the Growth of a Community

I know it’s been a slow newsfeed here at Schoharie Farmer, but things are definitely happening. Below is an update letter about the current Slow Food movement that’s trying to get started. As a combined community and campus initiative, it could be the beginning of a wave of awareness; helping people to get back to the roots we hold so dear. Farming is the future as well as the past. Getting the word out is crucial. Feel free to contact Fran Apollo to learn more about this important concept.

Dear Friends:

I gave a presentation at Coby’s Café in Cobleskill on May 11 on the subject of forming a Slow Food convivia (chapter) here in Schoharie County.  About 25 people attended; in the group were members of the campus and village community, Sap Bush Farms was represented as was Cooperative Extension.  Students, with one of our wonderful chefs, JoAnne Cloughly, prepared several items to taste and they were all from Schoharie County (except for locally purchased lemons).  J  There appeared to be some interest to continue moving toward a local charter.

As some of you know SUNY Cobleskill’s college president, Donald Zingale, is interested in a campus/community partnership on this endeavor.  This endeavor requires student and residents to make a commitment if Slow Food USA  grants a convivia (chapter charter).  It does need to be a broader base if we are to claim it as a Schoharie County/Campus endeavor.

If you are interested in my giving another presentation, let me know of your interest.  Share this email with others who may have an interest in this exciting possibility.  To the best of my knowledge,   A Taste of Europe is the only business in Schoharie that identifies itself as a member of Slow Food.  If I am wrong, please correct me.  It is always my intent to patronize Slow Food businesses.

Go to the web site links below and you’ll see why some of us are interested in this activity. 

Slow Food USA  www.slowfoodusa.org

Slow Food  www.slowfood.com

In addition, in recognition of the fact that not all rural citizens live on land enough to garden upon, the college is going to announce (at some time in the future) the possibility of “renting” a community garden plot.  Stay tuned for that information!

Best wishes for a joyful Spring Season!

Fran

Francine M. Apollo, MLS
Coordinator of Reference and Instruction
Van Wagenen Library
SUNY Cobleskill
255-5858

“Forging a Hot Link to the Farmer Who Grows the Food”, an article published in the New York Times on 3/27/09 shines a spotlight on one effort like ours on the west coast.  The makers of Stone-Buhr flour have found a way to re-connect the consumer with the farmer through the use of a website, www.findthefarmer.com … golly, that sounds oddly familiar!  They make a lot of good arguments about knowing where your food comes from.  The article and the website are well worth checking out.

The buzzword seems to be “traceability”.  I like that … knowing who the grower is and knowing who the consumer is takes us back to a more neighborly time.  It makes farmers more careful about their practices and processes.  It makes the consumer more careful about what we choose to put in our bodies.  The value here is that it makes us all more responsible, more accountable, and more healthy.  What’s more, the whole idea is environmentally conservative.  How can there possibly be anything wrong with that?

In the end … it’s about trust.  I trust the farmer down the road to grow quality food.  That’s why I buy from him.  The farmer trusts me to keep coming back so he has a livelihood for the long term.  It’s about having a lifelong, healthy relationship with your neighbors, your finances, your food, and your planet.  It’s about doing the right thing.

We’ve been in touch with the Schoharie Co-op Cannery through Bob Comis.  As a resource in Schoharie county, the cannery will fill a very valuable niche.  Many of us have lost certain knowledge that our grandparents and great-grandparents took for granted, among them the art of canning your own food.  Utilizing a local cannery could bridge that gap and have us all eating a healthier diet of home-grown foods.  There’s an informational meeting on February 21, 2009 at the Cornell Cooperative Extension building, 173 South Grand Street, Cobleskill, from 9:30 a.m. to noon.  Get all your questions answered and learn how to become a participant in the community food movement.

Good Morning, Schoharie!  It’s been a busy few weeks, but we finally have a closing date for the home we’re buying in Cobleskill.  It’s an exciting time.

