An unexpected phone call on a Saturday night brought Karen Watt the news that she had been inducted into the North American Farmers Direct Marketing Association Hall of Fame. "I was sitting home, received a call and I could hear the people in the background that were at the NAFDMA banquet when they told me I'd been chosen," she said. "It was such an unexpected surprise and an honor." Whether being a champion for farmers' rights or pushing legislative action to benefit the agriculture industry, Watt is a tireless champion for the industry. "Being a farmer and being in agriculture isn't the easiest line of work. You really need a support system," the Albion woman said. She was recently honored by the NAFDMA because of those efforts. The group represents more than 500 farmers across the United States and into Canada and Europe. She is the seventh person to be chosen to the Hall of Fame. Watt, who became a member in 1994, served two terms on the NAFDMA board of directors and also served as president from 1999 to 2001. "The group was and still is very important to me," she said. "I know I can pick up the phone or e-mail any of the members and get their expertise on a variety of issues. Of all the memberships I have, the networking advantages and creativity among the people in this group are unlike any other. We all have problems similar to other retail businesses but we also have unique opportunities." Selection to the Hall of Fame are based on past leadership, outreach, work with the members of the organization and for people who have been unselfish and are willing to share their knowledge and experience. "I joined the group as a way to network with other farmers - to share successes and failures," she said. "It was also through NAFDMA that we found out about a train being sold so we bought that as a way to draw more people to the farm." Watt, and her husband Chris, who own Watt Farms, said when she started out with the 250-acre orchard about 25 years ago, she never imagined it would grow into a farmer's market the way it has. "Originally, I would take fruits and vegetables to farmers markets on the weekends," she said. "Eventually people started stopping in during the week and I got quite a little trade going. We developed quite a bit of traffic stopping in between the markets to pick up fruit." From the humble beginnings the market has grown to offer gifts, fudge, homemade preserves, ice cream and, of course, fruits and vegetables. "We don't consider ourselves a true farmers market because we don't buy-in other fruits and vegetables - if we don't grow it, chances are we don't sell it here," she said. They had carried sweet corn for a couple of summers but had to purchase it from other farmers and truck it in themselves. "When there was the drought last year, most of our normal suppliers didn't have enough for their farms so we weren't able to get any for ours. I think we did fine without it." Last summer the market sold two tons of sweet cherries, both from pre-picked and u-pick. "That was phenomenal," she said. In addition to running the market in Albion, Watt and several of her employees travel weekly to farmers markets to peddle their wares. "We go from Canandaigua to Clarence and it gives us a chance to advertise what we have out here in Albion," she said. "We know it's a haul to come out here for a lot of people so we really try to make it worth their while." "To succeed today as a farmer you really have to diversify," Watt said. "You have to cater to the tastes of the public and offer them something that keeps them coming back." In addition to the market and the greenhouse, Watt Farms offers its train ride which she said has become much more of an educational endeavor. "Many schools don't have money to just send kids out on field trips so when they send them somewhere they want it to be educational," she said. "Last year we offered a lot of information on bees and beekeeping in addition to the usual information we offer on agriculture." Watt's involvement in the farming community extends to the New York Farm Bureau on the Fruit Advisory committee; she sat on the board for four years. She is also on the Lake Plains RC&D Council and the Oak Orchard Health Center board of directors. In December, she was appointed for two more years to the National Advisory Council on Migrant Health. February 19, 2006 |
