9th Year of Onondaga Grown Campaign
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Onondaga County Executive J. Ryan McMahon, II and the Onondaga County Agriculture Council kicked off year nine of the “Buy Local. Buy Onondaga Grown.” campaign to encourage the community to purchase food grown in Onondaga County by over 600 farm families. The kickoff event took place at Dutch Hill Maple in Tully.
County Executive McMahon, Onondaga County Agriculture Council Chairman and Onondaga County Legislator David Knapp and Executive Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga County David Skeval spoke about the many benefits of seeking out locally grown products.
The “Buy Local. Buy Onondaga Grown.” campaign educates the public on the importance of farming and farmland to our community. The campaign runs now through December and highlights the size and scope of Onondaga County’s agricultural industries such as produce, dairy, meat, maple, honey products, and more. New this year, the campaign includes radio commercials and podcasts that feature the voices of farmers and business owners who are committed to bringing local food to our community. Tune in to the Local Show on News Radio 106.9 WSYR on Saturdays at 11am and Sundays at 7am to hear from local farmers and businesses about the Buy Local movement.
“Onondaga County farmers work hard each day to produce nutritious, high-quality food. Our goal with the Onondaga Grown program is to encourage the community to choose these amazing locally grown products. Choosing local impacts us all in positive ways: we keep dollars local, we support the 600+ farm families in Onondaga County, and we can all be confident that we’re bringing the very best food to our tables,” said Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon.
The community is encouraged to select Onondaga Grown items by looking for the Onondaga Grown logo at local grocers, convenience stores, farm stands, farmers markets and restaurants – and by visiting www.onondagagrown.com for maps of businesses that produce or sell locally grown products.
“In addition to our media campaign, the Onondaga County Agriculture Council offers another way for community members to connect to local agriculture through the ON Farm Fest event on September 16th. This unique event puts the public in the center of where agriculture happens – right on the farm. Through interactive tours and demos, everyone can experience firsthand where their food comes from,” said Onondaga County Legislator and Onondaga Agriculture Council Chairman David Knapp.”
All local retailers – from restaurants to grocers, farm stores to markets – who offer agricultural products grown in Onondaga County are invited to participate in the Onondaga Grown campaign by requesting a free media kit containing posters, window clings for entryways, and sheets of stickers for Onondaga Grown products. This gives consumers an easy way to identify and purchase Onondaga Grown products. In addition to seasonal TV and radio messaging, there are two other ways the public can interact and engage with the campaign and discover where to purchase Onondaga Grown products. They can visit Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/OnondagaGrown and the website at https://www.onondagagrown.com.
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