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During 2006, Glynwood inaugurated a series
of presentations and workshops entitled Food2: Food
for Thought – Food for the Future. The basic question that
prompted the series was “Will America’s legacy of independent
farmers and fresh, regionally produced food be part of our future?”
The
series examined cutting edge ideas and best practices from within
our own region, across the country and abroad. The workshops were
designed to encourage collaboration among the farmers, local
officials and others with whom we work, and to support our on-going
effort to strengthen the regional food system.
The audio files linked to this web
page are in mp3 format. Click the links to play them, or
right-click the links and select "Save target as" to download them
to your computer.
Many
other regions that are near metropolitan centers face challenges and
opportunities similar to our own – growing consumer demand for food
produced regionally and, at the same time, strong development
pressure on agricultural land. Therefore,
we believe that the information shared through this series will also
be of interest well beyond the Hudson Valley
Chef
Michel Nischan, a leader of the sustainable agriculture movement,
kicked off the series with a presentation called
“Eating for a Sustainable Planet.” Chef Nischan is a renowned chef,
best-selling cookbook author and avid proponent of sustainable
farming. He is also the creator of the Green Wave project, an
innovative approach to processing regional food in season so that it
can be served in college dining halls throughout the school year.
Chef Nischan’s newest restaurant is The Dressing Room - A Homegrown
Restaurant in Westport CT. Chef Nischan talked about the importance
of food as “our last intimate connection with the earth” and as
a tool for creating community. He also
urged people concerned about sustainable agriculture to find ways to
connect with the dominant food system.
Click
here to listen to a 10-minute excerpt. For Judith LaBelle's
introduction and an extended excerpt of Chef Nischan's talk, click the
links below:
Introduction
Chef Nischan
(30 mins)
The
first workshop in the series was “Innovative Financial Techniques
to Encourage Landowners to Keep their Land in Production.” This
workshop is part of a longer-term Glynwood project to develop a
range of innovative techniques for retaining the agricultural land
base and encouraging food production.
It
was led by Joan Snyder, former Executive Director of Merrill Lynch
International. In 1987 Joan founded Hollow Road Farm and Hollow
Road Foods, the first commercial-scale creamery of its kind in the
US, which achieved national wholesale distribution of sheep’s milk
yogurt and cheese. Joan is currently the principal in Frog Hollow,
Inc., an agricultural consulting firm that acts as a resource for
institutions seeking financial capital to fund new technologies.
Joan
was joined by Henry Tepper, Director of the New York State Chapter
of The Nature Conservancy. During his six-year tenure, the Chapter
has completed three of the largest conservation projects in the
Conservancy’s 55 year history, including a 106,000 acre transaction
that he described during the workshop.
Rounding out the panel was Philip Gottwals, an agricultural and
rural economic development specialist and founding principal of ACDS,
LLC, a marketing and economic development consulting firm. He is
the co-author of Tilling the Soil of Opportunity: A Guide for the
Agricultural Entrepreneur.
The
workshop began with an examination of trends relating to
agricultural land in the Hudson Valley and then considered how
capital has been brought to bear to preserve the land base in other
settings, in particular, forest land. Might these be adapted to
agriculture?
To hear an excerpt from Joan’s
presentation,
click here.
Here are links to extended excerpts:
Introduction
Part 1
(21 mins)
Part 2
(18 mins)
Part 3
(16 mins)
Part 4
(11 mins)
Part 5
(18 mins)
Part 6
(16 mins)
Part 7
(14 mins)
The
second workshop in the series was “Go Grass! Emerging
opportunities for Grass-Based Production in the Hudson Valley.”
The Hudson Valley is very well-suited for grass-based production.
This workshop is part of Glynwood’s efforts to encourage farmers to
take advantage of the strong and growing market for this type of
meat.
The
featured presenter was Jo Robinson, author of Pasture Perfect,
a primer of the “back to the pasture” movement. Jo is also the
founder of eatwild.com, the nation’s number one site for information
about grass-based food production.
Joining Jo were:
Mike Yezzi, who
with his wife
Jennifer Small raises heritage breed pigs and sell high quality pork
products from Flying Pig Farm in Washington County, NY.
