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New York State unveils farmer-boosting program

Local farms meet, get new deadline

Kathy Daley - Reporter/Photographer
Posted 7/10/18

SULLIVAN COUNTY - A newly announced $30 million grant program for New York State farms offers possible long-term solutions for threatened dairy farms such as those in Sullivan County.

“I will …

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New York State unveils farmer-boosting program

Local farms meet, get new deadline

Posted

SULLIVAN COUNTY - A newly announced $30 million grant program for New York State farms offers possible long-term solutions for threatened dairy farms such as those in Sullivan County.

“I will call to find out about it,” said Alice Diehl of Diehl Homestead Farms in Callicoon. “It may be an avenue for farms to pursue, to help during this time of economic downfall.”

Last Friday, the state unveiled the multi-million dollar conservation easement program for dairy farmers, an announcement that came one day after seven local farmers, including Diehl, met to continue brainstorming ways to stay afloat. That meeting took place at the Jeff Bank in Jeffersonville, with bank Vice President Tanya Hahn providing the venue.

In late May, farms in Callicoon, Jeffersonville and Callicoon Center received certified letters from their milk marketer, Marcus Dairy Inc. The letter said that due to too much milk on the market, their milk would no longer be picked up as of June 30.

The farm group at Jeff Bank included Bob and Eli Franklin, father and son who operate Bethel Creamery in Swan Lake and whose farm is not affected. Along with their staff, the Franklins operate a kosher chicken slaughterhouse and milk a dairy herd that provides the only kosher organic milk on the market. Both have championed the effort to save the farms that are threatened.

Eli Franklin announced at the bank meeting that he had found a milk plant close enough to Sullivan County that was not now operating but that could be reopened for local farmers.

The meeting also featured a video conference with dairy consultant Phil Gottwals of Maryland. Gottwals was hired through the Sullivan County IDA to work with Cornell Cooperative Extension Sullivan County in Ferndale and Hudson Valley Agribusiness of Hudson, N.Y. in order to find ways to help the farmers.

On board for less than two weeks, Gottwals said yesterday that his team's work will focus on ensuring the farms have a place to sell their milk short-term and then will seek long-term solutions that will net a decent profit for the farmers.

After the meeting at Jeff Bank, farmer Linda Kays of Callicoon phoned Jeff Marcus of Marcus Dairy, told him of the ongoing work in finding a market, and received a second extension of the deadline, until the end of July.

It is just such a back-and-forth dilemma that prompted New York State to seek solutions.

“New York's dairy industry is critical to local economies across the state, and we must ensure that our dairy farmers have the resources they need to thrive among the challenges of the current marketplace,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said. “This funding will help to protect dairy farmers by providing them with additional options to upgrade their operations and keep them running and prosperous for generations to come.”

New York's dairy farmers have been challenged with prolonged low milk prices, increasing the threat of the conversion of viable agricultural land to non-farm development, the governor pointed out.

The conservation easement grant project is an attempt to retain agricultural land for agricultural use only and maintain a healthy state for dairy farms for future generations, a press release noted.

The state is issuing a Request for Applications for grants of up to $2 million from municipalities, county agricultural and farmland protection boards, land trusts, and State Soil and Water Conservation Districts. Those interested should go to the Grants Gateway at grantsgateway.ny.gov.

The state is seeking dairy farms that are transitioning to the next ownership, whether within the family or to another dairy farmer; or farms that are continuing dairy production but also diversifying farm operations to other areas of agriculture; or those farms that are converting to a non-dairy farm.

Farms like the Diehl Homestead Farm would be eligible. Diehl has continually diversified, moving into selling maple products and honey, minimally pasteurizing milk, and selling fresh eggs and seasonal vegetables at the farm store and at the Rock Hill Farmers Market on Saturdays.

Diehl and other farmers say they have received numerous calls and messages from caring locals. Buy locally produced products, they say, rather than, in Diehl's words, “cheap food from corporations or imports from other countries that may be more concerned with their bottom line than the quality of your food.”

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