5/22/2013: Earth Day: Donna Williams' Letter to Editor Published in the Albany Times

The April 2nd Albany Times story, "Wide take on locally grown", questions the definition of "local," a critical issue for the rebirth of our region's agriculture industry.

Donna Williams: "Local should be synonymous with the concept of terroir, a French term most commonly associated with viticulture. Terroir is the sum of the characteristics that geography, climate and geology bestow on the quality and taste of a particular variety of crop. In this sense, the definition of “local” used by retailers such as Whole Foods, whose rule is that "food can not be labeled as local unless it travels to the store in seven hours or fewer," is irrelevant. "Industrial" carrots grown in southern Canada have no more in common with an organic Purple Haze variety of carrot grown in the Hudson Valley than a gallon of Gallo wine has with a fine Haut-Medoc from the Bordeaux region of France.

This focus on distance traveled stems from the belief that food miles are significant contributors to greenhouse gases. The true cause of the majority of food-related emissions is the waste that occurs in the distribution chain from farmer, to processer, to distributor, to retail shelf. Large food retailers cannot deliver true "local" food simply because their business models do not allow for it. Most varieties of supermarket produce are chosen for yield, growth rate and ability to withstand long-distance transport. These traits, which benefit national and international produce distribution, often come at a cost: taste and nutritional value."

04/2013: Field Goods announced 2013 Edible Hudson Valley "Local Hero Winner" 

Pulled from the Edible Hudson Valley Digital Edition...

"If you don't have the time, means or energy to seek out locally grown produce. . . that's too bad. However, this should not relegate you to a life of inferior supermarket goods. Field Goods links farmer to consumer with a CSA-type service that provides customizable weekly deliveries to hungry customers. Mushrooms, plums, tomatoes, green garlic and purple Cherokee potatoes are just a few of the seasonal items that make up a weekly delivery, direct from local farms like Little Seed, Greig, and Fog and Thistle. While they don't deliver directly to your doorstep (this is not Manhattan!), they do drop off at a number of businesses, office buildings, college campuses and community centers from Albany down into the Hudson Valley."

Check out the rest of the article here.

 

03/2013: Donna Williams, founder, featured in Women @ Work Magazine

10/19/2012: Field Goods Featured on WNYT.

Elaine Houston, host of WNYT Today's Woman segment, featured Field Goods Founder Donna Williams. The segment highlights the company's beginnings, operations and includes an interview with Sherri Donnelly, VP of Human Resources at Albany Law School.  Ms. Donnelly discusses why she brought Field Goods in as part of Albany Law School' wellness initiatives.

Check out the interview here.