For the past three years, Seacoast Eat Local has been partnering with the University of Massachusetts Extension, University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, and Communities Involved in Sustaining Agriculture on a SARE grant around one of our favorite topics, winter vegetable production and sales. This upcoming workshop is an opportunity for all of us to share some of the results of this work with farmers as we all work hard to make it possible for everyone to eat locally all year long.
Growing Over to the Dark Side: Building a Successful Enterprise with Winter Vegetable Production and Sales
Thursday, March 6, 2014
9:30 am to 5:00 pm
Publick House, Sturbridge, MA
event flyer (.pdf)
The demand for winter vegetables has grown dramatically in the past five years, and farmers’ skills in growing and storing produce for winter sales has expanded with it. Everyone who builds a winter component into their farming enterprise has to adapt how they grow, wash, package, store, and move vegetables around to deal with conditions of the frozen and dark side of the calendar. Plus, they need to develop new marketing venues. In this program, experienced farmers and marketers will offer their insights, followed by plenty of time in each session for farmer to farmer discussion.
The agenda includes:
- Systems for winter production and storage
- Managing Products for Winter Markets
- Winter markets and marketing opportunities
Sign up for a free one-on-one “Ask the Expert” session!
Myrna Greenfield, owner of Good Egg Marketing, will be on hand during the day to hold mini “Ask the Expert” sessions to talk about your marketing challenges. Good Egg Marketing specializes in marketing for farms and food businesses.
Contact Lisa McKeag at 413-577-3976 or [email protected] to reserve one of these 15-minute one-on-one sessions to talk about your branding, marketing strategy, website, social media, or displays. Myrna will also be available for informal conversation during lunch. Bring your printed materials, a printout of your website home page, or your Facebook page. There’s limited availability, so sign up today!
Registration:
Send registration form with payment to Lisa McKeag Ag. Engineering Bldg, 250 Natural Resources Rd., UMass, Amherst 01003 – 9295 or RSVP by February 27 to 413-577-3976 or [email protected] and pay at registration. Cost: $30 per person, $25 per person for 3 or more from same business.
Pre-Registration Deadline – February 27. Walk-ins welcome though space is limited.
More information is available on the Production and Marketing of Winter Vegetables website or by contacting Lisa McKeag, 413-577-3976 or [email protected] or Becky Sideman 603-862- 3203, [email protected]
Directions: Publick House, 277 Main St, Sturbridge, MA 01566. Near Exit 9 off I-84 just south of I-90, MA Turnpike.
This program is funded in part by Northeast SARE.