Project Title:  Emerging Ag Markets Team Website and Publications Update Round 2 (2004)  

Project Leader (s):  Rose Skora and Jody Padghum

Project Collaborators:  Bill Wright and Rami Reddy

Project Category:  Outreach/Education

Situation: The “New Farm Options” Emerging Ag Markets Team Web Page http://www.uwex.edu/ces/agmarkets/  was crafted in 1999 as a resource for farmers exploring value-added alternatives. The site offers a diversity of resources on market development, business planning and start-up support for entrepreneurs in any type of production. Unfortunately, no funding was set aside to update and maintain the site. The site has not been modified since July of 1999. There are currently numerous broken links and outdated resources, and though still useful, the site has become lethargic and cumbersome. This project proposed to bring the site back into useful and relevant life as a resource for Wisconsin farmers seeking objective information.

One set of resources within the UW Archives that could be of great value to producers are those produced by John Cottingham, UW Extension Agricultural Marketing Specialist and UW Platteville Professor of Agricultural Economics.  In the 1970’s and 80’s Professor Cottingham created several newsletters relating to direct marketing, with subjects ranging from working with customers to pricing, and many subjects in between.  While somewhat dated, for the most part the material in these publications is still relevant.  Using the base of information provided by John Cottingham, these publications will be updated and more prominently featured on the Emerging Agricultural Markets team website, the UW Extension website and the SavorWisconsin.com website.

Response:  This project will educate producers about emerging ag markets and marketing strategies by simplifying, updating and re-introducing the “New Farm Options” EAM team website and updating and making available an EAM team series of publications.

Results:

• To date, almost all of the Cottingham publications have either been combine and updated or updated.  It was decided that few publications did not require updating; however, approximately 6 new titles were added to the list.  While the majority of the publications have been updated, we are still working to get them in a final design format through the publications department.  Our goal is to have all of the publication finished in final format by the ANRE conference in December.
• The EAM team logo was developed that will be used on all publications, the EAM team website as well as any other promotional materials
• Significant groundwork was done to update the EAM team web page.  However, due to challenges including not having a finished logo, and inefficiencies in having a non-UWEX person working with the UWEX web-designers, a decision was made to move the website responsibilities from Jody Padghum to the EAM team leaders, with Carol Roth taking lead responsibilities.