Baskets to Pallets II: Establishing a NYS Leadership Team of Wholesale Marketing Specialists

Educators and the project leader met, planned and created the announcement below to advertise the Baskets to Pallets two day training held on January 29-30, 2018.

Baskets to Pallets Two Day Training
Tug Hill Vineyards, Lowville, NY

January 29 & January 30, 10:00am - 4:00pm

The 'Baskets to Pallets' course is designed for farmers of all enterprises and will cover building relationships with buyers, customer management and record keeping, pricing, grading and packaging, uniformity and consistency, and food safety, among many other topics!  This fun course includes plenty of hands-on activities and opportunities for peer learning and small group discussion.  The course includes one break-out session for livestock and produce farmers. Additionally, the training includes an end-of-day session to start crop-planning for selling to the NNY Food Hub, based out of Jefferson county CCE, during the 2018 growing season.

Training Agenda

DAY 1: Monday, January 29^th

DAY 2: Tuesday, January 30th

Training Instructors

Violet Stone Violet launched the Baskets to Pallets Project in 2014 in an effort to prepare direct-marketing farmers to successfully connect with new scale-appropriate markets.  Prior to joining the Cornell Small Farms staff  in 2007, Violet worked as a farmers market manager, local foods educator and farm direct-marketing consultant. She has a Certificate in Agroecology from the UC Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems.  She is also the  New York NESARE (Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education State Coordinator.	Cathy Moore Catherine Moore is the Agriculture, Natural Resources & Fort Drum Issue Leader at Jefferson County Cornell Cooperative Extension.  Cathy is the coordinator of the NNY Food Hub, a regional initiative to help local producers expand their production and become more competitive in the marketplace. The hub serves an area that includes Jefferson, Lewis, Oswego, and St. Lawrence counties.
Liz Higgins As a CCE Business Management Specialist, Liz provides research and extension support to growers in ENY in farm business management, business planning and risk management and agricultural economics. She as experience as the director of the Center for Rural Development at Louisiana Tech University and most recently worked with CCE in both Ulster and Sullivan Counties as a program leader in Nutrition and Consumer Programs.	Crystal Stewart Crystal works as an extension vegetable specialist for CCE, focusing on organic horticulture, small and beginning farmers assistance, and basic farm business management. She worked as Regional Extension Educator with the SDSU Cooperative Extension providing horticulture support, and originally joined CCE as the horticulture and agriculture educator in Fulton and Montgomery counties.
Betsy Hodge Betsy is Regional Livestock Educator for CCE's NNY Regional Ag Team and is also a local educator for St. Lawrence County. In this dual role, Betsy leads the NNY Livestock Team, a group of Extension Educators from across Northern New York. Betsy is a member of  Farm Bureau and the Empire Sheep Producers Association as well as a member of several advisory boards.	Lindsey Pashow Lindsey is an Agriculture Business Development and Marketing Specialist for CCE's Harvest NY Team that is affiliated with the Northern NY Regional Agriculture Program. She serves Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties. She has previously worked as a horticulture field technician for CCE, and she owns Adirondack View Vineyard.

The Training drew 50 attendees, including 34 farmers and 16 agricultural service providers.  See map of participant locations.

Learn about the attendees by viewing the pre-Training survey describing participants current market channels, markets of interest and educational goals for attending the Training.

Post evaluation showed that 21 attendees reported they were somewhat or very LIKELY to pursue new wholesale markets over the next year.  23 attendees reported that after finishing the Training, they felt somewhat or very READY to pursue new wholesale markets.  See other evaluation results.

Additionally, two out-of-state educators attended with plans of reproducing materials in their respective states.  Christine Quane from Eastern Market Food Hub in Detroit Michigan attended the Training and is currently converting the Training to an online course to be offered to farmers in conjunction with in-person technical assistance.  Erin Windham from the CT Department of Agriculture plans to offer a version of the Training tailored to Connecticut farmers in Fall, 2018.

The recruitment announcement to join the Cohort drew 28 applications from educators, non-profits, agency and farmer-educators in rural and urban regions all over New York. 14 applicants were notified of acceptance on May 31st.  See the new membership list below or learn more about the members here.  

