 |
|||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Farmers enter town's economy through weekly market, cooperative venture and a supportive brewpub
|
Farmers enter town’s economy through weekly market, cooperative venture and a supportive brewpub By Kyle Holzhueter |
|||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Posted October 12, 2006: What do local growers, an artisan brewery and an innovative facility at western Pennsylvania’s Slippery Rock University have in common? They’re changing the way people throughout the community think about food, where they shop for it and where they dine. Helping to shape the area’s local food economy are initiatives coming out of the Macoskey Center for Sustainable Systems Education and Research. The center, a facility of Slippery Rock University (SRU), manages a farmers’ market it helped to found, hosts an organic student farm and is the collection point of a farmers’ collaborative supplying produce to a local restaurant and brewpub. These diverse activities fit within the center’s mission to reconnect consumers and farmers, says Thomas Reynolds, its director. The center’s market garden, which sells produce at the local farmers’ market and to area restaurants, puts students to work in ways that teach them about crop production as well as direct marketing. All work—from planning to harvesting—is done by students. The farm demonstrates basic plant and animal husbandry, professional cultivation methods, integrated pest management and research. Most importantly, the student farm models three spheres of sustainability: economic, social and environmental. Although the garden is run by university students, it is managed as a commercial operation. Sustainability that flows cash “Sustainability isn’t just ecological. It also includes economic and social sustainability,” explains Reynolds. The soil of the center’s market garden continues to improve, showing the net positive effect of their farming methods. Production is also becoming more efficient, with the farm expected to make a profit this year—its sixth season. Through its involvement with the farmers’ market and farmers’ marketing coop, the farm also helps develop local community and social sustainability.
The student garden program provides SRU students—mainly graduate students in the Sustainable Systems program—the opportunity to run their own farm operation. They develop the skills and responsibility needed to manage a small business. Many former farm managers have gone on to operate their own farm or are working for key agricultural organizations within Pennsylvania and nationally. The SRU student farm faces a number of challenges common to student ag efforts. Students only stay for a while, meaning turnover due to graduation slows the development of organizational knowledge. Because learning takes time, and time is money during the growing/marketing season, “the biggest challenge is balancing economic success and educational success,” notes Reynolds. The Macoskey Center was central to starting the Slippery Rock Farmers’ Market in the summer of 2002. The market continues to grow each year, with revenue and the number of vendors and customers increasing. Benefits include additional revenue for the center and for area farmers so they can expand their produce sales. The market enlivens the downtown, inspiring economic and cultural activity. But what tastes best is this: It provides a place to shop for local and fresh produce. Extending marketing options The student organic farm, along with other members of the farmers’ market, is a part of the Slippery Rock Area Farmers’ Collaborative . The group’s goal is to cooperate to supply a single-delivery, local-produce option to North Country Brewing Company (www.northcountrybrewing.com). “Buying local produce is part of the local economy paradigm we follow,” says Bob McCafferty, owner of the brewery. This involves local businesses working together toward common goals with mutual benefit. By spending money locally and keeping it close to home, dollars circulate locally more often before flowing out of town and out of state.
-- Bob McCafferty, owner North “It’s resource efficient, but more importantly, it builds the Slippery Rock community,” explains McCafferty. Local building materials, renewable energy, reusable takeout jugs, and local produce are just some of the ways the brewery embodies the local economy paradigm. Before the business even opened, Bob and Jodi McCafferty began renovating the current structure with local hardwoods and recycled on-site materials. The brewery partnered with Green Mountain Energy to contract for 100-percent renewable energy. Spent grains left over from its fermenting of quality brews are fed to local cows. North Country is the founding buyer for the local farmers’ collaborative. The group is coordinated by Tanya Turner of Keystone Development Center (www.kdc.coop), a non-profit organization funded by a USDA Rural Cooperative Development Grant. Turner, a graduate of Slippery Rock University’s Master of Science in Sustainable Systems program, is committed to developing businesses within a local food paradigm. Turner has worked for three years with numerous local food projects in western Pennsylvania. She tries to bring self-empowerment to those she works with: “We don’t sit farmers down and say, ‘Let’s start a cooperative’. It has to come from them. We enable farmers to organize themselves.” Restaurant staff and farmers talk in off-season
Turner knew of McCafferty and his dedication to the local economic paradigm. Beginning late last fall, she arranged monthly meetings between Slippery Rock area growers and the brewery’s kitchen staff. The brewery management outlined what produce they’d like and what quantities they expected to need. The growers then made tentative commitments to supply that produce. Both parties went into the collaborative with good intentions and had faith that prices would fall into place. Each of the growers takes a turn conducting the orders and deliveries, using this well-outlined process.
So far this season, both parties are happy with the arrangement —thanks in large part to Nancy at the brewery. “She’s such a pleasure to work with,” Turner says with a smile. “If it wasn’t for her, I don’t know if the collaborative would work. An arrangement like this is extra effort for the restaurant.” It’s much simpler and cheaper to work with a conventional food distributor. But the brewery is committed to local food, even if it does mean additional time, effort and a few extra dollars. “The freshness and quality of the produce is worth it,” explains Nancy, “and I think our customers can taste the difference.” Living with the challenges That isn’t to say there haven’t been challenges. The delivery schedule must suit both the growers and restaurant. Growers can’t deliver to restaurants when they are at market or harvesting for market. The brewery has conveniently accommodated an early week order and midweek delivery. This allows growers to harvest and deliver early in the week, exactly between weekend markets. Restaurants also need consistent supply and quality. Fortunately for the Slippery Rock Area Farmers Collaborative, the brewery is willing to work with slight variations due to fluctuations in weather and different production practices. The brewery purchases several varieties of lettuce from several growers in different quantities to enhance menu diversity. Restaurants also have to be willing to pay a bit more for fresh, local produce. This is difficult for most restaurant owners or chefs accustomed to buying through a conventional food purveyor, particularly if unit cost is their main interest. Those who value fresh quality and the long-term financial benefits of building the local economy can “buy local” if they can successfully market these “values-added” benefits to their customers.
Another challenge is communication among growers. Only half the growers use email, and fewer than a quarter have cell phones. Turner notes this is characteristic of rural western Pennsylvania. “My colleagues in Harrisburg and Philadelphia don’t have the same problems with communication, and the people they’re working with are keen on e-commerce.” “We’re taking baby steps,” explains Turner. “Farmers need realistic, tangible results. This year we’re collecting data for a feasibility study. We’re keeping detailed records of sales and the cost of production, including delivery and labor. Farmers aren’t used to taking into account their own labor.” Farmers tracking benefits Once the season’s over and the numbers are totaled, the farmers will be able to track their time and their sales to see how profitable the collaborative effort has been. “Maybe even next year we’ll take on another restaurant or two,” Turner says hopefully. The producers have much to consider in their next step. (See the “Where do we go from here?” sidebar.) The human pieces of the local food movement around Slippery Rock are interconnected and interdependent.
Result: Locally owned businesses thrive with a short supply chain for unique and seasonal food, local culture flourishes through connections and relationships, students experience and contribute to “real life,” their university creates positive connections with local small businesses, and the quality of life for the entire community is strengthened. Trade needs to be fair and sometimes done at a distance, but there is much more than revenue to be gained for farmers and their communities when they can invest in each other. |
|||||||||||||||||
Post new comment