Farmers' Market Management Network » Education

Mahoning county workshop will help farmers expand their sales

Mayda — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 01:15:57 +0000

CANFIELD, Ohio – Local farmers and producers have a tool available to them to help sell their products to grocery stores and restaurants.

The Ohio State University Extension Mahoning County one day workshop can help farmers and producers expand their market reach.

Extension Educator Eric Barrett says the agency is trying to work with all the local food producers; whether it’s one that’s already selling fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs, and that kind of thing at a farmers market, or a new market garden where owners have an acre of land and they want to grow something.

Barrett says currently Whole Foods is working with the OSU Extension and he hopes Giant Eagle will be on board soon.

The workshop for farmers and growers is Tuesday April 24th from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It will be held at the Mill Creek MetroParks Farm in Canfield.

The fee is $75 for the first person from the farm, the second person from the same farm is $25 dollars. That fee includes lunch, a book, and DVD.

The book has sample invoices, spread sheets and information on pricing to make sure farmers are making money and not losing money. The book also has marketing and business plans.

Barrett says it’s all about getting local products to market and making buyers happy. He says if you’ve enjoyed food you’ve bought from any farm, please let that farmer know about this program.

He says farmers or growers already doing direct marketing can use this program to help take their relationship to the next level and work better with grocery stores and restaurants.

For information on how to register for the workshop, call Julie at 1-800-297-2072.

via Workshop will help farmers expand their sales – 21 News Now, More Local News for Youngstown, Ohio -.

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Small Biz Workshops: Social Media and Ingredient Costing

Mayda — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 14:27:38 +0000

Please pass on to your vendors:

On MARCH 27 Let ECDI Help You Boost Your Bottom Line

Boost Your Bottom Line: a series of workshops and networking sessions designed to help businesses increase profitability.

The sessions below are free, and will take place at ECDI, 1655 Old Leonard Ave. Columbus, Ohio.

Return on Ingredients

Two sessions, choose: March 27 @ 9 am or 6 pm, Length: 1.5 hours

Do you know what producing great food and superior food service REALLY costs you? Let Mark Kelnhofer’s passion for numbers and data, and his proven methods, show you how with accurate recipe writing and costing as a base, you can re-engineer your menu for success and profitability. For more on Mark’s business, www.returnoningredients.com

Not in the food business? That’s OK, Mark’s original success was in the world of manufacturing. Guaranteed, if your end product has parts, you will benefit by Mark’s presentation.

To get signed up: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/3037351801

Social Media in a Mobile World

Two sessions, choose: March 27 @ 10:30 am or 7:30 pm, Length: 1.5 hours

For the beginner, or for those with Social Media experience, let ECDI’s Food Fort Coordinator, Jim Ellison help you understand what the world of Social Media is all about. Whether the goal is to be your own tweeter and poster, or supervise someone doing it for you, let Jim’s extensive knowledge help propel you into the world of Social Media.

To get signed up, click here http://www.eventbrite.com/event/3163886269

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GAP Sessions for fruit and vegetable production

Mayda — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 21:27:50 +0000

WOOSTER, Ohio — A program on preventing microbial contamination on fruit and vegetable farms takes place in north-central Ohio on April 27. Hours are 1-4 p.m. in Fisher Auditorium at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster.

Good Agricultural Practices, or GAPS, for fruit and vegetable production are the focus.

“The Food and Drug Administration will be releasing draft standards for safe production of fruits and vegetables later this year,” said Ashley Kulhanek of Ohio State University’s Fruit and Vegetable Safety Team, the program’s sponsor. “So it’s a good time to learn about GAPS.”

Participants will receive a resource workbook, paper handouts and a certificate of participation.

But Kulhanek said attendees won’t actually become certified in GAPS by taking the course. That certification comes only through a farm audit by the U.S. Department of Agriculture or a third-party company.

“The program can help prepare you for an audit,” she said, “but find out if your customers are asking for education in GAPs or if they actually want an audit certificate, or both.”

Call 330-202-3555, ext. 2918, or e-mail kulhanek.5@osu.edu to reserve a seat.

Registration is $25 per person at the door, payable by cash or check, with checks made out to “OSP.”

The registration cost is lower than it was for similar programs last year, Kulhanek said, thanks to a grant from the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

For more information, call 330-202-3555, ext. 2918.

The program will also be offered Feb. 20 in Medina County, March 20 in Clayton, March 30 in Geauga County, April 11 in Piketon, April 12 in Morgan County and April 17 in Knox County.

OARDC is the research arm of Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences and is the largest university agricultural biosciences research center in the U.S.

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Free Ag Conference Sponsorship for Ohio Women

Mayda — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 01:12:32 +0000

Women Farm Sponsoring a Registration to 5 Upcoming Farmer Conferences!

Ohio women producing food for local markets, or aspiring to do so, who have not yet had an opportunity to attend a conference listed below are invited to apply for our sponsorship of their fee registration!
An applicant must be a woman who resides in Ohio, is at least 18 years of age at the time of application, is willing to meet up at the conference (briefly or as much as you wish) with the owners of Women Farm, and is willing to be interviewed after the conference by Women Farm for publication on our web site.