Announcing the Baskets to Pallets Educator Cohort

The Baskets to Pallets project is pleased to announce members of the new Baskets to Pallets Educator Cohort.  Over the next 2.5 years, members will have the opportunity to work closely to share knowledge and expertise, design and teach lesson plans, meet buyers, receive free coaching and 'big picture' perspectives on local food marketing trends from specialists, and trial strategies with local farmers seeking to enter intermediary markets.

Baskets to Pallets Educator Cohort 

This 'Opening Gathering' took place on August 7-8. View our Agenda. Most of the members of our new Baskets to Pallets Cohort hadn’t met before, so we spent the morning getting to know each other’s passions, interests and niches within the food system. The group then turned focus toward its mission — to facilitate access to new market channels for farmers interested in entering “intermediate” venues such as food hubs, grocery stores, restaurants and cooperatives. We launched into our work together by looking at big market trends such as the rapid acceleration of online grocery sales and consumer’s growing preferences for local, fresh food. Big trends affect sales for farmers on the ground, and we want to stay abreast of how the food scene is changing and how we can advise farmers to take advantage of new opportunities. Then, we reflected more personally on the marketing challenges and opportunities we were each observing in the regions where we work. Yes, the data tells us that local food is big and in growing demand, but local reports confirm it’s challenging to get small products to big markets and we have plenty of work ahead in getting farmers ready for wholesale and connecting them to scale-appropriate markets.

We rounded out our gathering by talking with buyers from throughout the Northeast. Conversations with staff at Headwater Food Hub, Red Tomato and Honest Weight Food Cooperative shed some perspectives on what buyers do and don’t need to have successful business relationships with farmers. Strong communication skills came up across the board, but not all buyers required GAPS/food safety certifications or had hard and fast requirements regarding grading/sorting/packaging. In summary, every buyer is unique and most of the success lies in finding the right producer/buyer match and building a relationship. As educators serving in the Baskets to Pallets cohort, we hope to help farmers navigate potential buyers and support steps toward wholesale success. That might mean supporting a producer in achieving better uniformity and consistency, food safety standards, grading/packaging, labeling, or whatever steps are needed to find success in intermediate markets.

This milestone was actually completed in November, 2018.  The period following the Opening Gathering was consumed by paperwork related to educator reimbursements and expenses for the Gathering.  I created a shared google group for easy email communication at the address "baskets-to-pallets-educator-cohort@googlegroups.com".  We will use this address to begin sharing resources, trainings and ideas related to connecting farmers to new markets. 

The two regional trainings were sited in Rochester (WNY) and the Hudson Valley region (ENY) during the month of March, 2019.  However, before press was released we learned that the NYC based non-profit FARMroots had plans to bring Kitchen Table Consultants to the Hudson Valley region to offer a 2 day wholesale market training targeting Greenmarket growers (this term refers to farmers who sell at the network of 50+ farmers markets based in New York City).  To avoid confusion and any potential duplication, we postponed the Hudson Valley Training until January 2020.

5 members of our Cohort participated as instructors.  These farmers and educators brought new content and expertise into the Training, enabling us to offer a second track of workshops.

See our Rochester Training Press, Instructor Team Biographies and Schedule below.

Baskets to Pallets Regional Farmer Training. March 14th and 15th

Irondequoit Conference Center, Rochester, NY

Are you in search of new markets? Have you considered intermediary channels like food hubs, grocery stores, schools and cooperatives? The demand for local food continues to grow...Is your farm business ready for the opportunities?

Ensure your success by joining us for 'Baskets to Pallets', a comprehensive two-day introduction to selling wholesale.

This lively course designed for farmers of all enterprises is taught by a talented and diverse instructor team of educators, farmers and buyers. The Baskets to Pallets Training now features 2 course tracks so you can choose the most useful topics for your farm business. Presentations are accompanied by activities and discussion to give you time to react to the course material and relate it to your own business.

Download the entire Course Schedule here.

Instructor Team: Read about the trainers and presenters here.

Cost: $35.00 per person for the entire Training. Includes breakfast refreshments and a delicious locally sourced lunch each day.  Bring a second representative from the farm for FREE!!  NYS Military Veterans are eligible for up to $200 reimbursement for this event to cover registration & travel expenses. Contact Dean Koyanagi at (607) 255-9911 for details. Space is limited to 40 participants and early registration is encouraged.

