for consumers,” said Robert Guenther, senior vice president of public policy for United Fresh.

The Farm Bill proposal includes the following fruit and vegetable programs:

• Funding of $150 million annually for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable program
• Annual funding at $50 million per year for DoD Fresh program to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to schools and service institutions
• Investment of $70 million annually for the Specialty Crop Block Grant program
• The Specialty Crop Research Initiative was funded at $25 million per year ramping up to $50 million by 2017
• Increased funding of $60 million in 2013 up to $65 million 2017 for pest and disease management programs
• The Market Access Program ($200 million per year) and Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops ($9 million per year) were fully funded
•  Hunger-Free Communities Grant Program for fruit and vegetable SNAP incentives was funded at $100 million over 5 years
• Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program was funded at $100 million over 5 years
• Section 32 specialty crop purchases funded at $406 million per year in mandatory purchases

As a member of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance, United Fresh worked closely with key policymakers on the Committee and those with significant produce industry interests to secure support for several programs of particular importance to the fresh fruit and vegetable industry. This culminated on April 2 when 32 U.S. Senators sent a letter to the Senate Agriculture Committee
demanding funding investments in specialty crops when the 2012 Farm Bill come up for consideration before the Committee.

“We applaud Chairwoman Stabenow and Ranking Member Roberts for listening to their Senate colleagues and industry stakeholders by making important policy investments in the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012,” stated Guenther.

The legislation must now go to the full Senate for debate and votes, and then on to the House of Representatives for consideration, which is currently expected sometime this summer.

Strawberry Locater Map

Check it out! The NC Strawberry Growers Association has a new "Strawberry Farm Locator Map" powered by Google.

The map locates farms that are members of the NC Strawberry Growers Association. So if you grow strawberries think about becoming a member. The Association has all sorts of wonderful marketing materials and this year members will receive a free 24 x 36 "how to pick" poster, printed on vinyl banner material.

To become a member, fill out the form found here: http://www.ncstrawberry.com/docs/2012MembershipForm.pdf

Lowes Food/MDI to Host Growers Meeting April 11

This may be off interest to some growers:

From the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Dear Valued North Carolina Farmer:

The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Marketing group is hosting Grower Information Sessions with key personnel from the Lowes Foods grocery chain and (MDI) Merchants Distributor being on-hand to provide information direct to North Carolina Growers. Growers from counties within close proximity to each session are invited to attend.

The Farmer meetings will be geared towards those farmers/growers that are interested in selling to Lowes Foods and MDI. Topics to be addressed are guidelines that Lowes and MDI require for you, as a farmer, selling to their stores. Lowes Foods Executive Director of Produce and MDI’s Director of Produce will be on hand to address the criteria they require. Examples Include: Liability insurance, Gap Certification, etc. Please do not allow any of these guidelines to keep you from the meeting, as we have designed these meetings to be informative as to these topics. Marketing Horticulture Specialist from our staff will be giving a presentation on how to become Gap Certified and other grower type information. There will be a question and answer session, and possible one-on-one sessions, if time permits. Lunch will be provided by the “Got to be NC” Goodness Grows Program.


Statewide, we have seen strong growth and interest in local produce. Lowes Foods and MDI are committed to support our local farmers and are currently buying from groups across North Carolina. However, their needs and demand for local is out pacing their supply and they are in need of more growers. We are dedicated to assist our farmers in finding a market for their products. These meetings will provide you an audience that you may otherwise not have had the opportunity to experience. Please join us for these very important meetings. Feel free to invite other growers in your area that might not receive this letter.

April 11th. Asheville/Fletcher Meeting
Heritage Building
Western North Carolina Ag Center
1301 Fanning Bridge Road
Fletcher, NC 28732
(828) 687-1414

Meeting will be held from (9:00am – 3:00pm - Registration beginning at 8:30am) with lunch provided.

There is no cost associated with these meetings; however you will need to reserve your space.

