August 12th, 2024
By Olivia Fuller
A Summer of Connecting in the Field Across New York
If I could pick a theme for this summer, it would be connection.
Following the surge of the pandemic, we all got used to working remotely and often in isolation. Returning to regular in-person events and engagements has taken time, especially since virtual options have the benefit of zero mileage, no catering costs, and the ability to bring more people together from afar. Yet, there’s a certain magic that happens when real humans interact face to face.
It has been the highlight of my summer to travel around the state and visit with farmers and partners to deepen our storytelling efforts, particularly around American Farmland Trust’s land access and transition work. In early July, our Regional Farmland for a New Generation New York Manager, Molly Johnston-Heck, and I traveled out to Western New York to meet with the Great Lakes Farm Navigators partners, many of whom are also long-time Regional Navigators in the Farmland for a New Generation New York program. These distinct, but complementary initiatives are working to support equitable and secure land access for farmers and keep land in farming. In the Great Lakes Farm Navigator Network, there’s a special focus on improving soil health and water quality to support the ecological health of the Great Lakes while sustaining a viable agricultural economy and communities. This really ties together all three of our mission areas: protecting farmland, keeping farmers on the land, and promoting sound farming practices.
On our way to Buffalo, Molly and I stopped to visit Bill and Brycie Goodell and the next generation of farmers who are transitioning into ownership of their farm. Since we last featured them in 2022, Bill and Brycie permanently protected their farm with Genesee Land Trust and are now in the final stages of transferring it to Michael and Julia Verstaete, a young farming couple outside of their family. The Versaetes connected with the farm partly through the farmland finder website. Stay tuned for an update to their unique and inspiring farm transition story!
We also visited Providence Farm Collective, a Regional Navigator and non-profit providing land access to nearly 30 community organizations and farmers, and Cottonwood Dairy, a fourth-generation organic dairy farm that was recently protected by Genesee Valley Conservancy and is eyeing the future as the fifth generation finishes college.
I finished this summer series of farm visits with a trip to see Orinoco Cattle in Meredith, New York, and Serra Vida Farm in neighboring Delancey with my colleague, Ignacio Villa. Carlos L. Valery Jr., who owns and operates Orinoco Cattle Products, which he also found through the farmland finder website. He shared his story with us last February at the State Capitol during our annual Celebrating Farmers and Farmland breakfast and advocacy day. Sea Matias of Serra Vida Farm is also connected to American Farmland Trust through lifelong farmer Tom Hutson and the West Branch Commons project that has emerged from this special partnership. Sea is currently stewarding a 1.5-acre parcel dedicated to growing culturally relevant, cost-accessible food for the Bronx community and mutual aid organizations.
The best part of my job is getting out onto farms and hearing the powerful stories that connect farmers to their land. These visits really exemplify many of the challenges and opportunities in agriculture, and the issues we seek to address in the Farmland for a New Generation New York and the Great Lakes Farm Navigator programs. I look forward to sharing a number of these stories in our forthcoming exhibition this fall, ‘Our Farms, Our Future: Uplifting the Next Generation of New York Farmers and Women in Agriculture’ opening on Oct. 3 at the Spring Street Gallery in Saratoga Springs.
Do you have an interesting farm story to share with us? Feel free to drop me a line at ofuller@farmland.org!