We had a total of 40 farmers and an additional 9 educators register for the Training.  See our registration spreadsheet.  When asked "How useful was the workshop to you?" attendees gave the Training an overall rating of 4.5 on a scale of 5. 7 out of 15 said they feel ready to pursue wholesale markets. 6 out of 15 said they were very likely to pursue new wholesale markets over the next year.

Participants also provided ratings of usefulness for the individual workshop topics listed in the table below.

Training Topics at March 2019 Baskets to Pallets Workshop

See comprehensive evaluation results. A reflection on the event is below.

On March 14 and 15, the Baskets to Pallets project hosted a regional training in Rochester, NY. In this retrospect, Violet Stone shares how the training prioritized a holistic approach to learning about wholesale markets such as food hubs, groceries, schools and cooperatives.

As project coordinator of the Baskets to Pallets project, much of the work I do is at a desk, coordinating the development of new resources or designing workshops. So, I’m always excited to be in a room resounding with conversation and energy as farmers and food producers meet and learn from one another. This was the happy scene at our Baskets to Pallets training on March 14 and 15 in Rochester, NY.

The Baskets to Pallets training debuted in the Catskills in 2017 and circled up to the Tug Hill Plateau in 2018. I’m passionate about creating a healthy, inviting space conducive to learning, so each time we offer this training I incorporate more comforts I consider essential for success. Our gathering in Rochester took place at the Irondequoit Conference Center, a light-filled room with access to fresh air. We enjoyed plenty of healthy snacks and meals sourced primarily through Headwater Food Hub. Even at the end of winter, we were still able to enjoy a seasonal menu with local meats, cheeses, seeds, mushrooms and fresh microgreens.

Beyond ensuring attendees are comfortable and well-fed, this training incorporates lots of time for discussion and activities. We avoid turning the lights low and flashing a long sequence of slides to lull you into nap-land. Our goal is to present short bursts of useful information and then offer space for you to consider, digest and reflect on how the information presented resonates or applies to your farm or food business. We also respect the incredible wealth of knowledge and experience in the room. This training typically draws 50 farmers of all enterprises from a 100-mile radius. We had dairy and grain farmers sitting at the table with cut flower growers and urban market gardeners. Some had been farming for over 20 years and some were still writing business plans. Ensuring time in each lesson plan for exchange of ideas, successes and failures is an essential part of maintaining energy and engagement.

I always feel as though I’m leaving a new neighborhood at the conclusion of this training. We get to know each other and many go home with a few new friends or professional contacts. I always hope attendees feel that they have increased their knowledge and skills and developed new business goals, but more importantly, I hope they feel taken care of. It’s not easy for a farmer or food producer to leave the business for two days for a long-distance trip. Creating a holistic approach to learning by respecting a person's intellectual, emotional, social and physical needs continues to be the highest priority for me as this training evolves. Many thanks to the team of instructors and buyers for sharing their expertise and perspectives, and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County for co-hosting this training. To learn more about the training, visit http://smallfarms.cornell.edu/projects/wholesale/.

With the second Training postponed, we used this time to design a second track for con-concurrent workshops, recruit local instructors to teach core curriculum, rehearse lesson plans and presentations, plan a local foods feast with the conference center chef, assemble the handout packets, distribute press and manage registrations and correspondence with participants.

As narrated above, our second training was pushed into Year 3.  Therefore, this milestone was completed in Fall, 2019 and served as an initial planning session for the Eastern NY training to take place winter, 2020.  Over the summer, the project manager developed a new collaboration with Rachel and Steffen Schneider of the Institute for Mindful Agriculture through a related NESARE funded project. The IMA is situated at Hawthorne Valley Farm, a biodynamic farm with an onsite-farm store and significant wholesale business, as well as a Waldorf School which would serve as a perfect training location. Given the synchronicity, Rachel and Steffen joined the key project planning team for our final training. 

This Training took place February 19th, 2020.  See description below in Year 3 of the project. 

Consultations Binder

Our approach was discussed via email conversation. I intentionally offered consultants a fairly simple template as a paper trail for tracking farmers's needs and any follow up actions, because I didn't see a need for us to all adhere to a detailed formal intake or consultation process.  We're were all different and I was comfortable with each of us pursuing the style that reflects us.  That said, I encouraged educators/consultants who were planning to use more formal intake 'questionnaires' or 'forms', to share them out to the group. 

