Cornell Cooperative Extension

St. Lawrence County

New Farm-to-Table Initiative

In the photo (from left to right): Makenzie Farmer, Local Food Marketing Coordinator; Maria “Flip” Filippe, Local Foods Program Leader; Brooke Rouse, Executive Director of the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce; Carlene Doane, Associate Director of GardenShare.

We are launching a new, innovative service called the Farm-to-Table Initiative that will assist direct-market agricultural entrepreneurs in enhancing their marketing efforts, while aiming to strengthen the overall food system within St. Lawrence County. Through this multi-year effort, we will be partnering with GardenShare and the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce to develop various marketing and promotional resources that will have a positive impact on both the farmers/producers, as well as community members interested in consuming local food. Some of these resources include:

  1. an online photo library, 
  2. an interactive map,
  3. a Meet Your Farmer Campaign,
  4. and Harvest Tour Events

Our Local Food team will create the photo library by offering free on-farm, professional photo shoots. Through our partnership with Gardenshare and the Chamber, we will be using these photos for county-wide marketing and the farmers/producers will have access to these photos for their own on-farm marketing purposes. The virtual, interactive map will be designed to allow users to easily find food access points, including farm stands, markets, and restaurants showcasing local foods. This map will include photos, website links, and details of all direct-market growers/producers. The Meet Your Farmer Campaign will feature photos, biographies and stories of participating farmers/producers, so that the public can have a better idea about where their food is coming from and the importance of buying local. The Harvest Tour events will be slated for early fall of 2019. The tours will be an open house format for families to experience farms and local food landscapes across St. Lawrence County.

This initiative is made possible through funding secured by Senator Pattie Ritchie and administered by New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. The funding allowed us to create a new Local Food Marketing Coordinator position, which was recently filled by Makenzie Farmer. Makenzie will focus more directly on implementing the goals of the initiative.


For any questions about Cooperative Extension’s new Farm-to-Table Initiative, please contact a member of our Local Foods Team: Local Food Program Leader, Maria “Flip” Filippi at mpf65@cornell.edu or Makenzie Farmer at mlf236@cornell.edu. Both can be reached at Cooperative Extension’s main office (315) 379 - 9192.

Last updated April 13, 2020

Agriculture & Natural Resources