1. Chesapeake Fields Farmer’s Cooperative, CF Institute, CF Farmers LLC

Location:

• Chesapeake Bay Watershed Region of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia

Why interesting:

• Formal marketing cooperative; organized by an Extension educator in an intentional cluster-building effort. Ought to provide insights about potential role and challenges for extension to catalyze cluster development.

Common feature:

• Members are Delmarva farmers who grow identity preserved (IP) crops sold to local, national and international customers

Type(s) & numbers of participants (farmers, suppliers, processing units, etc.):

• At the end of 2004, over 33 farmers from eight Maryland counties grew almost 5,000 acres of identity preserved crops.

Where in life cycle/brief history:

• The Chesapeake Fields Institute was chartered as a non-profit in 2000, to address the loss of profitability in traditional agricultural markets throughout the Delmarva Peninsula farms. CFI worked with local operating agribusiness and community leaders to develop a solid and innovative strategic plan to investigate and develop markets that are more profitable. In addition, CFI educates its communities, its citizens, and future leaders about the importance and value of preserving and investing in America's existing farmlands.
• The Chesapeake Fields Farmer’s Cooperative was established in Spring of 2005.

Key contacts:

• John Hall.
• To be determined: George Ersy? Joe Bauer? Robert Bryan? Elizabeth H. Morris-Staff Associate? Augustine Cook? Kate Gregory? Graham Lee? Pat Nielsen? Andy Stein? John Trax?

Liaison:
Errol Mattox
Organic Farmer
210 Chestnut Tree Rd
Hebron, MD 21830
Phone: 410-546-3853
threemaplesfarm@comcast.net