New York is a large state and we realized that with farmers and educators all randomly located, it wasn't practical in all cases for the consultation to take place in person. Educators/consultants could choose to meet with their assigned farmers via phone, video call, or in person if reasonable.  Since these milestones were pushed forward in the project, educators were given until the end of the Year 2 reporting period, September 30th, to complete their assignments.  We had a phone debrief on October 9th in which we reflected on how the consultations went and answered questions such as "How did these farm conversations go? What was your approach? How were you received? What did you learn? Would you do this again?"  I wrote a blog post on my own experience offering the consultations, which can be read here:

Ploughing a Different Ground: Helping Farmers Unearth Wisdom through the Act of Listening

The organizing team (Rachel and Steffen Scheider of Institute for Mind Ag and myself) met to carefully plan a one day holistic training that offered strategies and skill-building for successfully entering wholesale markets with special consideration toward participants’ overall comfort and well-being.  Attention was devoted to creating a warm, light-filled space for learning, feasting, fellowship, and a walk/tour of the facilities at Hawthorne Valley farm. Faith Gilbert, Ian Martin, Zachary Tattersall-Hill and Chris Cashen joined the organizing team to co-design a panel exploring the challenges faced by farmers, processors and retailers when working within a wholesale marketing approach that is dominated by a transactional mindset. 

The Training took place at Hawthorne Valley Farm on February 19th, 2020.  This training took the shape of a one day marketing intensive, focusing on consumer trends and the demand for local, choosing and evaluating market channels, building relationships with buyers and cooperative and collaborative farming. We ended the day with a Panel Conversation: Re-imagining our Food System as A Conscious Collaboration.  For more information, see the B2P Training Agenda Attendee Version and Handout Compilation.

The arrival of COVID dramatically changed the relevance of the project, as demand for direct-marketed products sky-rocketed.  The farmers previously involved in the project reported unprecendented demand through their farm stores, online sales, CSA shares, etc.  As direct-marketing is a much more lucrative channel than wholesale for most of the small and mid-sized farmers this project served, many diverted their enery toward rapidly adapting business models to accomodate new COVID safety protocals and keeping up with direct-market demand. Meanwhile, wholesale buyers experienced supply shortages and some farmers reported wholesale buyers suddenly much more interested in their products.  One farmer wrote "I think my problems with wholesale are going to be not so much to try to serve them, but to keep them from asking for produce from me."  

The NYS NESARE program as well as other organizations previously focused on wholesale-ready programs shifted attention to supporting farmers with information about safety protocals and emergency funding opportunities in the early stages of the COVID crisis. Any remaining milestones planned for the project lost relevance as both service providers and farmers directed all energies toward adapting to the rapidly shifting pandemic. 

With direct-marketing opportunities sky-rocketing, it was decided a course on whole-sale readiness was not timely or relevant. Furthermore, it was impossible to predict the kinds of marketing opportunities going forward, since no one could envision what a post-covid world would look or be like. As mentioned above, energy at this time was redirected toward supporting farmers with information about safety protocals and emergency funding opportunities 

As mentioned above, energy at this time was redirected toward supporting farmers with information about safety protocals and emergency funding opportunities. 

Over the summer, I reached out to each of the Baskets to Pallets Cohort members who were still actively serving in the project (over the three years, we lost a few members due to job or career changes) to thank them and invite any feedback on the experience. Due to the COVID related challenges many were experiencing, responses were short but appreciative.  One participant wrote "Baskets to Pallets has been a valuable experience for me and you have been a great teacher and collaborator.  Yes, Covid has made for strange times but I have been working from home and can now go to farms as needed.  Our meat sales have gone through the roof as with most beef farmers in our area but slaughterhouse capacity is still the limiting factor.  The sunflower oil sales also have been brisk.  The Catskills are booming with land sales and lots of new people.  Anyway, thank you so much for all you have done to help farmers and educators work on wholesale markets.  I've learned a lot that I could pass along.  I'm sure we'll cross paths again soon!"

The new NESARE PDP project, Reconnecting with Purpose, a Retreat Program for Ag Service Providers and Changemakers launched in August with press and registation. Many of our Baskets to Pallets Cohort members applied to continue on with the new program but due to so much interest we weren't able to accommodate them in the first cohort of this new project.