PASA has developed or is involved in a number of agricultural
projects and programs that promote profitable farms which produce
healthy food for all people while respecting the natural environment.
Some of these projects and programs are highlighted below.
Regional
Marketing Programs
PASA’s Regional Marketing Programs improve and strengthen
marketing opportunities for farmers and enhance community awareness
about the importance of local and sustainable agriculture. Farmers
are included in designing community-based marketing strategies
that increase consumption of Pennsylvania farm products and farm
profitability. Projects develop local alternative markets, encourage
value-adding, and initiate partnerships that link rural and urban
communities.
More
information on
Southeast Programs
More information on
Western Region Programs
Farm Based Education
Many
farmers are interested in various aspects of sustainable agriculture,
but lack practical information or skills to make it work with
their own operation. PASA actively promotes Farm-Based Education
(FBE) Programs which promote and demonstrate sustainable and organic
farming methods. The FBE Program provides funding, technical support,
event coordination, and publicity to farmer/cooperators who wish
to initiate and demonstrate sustainable farming practices that
have educational value for other farmers. This farmer-driven approach
has been highly successful in implementing ecologically sound,
more economically viable farming methods across the state.
Click Here to
find out more.
On-Farm Research
The new
On-Farm Research Program at PASA offers producers an opportunity
to conduct applied research on their farms. Results of this
farm-based research directly benefit producers by answering
questions that will improve productivity on their farms.
PASA, in
conjunction with The Pennsylvania State University, is currently
identifying farmers willing to host research trials on their farms
for 2004. Producer surveys conducted in 2003 and most recently at
the PASA conference in February indicated interest in several
topics including selecting the best cover crop variety, animal
parasite control, and methods to improve soil fertility.
Design and
implementation of these research trials is uncomplicated and
intended to enable research to be farmer-directed. Once we have
trials for this year underway, we will share findings through
field days at host farms. We will showcase work in progress and
give participants an opportunity to speak with those directly
involved in the projects. Information about on-going research will
also be available from this website.
For more
information concerning the On-Farm Research Program at PASA
contact Michele Gauger at 814-349-9856 or e-mail at
michele@pasafarming.org.
Farm to College
The Farm to
College (F2C) Program at PASA is dedicated to supporting
Pennsylvania farmers by helping them gain access to college dining
services as a market for their farm products. College dining
services participating in F2C programs purchase food directly from
farmers or farm cooperatives. By transferring duties of “the
middleman” (i.e. super suppliers) to the farmer, more of every
dollar spent on food goes directly into the local farmers’ pocket
and, consequently, the local economy. While farmers benefit from
the steady college market that requires a substantial volume of
product, college dining services use the opportunity to: 1)
distinguish their operations by providing quality farm-fresh
products, 2) contribute positively to town-gown relationships, 3)
create unique student recruitment opportunities, and 4) strengthen
alumni loyalty to the local community.
Local Food
Events are a great way to
introduce dining services to local farmers. These special events
can be used to highlight the importance of buying local, as well
as showcase an array of foods grown locally. Ideally, a
successful event will lead to dining services and farmers building
lasting mutually beneficial relationships. To save organizers time
and energy, PASA is proud to offer materials designed to promote
and support events featuring locally grown foods! Let our spunky
rooster, Stewart O. Deland, lend flare to your event. Click here
to learn more!
|
