SARE 1998 Highlights

Processing Boosts Profits, Communities

Rita Kellogg’s 140 dairy goats provide the raw material for the family to run their own cheese-making business, bringing them higher profits and a better quality of life. Photo by Valerie Berton

With a growing number of Northeast producers establishing on-farm processing as a way to boost income, a SARE-supported project is helping sort out the technical and public policy issues crucial to their success. The New York project aims to help sustain small- and medium-sized farms by building market opportunities and enabling farmers to capture more of the consumer food dollar. The project’s initial survey of 600 small-scale food processors found advertising, insurance costs, employee costs and taxes often pose greater challenges for fledgling producer-processors than complying with food safety regulations. Project participants organized a statewide conference to bring together producers, processors, regulators, researchers and others to discuss ways to address those issues. The 230-plus participants also launched the formation of a new statewide small-scale food processors’ organization. The organization’s regional chapters have begun facilitating cooperation among processors, developing a mentoring program and providing educational services about start-up, food technology and food safety issues. Participants say project benefits likely will extend well beyond the farms involved. Research suggests that small-scale processing creates rural jobs and keeps money circulating in local economies. "We’re fostering a growing industry that can help farmers revitalize their farms and rural communities," says project participant Allison Clarke. (LNE95-60)

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