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PSFN is pleased to welcome Ann Leason to the Northwest Agriculture Business Center in Mt Vernon.  Former AmeriCorps State Member assigned to NABC, Ms. Leason exceeded expectations as PSFN’s Data Manager and quickly became an important team member we could not afford to lose.  After a short break, she will return to PSFN as part-time PSFN Operations Manager starting July 26th. Ann will manage specific member accounts.  She will also act as key liaison between PSFN project leader and existing and potential members while managing day-to-day operations for the Network at the Mt Vernon office. Ann will continue to be the communications hub for offsite project and account managers, and will facilitate member training and outreach. Her combined professional experience in farming, corporate food marketing, communications and event management fits her new role at PSFN.

 

Ann is passionate about community, farming and the importance of local food. She spent three years as a part of Cardo’s Organic Sprout Farm in Ponder, Texas. She was also part of the operations team of a newly opened CSA, also in the North Texas Area. She is a member of the 2009 WSU Master Gardeners of Skagit County and holds a B.S in Radio-Television-Film from the University of Texas at Austin.

 

We asked Ann what she likes best about living in Washington.  “I like the diversity of Washington and Skagit County specifically…. I love that a variety of crops will grow in this soil, and there are many different types of farmers growing the food.

“While growing up in Texas, especially in my small farming community, there were only tomatoes, peppers, garlic and cows. Here – so many different crops are available almost year round. The temperate climate has allowed me to grow veggies that I used to just drool over in seed catalogues.

“And the trees – I sometimes still feel claustrophobic by the mere size of them. I never knew there were so many shades of green.”

 

Join us in welcoming Ann to NABC staff!  Ann can be reached at 360-336-3666.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jodie Buller; Skagit Valley Food Co-op, (360-336-5087×136), or Lucy Norris; Puget Sound Food Network (PSFN), 360-336-3666

June 22, 2010 [Mount Vernon, WA] - Area food producers are preparing to sell their products to wholesale customers in the covered parking lot of the Skagit Valley Food Co-op on Thursday mornings from 8-10 a.m., starting this Thursday, June 24th, and will be there every week through harvest season, interest provided.

The weekly market is designed to help area buyers and sellers decrease time and fuel costs associated with collecting and delivering local food themselves,” says Lucy Norris, PSFN Project Manager. “The Skagit Valley Food Co-op and Puget Sound Food Network together identified an initial group of local vendors, now we need restaurants and food service buyers to show up.” Buyers can either preorder from the farm, and then pay and collect at the market site, or choose to pick up later. Each vendor will choose their own invoicing and delivery options. Impulse buys are expected and encouraged.

The Skagit WholeSale Market is grounded in the harvest of all-star Skagit organic producers like Hedlin Farm, Skagit River Ranch, Ralph’s Greenhouse, and Skagit Flats. Staples from Sakuma Bros, Twin Sisters Mushrooms, Hidden Meadow Ranch, Fresh Breeze Organic Dairy, and the newly formed Viva Farms will be complimented by delicacies from San Juan Pasta Company and Gothberg Farms. Seasonal appearances by other Skagit and PSFN member producers, and products from nearby and east of the mountains will appear throughout the season.

A collaboration between the Co-op and Puget Sound Food Network, it is the only grassroots business-to-business market of its kind in Northwest Washington.

Those interested in learning more or wish to participate as a Skagit WholeSale Market buyer or seller should contact Erin Treat at skagitcoop@gmail.com or visit PSFN at www.psfn.org.   Map and directions to the Skagit Valley Food Co-op are posted at http://www.skagitfoodcoop.com/map.html.

For more background and information, please read our first press release from June 8th on our blog at http://psfn.org/blog/2010/06/seeking-buyers-for-the-skagit-wholesale-market-thursdays-starting-june-24th/, and follow All FOOD Considered, a blog created by Skagit Valley Food Coop.

PSFN is proud to announce a brand new profile feature: Certifications. Are your products Salmon Safe or USDA Organic? Now, PSFN members have the ability to select and display Certification badges within their profile space for the world to see with just the click of a mouse. Simply edit you account and check off the boxes next to each Certification and wah-lah! Certification buttons right in your profile.

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Lucy Norris; Northwest Agriculture Business Center (NABC) 360-336-3727

MT. VERNON, WA, February 23– Since the soft launch of the PSFN (“PSFN” or “The Network”) at Snohomish County’s 2009 Focus on Farming Conference on November 4, PSFN staff have been busy implementing updates and refining service benefits for its existing members. PSFN now seeks to attract area food producers, retail professionals, service providers and the general public to sign up and become PSFN members and sponsors.

