Cascade Harvest
Coalition
Supporting
Farmers
Supporting Consumers
Building
Healthy Communities
Agricultural Programs
The Coalition’s Agricultural Programs are one way we translate our
broader mission and purpose into action.
Our key goals are to: (1) increase public awareness and appreciation of
the values of local agriculture; (2) promote preservation and protection of
agricultural lands; (3) enhance community food security and health by improving
access to and consumption of locally-produced food; and (4) provide a forum for
improving the dialogue, collaboration and actions on issues affecting the
region’s farmers, agricultural resources and quality of life.
Puget Sound
Fresh
Puget Sound Fresh is the region’s premier consumer
education and product identification program. Puget Sound Fresh educates
consumers in 12 counties about the health and environmental benefits of buying
and eating locally grown. The Puget Sound Fresh logo symbolizes the
important contribution that local food and farms make to the quality of life in
our region. Local farms provide not only
the best, freshest products, but help maintain the welcome open spaces that
make life in the Puget Sound region so special.
“Puget Sound Fresh” describes any product grown,
raised or harvested in one of the 12 counties that touch Puget Sound --
Clallam, Jefferson, Mason, Kitsap, Thurston, Pierce, King, Island, San Juan,
Snohomish, Skagit and Whatcom. As part
of the program, locally grown products are labeled with a Puget Sound Fresh
sticker or banner. Other farm products
not considered “fresh” can be labeled with the “Puget Sound Grown” logo. This includes wines grown and produced in the
Puget Sound Appellation, Christmas Trees, the growing variety of nursery
products and more. The logo was also
designed to be customized, providing the opportunity to more specifically brand
a farm, community or geographic area within the larger Puget Sound region. The Puget Sound Fresh Select Kitsap logo was
the first to be developed and marketed.
The program encourages area grocery stores, farmers
markets, restaurants and other retailers to source and promote local produce
and farm products by using the Puget Sound Fresh logo. Currently, nearly 70 farmers markets in the
region sell “Puget Sound Fresh” products.
Local grocery stores featuring Puget Sound Fresh include PCC Natural
Markets, Metropolitan Market, Madison Market, Safeway, QFC, Whole Foods and
Haggen/Top Foods.
The
The Puget Sound Fresh website
– maintained in partnership with King County and the King Conservation District
– is a fantastic tool for finding local farms and local farm products. The searchable database gives you lots of
flexibility in searching by farm product, organic certification, u-pick
opportunities, wholesale, location, farmers market, special farm-related events
and much more. For Puget Sound area
farmers, annual membership in the Coalition includes a listing on the Puget
Sound Fresh web page.
If you’d like to find out
more about the program, getting listed in the Farm Guide, CSA Directory or on
the web site, using the logo on farm products, or other program components,
please call us at 206-632-0606 or email mary@oz.net.
Washington
FarmLink
Washington FarmLink is the state’s leading program to
link aspiring farmers and landowners and helps build sustainable farming
operations. FarmLink addresses barriers
that farmers face in keeping their land in farming and answers the call for
more technical assistance and education.
FarmLink helps ensure that
working farms remain in agricultural production and helps facilitate the
transition of farms to the next generation by connecting people with the
resources and technical expertise necessary to achieve these goals through: (1)
a farmer/landowner matching service; (2) educational workshops; (3) a
comprehensive one-stop resource center; and (4) one-on-one assistance.
Since becoming the home of
the program in 2002, over 800 individuals have requested information, enrolled
in the program, and/or participated in one of nearly 30 educational workshops,
we have helped keep over 300 acres in agricultural production, and have
provided hundreds of hours of one-on-one assistance.
Enrollees help support the
program with an annual program fee of $35.
If you would like more information, call 206-632-0606. To download and enrollment form, click on one
of the following links.
Farm-to-Table:
Connecting Local Farmers with Local Food Buyers
Providing access to new markets and expanding sales
for locally grown products are key ways of improving the economic viability and
sustainability of local farmers.
Throughout the US, a growing number of efforts are underway to identify
and implement programs that get more local products to consumers. A key focus of these efforts has been on food
service providers, including restaurants, school cafeterias, university food
services, nursing homes, hospitals and prisons.
The potential impact for increased sales of local products is
tremendous, given the volume of food eaten in these locations.
Farmers
need practical support to make market links to retailers and institutions
possible. Some of the key barriers to
making successful links include:
§
How to find one
another (one of the biggest barriers);
§
Speaking the same
language/communication; and
§
Lack of education
on the buyers side of how to design a menu, both seasonally and financially to
mange product cost effectively.
