By SUSAN MYKRANTZ
Ohio Correspondent

WOOSTER, Ohio — Susan Gibbs left the bright lights of New York and CBS News to move to the country and build a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) network for yarn and fiber products.
Gibbs will be the keynote speaker at the 2010 Paca To Product Forum on Nov. 13 in Wooster. The forum will be at the Arden Shisler Center on the Wooster campus of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.  She will address the group during the morning session, from 10 a.m.-noon.
Gibbs, a former news producer with CBS News in New York, N.Y., made the switch from the corporate world to the country and a niche farm on Martha’s Vineyard, south of Cape Cod, before moving to Virginia to establish Juniper Moon Farm and build a flock of sheep and goats. She also started the first-ever network for CSA for yarn and fiber products.

The CSA is patterned after similar CSAs for produce, in which customers pay a fee and receive produce in season from the grower, according to J.C. Christensen, coordinator for the forum. Under Gibbs’ CSA, fiber enthusiasts purchase a share and in return, they receive their share of the fiber products produced in the CSA.
Participants also have the opportunity to access the farm’s website and learn about the day-to-day operation of the farm, as well as attend workshops and clinics on techniques using the yarn and fiber products they receive.

Christensen said the Paca to Product network was established to build relationships among fiber producers, shearers or harvesters, processors and fiber artists.

“We are trying to establish a cottage industry-level platform where exotic fiber producers, harvesters, processors and artisans will benefit from an expanding market that is both profitable and sustainable for all involved,” he said.

Other workshops Nov. 13 include the effects of shearing on end products and techniques that can realize maximum profits from the fleece; evaluating fiber to determine its best value-added step; using social media to promote and market fiber products; and finding alternatives to common market strategies by developing a market where one doesn’t exist, or will not compete with others in the industry.

Christensen added a new feature of this year’s forum is the fact that participants have two options. They may register for the entire forum, or only for the morning session with Gibbs.

“We want to make that session open to anyone who is interested in not only fiber, but also interested in ‘green’ or sustainable agriculture,” he said.

The cost of the forum is $50, which includes lunch and materials, or $10 for the keynote speaker, if postmarked before Oct. 15. Late registrations between Oct. 15-Nov. 5 will be $65, which includes lunch and materials, or $15 for keynote speaker only.

Walk-in registration on the day of the forum will be $75, or $20 for the keynote speaker only. A complete schedule and registration form is available at http://pacatoproduct.org

Registrations and payment may be sent to: Morning Star Fiber, 8522 Dover Rd., Apple Creek, OH 44606. For more information, call Christensen at 330-778-0078.