Women Farm service partners, women farmers whose essays and interviews have already been invited or published by Women Farm are ineligible to apply.
Conference sponsorship opportunities, the application process and deadlines, and award announcement dates are listed below.
ACRES USA
December 8-10, 2011, Columbus OH
http://www.acresusa.com/events/11conf/about.htm
Apply on or before 5 pm Monday, November 21, 2011
Women farmers with 5+ years experience growing food for local markets are especially urged to apply.
Registration award announced by 5 pm Wednesday, November 23rd
Ohio Produce Growers and Marketers Association (OPGMA)
January 16-18, 2012, Sandusky OH
http://www.opgma.org/?q=congress
Apply on or before 5 pm Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Women farmers with 3+ years experience growing food for local markets are especially urged to apply.
Registration award announced by 5 pm Friday, December 16th
Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA)
February 18-20, 2012, Granville, OH
http://www.oeffa.org/events.php
Apply on or before 5 pm Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Women aspiring to farm and up to 3 years experience growing food for local markets are especially urged to apply.
Registration award announced by 5 pm Friday, January 13th
Ohio State University (OSU) Small Farm Conference
March 9-10, 2012, Wilmington, OH
http://clinton.osu.edu/events/2012-small-farm-conference-and-trade-show
Apply on or before 5 pm Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Women aspiring to farm and up to 2 years experience growing food for local markets are especially urged to apply.
Registration award announced by 5 pm Friday, February 10th
Ohio State University (OSU) Small Farm Conference
March 31, 2012, Massillon, OH
http://clinton.osu.edu/events/2012-small-farm-conference-and-trade-show http://clinton.osu.edu/events/2012-small-farm-conference-and-trade-show
Apply on or before 5 pm, Monday, February 27, 2012
Women aspiring to farm and up to 2 years experience growing food for local markets are especially urged to apply.
Registration award announced by 5 pm Wednesday, February 29th
Apply Now!

Go to our survey page. Complete Join Us and/or Log In and take the short survey Represent Ohio Women Farmers. (Skip this step if you have already completed this survey.)
E-mail management@womenfarm.comor send by regular mail to Women Farm, P.O. 954, Worthington, OH 43085-0954 the following information.
- Full Name
- Confirm that you are an Ohio resident, 18 years or older
- Confirm that you are able to arrange for travel, and if required, for food and lodging, if you are awarded a fee sponsorship
- State the conference or conferences for which you would like to be considered, including specific dates you are able to attend, and confirm that you have never attended the conference(s).
- Confirm that if you are awarded a fee sponsorship by Women Farm you are willing to meet Women Farm owners at the conference and to be interviewed by Women Farm for publication on its web site
- State the number of years, if any, that you have grown food for local markets
- Regarding each conference for which you wish to be considered, write a short paragraph about why you want to attend this conference at this time.

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2011 List of Farmers’ Markets Accepting Ohio Direction Card

Mayda — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 05:49:26 +0000

This year the number of farmers’ markets accepting food assistance has grown. If your market accepts the Ohio Direction Card make this link part of your outreach plan. The document contains a listing of all Ohio’s participating markets by county.

2011 Farmers Markets accepting the Ohio Direction Card

Food Safety for the Garden

Mayda — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 23:24:05 +0000

Weds Mar 2 Food Safety for the Garden at Franklin Park Conservatory 6- 8 pm
Food safety expert Shari Plimpton, Ph.D., Director, Industry Outreach, CIFT, will discuss the fundamentals of proper food handling and good agriculture practices for community gardeners, urban growers and those involved in farmers’ markets. Registration required; space limited. Sponsored by Center for Innovative Food Technology (CIFT), Ohio Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Program and the Conservatory’s Growing to Green Program. Free with Conservatory admission. Location: 1771 East Broad St Columbus 43203. Web: http://www.fpconservatory.org Contact: 614-645-8733.

FMC Newsletter

Mayda — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 18:12:18 +0000

The latest edition of the Farmers’ Market Coalition Newsletter offers some interesting reading plus a insurance webinar series. Read More

In This Issue:
A New Year Letter from the Board
FMC Announces Insurance Webinar Series to Start January 31
FMC Seeks Resource Librarians
Successes to Celebrate in Food Safety Legislation
FMC Welcomes Newest Members
FNS Funds Research on Farmers Markets & SNAP
Community Funded Incentive Galvanize Portland Communities
SquareUp: New Smartphone POS Technology
Marketshare Upgrades Offer Improved Impact Evaluation Tools
FMC Welcomes Intern Drew Love

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How to Earn a Profit at the Farmers Market

Mayda — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 02:01:37 +0000

An informative article packed with tips on selling successfully at the farmers’ market.

How to Earn a Profit at the Farmers Market | eHow.com.

When you are done reading it, check out the related articles in the left column of the eHow site.

