The German Coast Farmers’ Market has been named Louisiana’s Favorite Farmers Market and ranked 8^th in the United States for small markets, by American Farmland Trust.  More than 80,000 people across the country voted in the this year’s America’s Favorite Farmers Markets contest. “Every one of the 1,700+ farmers markets enrolled in the contest helps ensure communities have nearby farms growing the delicious, fresh and local food we all crave,” said Gretchen Hoffman, American Farmland Trust Manager of Engagement and Communications. New to the 2011 contest, the top farmers market in each state will receive a prize package which includes a special logo to use in promoting their farmers market and a supply of free promotional stickers.  “Winning the contest for the second consecutive year demonstrates our exceptional patron loyalty and their appreciation for our local, hard-working farmers and vendors,” commented Roxanne Fisher, GCFM P.R. Coordinator.  “The market board was humbled by the hundreds of patrons who took the time to comment on why they thought our market should win.  The central theme of the comments further validated our mission to serve as a community gathering place and tourist destination while offering a wide range of fresh produce and fruit, value-added items, local entertainment, and educational opportunities to our patrons.”

The German Coast Farmers’ Market is open every Saturday at Ormond Plantation in Destrehan from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon and every Wednesday at St. Charles Plaza in Luling from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.  For more information about the German Coast Farmers’ Market, visit their Facebook page or their website at www.germancoastfarmersmarket.org.

Plant a Carrot to build community support and market local foods

Are you looking for a creative fundraiser to promote your farmers’ market?  Or do you have another project for which you want to raise support in your community?  Maybe a simple marketing icon is just the solution!

Tom Goddu, a marketing designer for toys, consumer products, fundraising systems and logos, worked with the folks in  New Hartford, CT to generate interest and local media publicity for their farmers’ market.  In this video that explains the concept, Tom shares how the “Plant a Carrot” campaign can create curiosity, funding and support for local food growers and farmers’ markets across the country.  These bright carrot driveway markets are sold by markets to their supporters to say with a simple symbol “I support my local farmers and farmers’ market!”

According to the website, “Farmer’s Markets gain free publicity when they sell these driveway markers. Created to help Farmer’s Markets with PR and fundraising, the Plant A Carrot campaign was launched in 2009 and helped double the foot traffic to the New Hartford Farmer’s Market. Overall, nearly 1000 carrot signs were ‘planted’ in the town, while generating income for the Market.

“The cheerful carrot triangle with green heart on top is a friendly reminder and an iconic show of support for local food growers. An icon without any text, the signs pique the curiosity of passersby until they find out, usually by word of mouth, that the signs are distributed by their local farmer’s market. Pretty soon they become another proud supporter of the market!”

More information about promoting your local market can be found at the Farmers Market Coalition website or by joining the listserv, which frequently sends out interesting information about what is going on in the world of retail ag at farmers’ markets.

Article source: http://ruralcommunitybuilding.fb.org/2011/09/08/plant-a-carrot-marketing/

The first recipients of the National Food MarketMaker Innovation Awards are Ohio and South Carolina. The awards, sponsored by Farm Credit, were presented June 27 in Pittsburgh, PA at the National Value Added Agriculture Conference.

MarketMaker, an online marketing resource that connects food producers with markets, invited all of the participating states to submit proposals which highlighted their innovative efforts.  Farm Credit Council led a committee that included food and agricultural stakeholder groups to select the winning states.  Ohio and South Carolina each received $7,000 from Farm Credit.

“Ohio’s program ‘Get Connected with Ohio MarketMaker’ demonstrated strong food industry partnerships and doubled the number of registered MarketMaker business profiles in Ohio by uniting seven organizations,” said University of Illinois marketing specialist Darlene Knipe. “The creation of ‘Get Connected’ artwork and marketing resources will benefit the entire National MarketMaker network of states.”

The National website is located at: www.foodmarketmaker.com. The site currently includes 16 participating states plus Washington, D.C., with Texas and Alabama in the development stage.

“South Carolina’s program ‘Helping MarketMaker “Float” in U.S. Coastal States and Beyond’ won the award for the unique partnership between Clemson University and the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium Extension program to develop a pilot seafood component,” Knipe said. “It evolved into a national component.  This effort diversified MarketMaker product offerings, engaged new producers and consumers in the MarketMaker network, and contributed to the expansion of MarketMaker into several new coastal states.”

Representing Farm credit Council at the awards ceremony was Gary Matteson, vice president of Farm Credit’s Young, Beginning, Small Farmer Programs and Outreach.

