2008 Annual Report and Summer 2009 Newsletter - Columbia Land ...

CONSERVANCY NEWS | SUMMER/2009
SUMMER/2009 | CONSERVANCY NEWS
M E S S A G E F R O M T H E E X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R
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On the Cover:
Farming has an important role in
Columbia County’s economy and landscape.
The Columbia Land Conservancy
views the support of agriculture as a key
conservation strategy.
Peter Paden
Conservation easements provide a stable land base for agriculture now and in future.
In This Issue:
MOWING IN HIGH GRASS
All around us, newly planted crops are peeking up
through the surface of neatly plowed furrows and the
first growth of beautiful, thick green hay is already being
harvested. I’m reminded of an expression
from my (slightly distant) rural roots to
reflect enthusiasm and joy at being productively
engaged in an endeavor – to
say, “I’m mowing in high grass.” And I’m
thinking, here at CLC we really are mowing
in high grass.
As you will see from this issue of the
Newsletter, we are expecting to wrap up
two farmland protection projects this year
and are in discussions with several other
farm families about applications for the
next round of state funding. We’ve
received a tremendous response to our new farmerlandowner
match program. We’re working with many
towns and community groups on open space acquisition,
conservation and planning work. Our education programs
are oversubscribed. Our conservation areas are
heavily used, and we’re working to open two more this
year. We are in discussions about a number of new easement
and potential acquisition projects.
Columbia County is just a great place to
be doing this work. There is still time to get
it right here – to ensure that our communities
can grow and prosper without destroying
the abundant conservation values and
qualities that make this such an extraordinary
place.
Those of us who work at CLC feel very
fortunate that we are able to devote our
energies to this work. The sun is shining,
and we are making some serious hay. I hope
as you look through this newsletter you’ll
feel fortunate, as well, that CLC is so broadly engaged on
these many fronts to conserve the farmland, forests,
wildlife habitat and rural character of this great area and
strengthen connections between people and the land.
3 Farmland Protection - CLC is working with both farmers and
non-farming landowners to secure agricultural resources for the future.
5 Public Lands - The winter storms took a toll on our sites. New
projects are being readied for opening this fall in Ancram and Ghent.
6 Education - Participants from local schools share their enthusiasm
for outdoor education programs.
7 2008 Annual Report - Program highlights and financial
summaries from last year.
13 Organizational News - CLC welcomes three new board
members, and says a fond farewell to two former trustees.
15 Vital Support - Thanks to our volunteers and supporters.
Conservation and the Kitchen
Farming in Columbia County is becoming increasingly
diversified. Just as the number of dairy farms grew in the
20th century, replacing the sheep farms of the 19th century,
the county is now seeing an increasing number of
smaller farms producing a wider variety of crops.
Columbia County farmers produce micro-salad greens,
strawberries, gooseberries, grass-fed beef, goats and sheep
for meat, fiber, and milk. In addition, the county supports
more than a dozen CSA farms. These farms reflect
the growing demand for products grown close to home.
Locally grown means food can be harvested when ripe and
fresh, and requires fewer transportation miles to get to
market (with corresponding reduced fuel consumption and
carbon production), leading to greater food security.
Land conservation has an important role to play in
the concept of “food security.” If farming is to thrive
in the coming years, it is imperative that farmland
remain available for that purpose. Conservation easements,
whether donated or purchased, provide a stable
land-base for agriculture in whatever form it may take,
now or in the future. Numerous farms in Columbia
County make their home on protected lands. Some
were protected by their owners/operators; others are
leased by the farmer; still others were purchased subject
to a conservation easement.
The majority of farmland in the county is associated with dairy.
Among the farms currently operating on permanent
conservation land are Coach Dairy, the Farm at Millers
Crossing, Beckenrah Farm, Fox Hill Farm, Hawthorne
Valley Farm, Herondale Farm, Kinderhook Farm, the
Old Chatham Sheepherding Company, Old Saw Mill
Farm, and Threshold Farm. These farms and others like
them around the county produce an amazing variety of
foods and value-added products, supplying a region far
beyond the boundaries of the county with locally produced
foods. So next time you stop by a farmstand,
pick up your share in a CSA, or make a purchase at the
farmers market, take a moment to reflect on where that
food came from, and take comfort in the knowledge
that it may well have been grown on protected land–
land that will always be available for farming.
Finding Land for Farmers
and Farmers for Land
Several of the farms mentioned above are operated by
farmers who are leasing the land they work. As the real
estate market in Columbia County accelerated in the
1990’s, the price of land rose to a point where farmland
was no longer affordable to most farmers looking for
land to expand or start up a new operation. Today,
thousands of acres of good farmland are owned by nonfarming
landowners. As part of our effort to support a
renewed and vigorous farming sector, CLC has started a
new program that will facilitate connections between
farmers looking for land to farm and landowners who
would like to see their land put back into production.
Rosemary and Barry Chase are working with CLC to protect
their farm.
The timeliness of this effort was born out at a conference
to explore the idea co-sponsored by CLC this past
winter with the Hawthorne Valley Association, the
Glynwood Institute and Land For Good. Attendance
by landowners and farmers alike was oversubscribed,
and several dozen farmers and landowners met and
talked together all day to share their experiences and
discuss what could be done to help address the issue of
land tenure.
“It has become clear that the economics of farming
are such that land ownership may not make sense for
many farmers,” notes Marissa Codey, senior land
protection manager in charge of CLC’s agriculture program.
“At the same time, many people who own
farmland are eager to put it to good use. CLC is contacted
by many new farmers looking to get established,
by existing farmers looking to expand their operations,
and by landowners interested in having some kind of
agricultural activity on their property. It is our hope
that the match program will help make some of these
operations more viable.”
If you are looking for land, or have land you would
like farmed, you can download an application from
the farmland protection page of our website at
www.clctrust.org and we will enter your information
into our database.
F A R M L A N D P R O T E C T I O N
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