Page B—Grower and Marketer, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 11, 1999 Direct Marketing Association Conference Jan. 31-Feb.2 E. SYRACUSE, N.Y. “Marketing in the New Millen nium” is the theme for the 2000 New York State Farmers’ Direct Marketing Conference scheduled at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel in Rochester, N.Y. Jan. 31-Feb. 2. The conference encompas ses many facets of agriculture in its efforts to assist agricultur al producers to be more effec tive direct marketers. Sessions will be held for livestock mark eting, pick-your-own opera tions, bedding plant sales, maple producers, Christmas tree growers, and any other agricltural producers interested in learning more about direct marketing their products, whether it be a collective far mers’ market or an on-farm market. Direct marketing of farm products of all types and variet ies will become the mainstay of the small family farm in the new millennium. This means everything from fruits and veg etables to livestock and dairy products to small grains and bedding plants. Marketing agri cultural products directly to the consumer, rather than whole sale or through a broker, allows the producer a wider margin and increased profits. To assist agricultural pro ducers in their marketing efforts, the NYS Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association invites all to participate in the 2000 Direct Marketing Conference. The annual Bus Tour has stops planned for every facet of farm marketing. A tour through Geneva’s Food Venture Center will be of interest to anyone interested in small food pro cessing. The guided tour will help provide answers to your “how-to” questions. A tour of Red Jacket Orchard’s farm market will be especially interesting to fruit growers. Their “cooler” sales room is an excellent way to pre serve the quality of apples while they are on display. Pine Hill Orchard will host (he group for a luncheon and pictorial “tour” of the orchard and farm market. The final stop for the day will be Casa Larga Wineries, the only winery in Monroe County. There will be a tour of the win ery along with wine tasting. Other stops are still in the plan ning stages, but will no doubt be of great interest to tour participants. Two-hour workshops are being conducted on a variety of subjects, all based on the pre mise of adding income by keep ing up with marketing trends for the new millennium. Adding income through fresh cut flowers will be explored, as well as herbal crafts and products. On-farm bakeries will be presented from start up to fin ished product. Learn the ropes of starting a bakery, what pro ducts sell well and why, where to find your products and sup plies, and how to market your finished baked goods. If you’re just starting a bakery or just looking for different products or supplies, this workshop is for you. “Designing a Display Gar den How and Why?” will be presented by Jim Ireland of Country Herbs and Flowers. His farm features many diffe rent types of display gardens. He’ll tell why at this workshop. Another way to attract custom ers to your market and increase sales is through cooking demonstrations and product sampling. Judy Price will hold a workshop on this topic and show the most effective way to conduct cooking demonstrations. Have you put off Worker Protection Standards (WPS) training or need a refresher course? Dave Reville of Cor nell Cooperative Extension of Wayne County will be conduct ing a WPS training class at the conference of Jan. 31. Be sure SUNFLOWER Plant While Preserving Precious Soil Moistures And Residues • Available in 7’ to 40' models • No til or conventional • 3 pt /caddy mounted/foldmg units Cut And Condition Working width from 10’ - 32’ A proven veteran of millions of acres Wing units transport at 12’4" Wing gauge wheels standard WE HAVE A MACHINE TO E DTITITT TYcUT lUCT 133 Rothsville Station Rd. , BffSlOS ffiFy u-KfSMK-. H ■ OIU/ ■*- AIV W . (717) 626-4705 1 -800-414-4705 rn p arTn pi an Fax 717-626-0996 www.binkleyhurst.com K 3 Aiermf olhPt Funn^nl to bring your employees with you for this training sessions. Pesticide credits will be given for this session. The conference seminars on Feb. 1-2 offer several tracts. One tract is geared people new to farm marketing. Sessions will carry the participant from the nuts and bolts of getting a farm stand started to advertis ing, setting prices, to employee training and issues, as well as ' the best fresh market varieties to offer. This two-day tract of seminars is a “must attend” for anyone just starting in farm direct marketing. Another tract is geared tow ard those who have been in farm direct marketing for a while and are now ready to branch out and expand their business. A sample of topics covered include entertainment farming, bedding plant sales, pick-your-own marketing, and small food businesses in your market: cafes, ice cream, etc. Business decision-making is another tract offered at the 2000 conference. This tract will delve into the many business decisions we make that can impact our business. For exam ple, one session will dig into the wsss&m 1-800-414-4705 Blli many insurance issues facing a farm market. This session will look at what are our risks and what we can do to minimize them. It will also explain what kinds of insurance we need to cany and why. Another session will cover the many audits a farm market can face and how to survive them. This session will cover IRS, Sales Tax, Labor, and DEC audits what to expect and how to be prepared. Trans ferring your business to the next generation will be reviewed. This topic will cover not only the legal issues, but the emotional ones as well. Finan cial recordkeeping and what it can tell us about business if it’s done right will also be covered. Steve Childs from Coopera tive Extension of Wyoming County will put together a three-hour session for maple producers on Wednesday, Feb. 2. Steve will present a group of speakers that will dig into maple syrup production and marketing. The afternoon of Feb. 2 the New York State Christmas Tree Growers will host a three hour session on marketing Size And Incorporate Soil-Retaining Residue • Working widths 9’ - 29’ • Heaviest frames in the industry • 1,750# point pressure • Subsoil shanks available • Exceptional residue flow “Uplift” And Distribute Valuable Surface Residue —: *1 *■ m P<:'" v-- 'V 'J| 5000 SERIES CULTIVATORS • High Residue-flow machine • Super duty construction • 18’ - 38’ working widths • 190# point pressure ED YOUR TILLAGE NEEDS! (Turn to Page 9) •pen Up ipaction Layers ire in the business ie wheels
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