There’s a lot going on in our farm news, too.  First up, Green Spiral Herb Farm in Huntersland has their full 2009 class listing on their website at: www.greenspiralherbs.com.  Registration is available online as well.  With two new CSA (Community Sponsored Agriculture) offerings this year, optimism reigns.  Check out the classes and meet the Pillsburys!  I met Betty in December at the Ag Farmer’s Market in Cobleskill.  She’s a great personality, and I can’t wait to sign up for a class or two myself.  Betty also manages a blog, so I encourage everyone to click on over.  The more we share, the better off we can all become.

Speaking with Bob Comis of Stony Brook Farm has resulted in the completion of our first press release.  We submitted to the Times Journal and the Daily Gazette in hopes that one or both would help spread the word about our efforts.  This week our release appeared in the Times Journal, Arts & Entertainment section.  I’m not exactly sure why the placement was in that section, but at least we made the newspaper.  I haven’t seen anything in the Gazette, but am still hopeful.

Finally, the first meeting of the interest group to form a Slow Food Convivium in Schoharie county has reported success.  The group met at SUNY Cobleskill about a week ago.  Resulting from that meeting, there is a movement for the campus to donate space for a community garden with a simple goal of teaching and learning from our neighbors.  More meetings are planned to organize the group into a membership that can be sustained in our county.  A Taste of Europe Restaurant currently attends in Cooperstown and our organizer, Fran Apollo, attends a group in Delhi.  There will be a meeting in March, to be held at Coby’s on Main Street in Cobleskill.  More information will follow.

That’s it for now, folks.  See you in class … or at a meeting … or just out!  Have a wonderful day.

It occurs to me that folks might want to see what the real results of our efforts actually are.  Instead of asking that you trust me, which I’m beginning to understand is very tough to do, I’ll let the results speak for themselves.

The two inquiries that we have recieved from Southern California were both Google hits.  One was a search for pasture fed rabbits.  I ran the same Google search myself on 12/16/08.  The resulting screenshot is below.

Real Search Results 12/16/08

With only seven farms listed, we already rank within the top ten Google search hits for products listed on the site.  The screenshots below shows search results for Schoharie chickens on 12/16/08.

Real results 12/16/08

What’s the benefit of achieving a top ten ranking on Google?  

For a business that wants to grow, it could be priceless.  The benefit of using a cooperative website like Schoharie Farmer is that keywords describing other businesses could bring more traffic to you.  Even if you don’t sell eggs or raise pasture fed rabbits, customers will find your business by it’s listing on the same site.  It’s like putting all the same types of ads together on a single page in a newspaper.  Readers know to go to that page for shopping … it raises the chance that your own ad will be the one that catches a consumer’s attention.

An article recently published in the New York Times about Hardwick, Vermont has been raising awareness about working together to bring old ways into a new dawn.  With an emphasis on farming that is very like what we have here in Schoharie county, Hardwick is meeting adversity head-on.  The article is well-worth reading.

Andrew Meyer, a Vermont soy farmer, made one remark that particularly struck me as worth repeating.  He said, “We have something unique here: a strong sense of community, connections to the working landscape and a great work ethic.”  He could just as easily have been talking about the residents of Schoharie county.

It’s easy to dismiss recent consumer trends as frivolous or superficial, but ignoring the popular perception can hurt your farm’s bottom dollar.  Niche markets are a reality in today’s global economy.  Finding yours and remaining open to fine-tuning that market as time goes by can save your income stream in a down economy.

Many farms in Schoharie county are already taking advantage of popular demand by offering organic produce, free-range and pasture-fed livestock, and non-traditional items like game birds and sorghum products.  The markets for these products may not yet be local, but if the internet is your farmstand, the whole world is local.   

Sometimes we have to take a step backward in order to see a missed turn and get started down a better path.  Farmers will  lead the way to the future.  Providing consumers with what they want is good for the economy, good for your pocketbook, and good for our community.  Whether we are among the trend-setters or not is entirely up to us.

Good evening folks.  I’ve come tonight from a meeting with the Schoharie Ag Committe.  First, let me thank the committe for putting up with my abyssmal public speaking skills so that I could say a little bit about what we’re trying to do here.  I am very appreciative of your time.

