Learn how a circular economy advocacy group, a zero-waste design firm, and a local restaurant teamed up to convince the City of Philadelphia that takeout customers deserve an alternative to single-use to-go containers. At the height of the pandemic, many people were ordering takeout to support their favorite local restaurants, but to-go containers were stacking up.

Find out how these groups worked together to change minds—and policy—in just a few short months!

Recorded October 14, 2022

Complete this form to watch the recording:

The post Circular Success Story: How Philly Restaurants Won the Right to Reuse appeared first on Pasa Sustainable Agriculture.

The post Agriculture and Local Food Economies in the Appalachian Region appeared first on Pasa Sustainable Agriculture.

Grants can help your farm upgrade, innovate, and grow. But the application process can have a steep learning curve and a quick turnaround. With no guarantee of funding, it’s important to ask yourself if a grant is right for your farm and worth the work.

Hear from a farmer who successfully—and unsuccessfully—applied for funding, a grants administrator, and consultants from Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers. Find out how to identify funding sources that make sense for your farm’s goals. You’ll also learn about the ebb and flow of funding cycles, the differences between grants and emergency funds, strategies for getting prepared to apply for grants, and resources for getting help.

Speakers

Lindsey Shapiro, Farmer and Co-Owner of Root Mass Farm
Raechel Sattazahn, Knowledge Center Director at AgChoice Farm Credit
Winifred McGee, Business Consultant at The University of Scranton SBDC
Elizabeth Hay, Business Consultant at Penn State SBDC Agriculture Center of Excellence
Tabitha Barbarito, Project Manager at Pasa

Recorded December 7, 2021

Complete this form to watch the recording:

The post How (& How Not) to Apply for Agricultural Grants appeared first on Pasa Sustainable Agriculture.

Earlier this year, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed a bill that eliminates landowner liability for most agritainment operations, excluding restaurants and overnight stay establishments. What does this mean for farms that have agritainment operations now? What does it mean for the future of the industry? And what obstacles may still be preventing new agritainment businesses from getting started?

Our panelists discuss this issue from the farm, legal, and tourism perspectives, then take questions and address concerns from the audience.

Speakers

Art King, Harvest Valley Farms
Brook Duer, Penn State Law’s Center for Agricultural and Shale Law (CASL)
Laura England, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
Sara Nicholas, Pasa’s Policy Strategist

Recorded October 15, 2021

Complete this form to watch the recording:

The post Listening Session: Agritainment Liability appeared first on Pasa Sustainable Agriculture.

Vegetable farms that sell their produce through farmers markets, CSA programs, on-farm stores, and other direct-market channels are the foundation of local food movements everywhere. Yet there is surprisingly little information available to help answer a basic question: Can farmers make a middle-class income selling vegetables through direct-market outlets? We launched an ongoing study in 2017 to help fill this critical gap in information and offer insights that could help vegetable farmers start and grow their businesses. Our new report, Financial Benchmarks for Direct-Market Vegetable Farms, offers the most comprehensive review of direct-market vegetable farm businesses to date, sharing detailed financial benchmarks from 39 farms collected over three years.

During this webinar, we review our findings and answer your questions. We also share three strategies farms can use to boost financial success and explain how direct-market vegetable farmers can participate in this vital ongoing project.

Recorded October 5, 2021

Complete this form to watch the recording:

The post Can Direct-Market Vegetable Farmers Make a Middle-Class Income? appeared first on Pasa Sustainable Agriculture.

We studied 39 farms over three years to find out. Our study is the most comprehensive review of direct-market vegetable farm finances to date.

Vegetable farms that sell their produce through farmers markets, CSA programs, on-farm stores, and other direct-market channels are the foundation of local food movements everywhere. Yet there is surprisingly little information available to help answer a basic question: Can farmers make a middle-class income selling vegetables through direct-market outlets?

We launched an ongoing study in 2017 to help fill this critical gap in information and offer insights that could help vegetable farmers start and grow their businesses. Our report offers the most comprehensive review of direct-market vegetable farm businesses to date, sharing detailed financial benchmarks from 39 farms collected over three years.

Complete the form below to download our Financial Benchmarks for Direct-Market Vegetable Farms: 2021 Report. You can also read a summary of our findings here on our blog.

Complete this form to download the report

The post Financial Benchmarks for Direct-Market Vegetable Farms: 2021 Report appeared first on Pasa Sustainable Agriculture.

We encourage farmers in Pennsylvania to review our blog post and webinar on COVID-19 Guidelines for Farms & Markets issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture before completing this assessment. If you are located outside of Pennsylvania your state’s official guidelines may vary, however the health and safety information contained in these resources is broadly applicable.

The post COVID-19 Readiness Assessment for Continuity of Farm Business appeared first on Pasa Sustainable Agriculture.