From Nada Haddad, Rockingham County, Co-operative Extension

November 2010

Over the past few decades New Hampshire’s agriculture industry has evolved into a diverse, vibrant sector of the state’s economy. Agricultural firms produce a wide variety of crops, plants, livestock products and specialty foods for sale directly to consumers and through a variety of intermediate markets. Annual sales of agricultural products near $750 million, but that’s only part of the industry’s economic impact. The 3,100 individual firms manage over 150,000 acres of cropland with an additional 250,000 acres devoted to pasture, Christmas trees, maple syrup production and similar uses. This open space buffers residential and commercial development and provides the working landscape that makes New Hampshire attractive to visitors worldwide.

In order for the farming community to thrive, it must continue to be economically and environmentally sustainable while meeting societal obligations. University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension is uniquely positioned to provide educational and research-based programs to assist agricultural businesses and related natural resource firms meet these goals. UNH Extension professionals understand the challenges and opportunities faced by the state’s farms and have forged important partnerships

University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension program goals related to agriculture can be found at http://extension.unh.edu/Agric/Agric.htm.. In brief, program efforts focus on helping agricultural businesses:

• Adopt research-based practices that enhance and maintain efficient production.
• Develop and implement financial and business management plans that enhance profitability.
• Assess business risk and adopt strategies to minimize those risks.
• Develop and implement marketing plans to improve income.
• Increase direct marketing sales and adopt innovative marketing techniques.
• Increase their knowledge of food safety and implement food safety management plans.