In 2005, with funding from the WSDA Small Farm
and Direct Marketing Program, the Coalition coordinated two farmer/buyer
workshops as part of farm to cafeteria efforts throughout the region. The purpose was to facilitate producer-buyer
linkages with the specific goal of improving economic conditions for local
farmers by providing new marketing opportunities. In addition to these direct economic
benefits, new linkages could also result in getting fresher, healthier food to
children, seniors and the community; help preserve local agriculture; and
provide additional economic benefits to local communities as a result of local
purchasing decisions.
The two workshops, held in February 2005,
attracted 67 farmers, buyers and community members. Each workshop included introductions, a
discussion of needs and opportunities in the local food system, and the best
strategies for matching farmers with buyers.
A panel of farmers and buyers discussed types of working arrangements
they had, what each side needs to be aware of before approaching the other
(e.g. payment terms, delivery, volume, etc.), and how to deal with seasonal and
quality issues. The discussions were
followed by a “speed dating” session that matched farmers with food service
buyers.
Given the success of these
workshops the Coalition, with partial funding from WSDA, conducted three
farmer/buyer workshops in 2006 and five workshops in 2007. Attendance at these events has steadily
increased. The 2006 workshops attracted
100 participants and the 2007 workshops attracted over 170. One of the key goals of the workshops is to
connect farmers and buyers. As a result of connections made at these meetings,
Washington farmers made over $40,000 in new sales of products (as measured
one-month after each event) with additional sales planned. The networking sessions resulted in a number
of new relationships being formed as well as a desire on the part of buyers to
seek out more local farm products and on the part of farmers to seek out more
local buyers. Overall, participants
indicate that the workshops are vital for facilitating local food sales. One
participant responded: “Given the time constraints both groups
(producers/buyers) have, these meetings can be an efficient way of making
contacts and quickly determining if there is a possible fit.”
The
Coalition received additional grant funding from WSDA in the fall of 2007 for
five workshops in 2008 to be held in Thurston, Clallam, Clark, Douglas and
Okanogan counties. All workshops will be
held on Mondays from 1 – 4pm and are free of charge.
The
Heritage Hall at Thurston County Fair Grounds
Lacey,
WA 98503
RSVP by
January 9th to farmtotable2008@gmail.com
2210
South Peabody Street
Port Angeles,
WA 98362
RSVP by
February 7 to farmtotable2008@gmail.com
4600 SE
Columbia Way
RSVP by
February 21 to farmtotable2008@gmail.com
RSVP by
February 28 to farmtotable2008@gmail.com
Agricultural
Complex Okanogan County Fair Grounds
175
Rodeo Trail Road
Okanogan,
WA 98840
RSVP by
March 28 to farmtotable2008@gmail.com
For additional information and
registration, contact Mark McIntyre, project coordinator, 206-632-0606 or
mcintyremt@gmail.com.
The Puget Sound Food Project
involves a strategic planning process and study to assess the feasibility of a
multi-purpose agricultural production center for Puget Sound producers. Begun in September 2007 with funding from the
Carolyn Foundation, the project is actively engaging small and mid-sized family
farms, local food buyers, business leaders and local decision makers in a
participatory planning process to identify current and planned farmer-buyer
relationships; explore and assess the feasibility of various enterprises for
the multi-purpose agriculture production center; provide quality information on
the risks/benefits of alternatives for decision making; identify new
opportunities through the investigative process; and help identify additional
partners and funding for specific business development efforts.
We’ve conducted stakeholder
interviews throughout the Puget Sound region to determine what projects are
needed, planned or already in the pipeline.
The second phase of the project – currently underway – is to interview
buyers about their interest and commitment to sourcing locally, what products
they use or could use, in what quantities and at what price, and their interest
in potentially collaborating on facilities.
Concurrently, we’ve begun to inventory existing processing facilities,
their capacity and flexibility, and price points. Data from these efforts will give us a good
idea about product demand. We will then
interview producers to see what they are producing that could meet the demand
and what processing link is required to realize market transactions. Projects that look promising will move
forward to begin the economic feasibility analysis.
If you’d like more
information about the Puget Sound Food Project, contact Mary Embleton, Project
Manager, at mary@oz.net, or at 206.623.0606.
4649 Sunnyside Avenue North, Room 123, Seattle, WA 98103
phone: (206) 632-0606 fax: (206) 632-1080 email: mary@oz.net