I am very pleased to have met Richard Ball of the Carrot Barn finally.  We’ve missed each other quite a few times in the past few weeks, and it’s good to be able to put a face to one of the most mentioned names in this county when it comes to farming.  I believe that the meeting went fairly well, but of course, I’ve been mistaken before.  I was less than articulate about getting across my true mission.  Like so many, I am terrified of speaking to groups and get all tied up in knots that can’t get sorted back out again.  I hope that they will see past my obvious flaws to the good that this project can provide to the economy of the county.

Let me pause to say once again that my husband and I moved here because Schoharie County has a certain something special.  It’s possible that those who’ve spent their entire lives here have nothing to compare it to, but I have lived all over the country.  I know what I’m talking about.  This county is unique.  With a little encouragement, Schoharie county could be amazing.  Call me idealist if you will, but I see what I see.  We’re dancing on the edge of the razor right now.  I’d like to see us fall on the side of growth and prosperity.

I’ve been told that if something is free, people will think it’s worthless.  I don’t want to believe that.  I want to believe that if there’s nothing to lose by trying, people will try.  Helping your neighbor shouldn’t come with a price tag.  That’s not the way community works.  We’re recovering tonight from an ice storm that devastated millions of homes across New York and New England.  I know that people are running shelters, offering food and beds, and taking care of neighbors in need.  I also know they’re doing it for free.  Does the price mean that folks in need are less appreciative of the help or think it’s not worth anything?  I doubt it. 

The only difference between disaster relief and SchoharieFarmer.com is that the disaster hasn’t fully hit yet.  I’m trying to get ahead of the storm in a way that’s sustainable and good for this county.  I’m trying to help my new neighbors.  You may choose to believe that or to be suspicious of me, but I ask you … What have you got to lose?

All I am asking is a few minutes of your time in exchange for free advertising.  If your business doesn’t benefit from being involved in this project, simply tell me you don’t want to continue.  If you don’t want your business to grow, that’s fine, but be honest about that.  I’m not asking anyone to change what you’re already doing.  This website’s visibility will only ADD to what you’re already doing.  Again, I ask you … What have you got to lose?

In farming, when the ground is depleted of resources, do we not add nutrients with fertilizer?  Do we not rotate crops to maximize the land’s potential?  If new technology comes along that makes milking faster so we can produce more milk, don’t we take advantage of it?  The internet is new technology whose potential has only just begun to be utilized.  The reach of this website and all others is, at the very least, national and at most, global.  Linking to each other is one of the best tools for boosting web traffic that’s available right now.  Whether your personal farming interest is in finding new markets or in educating the masses, adding a page to SchoharieFarmer.com can only increase that message’s visibility. 

• Do you want to get your message out? 
• Do you want to make more money?
• Are traditional methods of marketing producing the effects you want to see?
• Is the cost of marketing your products and services what you want to be paying?

I’m in business, too.  I  run several internet ventures.  The value of cross-linking and blogging about my businesses shows up in real traffic that I can track.  I’m offering the benefit of my trial and error to all of Schoharie County AT NO COST because it’s the right thing to do, but please make no mistake.  This offer won’t last unless the idea is embraced.  What have you got to lose?

I have personally made changes to my own shopping habits to include Schoharie farms that are eager to participate in a brave new frontier.  My own Christmas shopping has largely been completed through farms that want my business.  I’m sending gifts as far away as the Carolinas and California.  There have already been two inquiries from southern California about a farm attached to this website.  Here’s the most important thing … I’m not the only one.  If consumers can’t find you, they can’t buy from you.  It’s that simple.  SchoharieFarmer.com is free advertising on the World Wide Web.  If our first year is successful, we will find a way to continue funding the project so that farmers never have to put money into it.  What have you got to lose?

