Buy Fresh Buy Local Membership Campaign Underway

cows walking

Cows move toward the barn at milking time at the Milky Way Farm near Troy in Bradford County. The farm and its companion restaurant are charter members of the Northern Tier chapter of Buy Fresh Buy Local prgram. The Endless Mountains Heritage Region has embarked on a membership campaign for Buy Local Buy Fresh and has laid the groundwork for future programming, promotions, and events.

The Northern Tier chapter of Buy Fresh Buy Local (BFBL) – a national network designed to increase the production and consumption of local farm products – is currently recruiting new members and urging past members to renew for 2015. The regional chapter was adopted last year by Endless Mountains Heritage Region (EMHR) and has four types of members:

Farmer/Grower; Farmers Market; Restaurant/Business and Supporters. Anyone who grows food, sells local food or supports the concept of local foods is encouraged to join the chapter. The Northern Tier chapter covers Wyoming, Susquehanna, Bradford, Tioga, and Sullivan Counties.

The primary goal of those who coordinate similar programs across the state and nation is to promote local agriculture, farm stands, wineries and breweries and the grocery outlets and restaurants that support them. All members are represented and promoted via two key publications – the Local Food Guide and the Farmers Markets Guide, which are updated as needed.

The initiative was given a local identity in 2007 when it the Northern Tier chapter was formed by the Northern Tier Cultural Alliance (NTCA) with financial assistance from EMHR, which took BFBL under its wing in 2013. EMHR Executive Director Phil Swank credited Ruth Tonachel, Jen Swain, and Kathy Joyce as being instrumental in developing the local BFBL program.

We’re confident that we will be able to run this program very well,” Swank told EMHR board members in 2013. “I see a lot of promise for this program to grow…and help out the agricultural heritage of the region.”

Buy Fresh Buy Local also serves as a conduit for people interested in local food and farming and develops educational materials for use in schools and at public events. In addition to working with farmers and growers to help them market their products in the region, EMHR has worked in concert with the Bradford County Conservation District (BCCD) to learn how local ag producers and consumers feel about current trends in farming and food production and also to hear their suggestions for the most viable ways to move the industry forward.

According to Swank, EMHR helped BCCD procure a DCNR grant to fund the study to learn what new ideas might benefit not just Bradford County but also the more extensive BFBL network.

The results of their efforts include a comprehensive analysis of agricultural heritage, current trends, and prospects. “We’re looking at different models and establishing new venues to exchange information in and beyond the county, such as linking growers to markets throughout the region. We’re looking for sectors, markets, and products and working together to better promote them.”

There are components that I believe that we can bring to the table collectively through funding and cooperation,” said BCCD Agricultural Team Leader Tony Liguori. Round-table discussions as part of the initiative are ongoing, he related, but the information gathered over the past two years has already produced a viability strategy and a successful new event.

A Taste of the Endless Mountains, held on Oct. 25 at the Troy Sale Barn attracted numerous vendors and hundreds of patrons in its inaugural run. Co-coordinator Nicole Harris estimates that nearly 350 people attended. Participants suggested that “Taste” events could be held more frequently – perhaps seasonally. Swank hopes to expand A Taste of the Endless Mountains to include all participating BFBL counties in 2015.

EMHR and BCCD also share an interest in farm transition and farm retention, the latter an effort to keep viable working farms in motion. Swank noted that natural gas royalty payments provided opportunities for some older farmers to retire early. “But the barns and the equipment are still there,” said Swank. “People who are interested in farming but can’t afford to buy one might be able to develop lease agreements with land owners to sort of get their feet wet.” Liguori added that plans are already underway for a website that would have a tab or section to serve as a clearing house for those who have land available to be farmed and those who want to farm it.

Swank serves as the contact for the Buy Fresh Buy Local campaign and can be reached at 570-265-1528 or via email at emhr@epix.net. To download an application for 2015 Buy Local Buy Fresh membership, log on to www.endlessmountainsheritage.org.

Taste of the Endless Mtns flyer

 

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