ROOM AT THE TABLE - Intersight - University at Buffalo

and corn also total 24 percent of cropland, covering more than 1 million of
the 4,314,954 acres of cropland.
Food products are grown on 12 percent of farmland. Fruit and
vegetable production is a relatively small amount of harvested farmland.
Fruits and nuts are cultivated on 4,204 acres of cropland (4.3%). The acreage
devoted to fruits and nuts grew from 2,495 in 1997 to a total of 4,204 in
2007, representing an 84 percent increase in land devoted to fruit and nuts
production since 1997. Vegetables and melons grow on 4,591 acres of
cropland, or 4.66 percent of the county’s cropland. This cropland category
grew by more than 41 percent over the same decade from 3,256 acres in
1997. Corn for feed accounts for almost 14 percent of all cropland in Erie
County, greater than all land used for fruits and vegetables combined (4.2%
and 4.7%, respectively).
In addition to growing grains and produce, farmers in Erie County
also raise animals for human consumption. Animal breeding occurs on 495
farms, comprising approximately 40 percent of all county farming operations.
These farms are involved in the housing and selling of livestock (and their
products), including cattle, beef and dairy cows, hogs, sheep, chickens and
others. Food production involving animals, including dairy products, is a
very important revenue source for Erie County and New York’s economy as
a whole. For example, $75 million of farm income for farmers, or more than
64 percent, came from animal sales and dairy products in 2007.
E. Farmer Characteristics
There are approximately 1,898 Erie County farm operators,
36 percent of whom are women. Although female operators are still the
minority, the number of women farmers in the county grew by 4 percentage
points from 2002 to 2007. Almost 97 percent of all farms are operated by
Whites.
Of the principal farm operators in Erie County, almost 48 percent, or
579 operators, report another occupation as their primary employment. This
27
Figure 2.4 – Cropland Distribution by Crop Type,
Erie County, 2007
(Source: USDA Agricultural Census, 2007)
LOCAL HIGHLIGHT
Amos Zittel and Sons, Inc. is an example of a local
farm that has effectively produced and marketed its
local, farm‐fresh products to consumers throughout
Western New York. They promise to “offer the highest
quality homegrown fruits, vegetables and plants while
providing the best possible customer service.”
The Zittel farm dates back over 100 years to when
George Zittel began farming in 1899. His son, Amos,
carried on the tradition and four generations of sons
and grandsons have carried on this business.
Currently, the Zittel Family has a permanent retail
market on Route 20 in Hamburg, plus wholesale sales
of vegetables and fruits. They harvest over 300 acres
of fresh vegetables, including cabbage, eggplant, lettuce,
peppers, tomatoes, squash, strawberries, sweet corn,
pumpkins and gourds. They also manage three acres of
!"#$% &'((#)% *+##$,-./#/0% /#((1$2% 3'+1#41#/% -5% 6-+17.(4.+#%
and items for home gardens, and more.
Over the last few years, Zittels has been recognized by
the NYS Department of Agrigulture & Markets and by
the USDA for “Good Agricultural Practices and Good
Handling Practices.” More recently this fall, Bill Zittel, great‐
grandson of founder George Zittel, was nominated for an
advocacy role on the NYS Agricultural Health and Safety
Advisory Board by State Senator Tim Kennedy ﴾D‐58th﴿.
The Board is part of the New York Center for Agricultural
Medicine and Health ﴾NYCAMH﴿, focusing on enhancing
agricultural and rural health by preventing and treating
occupational injury and illness.