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Sen. Ritchie hosts meeting to discuss North Country food hub

Posted 9/10/15

Sen. Patty Ritchie brought together local agriculture professionals Wednesday to discuss the establishment of a “food hub” in upstate New York. “As we all know, one of the greatest challenges …

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Sen. Ritchie hosts meeting to discuss North Country food hub

Posted

Sen. Patty Ritchie brought together local agriculture professionals Wednesday to discuss the establishment of a “food hub” in upstate New York.

“As we all know, one of the greatest challenges facing our state’s hardworking farmers and agribusiness owners is finding metro markets in which to sell their products,” Ritchie said in a press release.

The release did not mention efforts already underway by United Helper’s management company SPARX to establish a slaughterhouse and food hub in St. Lawrence County.

“In recent years, more and more people have realized the importance—and advantages—of eating local. A food hub will capitalize on the ‘eat local’ movement by allowing farmers to bring their goods to one central location, where they then can be transported to major cities throughout our state and ultimately, end up on the dinner tables of people in metro areas who are looking to eat nutritious, locally grown foods.”

At Wednesday’s meeting in Watertown, Ritchie and other agriculture leaders, including members of the Senator’s Agriculture Advisory Council, discussed how to best utilize funds included in the new state budget to establish food hubs, which will give farmers and agribusiness owners an opportunity to bring products to a central location where they can then be transported to major cities throughout our state, including New York City.

“The North Country Food Hub has the potential to transform agriculture across our region. I’m very pleased with the progress we’re making on this vital project,” said Assemblyman Blankenbush, whose district includes portions on Jefferson, St. Lawrence and Lewis counties.

Wednesday’s meeting builds on Sen. Ritchie’s efforts to support our state’s farmers as Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee.