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October 16-25, 2003
Walton, N.Y. - What is the future of Catskill farms? In
October, the Catskill community will host an international
team fromThe Glynwood Center. The team will study the issue
of farm viability in the region and make recommendations
based on their experience in Agriculture, economic development,
and community planning. For a full week, the Exchange team
will travel around the region, meeting with farmers, community
members, and government leaders. Based on their experience,
and what they hear during their visit here, they will compile
a full report of recommendations on what strategies can
be implemented to best preserve farmland, and how to protect
family farms in the Catskills.
The Catskills are one of nine communities, from New York
to the Netherlands, hosting an Exchange in 2003. This marks
the seventeenth year of the Countryside Exchange program,
which has successfully catalyzed community change, motivated
planning for the future, developed local leadership, and
sparked communities to shape their own futures.
The purpose of the week-long Exchange is to help those
involved answer the question “How can we help ourselves
to meet our community goals to take care of our land, people,
and economy? After an intensive week of meeting Catskill
community members, the Exchange team will present recommendations
to the community on how it can fully grasp its economic
opportunities, natural resources, and cultural assets; make
decisions collaboratively; and increase viability of farm
operations.
Amy Kenyon of the Watershed Agricultural Council in Walton
is chairing the local organizing committee for the Catskills
Exchange. She said the idea to apply for the Exchange came
about through the Catskill Watershed Business Roundtable,
as members were discussing the needs of Agriculture and
its importance to the local economy and to Catskill tourism.
According to Ms. Kenyon, “The positive response from
the community has been very encouraging. We’ve formed
a committee to organize the Exchange, made up of farmers,
community members, economic development professionals, business
leaders, and farm service providers.”
Issues for the Exchange team to consider will include:
strategies for preservation of farmland throughout the Catskills;
tools for increased profits through diversification and
new business strategies; development of a viable infrastructure
for processing and distribution that will support alternative,
small-scale Agriculture; and marketing strategies that return
more income to the farmer.
The week’s activities culminate on Thursday, October
23 at 7:00 p.m., when the team makes their final presentation
to the community at the Alumni Hall at SUNY Delhi. Local
government leaders, economic development and tourism agencies,
and concerned community members are encouraged to attend.
The Exchange culminates in a written report that is made
available to the community in January 2004. After the team's
visit, another community meeting will be held to discuss
the implementation of the team’s recommendations.
For more information on The Glynwood Center, visit www.glynwood.org.
Questions about The Catskills Countryside Exchange can be
directed to Amy Kenyon at the Watershed Agricultural Council
(WAC) 607-865-7790. WAC is a non-profit organization with
the mission to assist the Agriculture and forestry communities
to adopt best management practices for water quality protection
and economic viability. Funding for WAC Programs is provided
by New York City Department of Environmental Protection,
plus federal and foundation sources.
Friday, October 17
The team comes to the Catskills, arriving at their 'home
base' for the week in Bovina
Saturday, October 18
Community members with an interest in protecting the rural
landscape and keeping Agriculture viable join the Exchange
team for breakfast in Bovina.
The team's first visit will be to a dairy farm in New Kingston,
followed by a community lunch and more farm visits in Halcott
Center. The team will meet with dairy farmers and community
members to discuss farming in an area where land prices
have increased dramatically, and much of the farmland is
owned by non-farmers and “second homeowners.”
The Town of Halcott recently developed a comprehensive plan
which strives to maintain the rural character in the town
- the community is now trying to find strategies on how
to accomplish this goal.
The team then travels to Meridale for a ham dinner with
Delaware County farmers and Town Supervisors.
Sunday, October 19
After breakfast and discussion at the Slow Down Food Company
in Andes, the team will travel to Stone & Thistle Farm
in East Meredith for lunch and a tour of the farm. The public
is welcome to join the farm tour at 1:00 p.m. Visit www.stoneandthistlefarm.com
for more information about the farm and directions.
Next is a farm tour and dinner at Mrs. Jorrin's sheep farm
in East Meredith.
Monday, October 20
After breakfast in Bovina, the Exchange team takes part
in a panel discussion at 10:30 a.m. with local farmers and
Stamford and South Kortright high school .
Travel to Margaretville and lunch, followed by a roundtable
discussion with land preservation organizations discussing
the available resources and tools to protect farmland.
The team will have a break to work on their report, followed
by a reception with Chambers of Commerce and tourism professionals.
Tuesday, October 21
The Catskill Watershed Corporation hosts a breakfast at
Buck Hill Maple Farm in Jefferson with other Schoharie County
farmers.
The team travels from there to SUNY Cobleskill to visit
the meat processing lab and to learn about farmers who use
the USDA-inspected processing to add value to their meat
and sell direct to customers at markets, mail-order, and
“on-the-farm.”
Following lunch, the team takes part in an Economic Development
Forum in Delhi with all the economic development agencies
in the Catskills, to learn about the financing tools available
to farmers to assist with diversification and economic viability.
The team ends the day with a visit to the Lucky Dog Organic
Farm and Farm Store in Hamden, and dinner at the Hamden
Inn.
Wednesday, October 22
Breakfast and meeting with SUNY Delhi staff and students,
highlighting the veterinary and culinary programs. The culinary
students often use local ingredients when they attend national
competitions.
At 10:00 a.m. the team travels to Camp Shankitunk to meet
with Cooperative Extension agents from the five-county Catskill
region. The focus of discussion will be the implementation
of the farmland protection plans, as well as resources and
tools with which Extension provides farmers to help improve
their businesses.
At 1:00 p.m., the team attends the Delaware County Board
of Supervisors meeting in Delhi, and then returns to the
farmhouse in Bovina for some rest and to work on their report.
