| APRIL 24, 2011 -- The Connecticut Department of Agriculture announced today that Rose Wilson, business and marketing consultant based in Norwich, Vermont, has been selected as the project leader of the New England Beef-to-Institution Marketing Study.
The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets; the Vermont Agricultural Innovations Center; the Connecticut Department of Agriculture; and the Departments of Agriculture from Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire contributed financial resources to collaborate in a joint effort to research and develop the implementation plan for regional marketing of locally produced ground beef to New England institutions. In addition, the Rhode Island Division of Agriculture, Healthcare without Harm, the Northeast Regional Steering Committee of the National Farm-to-School Network, and Harvest New England are providing organizational support to encourage this important regional effort.
The goal of the study is to investigate the bottlenecks, explore processing and capacity, and subsequently create a marketing plan for New England grown ground beef for various channels, with special emphasis on local schools and institutions. The implementation plan developed from the study will be a resource for New England dairy farmers and beef producers, distributors, institutional buyers, state departments of agriculture, and other partners in the sourcing and utilization of regionally raised beef.
“Our hope is this collaboration will provide the data we need to build appropriate processing infrastructure in close proximity to Connecticut producers, creating a new market for Connecticut beef products, create processing and agricultural jobs, and provide local sources of protein for the schools,” said Commissioner Steven K. Reviczky, Connecticut Department of Agriculture. |
