VALUE-ADDED INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES FALL COURSES

Farmers and others in the Adirondack Region interested in food businesses have an opportunity to take classes in the 2011 Value-Added Institute toward a food processors' certificate issued by the New York Small Scale Food Processors' Association (NYSSFPA) this fall.  NYSSFPA, in partnership with Adirondack Harvest and several Cornell Cooperative Extension offices, will offer a variety of workshops in Watertown, Ballston Spa, and Malone, with a final class in Geneva.  Completion of these classes can lead to greater business profitability through the processing of local food products.

 October 7 & 8 in Watertown at the Jefferson County Cornell Cooperative Extension office:

• Processing Fruits and Vegetables for Market
• Models of Shared Use Kitchens
• Scale Meat Processing and Marketing

 October 21 & 22 in Ballston Spa at the Saratoga County Cornell Cooperative Extension office:

• Processing of Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs for Market
• One Stop Shopping for Food Business Start-up
• Local and Sustainable Marketing
• Small Business Profitability Makeover

 November 4 & 5 in Malone at ComLinks:

• Freezing and Vacuum Packaging of Local Farm Produce
• Models of Shared Use Kitchens
• Small Scale Meat Processing and Marketing

 November 17 in Geneva at the New York Agricultural Experiment Station Food Venture Center:

• Acid and Acidified Foods

 $25 registration fee covers 3 classes and lunch at one of the sites, the Geneva class with lunch, and dinner and graduation at the New York Wine and Culinary Center in Canandaigua.   Valued at over $250, this institute is funded by a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Northeast Sustainable Agriculture, Research and Education (NESARE) program.  For further information and registration contact: Alison Clarke at 585-394-0864,accompost@gmail.com or visit www.adirondackharvest.com.