Niagara County planning annual ag forum on March 14

Press Release, Niagara County Farm Bureau

LOCKPORT – On March 14 the annual Agribusiness Outreach Forum will be held at the Niagara County Cooperative Extension.

It is sponsored by the Niagara County Center for Economic Development, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Niagara County, Niagara County Farm Bureau, the Niagara County Small Business Development Center and National Grid. As with past years,  there will be two parts to the program.

First is a series of workshops. These include building your agribusiness through marketing and networking, mastering the art of find, writing and being awarded Ag grants, understanding state and federal priorities for CCE, and recruiting and retaining H2A workers.

Throughout the day, various agricultural organizations will have displays and personnel on hand to answer your questions. In the past year, these have included to Cornell Cooperative Extension of Niagara County, Empire State Development, Farm Credit East, NCCC Small Business Development Center, National Grid, NY FarmNet, NYS Department of Ag and Markets, NYSERDA, NC Dept of Economic Development and IDA, Niagara County Farm Bureau, NC Soil and Water Conservation District, Niagara USA Chamber of Commerce and the Farm Service Agency.

This year’s facilitator is Niagara County Farm Bureau President Kevin Bittner.

“This event is designed to bring together farmers across the region for educational sessions on topics important to agriculture,” he said.

In addition to learning about the various topics, he enjoys the networking with other farmers, companies and agencies. Because this is geared to new and growing farms,  there are many long term benefits to the community.

Every year this forum has concentrated on various topics.  Past presentations have focused on energy, creating business  plans, health care for migrant workers, and ag district laws and regulations. At the end of the day, participants are invited to give suggestions for next year’s program.

Registration is free. Click here for information to sign up.