Top: Farmers and food entrepreneurs mingle at the conference. Photo courtsey of the conference's Facebook page. Above: A promotional video for the 2014 Farm to Market Connection Conference.
Every year, farmers and foodies gather in Sullivan County to discuss the million-dollar question facing the Catskills: How can our rural small farms and businesses reach the enormous New York City market just 100 miles to the south?
The Farm to Market Connection Conference, sponsored by Pure Catskills and the Watershed Agricultural Council, brings farm and food entrepreneurs together to network and swap ideas for how to make a living out of regional agriculture.
There's lots to learn at a gathering like this. In years past, speakers have talked about building a CSA farm from scratch, the dangers of calico patters at the farmers' market, and taking advantage of the perception that farmers and farming are "cool."
This year, Rebecca Morgan of the Center for Agricultural Development and Entrepreneurship and Jennifer Grossman of Jennifer K. Grossman Consulting will deliver the keynote "State of the Foodshed" address at the daylong conference, which also features workshops, a trade show, and a local foods catered lunch, all included in the $35 entrance fee.
The Watershed Post will have a booth showcasing our print Catskills Food Guide, and our Food Guide editor, Jennifer Strom, will be making the rounds to learn about the latest developments in the Catskills food scene.
Farm to Market Connection Conference. Sunday, March 30, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Michael Ritchie Big Barn Center at the Center for Discovery. 103 Mitteer Road, Hurleyville. To register online, click here.
The Watershed Agricultural Council and Pure Catskills are Watershed Post advertisers and sponsors of the Catskills Food Guide.
