7/31- 8/6 Farmers Market Price Data Summary

Cornell Cooperative Extension E-News on Farmers Market's Pricing in Eastern and Northern NY

7/31-8/6 Farmers Market Price Summary E-News

Our Mission

Many farmers choose to market and sell their products directly to consumers. While some set one price for the duration of a market, others change their prices according to their costs of production or to match prices of other vendors in the market. All of these strategies present challenges in maximizing revenue for the producer, often times resulting in missed opportunities to realize more income.

In response to this pressing issue, Cornell Cooperative Extension has designed a project seeking to provide vendors across eastern NY with timely farmers market price data summaries that examine regional variations in the pricing of the same seasonal products.

To fulfill the goals of this project, Cooperative Extension staff will be travelling to markets each week to record the prices of products. Aggregating these prices will then allow staff to determine regional differences and opportunities to increase price. This data can be used by farmers to adjust prices and, therefore, increase revenue and profit.

CCE's Farmers Market Summary Reports are merely one of many ways vendors and farmers, such as yourself, can receive this information in these upcoming months! Look for CCE staff at your local market to receive flyers, or follow us on Facebook and other social media sites based off your region!

Important Notes About Project Data

Check out some of the price averages for new products being tracked in August! Price averages for these products are now being released! New products include...

LEG OF LAMB

SHOULDER PORK ROAST

RIB-EYE STEAK

CHICKEN LIVER

CHICKEN EGGS

HONEY

Products labelled as NC determine that those are the average prices for products produced using non-conventional methods. This includes organic, natural, grass-fed, etc.

Spaces left blank conclude that not enough data was available for that product to provide an accurate average for the week

Regions are defined as the following! Find your county to see where you fall!

CAPITAL REGION:

This region is defined by counties including Schenectady, Albany, Rensselaer, Columbia, and Greene.

MID-HUDSON REGION:

This region is defined by counties including Putnam, Ulster, Dutchess, and Orange.

SARATOGA LAKE GEORGE REGION:

This region is defined by counties including Washington, Saratoga and Warren.

NORTHERN REGION:

This region is defined by counties including Clinton, Jefferson and St. Lawrence.

Vegetable Summary

This summary includes pricing data on eleven varying vegetable products. These products are tracked and recorded depending upon the growing methods used during production: Conventional vs. Non-Conventional.

		Capital Region	Mid-Hudson Region	Saratoga/ Lake George Region	Northern Region
Product	Unit	Average Price	Average Price	Average Price	Average Price
Beefsteak Tomatoes	lb.	4.00	2.67	2.50
Beefsteak Tomatoes NC	lb.	4.00	2.50	3.03
Carrots	bunch		2.00		3.00
Carrots NC	bunch	3.08	3.08	3.33
Cherry Tomatoes	pint	3.44	2.94	2.94	3.00
Cherry Tomatoes NC	pint	3.84	3.63	3.29
Heirloom Tomatoes	lb.	3.00	3.75	2.33	1.99
Heirloom Tomatoes NC	lb.	4.47	4.30	4.17
Red Potato	qt.	2.93	3.17	3.00
Red Potato NC	qt.	3.56	3.47	3.30
Russet Potato	qt.	5.00		3.00
Russet Potato NC	qt.			3.50
Salad Mix	1/2 lb.
Salad Mix NC	1/2 lb.	5.38	5.50	5.63
Shelled Pea	pint
Shelled Pea NC	pint
Sugar Snap Pea	pint				2.50
Sugar Snap Pea NC	pint
Sweet Corn	dozen	6.75	5.94	6.40
Sweet Corn NC	dozen	5.79	6.80	6.67
Yellow Potatoes	qt.	3.13	2.81	3.00	3.00
Yellow Potatoes NC	qt.	3.56	2.25	3.63

Fruit Summary

This summary includes pricing data on three fruit varieties and honey. These products are tracked and recorded depending upon the growing methods used during production: Conventional vs. Non-Conventional.

		Capital Region	Mid-Hudson Region	Saratoga/ Lake George Region	Northern Region
Product	Unit	Average Price	Average Price	Average Price	Average Price
Blueberries	pint	4.25	4.00	4.00	3.50
Blueberries NC	pint	4.60	5.00	6.67
Honey	lb.	9.06	7.67	8.13
Honey NC	lb.	8.31	7.00	6.00
Raspberries	1/2 pint		4.50		4.50
Raspberries NC	pint		4.00
Strawberries	pint		4.00	5.00	5.50
Strawberries NC	pint	3.63		5.50

Meat Summary

This summary includes pricing data on six varying cuts of meat. These products are tracked and recorded depending upon the growing methods used during production: Conventional vs. Non-Conventional. Be sure to check out our new cuts of meat now released for the month of August! Looking for eggs? They're here too!

