PDA Launches ‘Simply Delicious’ Fruit And Vegetable Campaign HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) It is almost the peak sea son for fresh fruits and vegetables in Pennsylvania, and Agriculture Secretary Sam Hayes is out tell ing the good story about the “Simply Delicious” fruits and vegetables which are grown in Pennsylvania. This year, a television cam paign is being launched across Pennsylvania for consumers on behalf of Pennsylvania’s fruit and vegetable growers. This is the first time ever that the Pennsyl vania Department of Agriculture (PDA) has embarked upon a tele vision campaign for Pennsylva nia agriculture. More than 2,000 thirty-second television spots will help tell the “Simply Delicious” story across Pennsylvania. This campaign builds on the UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre Co.) Penn State has developed an interactive World Wide Web site for Pennsylvania agriculture that helps consumers, fanners and businesses find local produc ers of commodities and services. Called AgMap, the Website’s ad dress is http://agmap.psu.edu. The site offers a searchable da tabase that includes products grown or made around the Key stone State, allowing users to lo cate goods near their home, farm or business. The site includes complete descriptions of these products and provides informa tion about how to find and con tact the growers and producers directly. Pennsylvania is a national leader in agricultural production, with.l, products ranging from Call For Information & Dealer Nearest To You! Products 0f... __ o _ ... _ . _ . ' 539 Falling Spring Road Chambersburg, PA 17201 888-464-6379 Fax (717) 263-5573 tnfo@rydersupply.com RYDER Supply New Consumer’s Guide to PA Farm Markets Now Ready billboard campaign which was also initiated by the PDA and will provide 400 “Simply Deli cious” billboards across Pennsyl vania this growing season. In addition, a new edition of PDA’s popular Consumer’s Guide to Pennsylvania Farm Markets was recently released for the new season. This guide to Pennsylvania farmer’s markets will help con sumers who like to pick their own berries, get temporarily lost in a corn maze, or stop at a road side market for fresh fruits and vegetables. The user-friendly farmer’s market publication lists, by county, almost 1,000 farm markets and roadside stands in each of the state’s 67 counties. Secretary Hayes observed, “The men and women of Penn- Penn State Website For Ag Marketing And Commerce apples to wood being shipped around the world. Yet many Pennsylvanians don’t even real ize what is being grown within a few miles of their homes, laments Rick Day, AgMap project direc tor and associate professor of soil science and environmental in formation systems in the College of Agricultural Sciences. “Local farmers may not be aware that the resources they need are available in the next county,” he says, “and area busi nesses and consumers that use agricultural products might not know that what they need is available locally.” All that is peeded to use AgMap is a computer with In ternet access and a Web browser. Behind the scenes, Penn State’s Land Analysis Lab and the coop erative extension global position- sylvania agriculture have worked hard to provide another great crop of fresh fruits and vege tables for their local customers. We all know home-grown is best and it is Simply Delicious.” Bob Trax, owner of Trax Farms Market and member of the Pennsylvania Vegetable Re search and Marketing Board said, “Never before has the PDA done so much to help promote Pennsylvania fruits and vege tables. It’s good for Pennsylvania agriculture and Pennsylvania consumers.” Contact the Pennsylvania De partment of Agriculture for in formation about its “Simply Deli cious” program or a copy of the new edition of its Consumer’s Guide to Pennsylvania Farm Markets by calling Kyle Nagurny at 717-787-2376. ing program maintains a Web enabled database that is linked to a geographic information system, letting users easily search for farms, farm products and serv ices based on how close they are to the user. The system has been designed to be extremely easy to use. The information included in AgMap comes directly from the farmers and industry. To enter information about their business es, farmers just follow a few sim ple steps. “We’re confident that AgMap will be good for the state’s agri cultural industry,” Day says, “and that farmers, other produc ers and agricultural service pro viders will want to be on the map. It will improve direct mar keting between producers and consumers and will help keep marginal operations in business.” Shown at Trax Farms Market in Washington County, Secretary Hayes picked fresh strawberries with several visitors to the farmers market, including Shannon and Abby Miles. AgMap allows users to search for agricultural services based on location, products and service types. A consumer might find places off the beaten path that offer locally grown produce, trees and other products at a low cost. For instance, if a consumer is looking for a farm to pick straw berries, he or she can visit the AgMap Website, enter a home lo cation and ask for a search of all strawberry growers within a 20-mile radius. AgMap will re turn a list of all the farms that meet the criteria as well as a map showing how to get to the farms from the consumer’s home. In addition to helping farmers and buyers find each other, AgMap provides a communica tions network among agricultural businesses in Pennsyl vania. This network allows pro- Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 13, 2002-A33 ducers to identify and contact other producers who offer similar products and services, which of fers several benefits. For market analysis, businesses can use AgMap to determine lo cations of competitors and to de termine voids in services where new businesses might be success ful. In emergency situations such as droughts, producers with products for sale will be able to find and contact other producers who need products. In cases of plant or animal dis ease outbreaks, producers will be able to contact similar producers to help determine how they are dealing with adverse conditions. For more information about AgMap, contact Rick Day at (814) 863-1615 or rday@psu. edu.
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