In early 2009, the Northwest Agriculture Business Center, NABC, began the process of hiring staff to build a market concept which utilizes modern technology and human resources to create a dynamic information network allowing producers, buyers, individual consumers, services and community partners, to find each other, communicate needs, and develop working relationships in the Puget Sound. “PSFN is designed to connect local food producers and products to a discriminating and growing wholesale buyers market,” says Tim Crosby, Network Coordinator. “We work with our members to make connections and solve logistical problems so we can increase the availability of local food products in our twelve county region.”

In recent years, consumers have shown a growing interest in buying locally grown foods from farmer’s markets and restaurants—fresh, clean, quality foods unique to a region’s seasonality with a story to tell. Puget Sound land and waters produce a diversity of vegetables, fruits and grains, pastured meats and dairy, finfish and shellfish that consumers desire, along with artisan wines, cheeses and beers. “Shoppers might find these foods on high-end restaurant menus, specialty stores and farmers markets, but they can’t find a fair representation at regular grocers, schools or work cafeterias,” says Lucy Norris, Regional Food System Developer, “It’s still a niche, but we think local food can be everyday food.” It seemed a concentrated effort like Puget Sound Food Network was in order.

“In addition to our core services, our members have access to relevant blog and news feeds, event calendars, community portals, market research, insights and trend reports— all in one place, says Lucy Norris. “We are focused on improving the food system as a whole by bringing all parties together to build a stronger, healthier Puget Sound.”

“Developing a strong regional food system will only happen as we grow the Network’s membership, that’s why we are offering a Founding Member half price discount to thank the businesses that join this first phase of our growth,” says David Bauermeister, NABC’s Executive Director, “The discount is good until March 31, 2010.” Individuals interested in Basic Membership may also choose to add a little extra to sponsor a small but growing farm to offset membership fees, increasing a small farm’s chances to connect with potential buyers.

Those interested in learning more about PSFN and how to become a member should visit our Web site at www.PSFN.org. PSFN will be also represented at upcoming Seattle food related events including Farmer Fisher Chef Connection, Wild Seafood Exchange Conference and NW Food Service Show. Those interested in making a tax-deductible gift or to discuss sponsorship opportunities to the non-profit NABC should visit http://www.agbizcenter.org/donate, or contact Lucy Norris at 360-336-3666, 206-420-1229 or email lucy@psfn.org.

psfnLogo_final_tag.ai

After many months of development, the Puget Sound Food Network has officially launched at PSFN.org.  Our official launch takes place at Focus on Farming VI conference in Tulalip, WA. NABC staff along with PSFN project coordinators will be on hand to showcase the new tool with live demos at the NABC trade show booth. If you are able to attend the conference make sure to stop by the booth for a demo. PSFN will present a Powerpoint presentation at 2:30pm

One of the PSFN primary features is to provide a forum for producers to easily locate processing opportunities that exist. This will enable regional producers to meet the increasing demand for locally produced food. With a simple area search producers will be able to locate commercial kitchens, cold storage, and miscellaneous processing programs. Examples of this include cooler space that is available for long-term rent/lease at Mike & Jeans Berry Farm, processing space at Skagit Valley Organics new WSDA certified commercial kitchen, or the long running NABC poultry processing equipment rental program. The PSFN enables real-time communication between food producers, consumers, and other participants in the Puget Sound regional food system with the ultimate goal of facilitating transactions.

With our system on its way to full functionality, the Puget Sound Food Network is already making connections within the Puget Sound region. Our first official transaction took place yesterday when Growing Washington delivered products including cukes and a braising mix to Western Washington University in Bellingham. This well received transaction will be the first of many as PSFN primes for full launch.

The Puget Sound Food Network is quickly becoming a vibrant regional supply network that links independent producers with businesses looking to buy and move more regional food. Lucy Norris and Tim Crosby have been contacting regional producers, buyers, and distributors and connecting them with each other by gathering buyer’s product needs and matching them with regional producers that have product that matches those needs. Various broadline and smaller, more locally owned distributors have shown interested in moving more regional product by helping develop the tricky logistics of consolidating and moving a more diverse, decentralized food supply chain.

Technologically, PSFN is finalizing the foundational components of its online marketplace. The website will launch soon with the ability for values-based supply chain partners to find each other through directory and map listings, control their own profiles, make buy/sell product requests, receive current market information, and request assistance from staff to help move more product through the region. If you are a regional producer, buyer, or distributor and would like to assist in beta testing please contact Tim Crosby at tim@psfn.org.