Take advantage of my gift.  Add a page, send me a story to post in this blog, tell me when and where your events are going to be so I can fill in the event calendar.  Link this site to your own website and increase your traffic.  USE this free resource.  I’m not making a dime off this website and I never will.  I’m not even breaking even.  It’s not about the money.  It’s about doing the right thing for this county.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

What in the world is Slow Food?  We live in a land where convenience is king and the burgers have extra mayo, so the Slow Food movement may be a foreign concept.  For farmers, though, slow food is as innate an idea as planting seeds in the spring.

Slow Food USA bills itself as a “non-profit, eco-gastronomic organization that supports a biodiverse, sustainable food supply, local producers, heritage foodways, and rediscovery of the pleasures of the table.”  That’s a really fancy way to describe “a variety of food that tastes good, was grown where you live, and doesn’t destroy the planet”.   They have over 80,000 members around the world and several spin-off organizations.  Check out the website and see what you think.

A book by Barbara Kingsolver entitled Animal, Vegetable, Miracle  tells the story of one family’s quest to eat locally for a year.  Their trials and creative solutions are proof that even in the days of drive-thru, we can follow old-fashioned recipes to ensure tomorrow’s successes.  The book is available at SUNY Cobleskill’s campus library.  If you live in Schoharie county, you can borrow by getting an open access card.  It’s free.  Drop by.  There are lessons in this book that we could afford to freshen up on.

And say “hey” when you get there … I work the front desk!

“The time has come”, the Walrus said, “to talk of many things” … the time has come for us, too.  Welcome to Schoharie Farmer, a community service project designed to bring farmers and consumers together at the local level.

My name is Gina Brady.   I moved to Schoharie county with my husband in August of 2007.  Our first impression of this county was driving down I-88 into Schoharie valley.  The sun was shining on glorious rolling hills patched with fields and farms.  I didn’t know such places still existed … even in New York. To say I was in awe would be a terrible understatement.  I fell in love with Schoharie county on sight.

SchoharieFarmer.com was an idea born out of frustration.  Schoharie county has an amazing collection of locally produced foods and related products.  I just wanted to tap into that … to BE a part of this place.  I wanted to taste and smell the richness and immerse myself in something good.

I’m finding that a surprisingly difficult thing to do.

It seems that everywhere I go, everyone I ask, points me to the same five or six farms.  I’ve made trips to the Carrot Barn, Festival Farmer’s Market, Renaissance Farmer’s Market and Barber’s stand in Cobleskill.  That’s a great start, but not nearly the immersion I’m looking for.  I’ve learned about the School of Country Wisdom, Pride of NY, and Agriculture in Schoharie County, but still can’t locate everything I KNOW exists here.

Since I’m a web designer, I naturally gravitate to the web for more information, only to be disappointed once more at the sparseness of details available for local produce.

Call me selfish, but I don’t want to line Neil Golub’s (Price Chopper) pockets.  He’s a rich man already.  I don’t want to buy garlic from Sam Walton (WalMart) that was grown in China when fresher, locally grown bulbs are right around a corner … somewhere.  I want tender, sweet asparagus in the sping and crisp NY apples in the fall, but most of all, I want to know that my dollars are directly helping to get that food from the dirt to my table.

I want to buy from YOU, Schoharie farmers, and I want to make it possible for everyone else to do the same thing.  You don’t have to know anything about the internet to take part in this project.  You don’t have to hand over one thin dime.  Through my company, GBees.net, I will fund the site for at least the first year.  Hopefully we’ll find a way to continue to fund it so that those who choose to participate will never have to.  I’m building this website because I believe in this county, and I believe in farming.  I believe that building strong community begins with a dedication to that community that can be seen and felt and heard.  I believe that we need to reinforce our strong foundation in order to move forward.

All I have to offer is a window through which the rest of the world can find your hard work. I can’t do what you do, but I can show my respect for it by sharing it with others.  The internet is inexpensive and its reach is global.  We live in a world where diverse markets are accessible to most people just by clicking a few keys on a keyboard.  SchoharieFarmer.com is a chance to tap that potential and open doors that have historically been closed to small farmers.

I could go on all night, but this is already too long.  I have only one thing to say anyway … what have you got to lose?  Join us.