		Capital Region	Mid-Hudson Region	Saratoga/ Lake George Region	Northern Region
Product	Unit	Average Price	Average Price	Average Price	Average Price
Chicken Eggs	lb.		3.50	5.17
Chicken Eggs NC	lb.	4.56	5.30	4.25
Chicken Liver	lb.
Chicken Liver NC	lb.	5.06	4.50	3.66
Leg of Lamb	lb.		12.99
Leg of Lamb NC	lb.		12.00	10.50
Rib Eye Steak	lb.		14.25
Rib Eye Steak NC		16.71	17.13	15.40
Shoulder Pork Roast	lb.		5.99
Shoulder Pork Roast NC	lb.	8.48	7.25	9.59

Take Our Survey Today!

Dear Vendors,

As August nears its end, our Farmers Market's Research Project is concluding. For the past three months, various staff members have travelled to markets attended by yourself, your friends, and neighboring farmers to collect the prices of specific products. These prices were then aggregated each week according to region to create price summaries for your viewing. The individual offices and dedicated staff of Cornell Cooperative Extension strive to provide valuable educative material and research to farmers just like you each and every day. Help us ensure that we continue to succeed at this goal by taking our brief survey. This survey reviews the quality of our project and allows us to take a deeper look into strategies utilized by vendors. The survey may be completed at the following link https://cornell.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_57ivb2VrwD5cWRDÂ .
We thank you for your time and cooperation.

Sincerely,

Associated Farmers Market Pricing Project Staff

"Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Proclaims August 7-13 "National Farmers Market Week""

July 11 2016- The week of August 7-13th is officially National Farmers Market Week. When asked about his declaration Vilsack stated, "Farmers markets are an important part of strong local and regional food systems that connect farmers with new customers and grow rural economies. In many areas, they are also expanding access to fresh, healthy food for people of all income levels. National Farmers Market Week recognizes the growth of these markets and their role in supporting both urban and rural communities."

Check out the whole article at http://bit.ly/2b83IGO to receive promotion graphics and view resources that link you with local and regional food supply chains today! You can also learn the many ways USDA investments are now connecting producers with consumers and expanding rural economic opportunity!

A Farewell Note

Hi, my name is Lindsey McMahon and I am a summer intern who has worked diligently on our Farmers Market's Pricing Project. For those of you who have received the newsletter from the start, you may have seen an introductory letter from me featured in one of the first newsletter issues. I may also be one of our many data collectors who travels to your local market each week.

As the August days continue to pass by, our pricing project nears its finality. For the duration of the summer I have traveled to markets, collected data, spoken with growers, and crafted this weekly newsletter. Despite having lived in Eastern NY my entire life, it was shocking to me the number of products and varieties that were growing in my very own "backyard" without my knowledge. I have learned growing techniques, cooking tips, and experienced the flavors of foods I had never seen. While I was able to gain an immense amount of professional experience from this position, my favorite part of this job was getting to know the agricultural stewards in my own surrounding communities.

I personally believe that the most effective way to understand a popular issue is to have a full understanding from all perspectives. In modern agriculture there are numerous food markets for growers to explore. Whether this includes certified organic production, biodynamics, or classic conventional methods, there is a so called "flavor" for every grower to define for there business. Working in markets, I have explored- what seems like- every type of production imaginable. Many times these methods define the philosophy of the farmer. Every farmer has a different goal. Every farmer's farm means something different to him or her. I feel that spending a summer directly speaking with so many differing individuals has allowed me to see such drastically varied viewpoints on the meaning of farming. Despite my personal beliefs, I can now say I truly understand and appreciate why particular farmers choose the niche they do in agriculture. That education is something I am positive I will value for the duration of my life.

This farewell note truly is only the tip of what I have learned, will learn, and have come to appreciate this past summer. Every vendor I have developed a relationship with, every staff member, and Cornell University itself all deserve a thank you for this opportunity.

Keep your eyes peeled for one last newsletter coming next week!

For More Information About the Project Please Contact....

Lindsey McMahon Steve Hadcock

Summer Intern CAAHP Market Development Educator

lm679@cornell.edu
seh11@cornell.edu

(518)828-3346 x205 (518)828-3346 x106

Jesse Strzok

ENY Production Economics Specialist

js3234@cornell.edu

(518)746-2419