Jim Hayes,
retired Professor of
Animal Science from SUNY Cobleskill,
holds a Ph.D. in reproductive physiology and animal science.
He and his family raise mixed livestock on 100 acres of pasture at
Sap Bush Hollow Farm in West Fulton, NY, which is a model of
environmental responsibility.
Dr. Allen Williams, founding partner
and VP of The Jacob Alliance and Livestock Management Consultants,
beef industry consulting firms specializing in building branded beef
programs, facilitating value chain management and ranch-farm
business planning.
Jessica Applestone,
co-owner with her husband
Josh of Fleisher’s Grass-Fed and Organic Meats, a butcher shop in
Kingston, New York that has quickly become a key part of the
distribution system for regional meats.
To hear an excerpt from Jo’s
presentation,
click here.
Here are links to extended excerpts:
Introduction
Part 1
Jo Robinson (32 mins)
Part 2
Mike Yezzi (9 mins)
Part 3
Jim Hayes (14 mins)
Part 4
Allen Williams
(31 mins)
Part 5
Jessica Applestone (23 mins)
The
third workshop was Enhancing the Farmers’ Share: Marketing and
Branding Techniques to Improve Profitability. This workshop was
part of Glynwood’s ongoing effort to strengthen the regional food
system by encouraging innovation in the production, marketing and
distribution of local products.
The workshop began
with a presentation by Mary Hendrickson, Ph.D., of the University of
Missouri, speaking on consolidation in the food system, an area of
her expertise. Dr. Hendrickson later made a second presentation on
the Food Circles Networking Project as one example of how farmers
can work together to create a successful space within this larger
system.
The featured presenter
on marketing was Erik Bruun Bindslev, US representative for HRH
Prince of Wales’ Duchy Originals, a leading premium food brand in
the UK with over 130 value-added projects. He discussed the Duchy
brand as an example of how farmers can benefit by aligning
cooperatively under a single brand, and what it takes on both the
farm and marketing sides to make such a business successful.
Dr.
Hendrickson moderated the workshop discussion that included
presentations by:
Chris Fullerton, Manager of
Tuscarora Organic Growers, a grower cooperative founded in 1988
which now includes 25 producers and moves approximately 50,000 cases
of produce year-round to metropolitan Washington DC.
Tedd Heilman, General Manager of
Organic Prairie, for CROPP, the cooperative that markets under the
Organic Valley Family of Farms and Organic Prairie brands.
Paul Willis, Manager of Niman Ranch
Pork, who manages this part of the Niman Ranch operation while
raising hogs on his own farm in Iowa.
The
second workshop panel focused on the experience of producers from
within the Hudson Valley. Presenters included:
Fabia Wargin, representing the Roundout Valley Growers
Association, which has more than three dozen farmer members in
Orange County, New York.
Paula Shafer of the Cornell
Cooperative Extension from Washington and Saratoga Counties, who
worked with the creation of the Farm to Chef project, connecting
farmers in those counties with restaurants in New York City.
Sam Simon, M.D., owner of
Plankenhorn Farm in Pleasant Valley, New
York and co-founder of Hudson Valley Fresh, a nonprofit
founded to encourage and support local agriculture in the Hudson
Valley.
Cheryl Rogowski, an important
innovator in Hudson Valley agriculture and operator of the
150-acre Rogowski Family Farm’s mixed vegetable production.
To
hear an excerpt from Dr. Hendrickson’s presentation on corporate
consolidation,
click here. To hear an excerpt from Mr. Bruun
Bindslev’s presentation on Duchy Originals and marketing
opportunities
click here.
Here are links to
extended excerpts:
Introduction
Part 1
Mary Hendrickson (25 mins)
Part 2
Eric Bruun Bindslev (25 mins)
Part 3
Mary Hendrickson (14 mins)
Part 4
Chris Fullerton (13 mins)
Part 5
Tedd Heilman (18 mins)
Part 6
Paul Willis (14 mins)
Part
7 Fabia Wargin (7 mins)
Part
8 Paula Shafer (23 mins)
Part
9 Sam Simon (18 mins)
Part
10 Cheryl Rogowski (8 mins) |