“It’s impressive to see how resourceful each MarketMaker program is, and understand the potential for these great ideas to be put to good use in other states,” Matteson said.

MarketMaker is hosted and maintained by University of Illinois Extension and is guided by an advisory board made up of representatives from among participating partner states. There is no charge associated with having a business listed on the site or to search the site for information.

For more information about MarketMaker, contact Darlene Knipe (309-792-2500; dknipe@illinois.edu).

Farmers, tourism officials team up on agritourism

By Lynne Finnerty, Editor FBNews

Vineyard tours are a favorite activity for visitors to scenic Jo Daviess County in northwest Illinois.

Jo Daviess County Farm Bureau in Illinois is working with the local Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) on ways to promote farm tours and farm stays in the county.

A few farms and vineyards in the area already offer tours and even lodging. The Farm Bureau and CVB are conducting a survey to gauge local farmers’ interest in offering more agritourism services. The results will guide the focus of a new agritourism program to boost farm visits, agricultural education and economic development.

The program could go in a number of directions, according to Annette McLane, manager of the Jo Daviess County Farm Bureau.

“We want to see what types of things people are already doing, what they are open to and what they think would or would not work,” McLane explained.  For the Farm Bureau’s leaders and members, increasing the public’s opportunities to see what happens on a real, working farm was a key goal.

“That is a huge factor,” said McLane. “Our board of directors wanted to find ways to help educate the public about agriculture. Jo Daviess is already a big tourism county so, we figured, what better way to capitalize on that?”

For the CVB, it’s about bringing more tourism “product” to the visitor—more things for tourists to do and, thus, more reasons for them to make Jo Daviess County their destination (video).  With agriculture being the region’s leading industry and tourism coming in second, it made sense to connect them.

http://www.discoverjodaviesscounty.org

Located about 160 miles west of Chicago and nestled in the rolling hills on the Mississippi River between the northwest corner of Illinois, Iowa to the west and Wisconsin to the north, Jo Daviess County boasts beautiful scenery. Galena, the county seat, features historic architecture. Many Chicagoans have second homes in the area. There are 14 million people, i.e. potential visitors, within a 500-mile radius of the county.

“They receive about 75 percent [of visitors] from the Chicagoland area—urban and suburban visitors—many who have never been on a farm,” said Dorian Dickinson of marketing agency SotaVenture, which is working with the Farm Bureau and CVB on the agritourism program.

Dickinson spoke at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Rural Development Conference in May. He says agritourism is the segment of tourism that is seeing the strongest growth, with 30 percent increases every year from 1987 to 2009. Americans are taking shorter vacations and staying closer to home, he added, and vacationers want “experiential” trips. The growth in “foodie-ism” or interest in all things food-related also is driving the interest in farm visits.

“Local farmers have said that they receive calls from people out of the blue asking if they can come and watch cows being milked, etc.,” Dickinson said. “Winery and vineyard tours are popular. Experiential travel is huge and a great opportunity for rural communities everywhere to take advantage of the agritourism trend.”

The organizations are planning an agritourism conference in November. The conference will give people involved in either tourism or farming a chance to get together. “They can do some networking and see how a BB could partner with a farmer, for example, to do some sort of lodging-farm tour package,” said McLane. “We want to put those things out there. Anyone from either side is welcome to participate. We want to include everyone to get more options we would not have thought of.”

The groups will look into applying for rural development grants to pay for marketing efforts. The program may include education opportunities for local entrepreneurs, farmers and small businesses, as well as putting them in touch with financing to build the agritourism components of their businesses.

“We feel that agritourism and being able to put people back in touch with their rural roots is an economic opportunity for rural communities,” said Dickinson. “Taking an economic development approach to agritourism—how farmers could use it as an economic development engine for their own businesses and the county as a whole—is refreshing.”

This article was reprinted from the June 13, 3011 FBNews. The agritourism website is at http://www.discoverjodaviesscounty.org.

Article source: http://ruralcommunitybuilding.fb.org/2011/08/17/jo-daviess-county-agritourism/

USDA: Value Added Producer Grants for farmers

USDA announced that applications are being accepted until August 29, 2011 for Value Added Producer Grants (VAPG) to independent ag producers, farmer and rancher cooperatives and agricultural producer groups. Grant awards will be announced by the end of November 2011.

VAPG is a national program that awards grants to producers to help them add value to basic ag products through branding, processing, product differentiation, labeling and certification, and marketing,.  USDA estimates that the average grant award will be $116,000 and that they will be able to  award around 250 grants.  In the last grant round, 41% of the awards were for less than $50,000 each.

