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Group President John Powers (standing) addresses Nevada County Grown members at a recent meeting.
About 40 farmers met over the weekend as part of the newly formed Nevada County Grown, a countywide venture that’s trying to boost business by getting the word out about local agriculture.
“The place was buzzing,” said group president John Powers.
The demand for locally produced foods is on the rise, while more and more young farmers join the mix, Powers added.
At Saturday’s meeting, families with a century-long history of farming in Nevada County sat at the table with young couples entering their first growing season.
Consumers can choose from six community supported agriculture (CSA) programs this summer. By paying farmers up front, farmers earn working capital when they need it and participants receive a weekly box of fresh produce during the harvest.
“They feed well over 1,000 people in the local area,” Powers said.
Local farmers and ranchers at the gathering showed interest in developing basic marketing skills.
“A number of people want to have a Web site and just don’t know where to start.
They’re operating on a shoestring,” Powers said. Growers also wanted to learn how to bring more people out to their farm to make a face-to-face connection with customers.
“People like to identify with farmers and farmers’ products. It isn’t like the supermarket that’s kind of faceless,” Powers said.
Nevada County Grown was formed as an offshoot of the Local Food Coalition. In January, seven board members were seated. Five of those have backgrounds in agricultural, while the other two come from the community at large.
This year, the organization will take over the task of
publishing the Nevada County Farm Guide.
At the meeting, farmers put in orders for merchandise such as stickers and signs with the Nevada County Grown label, which they can place on tables at local farmers markets.
Nevada County Grown’s Web site lists close to 60 local farms with telephone numbers and Web links when available.
“We want people to recognize local foods. We really want to develop a local ag brand image,” Powers said.
For more information visit www.nevadacountygrown.org. To contact Staff Writer Laura Brown, e-mail lbrown@theunion.com or call 477-4231.
“The place was buzzing,” said group president John Powers.
The demand for locally produced foods is on the rise, while more and more young farmers join the mix, Powers added.
At Saturday’s meeting, families with a century-long history of farming in Nevada County sat at the table with young couples entering their first growing season.
Consumers can choose from six community supported agriculture (CSA) programs this summer. By paying farmers up front, farmers earn working capital when they need it and participants receive a weekly box of fresh produce during the harvest.
“They feed well over 1,000 people in the local area,” Powers said.
Local farmers and ranchers at the gathering showed interest in developing basic marketing skills.
“A number of people want to have a Web site and just don’t know where to start.
They’re operating on a shoestring,” Powers said. Growers also wanted to learn how to bring more people out to their farm to make a face-to-face connection with customers.
“People like to identify with farmers and farmers’ products. It isn’t like the supermarket that’s kind of faceless,” Powers said.
Nevada County Grown was formed as an offshoot of the Local Food Coalition. In January, seven board members were seated. Five of those have backgrounds in agricultural, while the other two come from the community at large.
This year, the organization will take over the task of
publishing the Nevada County Farm Guide.
At the meeting, farmers put in orders for merchandise such as stickers and signs with the Nevada County Grown label, which they can place on tables at local farmers markets.
Nevada County Grown’s Web site lists close to 60 local farms with telephone numbers and Web links when available.
“We want people to recognize local foods. We really want to develop a local ag brand image,” Powers said.
For more information visit www.nevadacountygrown.org. To contact Staff Writer Laura Brown, e-mail lbrown@theunion.com or call 477-4231.