Call or email ASAP, the following contacts to reserve your space.

NAME
Randy Maness, 919-707-3133, randy.maness@ncagr.gov
G.W. Stanley, 919-707-3148, g.w.stanley@ncagr.gov

Additional meetings were held in Lumberton (Feb 29) and Winston-Salem (March 28).

GAP compliance critical for trust in local produce, study says

Tom Karst

The Packer
03/21/2012

Growers marketing local food should be prepared to implement good agricultural practices if they want to assure long-term consumer and retail demand, according to researchers at Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.

“What we found was the trend seems to be that Pennsylvania supermarkets are both interested in increasing sales of local produce but also are going to increasingly hand down more stringent expectations that will require growers to verify their compliance with on-farm food safety standards,” said Daniel Tobin, author of the study and graduate student at Penn State.

The study involved 15 Pennsylvania companies with a total of 628 supermarkets in the state.

The research asked a representative from each of the participating supermarkets to indicate their current (2009) and projected (2012) policies on GAPs. The survey found that in 2009, only four (27%) companies required either GAP training or certification. The research found that by 2012, however, 10 of the 15 (67%) supermarkets said they intend to require either GAP training or third party certification for suppliers.

The majority of supermarkets taking part in the research said they intended to increase purchases of local produce in 2012.

Seven of the companies (47%) indicated they would buy the same amount of local produce in 2012 as they had in 2009, while eight (53%) indicated that they would purchase more local produce by 2012.

None of the retailers planned to buy less local produce.

All the supermarkets that required either training or certification said they intend to purchase more local produce in 2012.

Only one of the 15 companies said it communicates to consumers that the local produce it sells has been inspected for on-farm food safety.

Tobin said there are no reliable figures on the percent of growers in Pennsylvania who have implemented GAPs or undergone third-party certification. The expectation is that GAPs will become required.

“Whether mandated by the Food Safety Modernization Act or the private sector, GAP compliance through third-party certification will likely become the norm for most growers, regardless of farm size, location, or financial status,” according to the study.

A separate study found that 87.6% of Pennsylvania consumers placed high importance on knowing whether the produce they bought had been inspected by the government for on-farm food safety. In addition, 86.6% strongly agreed they would have fewer concerns about produce contamination if they
produce they bought had been inspected by the government.

In general, the authors said the research showed consumers do not currently feel assured that the produce they are purchasing is safe.

ASAP's Business of Farming Conference Feb 25

Registration is now open for ASAP's Business of Farming Conference on February 25 at Warren Wilson College.

When: Saturday, February 25th, 2012, 8:30 am-5 pm Check in: 8-8:30 am

Where: Warren Wilson College: 701 Warren Wilson Road, Swannanoa, NC 28778

Cost: $30 per person or $45 for two farm partners before February 1st

$35 per person or $50 for two farm partners after February 1st

Conference registration includes your choice of workshops, meetings with restaurant and wholesale buyers, a locally sourced breakfast and lunch, and a comprehensive resource notebook.

2012 Workshops

• Selling to Restaurants
• Promoting Your Rural Market
• Managing Labor on the Farm
• Hosting Families and School Groups
• Quickbooks™
• Salesmanship
• Food Safety Certification
• Easy Website and Blog Platforms
• I Have a Website...Now What?
• Farm Business Planning
• Brief consults with lawyers and others
• and much more!

Questions?: Call ASAP at 828-236-1282.

Amy's Kitchen Informational Meeting, November 28

Amy's Kitchen Informational Meeting

Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center

455 Research Drive
Mills River, NC 28759

Please join us Monday Nov. 28th from 9:00am - 11:00 am to meet with John Aselage, the Organic Purchasing Manager for Amy's Kitchen. Amy's Kitchen in the nation’s largest organic prepared food manufacturer and will be opening a facility in Greenville, SC. in the summer of 2012. They are very interested in sourcing local organic products to be used in the Greenville plant. John Aselage will discuss Amy's Kitchen's standards for production and processing and procedures for getting into their supply chain. Here is a link to their website: http://www.amys.com/.

