Projects
& Programs
Agriventure
Program
The Agriventure Program began in September 2003
thanks to a four-year grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Winrock International is funding a three year grant for expansion of the Agriventure program.
The goal of Agriventure is to build a local food system
where agricultural products are grown and processed in
central New York and consumers can access an array of
farm fresh, healthy foods. Agriventure provides business
and market planning to farmers, cooperatives and agriculture
entrepreneurs. CADE has also produced a manual - Successful Agricultural Venture.
Consumer outreach is also a part of Agriventure. For consumers
interested in “buying local”, click Where
to Buy Local Farm Products. In addition, public policy
work and youth education are components of Agriventure.
Dairy Value-Added Collaborative Marketing and Business Development Project
The Dairy Value-Added Collaborative Marketing and Business Development Project began in January 2007 thanks to a one year grant from the New York Farm Viability Institute. The goal of this project is to improve profitability of 7 dairy ventures while decreasing distibution costs. The 7 producers from 5 central New York counties will share what they have learned over the year with other ventures throughout New York State.
Producers and CADE staff will hold 3 farm venture tours of processing facilities throughout the year. If you are interested in attending a farm tour, please contact CADE at 607-433-2545 for more information.
Innovative Approaches to Collaboration and Organization
for Agricultural Marketing Cooperatives Project
The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets
is providing the seed money for this one-year project (October
2002 to September 2003) to design and pilot test innovative
marketing efforts of four cooperatives in New York State.
The goal of the project is to improve the efficiency and
profitability of cooperatives through collaborative marketing
efforts.
Agricultural Products Distribution Initiative
Distribution of specialty agricultural products
is often identified as the number one challenge of small
farm producers
of specialty agricultural products. Thanks to funding
from the New York State Energy, Research and Development
Authority
(NYSERDA), CADE will study five distribution systems
and pilot test the most promising model in the second
year
of the project. The goal of this initiative is the development
of a cost- and energy-efficient distribution system for
farmers and processors of specialty farm products in
New York State.
Upstate/Downstate Educational Agriculture
and Marketing Education Partnership
The Upstate/Downstate
Partnership brings together agriculture
and visual arts/media students from the Otsego BOCES near
Cooperstown with marketing students from New York City
schools. This unique program includes field trips, selling
products at the Greenmarket in NYC, and other collaborative
learning activities. It bridges the gap between rural and
urban kids—making connections that will strengthen
both the food system and cultural understandings. The project
is a collaboration between the Otsego BOCES (a occupational
center with the Innovative Agriculture and Visual Arts/Media
programs), SUNY Cobleskill’s Agriculture Tech Prep
program, Brooklyn Technical College’s Tech Prep program
and the New York City Board of Education. The goal: to
develop future entrepreneurial farmers and marketers of
agricultural products.
Pasture Meats Initiative and On-Farm Poultry Processing
Study
This New York State Energy, Research and Development Authority
(NYSERDA)-funded initiative was completed in December 2002
with promising findings regarding the cost- and energy-efficiency
of pasture raised meat production and the establishment
of on-farm poultry and small ruminant processing facilities.
The data collected in this grant demonstrated the efficiencies
of grass-fed meat production compared to traditional, high
input methods. In addition, the feasibility study of an
on-farm poultry and small ruminant processing facility
showed that an on-farm operation would save $0.48 per poultry
unit compared to shipping poultry to slaughterhouses for
processing. This savings is based on the processing of
20,000 poultry units per year and factors in the capital
cost of the facility, labor and other expenses. For more
information click on the NYSERDA
Meats and Poultry Initiative Final Report.
Two publications—Energy-Efficient Grass-Based Meat
and Veal Production and Marketing Manual and Feasibility
Study for Energy Efficient On-Farm Poultry and Small Ruminant
Processing Plants—are now available on the publications
page.
Another outcome of this project was the formation of the
Meadow Raised Meats Cooperative, a legally operating cooperative
that produces and markets grass-fed meats. For more information
about the cooperative, visit their website at www.meadowraisedmeats.com.
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