Mohawk Valley Featured Farms: Would you like your farm to be highlighted?
As a nonprofit, one of our programs is to support Agriculture and Agritourism in the Mohawk valley. Our goal is for folks throughout the valley to get to know the many local farms in the region, understand what they offer directly to consumers, and learn how the farms offer their produce.
One of the ways we do that is featuring a local farm each week on our website and social media with the featured farms on our Mohawk Valley Featured Farms page. To help us create a great featured post about local Mohawk Valley farms we ask local farms to share some up-to-date information that would help educate the public about their farm and what they offer.
This is where we need your help. We want to include as many farms as possible so folks know where they can go to buy fresh, local food.
Here is what we are looking for:
We want everyone to feel connected to their local farm
We help encourage this connection with the farm’s background. We ask farmers to share some history of their story and the farm’s story, how the farm got started, how they became farmers, and how long they’ve been farming. We also ask where the farmers are from. Have they always lived in the area or have they moved here from somewhere else? Did they have previous life experience farming before starting their farm? Is their farm multi-generational and what can they tell us about the farm to help the viewers get to know them. This helps all of us get to know them and understand their story here in the Mohawk Valley.
Share what folks will find when they visit a local farm
Each local Mohawk Valley farm is unique and here the farmers can tell us all about it. This is the opportunity for the farmers to describe to residents and visitors to the Mohawk Valley what they grow, make, or raise on their farm, and any unique features about how they operate their farm. They can let us know if they have a farm store, or roadside stand, and their farm store hours, and other details. Do they hold classes, grow a unique crop, raise unique livestock or something else.
Emphasize easy access to products
Tell us how and where customers can find your farm. Do you attend any farmers markets in the area, do you offer online ordering, offer monthly or quarterly subscriptions? Does the farm have an on-site or in-town farm store or farm stand, and where is it located? We also ask for the stand or store hours of operation and if they offer deliver of orders locally? And we ask for the farms to please include all links to website, facebook/social media, and best contact info: email and phone if possible. All of this makes it easier for local customers to find and contact the farms directly.
It’s important to share the farmers’ own words
Share a quote so folks can “hear” your voice. We give the farmers an opportunity to tell us all about what they do in their own words. We care about what the farmer would really like the residents and visitors of the region to know about them, what they produce, how they do it, or why they do what they do. The options are open and farmers can share what they feel is most important to know about themselves or their farm. Essentially, this is the opportunity to for the farmer to let folks know what they’d really like people to know about themselves and their farm. This can be as easy as 3 to 5 sentences or so.
We want to help get the word out about what farmers’ events
We love sharing the special events at farms throughout the area. This section is an opportunity for farmers to let folks know what they have to offer in the next coming weeks after the post is added to Mohawk Valley Today Featured Farms page. The farmers can describe any specials, unique products on hand, or upcoming events on the farm.
We want to have fun!
Give us some fun facts! This is a fun way for farmers and the families who operate them to share unique and fun details about themselves or their farm. We’re only looking for three fun facts and this helps everyone make a personal connection with the farm. Local residents and visitors love sharing little fun tidbits and this shows a little personality along with something interesting about the farm and the people who live and work their!
Let’s make it easy to find our farms
We ask farmers to provide contact information, web and farm location addresses, and social media links. Additionally, specific farm store and or operating hours for the farm, how to arrange tours if offered, and best ways to purchase their products: farm store, online ordering and pick, Consumer Supported Agriculture (known as a CSA) subscription – essentially having the farms products set up as a regular monthly or quarterly order, and if they participate in any local area farmers markets.
A picture is worth a thousand words
Share a few high-resolution photos of the farm (8-10, or so, photos and short video clips if you have them). These photos show potential visitors what to expect when they arrive. These photos can include family, animals, your farm, produce, and anything unique and interesting that will help folks get to know you and what you offer. This helps people connect with farmers and their farms and know what to expect when they visit. Photos taken with smartphones work out great which should make it easy. Short videos for social media reels and stories are a huge plus! We also encourage photos of family and cute animals! Puppies, small kids, calf’s, lambs – all the cutie pies are welcome and help us all connect with the farm and farmers!
We have worked with many local farmers to help connect farmers with local consumers. If you would like to have your farm highlighted on our Mohawk Valley Featured Farms page please reach out and contact us!
Mohawk Valley Farms
The Mohawk Valley’s rich farming history goes all the way back to the early 1700s.
Today, generational farms as well as new farms, call the Mohawk Valley home and offer the best locally grown produce at on-site farm stands and farm stores, as well as local area farmers’ markets.