This event is for growers (organic, transitioning, or growers interested in organic), processors, researchers, crop consultants and those interested in organic food production in the region. Parking is available on site.

Please contact Karen McSwain if you have any questions.

828-423-2463

karen@carolinafarmstewards.org

DIRECTIONS: From Interstate 26, take Exit #40 (the Asheville Regional Airport exit). At the top of the exit ramp turn toward the airport onto NC Hwy 280. Just past the end of the airport runway, the highway curves to the right. Turn right at the first road after the runway onto Old Fanning Bridge Road. After ~1 mile, cross the French Broad river, and ~1/2 mile later the MHCR&EC office building is on the right at the top of the hill. A map and further location details are available at http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/fletcher/directions2.html.

Meeting is hosted by:

Carolina Farm Stewardship Association

and

North Carolina Cooperative Extension

Webinars: Marketing Organic Produce, Transplants, Food Safety and Hops Production

Join eOrganic and Michigan SARE for a series of 4 free webinars on marketing organic produce, organic transplants, food safety, and hops production in October and November! All webinars are open to the public, and advance registration is required.

Save the dates and register now at for the following webinars at http://www.extension.org/pages/25242 or at the links below.

Plan for Marketing Your Organic Products, by Susan Smalley, Michigan State University: October 25, 2011 at 2PM Eastern Time. Register at http://www.extension.org/pages/60942

Root Media and Fertility for Organic Transplants, by John Biernbaum, Michigan State University: November 1, 2011 at 2PM Eastern Time. Register at http://www.extension.org/pages/60943

Tracking Your Produce—For Your Business and Health, by Colleen Collier Bess, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources: November 8, 2011 at 2PM Eastern Time. Register at http://www.extension.org/pages/60944

Starting Up Small-Scale Organic Hops Production, Rob Sirrine, Michigan State University and Brian Tennis, Michigan Hop Alliance: November 15, 2011 at 2PM Eastern Time. Register at http://www.extension.org/pages/60945

Find the updated eOrganic webinar schedule and listen to recordings of past presentations at http://www.extension.org/pages/25242

Scale Calibration, Asheville March 9 & 16

When: March 9 & 16 from 9 am-noon

Where: Buncombe County Cooperative Extension Center, 94 Coxe Ave. Asheville, NC 28801 (map and directions)

If you use a scale at your farm or tailgate market, it needs to be calibrated by the NCDA for Legal Trade.

This is a great and free opportunity to get your scale calibrated before the selling season.

Contact Melinda Roberts for more details, 828.255.5522, melinda_roberts@ncsu.edu

Agritourism: A Great Way to Diversify

View from Cataloochee Ranch taken at the Business Side of Agritourism Workshop on Jan 26

Check out the article from AgriNews, Agritourism Experiences Teach Valuable Lessons about farms in Indiana that incorporated agritourism activities.

From Christmas trees to dairy tours, 3-D archery, disc golf, bed & breakfasts, haunted corn mazes, pumpkins and hayrides these farmers have some great experience and advice. The article discusses the 'insurance issue' and minimizing risk. Here is another article from AgriNews addressing the very issue of liability, Agritourism Liability a Big Part of Doing Business.

Thanks to all who attended the Business-Side of Agritourism Conference we held last week at Cataloochee Ranch.

If your interested in some agritourism resources, be sure to visit the Agritourism Page on the blog.

If you want to learn even more about Agritourism, the NCDA & CS will hold their 5th Annual Winter Agritourism Conference "Taking Local Beyond the Farm". The conference will take place on February 17-18 in Cathage, NC. To learn more visit http://www.ncagr.gov/markets/agritourism/

Business Side of Agritourism Workshop 2011

The Business Side of Agritourism Workshop will take place on Thursday January 27, 2011. The workshop is presented by NC Cooperative Extension Service and NC A&T.

