Conversation with Patrick Hooker
Pushing the 'made in New York' brand is one of Patrick Hooker's priorities. The state's Agriculture and Markets Commissioner, who commutes to his Albany offices from his Madison County farm, says there's a groundswell of demand--even from New York City consumers--for locally produced, and state, regional and locally-tagged marketing efforts are paying off.
The State Fair marks the debut of new maple syrup containers, and Hooker says retailers have already picked up on the NY branding. Other products are looking for even smaller geographic 'tags'--like Finger Lakes wines--but Hooker says his department's merchandising efforts are based on what producers are asking for.
We also talked about the Fair's new position in state government: this year the transition from Authority to a part of Hooker's department is complete. He says it's been a big job, folding the operation in, but now he expects the operation to be more 'transparent' with more checks on daily operations. As for the many local, long-time workers who are out of a job as a result, he says it's part of government belt tightening, and not just at the Fair. His own agency has gone from 600 to the low 500 workers.
As for what the commissioner would like to see fairgoers take away from their visit, he hopes there's a greater appreciation of the good things in New York. Hooker says he loves the state and plans to live Upstate his whole life---and wants others to feel the same way.
