I thought that subscribers to Sustainable Tompkins would be interested in the following announcement of a new Yahoo group for consumers and producers who are concerned with local foods. Sandy Repp Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County
From: "goodsell" <[email protected]> Subject: Invitation to Join: Buy Local NY Date: Wed, 4 Feb 2009 Please Circulate: An Invitation to Participate My name is Martha Goodsell and I currently chair the NYS Working Group on Local Foods and Local Markets. In addition to actively farming, I have been busy promoting local foods for over a decade now- which is one of the reasons I'm now coordinating this effort sponsored by the Cornell Small Farms Program. In July of 2008 leaders in local food movements from across the state gathered for a day long Local Foods- Local Markets Summit to examine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges to establishing and maintaining local food systems in and across New York. From an extensive statewide survey, conducted prior to the gathering, summit individuals (working in small groups) were able to focus on the most pressing issues to local market success. Strategies for resolving these barriers were identified and prioritized. You can read all about the progress of the work team including the strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) statewide survey, the overall opportunities and challenges summary, the issues identified and strategies suggested by clicking on our page at the Cornell Small Farm website: <http://www.smallfarms.cornell.edu/pages/projects/workteams/LM/localmarket.cfm>http://www.smallfarms.cornell.edu/pages/projects/workteams/LM/localmarket.cfm One of the items that was brought up in later discussion was the need and desire of those interested in or working on local food efforts and initiatives to keep in touch, to share ideas, concerns, thoughts, helpful hints, etc. In response to this request, the NYS Working Group on Local Foods and Local Markets has established a yahoo group: Buy Local NY ([email protected]). This yahoo group is for anyone interested in growing, processing, distributing, selling or promoting New York foods to New York consumers. Its also for those interested in buying, cooking, preserving and enjoying the bounty of New York. Buy-Local stakeholders including but not limited to program facilitators, project coordinators, farmers, processors, distributors, food service directors, market managers, consumers, and others are invited to join this Buy Local NY yahoo group; which will focus on connecting farmers and consumers. This group is facilitated by the New York State Work Team on Local Foods and Local Markets, which is supported by the Cornell Small Farms Program. Work team leaders include: Heidi Mouillesseaux-Kunzman, Community Development Coordinator, Community and Rural Development Institute Andy Turner, Executive Director, Greene County CCE Todd Schmit, Assistant Professor, Cornell Dept. of Applied Economics and Management Monika Roth, Agriculture Development Specialist, Tompkins County, CCE Challey Comers, Farm to Market Manager, Watershed Agricultural Council Becca Brier-Rosenfield, Agriculture Economic Development Specialist, CCE of Madison County Bernadette Logazar , Rural & Ag Economic Development Specialist, Franklin County CCE Robert Hadad, Cornell Vegetable Program Specialist, Niagara County CCE Mary Jeanne Packer, Executive Director, NY Farms! You can join the discussion on Local Foods and Local Markets by subscribing to the yahoo group. Its easy. Simply send an email to: <mailto:[email protected]>[email protected] Once you are subscribed you can post a message by sending an email to: <mailto:[email protected]>[email protected] I hope you consider joining the discussion. --Martha _______________________________________________ For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins Questions about the list? ask [email protected] free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
