Recently in Farms Category

The Saratoga County Fair is wrapping up this weekend, so if you haven't had a chance to go yet, now's the time.  The rain has passed and the sun is out, so head on down to Ballston Spa and check it out!  The Fair may conjure up images of cheese fries, dizzying Midway rides and tractor pulls, but the Fair is also a showcase of the locally made and locally grown.  I went into the Townley building and found displays featuring an amazing array of food and other products made right here in our region.

By Stacey Morris
Contributing Writer
Photos by David DeLozier
 
TROY - When Larry Schepici moved to Troy from Boston ten years ago, one of the first things he did was hop in his car and check out the farms in his new neighborhood.

"Where I come from, I was used to dealing with farmers," said the long-time chef. "It's just part of the restaurant scene in Boston."

Based on the large attendance to yesterday's Saratoga County "Sundae at the Farm" event, it appears that farmers are the new rock stars. The road leading to the Koval Farm in the Town of Stillwater was lined with cars, and a field turned parking lot was jam packed as well.  People came far and wide, not to hear music, but for a chance to see a working farm up close and personal.

Fifty years ago there were 1,800 farms in Saratoga County... today 641 farms (one-third as many) are in operation. Because fewer people are directly involved in farming, not many have the opportunity to experience agriculture first-hand and understand how the food we eat (and some of the fiber we wear) is produced. The Saratoga County Agricultural Promotion Committee decided to provide that critical link between the farming community and the public-at-large and hold an open house at a different farm each year for area residents to visit a real working farm, learn about local agriculture, and realize the importance of a viable agricultural industry in Saratoga County.

Looks like the long Winter has finally broken and Spring is here.  One sure sign that Spring has Sprung is the return of the Maple Weekends.  We are fortunate to have the producers of the finest sweetener on the planet right here in our backyard.  Of course, I'm talking about the annual ritual of Maple sap collection to create Maple syrup.  Checkout the article "March Maple Madness" in my previous blog post here at Saratoga.com and read about some of the characters involved in this right of Spring.

By Shannon Hayes

On Wednesday, March 11th, the U.S. House Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry will hold a hearing on the proposed National Animal Identification System (NAIS). On the surface, NAIS is a marvel of technological wizardry whereby we farmers tag every head of livestock in the country and the USDA electronically tracks their whereabouts. In the event of a disease outbreak, they plan to identify within 48 hours which animals are involved, where they are located, and what other animals might have been exposed. After an outpouring of farm and ranch protests, NAIS was made "voluntary at the federal level," but the status is precarious, because funding to states can be contingent upon mandating compliance. For us as consumers, NAIS may sound like a legislative dream, assuring the American food supply is safe. But for us as citizens, NAIS is a nightmare. Policy opponents argue the program cannot deliver on its promises to thwart di sease contagion; it does nothing to contain food-born illness; it threatens the civil liberties of farmers; it infringes on the religious freedoms of many, like the Amish, who object to the system on grounds that it represents "the mark of the beast."

March Maple Madness in the Town of Thurman

By Persis Granger

It all begins on one of those special days in late winter, when snowmelt hammers on the porch roof, the sun seems higher in the sky, the air has an unmistakable smell of spring, and crows caw over the meadow. In Thurman, folks wait all winter for days like that. On days like that, the maple sap is running.

The tiny Warren County town of Thurman boasts a proliferation of maple producers - probably more per square mile than anywhere else around. Most are second- or third-generation sugar makers, carrying on a proud family tradition of maple production, using a combination of learned-at-the knee know-how and an ongoing quest for technology to streamline their operations and make them energy- and labor-efficient. Many recall a grandparent carrying buckets with a yoke to a kettle over an open fire. Some will share memories of two or three generations of their family working together to gather, boil and bottle.