An idea that took root in a revisiting of the Schoharie County Ag Roundtable has born fruit…and potatoes, corn, alfalfa, and beef with a website for the six-county Mohawk Valley Farm and Agribusiness Network,
The website launched in September and is intended as a resource for farmers in Fulton, Herkimer, Montgomery, Oneida, Otsego, and Schoharie Counties, local Ag Specialist Nick Kossmann told members of supervisors’ Agriculture Committee.
It includes tabs for loans and grants, the Agri-Smart program, local farmers markets, and local and county resources and is intended to be a work in progress and a “farm action network for all.”
Mr. Kossmann reconvened the Ag Roundtable of 10 industry reps back in February, the first time it had met since 2019, and asked them to look at the projects and priorities outlined in the 2017 Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan–and decide which ones they should be working on.
One of the first issues to emerge was how to better share what they’re doing with each other–and farmers; the MVFAN website, at MVFoodAction.org is an effort to do that as a clearinghouse for all things agriculture and agribusiness.
MVFAN was created in 2010 in Oneida County as a way to help strengthen the local food system, increase opportunities for value-added products, create agriculture jobs, and increase access to healthy foods.
Mr. Kossmann said the website builds on those goals and taps into the partnerships started by the Roundtable.
“It’s a great website and it’s very user-friendly,” Mr. Kossmann told supervisors. “It’s something we talked about at the Roundtable and it’s really a great start.”
Mr. Kossmann said he plans to use the website to spread the word about a workshop he’s planning next year on increasing market opportunities for local producers.
He’s also looking into the possibility of creating an internship in his office for a SUNY Cobleskill Ag Comms major student–a major just kicked off in June–who could help spread the Rountables’ message to different platforms.
“I get to feeling old when some of these 22-year-olds mention platforms I’ve never heard of,” he said, “plus I’m a one-man show. I think it could be a good opportunity.”