Thursday, October 23
At 7:00 p.m., the team makes their final presentation to
the community at the Alumni Hall at SUNY Delhi. Local government
leaders, economic development and tourism agencies, and
concerned community members will be in attendance. The Exchange
culminates in a written report that is made available to
the community in January 2004. After the team's visit, follow-up
meetings will take place to get the community involved in
implementation of the team's recommendations.
PETER BOWDEN
Peter is a Senior Adviser within the Department for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Before joining DEFRA he
was a sheep and beef farmer and later managed a dairy farm
in Cornwall. His current work involves putting together
farm diversification plans for farmers and other agri-environment
work. This involves carrying out skills and resource audits,
researching markets, clarifying objectives, planning finance
and working within planning and taxation regimes.
Some examples of his work include: specialist seed schemes;
establishing co-operatives to supply local supermarkets;
developing tourism accommodation by renovating farm buildings,
creating niche products and adding value through projects
such as tea rooms, restaurants and specialist meats and
cheeses. One particularly innovative project carried out
by Peter’s team involved producing Mozzarella cheese
for pizzas, which demanded the farmer creating a herd of
Water Buffaloes to provide the milk.
GRANT DEHART
Grant Dehart is a registered architect and certified planner
with extensive experience in land preservation, historic
preservation, regional land use planning and design. He
provides policy analysis and advice to the Secretary and
Assistant Secretary of the Maryland Department of Natural
Resources for the Open Space, Rural Legacy, Waterway Improvement
and Shore Erosion Programs and for the administration of
federal land conservation funds. He served DNR for nine
years as Director of Program Open Space, and led the design
and implementation of the Rural Legacy Program. These programs
preserved over 130,000 acres during his administration.
He acquired property for the State's parks, forests, wildlife
management areas, scenic rivers, green ways and Chesapeake
Bay access, and protected farmland, forests, Civil War and
other historic sites with conservation easements.
Grant previously served as Director of the Maryland Environmental
Trust, a state wide land trust, and as Executive Director
of the Foundation for San Francisco’s Architectural
Heritage, where he helped develop a preservation strategy
for downtown San Francisco that preserved over 400 buildings
and five conservation districts.
ROGER OWEN
Roger is Team Manager for the Rural Development Service,
a part of the UK government Department for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). He manages a team of 50
staff delivering agricultural diversification advice to
farm businesses across a large part of central England.
This work requires both an understanding of policy development
and implementation and the ability to work with farmers
to assess options for agricultural/rural businesses, investigating
such areas as new income sources, productive use of all
assets, part time employment and many others.
Increasingly DEFRA works with farmers to help them diversify
through developing added value to existing products such
as farmhouse cheese production, crisp manufacture, farm
shops and farmers’ markets. Also this can involve
tourism development including using farm building for self
catering, bed and breakfast, farm visitor centres, improved
access leading to hiking tourism.
Roger has over 20 years experience in the agricultural
sector involving projects such as farm tourism on a historic
estate developing farm catering and interpretation facilities
for 20000 visitors; marketing advice to arable businesses
in a consultancy role; forming a dairy farmers’ discussion
group and giving potato marketing advice to farmers on the
Island of Jersey.
SIMON MICHAELS
Simon is one of the founding directors of F3, a not for
profit cooperative company comprising leading experts in
local food systems and social entrepreneurship. His role
is as project manager and marketing director with specific
expertise in business planning, participatory working and
communications strategies. He is also an internet consultant
specialising in strategies for environmental sector organisations,
including learning networks. He has developed promotional
materials for the National Association of Farmers’
Markets in the UK.
On a voluntary basis he helps to manage a farmers’
market and community food enterprise in Cardiff, Wales which
has recently won awards for community and environmental
regeneration. His background is as an environmental planner,
urban designer and landscape architect, working on urban
and rural regeneration projects.
MIKE SMITH
Mike is a Rural Development Adviser with the Rural Development
Service, part of the UK government’s Department for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). He has over
10 years experience in community and economic development,
particularly in project development, appraisal and advisory
work in relation to farm diversification, food sector, agri-tourism
and wider rural development.
He is currently working with the Regional Development
Agency for the West Midlands as manager of the Farming and
Food team. The team is working with farmers, food businesses
and others in rural areas to develop practical, collaborative
solutions to information provision, direct marketing, processing,
non food and novel crops, etc., which demonstrate market
focus and encourage sustainable land management.
Previously, he has been a member of the National Selection
Panel for projects to develop the Marketing of Quality Agricultural
Products and has advised on both policy and practice for
rural development and farm diversification proposals including:
Marketing of Red Meat in the Northern Yorkshire Dales area
of north England; the Hadrian’s Wall Agri-Tourism
and Environment Development Programme and the Northern Uplands
Farm Tourism Initiative.
Before joining DEFRA Mike worked in local government as
an economic development officer and worked for various agricultural
enterprises including dairying and equestrian operations.
AALTJEA (ALY) WISSE - MAAT
Aly is the social entrepreneur for the municipality Noord-Beveland.
This is a rather unique job in the Netherlands. In this
position Aly serves as a project leader of rural development
projects to generate extra income for farm owners. Some
of these projects have included initiating volunteer networks,
organizing horse riding routes and nature projects and developing
a website agenda for different agro-tourisms projects.
Aly is also the executive director of “the Veerse
Meer project” and the agriculture nature foundation
“Akkerleven”. She serves as the chair of the
Dutch foundation “Glad with an Egg”. This foundation
promotes and markets eggs for the whole of Holland.
Aly and her husband own and operate a field crop and poultry
farm near the village Colijnsplaat. They have 50,000 laying
hens and nearly 59 acres where they produce potatoes, sugar-beets
and corn.
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