Posted: 02.02.2011
Tuesday, Dane county will spend a day updating fresh market producers on a possible new produce packinghouse for the area.
Olivia Parry, Dane county's Senior Economic Development Specialist for the Institutional Food Market Coalition, tells Pam Jahnke that the time has come for the idea to be openly discussed.
The forum will be held Tuesday, February 8th from 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison. "We've received a grant to investigate what growers in the area think they can provide in the way of product and support to launch this packing warehouse," Parry tells the Wisconsin Farm Report. "During the meeting, we'll be surveying the audience for feedback."
Parry says the idea for a new Wisconsin fresh market produce packing house has been talked about for a while. She says the meeting will not only allow growers to be brought up to speed on the projects options - but they'll also have the chance to meet with large volume wholesale buyers looking for Wisconsin produce.
The cost for the full day is $40 - with the morning being dedicated to updating producers on the latest federal requirements for safe handling of produce. Growers that opt to attend the afternoon session only will be charged $10, according to Parry. Reservations must be made no later than Monday at noon for inclusion in the forum.
Parry says the group will try and identify what interest producers have in selling their produce into a packinghouse and gauge the amount and type of produce they could sell into a "Wisconsin-only" produce packinghouse.
Register for the conference and find out more about the survey project at http://dane.uwex.edu/ for details.
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