Garrett County has a strong agricultural and direct-to-consumer farming community that includes farmers markets, growers associations, agri-tourism businesses, and farm stands. However, there is a lack of infrastructure for aggregating, storing, distributing, and marketing local food products. Garrett County Economic Development is working on the development of a local foods development plan to help expand agricultural production and increase agribusiness development.
As part of this project, Garrett County Economic Development, with the assistance of Downstream Strategies, a Morgantown WV consulting company, is launching a comprehensive survey of area producers, distributors, buyers (restaurants/stores etc.), food business service providers and food processors in order to better understand the challenges and opportunities that exist in the county.
The survey collection began on August 6th, 2015 and responses will be collected through August 31, 2015. If you are a food producer, distributor, wholesaler, food buying business, restaurant, or processor and are located in or around Garrett County, we are asking for your help! Please complete the survey(s) that apply to your business model.
You can find your survey at www.GarrettFarms.org/survey or you can contact Cheryl DeBerry at Garrett County Economic Development for more information or paper copies.
All data will be aggregated and analyzed anonymously. Contact information is confidential but there is an opportunity to list your business on the www.GarrettFarms.org website if you would like your business to be added or updated.
For more information contact Cheryl DeBerry, Garrett County Economic Development at [email protected], 301-334-6968 or Emily Carlson, Downstream Strategies [email protected], 304-292-2450.