The Onondaga County Agriculture Council kicked off its newest “buy local” initiative June 24 at Reeves Farms. The “Onondaga Grown” campaign seeks to promote the more than 700 farms in Onondaga County, which generate a $152 million agricultural economy.
Local shoppers can spot Onondaga Grown billboards, radio ads and TV commercials through September 2015 touting the benefits of fruits, vegetables, meat, maple and other items produced right in Onondaga County. Retailers and restaurants can also adorn their shops and label their goods with “Buy Local — Onondaga Grown” stickers and posters to show consumers which products were made locally.
Onondaga County Legislature Chairman Ryan McMahon said the initiative has three goals: promote the products that Onondaga County farms churn out, educate the community on the economic impact of local agriculture and preserve the 150,000 acres of farmland in the county.
“We have a large, diverse menu,” McMahon said of what local farmers have to offer.
“I couldn’t be prouder and I couldn’t be happier to be a part of it,” said Harvey Skeele, president of the Onondaga County Farm Bureau and a member of the Onondaga County Agriculture Council, of the Onondaga Grown campaign.
Skeele said he was in on the initial meetings of the campaign’s creation and he praised the collaborative spirit of the county legislature, Cornell Cooperative Extension and County Executive Joanie Mahoney.
“We need all our teammates to make this council work,” he said.
“I think we’re unique compared to other counties,” Skeele added. “I don’t think there’s too many other counties who have an ag council that can use county money [to promote agriculture].”
County Legislator Dave Knapp, co-chair of the Onondaga County Agriculture Council, said the Onondaga Grown campaign is being funded by the $1 million in sales tax revenue that was set aside for the council when it was formed in 2012.
In addition to funding educational efforts such as assistance for 4-H, the Tully FFA (the county’s only remaining FFA chapter) and the Helping Hands Urban Farm Garden at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Syracuse, the council provides grants to local agricultural projects.
“We’ve turned down a lot of very worthy projects that didn’t fit with the mission of what we’re trying to do,” Knapp said, adding that the ag council has been “very frugal” with its funds.
Knapp acknowledged that getting consumers to buy local can be difficult.
“It’s tough when you can get strawberries cheaper from California, but it could change very quickly,” he said.
Potential disasters like the drought in California are another reason the council is looking to promote and protect Onondaga County farmland.
“If we don’t have the farmland to support [demand], the consumers could lose,” Knapp said.
Knapp said the county encourages “smart development” from a zoning and planning perspective to protect Onondaga County’s green spaces while still allowing municipalities to grow.
Paul Nojaim, owner of Nojaim Bros. Supermarket, said the education piece of Onondaga Grown’s mission is important to him as a retailer.
“There’s a lot of product from all over the world that we consume. We want people to understand what is here in Onondaga County,” he said. “I would love to have people come in and ask me, ‘What is Onondaga Grown?’”
Nojaim said he wants consumers to question where and how the items on their grocery list were grown, and to consider the social justice aspects of the laborers who provide their food.
“It starts with the consumer understanding and demanding,” he said. “I would like a more educated public to say, ‘I want local.’”
To follow the efforts of the Onondaga Grown campaign, read the blog at wsyr.com/features/onondaga-grown-837, like Onondaga Grown on Facebook or follow @OnondagaGrown on Twitter.
Retailers can request a free media kit with posters, window clings and “Buy Local — Onondaga Grown” product stickers by contacting Sara Cooper at 362-7251 or [email protected].