Value-Added Producer Grants may be used for feasibility studies or business plans, working capital for marketing value-added agricultural products and for farm-based renewable energy projects. Eligible applicants include independent producers, farmer and rancher cooperatives, and agricultural producer groups. Value-added products are created when a producer increases the consumer value of an agricultural commodity in the production or processing stage. To see a video featuring Deputy Secretary Merrigan discussing the VAPG program click here.

The National Sustainable Ag Coalition offers information about the VAPG as well as a two page summary of the 2009 VAPG projects.

The complete application package is available from the USDA Rural Development site, and an application template is available. Then University of Wisconsin Ag Innovation Center offers additional tips to applicants.

Find more about eligibility and the application process guidelines by contacting your local USDA Rural Development Office, or contact the national program staff  Lyn Millhiser at 202-720-1227 or Tracey Kennedy at 202-690-1428, or by emailing cpgrants@wdc.usda.gov. For further details about eligibility rules and application procedures, see the June 28, 2011, Federal Register. Visit http://www.rurdev.usda.gov for additional information about the agency’s programs or to locate the USDA Rural Development office nearest you.

Article source: http://ruralcommunitybuilding.fb.org/2011/07/08/usda-value-added-producer-grants-for-farmers/

White House Rural Council to Strengthen Rural Communities

On June 9, President Obama signed an Executive Order that establishes a Rural Advisory Council. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, will chair the council, which includes representatives from 25 executive branch departments, agencies and offices.

The council will be responsible for providing recommendations to the president on investment in rural areas and improving the quality of life for rural Americans.  The council will identify and facilitate rural economic opportunities associated with energy development, outdoor recreation and other conservation related activities.  The council will coordinate with a variety of rural interests, including agricultural groups, small businesses and state, local and tribal governments.

The council will advise the White House on rural issues, including:

• Jobs: Improve job training and workforce development in rural America.
• Agriculture: Expand markets for agriculture, including regional food systems and exports.
• Access to Credit: Increase opportunity by expanding access to capital in rural communities and fostering local investment.
• Innovation: Promote the expansion of biofuels production capacity and community based renewable energy projects.
• Networks: Develop high-growth regional economies by capitalizing on inherent regional strengths.
• Health Care: Improve access to quality health care through expansion of health technology systems.
• Education: Increase post-secondary enrollment rates and completion for rural students.
• Broadband: Support the president’s plan to increase broadband opportunities in rural America.
• Infrastructure: Coordinate investment in critical infrastructure.
• Ecosystem markets: Expand opportunities for conservation, outdoor opportunities and economic growth on working lands and public lands.

According to the USDA press release, the “The White House Rural Council will coordinate programs across government to encourage public-private partnerships to promote further economic prosperity and quality of life in rural communities nationwide.”

Article source: http://ruralcommunitybuilding.fb.org/2011/06/10/white-house-rural-council-to-strengthen-rural-communities/

AFBF Rural Development Conference Features Successful State Programs

 The American Farm Bureau Federation recently hosted its Rural Development Conference for state Farm Bureau staff and leaders to learn about successful community development initiatives that can be adopted by state and county Farm Bureaus nationwide.

A scene from the tour: Nancy Grooms creates her “World Famous Ladder 51 Flame Broiled Wings” in the commercial community-use kitchen at The Venture Out Business Center, an entrepreneur incubator which opened in Madison, Indiana in November 1995. The Center currently assists 16 start-up businesses, offering them office and manufacturing space, training rooms, and marketing expertise. Kathleen Dutro photo.

 The meeting, held in cooperation with the Kentucky and Indiana Farm Bureaus, took place at the Kentucky Farm Bureau office in Louisville, KY. More than 65 people from 20 state Farm Bureaus participated.

  Two of the sessions featured presentations from the states on successful community building initiatives they and county Farm Bureaus have undertaken. These community strengthening projects increase Farm Bureau’s visibility and relevancy to the broader (non-ag) community.

 The 16 presentations included topics on local food, agritourism, health, community building and beginning farmer initiatives.

 Indiana Farm Bureau last year hosted a series of boot camps for farmers’ market managers to inform them about liability issues, vendor recruitment and tips on market management to keep it running smoothly. Kentucky Farm Bureau’s Certified Roadside Market Program is for farm-oriented markets with a permanent structure that focus on the sale of locally grown products or agritourism, host activities to educate consumers about agriculture or the role of agriculture in Kentucky. 

