Growing the Future News Archives...

Here you will find articles about ...

Programs and policies working to make farms more profitable,
Insights into the role of direct markets and the bottom line, and
How we can plan proactively for the future of farming in

Northeast Ohio

New Marketing Resource comes to Ohio

marketmaker logo

MarketMaker is a web based business program that connects agricultural markets to the clients they serve, both locally and across state lines.

For more information or to register log on to:

OSU Direct Markets webpage

or call Julie Fox at 740.289.2071

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Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund

A new Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund has been established. The non-profit organization was founded to protect the rights of farmers to provide meat, eggs, raw dairy products, vegetables and other foods directly to consumers.

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Monroe's Orchard & Farm Market, LLC - Pioneer Trail Orchard

Susan and Roger Monroe (3rd generation farmers) have a diversified, direct market fruit business and farm market in Hiram, Ohio. Visit the link below to see how they are marketing themselves on the web.

http://www.pioneertrailorchard.com/index.html

Online resource for Farm Business Planning, Marketing and Agritourism

Visit our Agricultural Viability page to view a powerpoint presentation on Farm Business Planning from David Marrison, OSU Extension, Ashtabula County and information on Direct Marketing and Agritourism from Dr. Julie Fox, OSU at Piketon.

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Vegetables

Abstract from OSU's Agripreneur

For a small business start-up, capital is one of the more critical items that demands much attention from the business founders...The four major sources of external equity capital available to small business include: angel investors, venture capital, private placement of securities, and public offerings of securities. Because start-up capitalization is so essential, this issue of The Agripreneur is devoted to a comparison of the equity capital sources from informal markets, such as equity capital from angel investors and venture capital firms.

Read the full article at the Agripreneur website

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Ag Matters- Read the spring edition newsletter from the National Campaign on Sustainable Agriculture. This edition includes updates on the National Uniformity in Food Act and the National Animal Identification System as well as sustainable agriculture priorities for the 2007 Farm Bill

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www.sustain360.org Farm Friends, Circle Up!

Organic Valley Family of Farms is proud to co-sponsor a new online forum for the discussion of all things organic. Sustain360 is a grassroots community that invites a full circle of opinions to be expressed.

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Interested in saving money on inputs, Increasing sustainability?

Steve and Tony Polter of Polter's Berry Farm in Fremont, Ohio, built this blue roller based on the Rodale Institute's design.

Rodale Institute Plans for no-till roller free for the downloading

This implement is the centerpiece of an eight-region research project testing its development in more sustainable crop production systems. The one-pass mechanical cover kill and no-till planting system offers fuel and input savings as these costs are trending upwards.

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USDA Agricultural Marketing Service creates farmers market resource guide

The guide lists grants, programs, financial and informational resources available from both public and private sources. It also hilights over 100 projects and grants available to start or improve farmers markets.

Download the guide
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Opportunities for the "natural meat market"

Did you know that the natural market is the fastest growing segment of the meat market. It ranges from hormone-free beef to pork raised on natural bedding. It offers premium prices and potentially much higher returns.

What makes the natural market most intriguing is that it offers smaller producers a competitive advantage with consumers over corporate farms. A nationwide Roper poll found that consumers trust small farms more than large industrial farms to produce safe food responsibly by a 2:1 margin.

Read more of this informative article by Jon Bailey from the Center for Rual Affairs.

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Resource information for farmers

Have you ever wondered where to go or who to call for information about how to get into value added processing, tips for getting into farmers' markets or marketing your products in general? Read More....

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Study says flexibility, innovation are new keys to prosperous agriculture

Patty Cantrell, Great Lakes Bulletin News Service article for the Michigan Land Use Institute

"...With nearly everything changing in the world of farming-from federal subsidies that may soon decline, to the increased vulnerability of cross-country shipping, to rising fuel prices-it's high time Michigan developed a new vision for successful agriculture," Dr. Adelaja said. And, in an era when only very small and very large farms seem to be prospering, he insists that size really does not matter. "It's a matter of which farms are the most resilient, diverse, and flexible," Dr. Adelaja said.

According to Dr. Adelaja "Under future market conditions, medium-size family farms actually have the most going for them in terms of resiliency, diversity, and flexibility...I'm saying the farms in the middle are more likely to be successful and that's why we should help them, versus they're in trouble and we should help them,"

...Read More of this article by Patty Cantrell Great Lakes Bulletin News Service

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How can the state of Ohio support agriculture? By taking the lead from our neighbor.

Farmers Rejoice as Governor Orders State to Buy Michigan First Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm orders that all state purchases "buy Michigan fist"

This program allows farmers to "sell their products to the state's 44 correctional facilities, the biggest buyer of food in state government, and later perhaps to state hospitals, state office building cafeterias, and state-funded universities. And the new directive puts Michigan in the forefront of states making their purchasing clout work double duty as economic investment tools-putting dollars into preserving and building farm jobs, strengthening family farmers, and protecting farmland from sprawl. " Read the full article by Dianne Conners from the Great Lakes Bulletin News Service posted at the Michigan Land Use Institute web site.

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Michigan takes a proactive approach to planning for agriculture.