This year the workshop will take place at the historic Cataloochee Guest Ranch (http://www.cataloocheeranch.com/) in Maggie Valley, NC (Haywood County). The Cataloochee Ranch was founded in 1933 and continues to welcome visitors to its cabins, trails, activities and spectacular views.

We have some exciting topics this year including:

• The history of Cataloochee Ranch
• How to make your farm positively newsworthy
• New ideas for pick your own
• Farmstays
• Building a walking trail on your farm
• High adventure activities
• Using social media to market your enterprise
• Developing food communities
• Developing birding trails
• Being a land ethics leader
• Incorporating a commercial kitchen

To view the entire schedule or for more information, visit this link to the brochure.

There will also be time to network with other farmers in the area engaging or interested in engaging in agritourism.

The cost for the conference is only $40 if you sign-up by this Friday January 21 (extended from January 19). Call the Henderson County Cooperative Extension Office at 828.697.4891 to reserve your spot as soon as possible. A registration form can also be found here.

If you are an overnight guest, Cataloochee Guest Ranch is offering accomodations for Wednesday night at $70 pp. Visit their site for contact information http://www.cataloocheeranch.com/

Ethnic Crop Opportunites for East Coast Growers

There is an interesting article in the Journal of Extension (JOE) dealing with some new, ethnic crop ideas for vegetable farmers.

Abstract
We examined the potential for expansion of production of ethnic crops on the U.S. East Coast by commercial farmers from a market-first and economic perspective based on consumer demand. A survey of consumers from four ethnic groups showed that the ethnic crops in greatest demand are as follows: Chinese—Baby Pak Choy, Oriental Eggplant, and Smooth Luffa; Asian Indians—Bottle Gourd, Indian Eggplant, and Bitter Melon; Mexicans—Chili Jalapeno and Tomatillo; Hispanic—Aji Dulce, Batata, and Pepinillo/Bitter gourd. Results of the study have important implications to assist local growers in deciding to produce ethnic crops.

Read the full article at http://www.joe.org/joe/2010december/rb2.php

Authors
The study was conducted by folks at Rutgers University and the University of Florida.
Ramu Govindasamy, Richard Van Vranken, William Sciarappa, Albert Ayeni, Venkata S. Puduri, Kim Pappas, James E. Simon, Frank Mangan, Mary Lamberts and Gene McAvoy.

"What's Hot" Trends for 2011

The National Restaurant Association's annual survey of 1,500 professional chefs from the American Culinary Federation is here!

I find that this list is an important tool for growers to use during the planning for next season. This is especially important for producers who sell to restaurants.

Again this year we see local, sustainable and organic as some of the top trends. I hope this means these "trends" are here to stay!

Here are the top 10 overall trends:

1. Locally sourced meat and seafood
2. Locally grown produce
3. Sustainability
4. Nutritionally balanced children's dishes
5. Hyper-local (e.g. restaurant gardens, do your own butchering)
6. Children's nutrition
7. Sustainable seafood
8. Gluten-free/food allergy conscious
9. Simplicity/back to basics
10. Farm/estate-branded ingredients

Also making the top 20 is Locally produced wine and beer (#12), Organic produce (#14) and Fruit/Vegetable children's side items (#18).

The top 5 produce trends:

1. Locally grown produce
2. Organic produce
3. Superfruits (acai, goji, purslane, mangosteen)
   
4. Heirloom beans
5. Exotic fruit (paw paw, passion fruit, durian, dragon fruit and guava)
   

Download the entire What's Hot for 2011 chef survey results (PDF).

WNC Tailgate Market Video

The Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) has created a great commercial for our local tailgate markets that are members of the Mountain Tailgate Market Association (MTMA). The purpose is to introduce our local tailgate markets to new clients. The commercial is visually stunning and features a local grower.

The commercial will run on cable channels (it will not run on Direct TV or Dish) in all counties where there is a market that is a member of the MTMA. The 30 second commercial began running this Wednesday. The commercial will also air in the Spring.