 Tennessee Fresh connects consumers to information about where their food comes from, how it was grown and who produced it, while retail agriculture sales support the local economy.

 The New Hampshire Buy Local and NHMade programs also focus on connecting the consumer directly to the producer by encouraging reinvesting one’s purchasing power within the community and state.

 Virginia Farm Bureau, through its Virginia FAIRS Cooperative Development Center, hosts regional workshops to offer technical assistance for applications for USDA’s Value Added Producer Grant and Rural Energy for America Program.

 Jo Davies County Farm Bureau in Illinois explained its collaboration with agriculture, tourism and government stakeholders to promote agritourism. The program is a strategic opportunity to provide agricultural education while driving economic development.

 North Carolina Farm Bureau’s Healthy Living for a Lifetime initiative, a mobile health clinic, offers free screenings such as blood pressure, body mass index, bone density measurements, cholesterol and glucose.

 Through Arkansas Farm Bureau’s 400 M*A*S*H (Medical Application of Science for Health) camp, high school students spend 2 weeks during the summer learning about health care careers. They shadow such diverse medical activities as open-heart surgery, labor and delivery, speech therapy, dentistry, anesthesiology, embalming, biomechatronics (fabrication of prostheses) and emergency response.

 Illinois’ Farm Bureau’s Rural Nurse Practitioner Scholarship Program offers financial assistance to nursing students to encourage them to meet the needs of primary care in rural Illinois.

  Iowa Farm Bureau’s Renew Rural Iowa Business Success Seminars are one-day sessions that encourage entrepreneurs to explore the key elements of developing successful business models, provoke strategic thinking and clarify a business’ road to success, as well as how to find appropriate funding and talent.

 Florida’s Strong Farms, Strong Communities is a new initiative by which Farm Bureau members help strengthen small towns and urban areas by participating in community events, supporting youth activities and highlighting agriculture to illustrate what a vital role it plays in Florida’s economic success.

 Michigan has renamed their Department of Agriculture Rural Development to focus on new agricultural and community economic opportunities. Michigan Farm Bureau is assisting them with the specifics of what that new mission will entail.  Some ideas may include promoting business development and economic gardening, and establishing farm markets at Park-N-Rides and at state park campgrounds.

 Tillamook County (Oregon) Farm Bureau hosted a Community Conversation a year ago for residents to inventory their community’s resources and develop shared goals for what they want their community to look like in the future. The committees formed that January evening address four critical issues: roads, youth activities, downtown revitalization and the need for a slaughter and rendering plant. The committees are still meeting and progressing with those projects.

  Louisiana Farm Bureau is partnering with the Louisiana State University’s AgCenter on the Louisiana Young Ag Producers (LaYAPP) program to introduce high school juniors and seniors to careers in food and fiber production and to encourage them to consider agriculture as a career. LaYAPP is a one-year, intensive classroom and hands-on, mentor-based experience to address the trend of the rising average age of farmers and ranchers.

  Farm Bureau’s focus on and involvement in projects to improve the quality of life where our members live and work fulfills our mission to “enhance and strengthen the lives of rural Americans and to build strong, prosperous agricultural communities.”

Article source: http://ruralcommunitybuilding.fb.org/2011/05/26/state-farm-bureaus-share-successful-state-projects/

Alice Wootton serves as the volunteer Market Master for Orange County HomeGrown, whose mission is to “promote the small-town neighborly values, the natural forests, the cultural and recreational opportunities, and the healthy family farms that make Orange County, Indiana, an attractive place to live, work, play, raise a family, start a business, or retire.”

Alice knows that their two markets improve the quality of life for residents and also have a huge economic impact for local farmers. “We estimate that the 24 week market season is filling the pockets of our vendors with about $150,000, a lot of money for our citizens. Our county perennially sits in the top three positions of underserved counties in the state,” said Alice.

Read more here…

Content courtesy of Rural Community Building.

On April 27, the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers, (an agency within the Executive Office of the President charged with “offering the President objective economic advice on the formulation of both domestic and international economic policy”), posted a blog report from their office called Strengthening the Rural Economy.

The executive summary says: “Rural areas are home to about 50 million Americans and are an essential part of the overall economy. This report surveys the current state of rural America and describes the Obama Administration’s policies for strengthening the rural economy. Many of these policies are already being implemented through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. But further work remains to ensure the prosperity and vitality of rural America.”

Read highlights of the report here.

Content courtesy of Rural Community Building.