CUESA's Goat Festival Returns to the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market
March 29, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Brie Mazurek, Communications Manager, CUESA
Phone: 415.291-3276 x104
Email: brie@cuesa.org
CUESA’s Goat Festival Returns to the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market
Up-Close and Personal Festival Inspires and Educates
Urban Dwellers about All Things Goat
SAN FRANCISCO (March 29, 2016) — CUESA (Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture) is excited to announce the return of its annual Goat Festival at the renowned Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Saturday, April 16.
Now in its eighth year, the popular celebration brings together urban dwellers to learn about humane animal care, meet local food producers, taste delicious artisan products, and get up close and personal with everyone’s favorite farm animal, the goat.
In 2015, CUESA’s Goat Festival became a viral social media phenomenon, attracting more than 17,000 goat-curious attendees. This year, Saanen, Nubian, Alpine, and La Mancha goats will be among the featured breeds, tempting visitors to fall in love with their friendly temperaments and curious personalities.
“CUESA’s Goat Festival is a fun way for city dwellers, who often feel disconnected from the natural world, to interact with nature through the lens of farming,” says CUESA’s Executive Director Marcy Coburn. “It gets at the core of CUESA’s mission to cultivate a healthy food system, one that includes supporting farmers who promote healthy animal agriculture.”
For anyone who’s always wanted to meet a goat, the petting stable allows attendees to get to know these adorable ruminants face to face. This year’s tent will feature baby goats from Toluma Farms and Tomales Farmstead Creamery, an Animal Welfare Approved dairy that produces award-winning cheeses from goats and sheep raised on certified organic pasture in Marin County.
“We believe it’s a responsibility of farmers and food producers to educate people about what it takes to raise farm animals,” say Tamara Hicks of Toluma Farms. “People fall in love with goats because they’re sweet, social, and super smart animals. If that gets them more interested in local goat cheeses or inspires them to go out and visit a farm, then we’ve done our job.”
Goats are raised for dairy, meat, and fiber around the world and bear a smaller environmental “hoofprint” than cows. They also provide a nimble and sustainable alternative to herbicides and gas-powered mowers in fire prevention and weed control.
In addition to the ticketed petting tent, this year’s Goat Festival will also include a free talk by local experts and ranchers about humane animal care and animal welfare certifications; a free cooking demo featuring goat cheese, by Mark Dommen of One Market Restaurant; and goat-inspired specials throughout the farmers market.
Goat Festival is a free event but includes some ticketed activities. Details and tickets at: http://www.foodwise.org/event/2016/goat-festival
What: CUESA’s Eighth Annual Goat Festival
Who: CUESA (Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture)
When: Saturday, April 16, 2016, 10 am to 1 pm
Where: Ferry Plaza Farmers Market (at Embarcadero and Market Streets), 1 Ferry Building, San Francisco, 94111
Why: Explore the wonders of goats, meet local ranchers and food crafters, sample artisan cheeses, and unleash your inner “kid” at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.
Facebook album from Goat Festival 2015.
Video from Goat Festival 2015.
About CUESA
CUESA (Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture) is a mission-driven nonprofit organization dedicated to cultivating a sustainable food system through the operation of farmers markets and educational programs. Founded in 1994, CUESA has operated the world-renowned Ferry Plaza Farmers Market at the Ferry Building in San Francisco since 1997, and remains a cutting-edge force in influencing how people grow, produce, and eat food in America. Since 1993, the market has been a crucial link between San Francisco residents and the farmers who practice sustainable agriculture in the region.
For more information, interview contacts, or photos for media coverage, please contact:
Brie Mazurek, Marketing & Communications Manager
CUESA
415.291-3276 x104
brie@cuesa.org
Topics: Press release