WNC Tailgate Markets are encouraged to embed this commercial to their websites, blogs or Facebook pages.



To view the commercial in YouTube visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYUBiOxwHf0

To learn more about the MTMA or to sign-up your tailgate market to become a member, visit the MTMA website for details.

Farmers Markets: There's an App for That

GrowingProduce.com just reported on a new app that Apple iTunes store has just launched for smartphones that is designed for food lovers to locate farmers markets in their area.

Unfortunately, the "Farmers Market Finder" app will only help market lovers in California, Massachusetts, Florida, Delaware, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Washington D.C, Georgia, Maryland and New York.

We need this in North Carolina!

Below are some of the features of this neat new app (from the GrowingProduce.com article "Smartphones and Farmers Markets"):

"Apptika’s Farmers Market Finder apps provide a comprehensive listing of farmers markets, farms/farmstands and CSAs with:

• Address and Location Description
• Amenities (i.e. fruit, veggies, meat, bakery, prepared foods, etc)
• Months/days/hours of operation
• Website, phone and/or email contact information, if available
• Special information, when available, such as parking, winter hours, and“rain or shine” info
• Ability to save to Favorites.

The app has a built-in interactive map that utilizes geolocation to:

• Locate the farmers markets to your location
• Browse an entire state, county or metropolitan area
• Get turn-by-turn directions"

Internet Marketing Series for Farmers Begins April 12!

The internet is rapidly becoming one of the best tools for businesses, including farms, to market their products. Over 77% of American adults use the internet. Of these, 81% are searching the web for information that will help them make decisions on what they purchase.

Here are some more staggering statistics about the use of social media and traditional internet sites:

• Facebook users increased 145% from January 2009 to January 2010.
• The number of Facebook users over the age of 55 increased 922.7% from January 2009 to January 2010.
• 35-54 year olds are the most rapidly increasing demographic using Facebook. This demographic roughly doubles every two months.
• More than 1.5 million pieces of content are shared on Facebook...daily.
  
• There are approximately 50 million tweets everyday on Twitter.
• That is 600 tweets per second!
• There are over 200,000,000 blogs.
• 54% of bloggers post or tweet daily.
• 34% of bloggers post opinions about products or brands.
• 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations.
• Only 14% of consumers trust advertisements.
  

More statistics can be found here and here.

The NC Cooperative Extension Service is offering training for growers and farmers market managers who are interested in using the internet to help market their products, market or experience.

Schedule:

• April 12: Facebook and Twitter
• April 19: Blogs
• April 26: Websites
• May 3: Using Videos to Enhance Your Site

All trainings are hands-on and participants are encouraged to BYOL (bring your own laptop).

Each class is limited to 25 participants, so register early!

The class will be held at the Earth Fare in West Asheville from 10 am-noon.

The fee for the classes is $10/class or $35 for the 4-week series.

To register, contact Erin Bonito at the Buncombe County Cooperative Extension Office. erin_bonito@ncsu.edu or 828.255.5522

View the flyer for this event.

CSA On-Line Resource

I came across this CSA on-line resource today reading "Growing for Market" and would like to know if any Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) producers are using it.

The CSA Tool was developed by David Haynes, who helped to manage the largest CSA in Utah, and is supposed to help growers save time. From the website:

"With the tools in this Toolbox you can communicate easily with your customers, quickly do your paperwork and handle your billing, take payments and contact only those members you want to notify. This will help you cut down the time spent in the office allowing you to do what you enjoy, farming. We have tips, highlights and ideas that will help you increase your income with the crops you are already growing."

The CSA management Tools include:

• Membership Management,
• Pick-Up Site Management,
• Share Management,
• Email Broadcaster,
• Billing Systems, and
• Reporting Systems

Let us know if you use this resource to manage your CSA or are thinking about using the CSA ToolBox.
Or if you have another resource that helps to save you time on the farm, let us know about it.