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.