Virginia Cooperative Extension, Danville Regional Foundation, City of Danville and the Pittsylvania County Office of Agricultural Development are excited to announce a second three-part regional training series for local farmers to learn best practices for participating in farmers’ markets across the region. This series is a follow-up to the well-attended spring series offered in April 2015.
Beginning Tuesday November 10th, the trainings will be held from 4 pm to 7 pm and are designed to help farmers cultivate success at famers’ markets and other direct to consumer outlets. Thanks to generous sponsorship by Danville Regional Foundation, there is no cost to attend the training, but registration is required.
The trainings will cover irrigation and planting schedule, prevention and treatment of common crop diseases, marketing your strengths, using technology to increase sales, and fall & winter crops. Dinner will be provided at each event, as well as time to network with other local farmers and farmers’ market vendors.
Farmers’ markets are growing in popularity in the Dan River Region and all across the country. In the last 20 years, the number of markets grew from 1,700 to more than 8,000 nationwide. Local communities now understand the important role that farmers’ markets play in supporting the local economy and the health and wellness of residents.
For every dollar spent at a conventional grocery store, 16 cents goes back into the local economy. However, when shopping at the farmers’ market, more than 60 cents of each dollar stays within the local economy and 99 cents stays within the state. In addition, those who have a farmers’ market in their community are more likely to consume the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables, a key factor in reducing the risk of obesity and chronic disease.
With the goal of increasing business for local farmers and improving the health of our communities, a regional group was formed in early 2015 to discuss ways to support local farmers and farmers markets. This training series is the second effort by this regional cohort. To register, please contact Kenny Porzio at 434-797-8961 or porziks@danvilleva.gov.
The Virginia Cooperative Extension, the City of Danville, the Pittsylvania County Office of Agricultural Development and the Danville Regional Foundation are coordinating the trainings.
The schedule is as follows:
All trainings will be held at the Community Room in the Danville Community Market at 661 Craghead Street. They will begin at 4 pm and end at 7 pm with dinner provided. There is no cost but reservations are required.
Session 1: Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Irrigation and Planting Schedule
Prevention and Treatment of Common Crop Diseases
Locality Break-out Sessions: General Vendor Forum
Session 2: Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Marketing Your Strengths
Using Technology to Increase Sales
Locality Break-out Sessions: Local Demographics as a Marketing Tool
Session 3: Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Fall & Winter Crops
Greenhouse Basics