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SNAP EBT Certification Training for your farmers’ market or farm market

Mayda — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 02:30:35 +0000

You are invited to attend a FREE “Hands-0n” training session to be certified to accept the Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) at your farmers market or farm market. The training will be at the Ohio Department Of Agriculture in Reynoldsburg on November 15, 2010 from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm with registration beginning at 8:30 am.

The training includes an introduction of the program; a walk through the USDA FNS application line by line; and hear from a panel of farmers market managers that accept EBT. Upon completion of
the training you will have a completed application in hand, and also be able have any EBT questions answered by OSU South Centers, ODA, ODJFS and the USDA Regional Representative.

See the attached brochure for more information and register by going to: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CWVKTRV

Funding to Assist Farmers Markets
In addition to the training, the Ohio Department of Agriculture has established the Farmers Market Access project to fund new infrastructure and outreach enabling markets to accept Electronic Benefit Transfer
(EBT). $23,000.00 is available for the Grant Program during 2011. ODA will award grants from these funds to approved markets on a first come first served basis and subject to available funding.
The minimum grant award to be considered will be $500 and the maximum will be $1,000. You must be approved through FNS to be able to apply for these funds. That is why we encourage you to attend this workshop to learn about how the EBT card works at farmers markets and learn how to apply for this as well as other food assistance programs.

To learn more about the funding through the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s go to:

http://www.agri.ohio.gov/

Click on Forms
Scroll down to Market Grants;
Click on Farmers’ Market Access RFP;
and click on Farmers Market Access Project

We look forward to seeing you…

Christie Welch, Farmers’ Market Specialist
The Business Development Network
at The OSU South Centers
1864 Shyville Rd.
Piketon, OH 45661
welch.183@osu.edu
740-289-3727 Ext. 234
800-860-7232 (Ohio only) Ext. 234
740-289-4591 (Fax)
http://ohiofarmersmarkets.osu.edu

New Food Safety Website for Ohioans

Mayda — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 12:50:38 +0000

Thought I would pass this link along as it can be a great resource to help with educating consumers on food safety. Please check it out http://foodsafety.osu.edu and link to your website if you feel it would assist your consumers.

Thank you,

Christie

Writer:
Martha Filipic
filipic.3@cfaes.osu.edu
614-292-9833

Source:
Janet Buffer, Human Nutrition
jbuffer@ehe.osu.edu
614-247-8388

Lydia Medeiros, Human Nutrition
lmedeiros@ehe.osu.edu
614-292-2699

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohioans now can get the food safety information they need thanks to a new Ohio State University food safety website.

The website, http://foodsafety.osu.edu, offers consumers, health professionals and people who are at high risk of food-borne illness easy-to-understand, “plain talk” information that they can incorporate easily in their day-to-day life, said Lydia Medeiros, food safety specialist with Ohio State University Extension and one of the leaders in developing the site.

“We focused on information that helps people build skills,” said Medeiros, who is also a scientist with the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center and professor of human nutrition in the College of Education and Human Ecology. “Knowledge is good, but having the proper skills is the necessary factor that people need to implement their knowledge.”

The site contains numerous photos to illustrate food safety concepts for consumers in the “Ask Mom” area of the site, Medeiros said, including how to properly wash hands, test meat with a food thermometer, and prevent cross-contamination in the kitchen. The area for health professionals, “Ask the Doc,” provides food safety fact sheets that can be downloaded and shared with patients or clients who have been diagnosed with cancer or HIV/AIDS, who have had an organ transplant, who are pregnant or who have chronic conditions that make them more vulnerable to food-borne disease. In the “Ask the Teacher” portion of the site, educators have access to a PowerPoint presentation they can download to teach food safety concepts.

More materials will be added to the site, Medeiros said. “This is a dynamic website that will get deeper and broader as we add information to it,” she said.

In addition, the site offers users a way to ask Ohio State’s food safety professionals questions they can’t find answers to, by e-mailing foodsafety@osu.edu or calling Ohio State’s Food Safety Information Line, housed at the university’s Food Industry Center, at 800-752-2751 (toll-free in Ohio), 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The website and food safety e-mail and phone line are made possible by grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Integrated Food Safety Initiative; The Kroger Co., which also supports a broader food safety outreach program through its in-store educational campaign; and the Center for Innovative Food Technology, which helps support the Food Safety Information Line.

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Farmers' Market Management Network » Education

Mahoning county workshop will help farmers expand their sales

Related Posts:

Small Biz Workshops: Social Media and Ingredient Costing

On MARCH 27 Let ECDI Help You Boost Your Bottom Line

Return on Ingredients

Social Media in a Mobile World

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GAP Sessions for fruit and vegetable production

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Free Ag Conference Sponsorship for Ohio Women

Women Farm Sponsoring a Registration to 5 Upcoming Farmer Conferences!

Related Posts:

2011 List of Farmers’ Markets Accepting Ohio Direction Card

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Food Safety for the Garden

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FMC Newsletter

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How to Earn a Profit at the Farmers Market

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SNAP EBT Certification Training for your farmers’ market or farm market

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New Food Safety Website for Ohioans

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