NYC Reports Looks to Northern Neighbors for Food

The fate of Meredith's economic woes could be remedied by a hungry city to our south. In late November, the New York City Council presented "FoodWorks: A Vision to Improve NYC's Food System." Many of the report's proposed solutions to a food-needy populace is to enlist the help of the City's northern neighbors. Their hope is -- with help from legislative mandates, improved distribution channels and open dialogue -- the City can call on Catskill communities, like Meredith, to supply the dietary needs of nine million New Yorkers.

What that could mean for the Town of Meredith is jobs...through an expanded agricultural base and the secondary businesses affiliated with a grass-based farming community. With a little bit of planning, our town can position itself as a willing supplier to the City's future food needs. In the process, our community would fortify our local food supply and provide an economic backdrop that will provide resilience in any economic climate. After all, people always have to eat and they prefer eating high-quality, nutritious food. The Town of Meredith can do that -- step up to be a regional food supplier to our neighbors both down the road and down the Thruway.

All this directly relates to the Town's efforts to put a Farmland Protection Plan in place in 2011. By protecting farmland now and identifying what farmers need to succeed, we position ourselves as a player within this regional food network. If you would like to share your ideas for Meredith's Farmland Protection Plan, comment here or send an email to mailto:meredithfarmland@gmal.com.

Green Grass, Green Jobs: New Report Spotlights Potential of NY Grasslands

According to Violet Stone who heads the Cornell Small Farms Program (CSF), the CSF Work Team on Grasslands Utilization released a new report, "Green Grass, Green Jobs: Increasing Livestock Production on Underutilized Grasslands." The report is the culmination of two years of statewide study by a team of extension educators, farmers, agency staff, and faculty across New York State. The Work Team is led by Dan Welch of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County. Meredith's Ken Jaffe of Slope Farms was among the work team's contributors.

This report is of significance for the Town of Meredith for two reasons:
1) the report supports livestock/grass-based enterprises as a solution to our need for economic stimulus and 2) the report reinforces the Town's need for a farmland protection plan.

The report focuses on recommended actions in research, education, extension, and policy to realize the potential of our grasslands as a farming resource that will spur rural economic development, grow the regional food supply, and enhance environmental outcomes for all citizens of NYS.

Over 3 million acres of NYS grasslands are not currently being used for agricultural production. This presents an opportunity for the state to encourage economic development on these lands that will lead to job creation, enhance regional and local food security, and contribute to sustainable agriculture enterprises. Several barriers exist to the increase utilization of grasslands for livestock production. Two barriers are farmers’ limited access to these underutilized grasslands and capital to develop agricultural enterprises.

Topics discussed in the report include: Why increased livestock utilization of NY’s grasslands makes sense; Livestock production and marketing opportunities; Barriers to increased livestock utilization of NYS grasslands; and Recommendations and inventory of grasslands management resources of NYS landowners & farmers.

“Green Grass, Green Jobs: Increasing Livestock Production on Underutilized Grasslands" is available as a free download from the Cornell Small Farms website at www.smallfarms.cornell.edu. Free hard copies are also available and may be requested by contacting Violet Stone at 607-255-9227 or vws7@cornell.edu.

Roots of the Local Food Movement

I ran across this interesting photo essay of wartime posters highlighting our country's history with victory gardens. While we might sustain ourselves through a season with just our backyard vegetable fare, it's the meat and eggs from neighboring farms that would turn a bleak potato-driven winter into one of variety. As we look at Meredith's potential to deliver a viable local food system for our residents and neighboring communities, a look back at what we can do individually vs. what we can do together proves our food future is best managed collaboratively.

Feel free to leave your thoughts and comments below.

Photo essay: The locavore movement may seem like a fad to some, but these wartime posters show that equating local food and security has deep roots in U.S. history. posted Sep 15, 2010

"A Victory Garden is like a share in an airplane factory. It helps win the war and pays dividends too." – Claude R. Wickard, Secretary of Agriculture

The United States Department of Agriculture estimates that 20 million Americans rose to the call for patriotism and planted a victory garden during World War II. 

Canning, home gardening, and vegetarianism have once again become political actions. Just as Eleanor Roosevelt encouraged victory gardens by planting one at the White House, the Obamas have helped to restart the home gardening trend by planting the first White House vegetable garden since the Roosevelts'.

Ready for Anything: YES! Magazine's latest issue: How to build resilience now for hard times ahead. Of course, the locavore movement emphasizes local food security for different reasons than wartime propaganda campaigns did: a changing climate, an end to cheap oil, and a difficult economy, rather than the need to feed and maintain armies. Still, the parallels are striking: Americans are eating locally not just to develop the resiliency and self-sufficiency of their communities, but to do their part in a larger struggle—this time, the global climate crisis.

To view the photo essay, click here.

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Poster images courtesy of the Collection of National Agricultural Library and an exhibit created by Cory Bernat and Good-Potato.com. Visit the website for more information.

Interested?

• Pioneers of the New Normal
• My 10-Mile Diet in a Global Food System
• 8 Ways to Join the Local Food Movement

YES! Magazine encourages you to make free use of this article by taking these easy steps. aabdallah. (2010, September 10). Roots of the Local Food Movement. Retrieved October 09, 2010, from YES! Magazine Web site: http://www.yesmagazine.org/planet/roots-of-the-local-food-movement-1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License

http://www.yesmagazine.org/planet/roots-of-the-local-food-movement-1

Planning an Agricultural Vision for the Town of Meredith

New York State Ag & Markets recently awarded the Town of Meredith a grant to create and approve a farmland protection plan. Sometimes referred to as an FPP or Plan, this document provides the Town with a way to

• pro-actively engage in farmland conservation,
• encourage agriculture and farming as the highest and best use of land, and
• establish Meredith as a farm-friendly community that will attract more farmers, residents and related businesses in the future.

The Plan's creation is inherently supported by the Town's 2006 Comprehensive Plan and residents' desire to protect the Town's pristine landscapes, agricultural heritage, and rural character.

The Town is assembling a Farmland Protection Plan Grant Committee (also known as the FPPGC or Committee) to oversee the grant and the planning process. One part of the process is to secure a consultant who will conduct and compile information and feedback provided by various entities such as:

• Meredith farmers, farm businesses, landowners and residents,
• Local agribusinesses and suppliers to farm enterprises,
• Regional agencies such as Delaware County Farmland Protection Board, Planning Department, Soil & Water Conservation District, Cornell Cooperative Extension and NYS Ag&Markets,
• Nonprofit organizations like Farm Catskills, American Farmland Trust and Glynwood Center,
• plus many others.

Ultimately, the Committee and consultant will design a Plan with information compiled and present a draft plan at a public hearing, and then a final plan for Town Board approval.

The Committee's workshops will be open to public. Informal public listening sessions will be arranged so people can share their views, concerns and solutions; a minimum of two formal public hearings will be held as well. Residents can submit comments and recommendations throughout the process through email, the Meredith Farmland blog, by mail (PO Box 64, Meredith, NY 13806) or by requesting a five-minute presentation slot during a Committee workshop. A FPPGC workshop schedule and Committee member list will be posted as it becomes available.

If you would like to be involved with this process or Committee, please contact Meredith's Town Supervisor Keitha Capouya at (607) 746-2431.