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| Raymond Farm, on Guard Hill Road in Bedford, is protected by a conservation easement held by Westchester Land Trust. |
We all love the idea of sustainable agriculture and local food. But what is the reality of sustainable farming in Westchester County? Four local farmers will talk about what it takes to farm in Westchester.
The discussion is set for 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 28, in the Fellowship Hall at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, Bedford Village. If you’re interested in attending, please email Grace Buck at Grace@Westchesterlandtrust.org. There is a suggested donation of $15 per person, which will go to support our land preservation work. Directions to St. Matthew's are on the church website.
The farmers on the panel are:
Mimi Edelman, of I & Me Farm. She will talk about how a farmer who does not own a tract of arable land can manage to farm successfully. She’ll discuss lease or rental arrangements; relationships between landowner and farmer; how she found the land she is farming now; what it means for her long-term sustainability to rent rather than own.
Bob Stuart, of Stuart’s Fruit Farm. He will talk about the number of hours it takes his family to operate the farm as a successful business. He’ll discuss income components that augment the sale of farm produce, for example, renting part of the land to The Meadows Farm, in Yorktown. He’ll also talk about the involvement of other family members, and when and under what circumstances he hires help.
Betsy Ryder, of Ryder Farm. She will talk about marketing and selling food, at Ryder Farm’s farmstand, through its community supported agriculture (CSA) program, at Union Square Greenmarket, and at the Brewster Farmers market. She’ll discuss what it takes to keep these outlets secure, and also how much work goes in to maintaining the CSA and the farm stand.
Lisa Schwartz, of Rainbeau Ridge Farm. She will talk about the cost of land and how and when she acquired it. She also will discuss how Rainbeau Ridge has grown and expanded over the years, into kids programs, cooking classes, cheese making etc., and whether she expanded into these new programs as a way to support her agriculture program or whether the agriculture program was self-sustaining and the new programs were a logical extension of it.
Each farmer will speak for about 10 minutes, after which we’ll open the floor to what we hope will be a wide-ranging discussion.
Again, if you’re interested in attending, please email Grace Buck at Grace@Westchesterlandtrust.org.