Buy Madison County updates site to promote local farms, products

WAMPSVILLE, N.Y. — Buy Madison County, in collaboration with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County, has teamed up with C&D Advertising of Rome to update the Buy Madison County website. 

The updated digital platform can help those interested can get answers to questions about where their milk, bread, or produce originated. 

The updated Buy Madison County site now includes a landing page where people can find all things grown local in Madison County, per the county’s Aug. 8 news release. 

Part of the county’s initiative to “step up and support” its agriculture partners also involves improving the current Buy Madison County program. Buy Madison County first launched in 2012, and since then, has helped “create connections” between the county’s local businesses, restaurants, and farms. 

Now, Buy Madison County has created a “one stop shop” for people to learn more about the county’s farms, the products and services they provide and grow, and create a “Buy Madison County” brand. 

The website, www.buymadisoncountyny.com, has a landing page for the agriculture industries within Madison County. People can use the site to search for farms by product or services. As of Aug. 8, the site listed 25 farms but “many more” are to follow, per the release. 

Madison County contends that “our world is more than ever reliant on the internet,” and many of those in the agriculture business “do not have time or the ability to keep up with a website, even a Facebook page.” The Buy Madison County website provides these farms the ability to have a digital presence. 

Consumers can find out the name of a farm, where it is located, what some of its top products are, and where they can purchase those products, such as yogurt or butter made from milk generated from a Madison County dairy. 

The county said, “Buy Madison County is more than just a website. It is a brand, a way of life, it is who we are here in Madison County. We want people to know when they buy maple syrup for their pancakes, why not get it from Many Maples in Georgetown, it is delicious, was tapped by Madison County farmers and processed here. Or if you are in the market for some fresh vegetables, check out Hartwood Farm, in Chittenango. It is as simple as looking for the Buy Madison County Grown Local stickers and signs when you are shopping.” 

Madison County says it hopes is to have an increasing number of its agriculture producers using the Buy Madison County brand and maintaining a presence on the website as it builds awareness of this campaign. In addition to area farms, the county also hopes to build profiles for businesses in additional sectors, such as manufacturing, restaurants, and soap shops.

Support for farming

Madison County is a 661-square-mile rural community with an “identity defined by its beloved agricultural landscape and agrarian history,” as noted in the county’s news release. In this year’s State of the County address, John Becker, chairman of the Madison County Board of Supervisors, discussed what the future of farming here in the U.S. looks like. 

He discussed how large corporate farms are taking over the food industry, while small farms like the ones operating in Madison County “are not able to benefit from rising prices.” 

“It is imperative that we as a county help support our farmers,” Becker contended. “You are the backbone of our community, and some of you have been in business for decades. I know all too well that the agriculture industry has changed over the years. If our farms do not survive and thrive, what will that mean for the rest of us? That is why Madison County is stepping up to help support our agriculture industries.”