Ag Summit held this Thursday April 15

An Area Ag Summit will be held at Herkimer County Community College on Thursday, April 15th, from 1:00 to 3:30 pm, in the Robert McLaughlin College Center, room 288. Numerous state and local agencies will provide information on programs available to area agribusinesses, farms and rural townships. Participants will also seek opinions, ideas and leadership in an effort to set the direction and goals for further actions to build our Ag industry.

The Summit is a result of a meeting in March that introduced the New York Agribusiness Corporation as they opened an office in East Herkimer, enabling them to serve the eastern portion of New York State. The discussion at this March meeting demonstrated a need for all Ag-related entities to work together to strengthen and grow the Ag industry.

1. The Summit is free and open to all interested in the area Ag Industry. The first part of the program will inform attendees of the various agencies available to help them grow their businesses. Each agency will give a brief description of its purpose, how it may be reached and their services; information, assistance and programs available. We will keep it on a local level and applicable to our region. Participating will be New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, US Department of Agriculture (USDA), New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), New York Agridevelopment Corp (NYADC), Herkimer County IDA, HCCC and possibly other agencies.

2. The second part of the program will consist of several small break-out groups that will deal with topics of interest and concerns of the attendees. The group’s charge is to seek opinions, needs and desired action to support and improve the industry. By coming together, we can determine what direction we wish to take.

Any questions please contact: Bernie Peplinski, 822-6974 / bpep@ymail.com or Fred Shaw, 717-8004 / fredshaw406@gmail.com.

Ag Summit held this Thursday April 15

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