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.