Land Protection
Farm Catskills works to ensure that good land is available, and affordable, for new and existing farmers, now and into the future. Farm Catskills will:
- increase awareness of the importance of protecting farmland and supporting agriculture;
- encourage local and state government to enact policies that support farming;
- act as a Community Land Trust and/or a Conservation Land Trust to keep land in agriculture; and
- promote tools which can protect farmland affordability for the next generation.
Farm Diversification
To keep farming viable we need to explore the growing opportunities in such areas such as agri-tourism, dairy value-added products, and grass-fed meats.
Distribution and Processing Infrastructure
Family farms need appropriate-scale food processing and distribution businesses that small and medium sized farms can access. As more new farms get started and other farms diversify into new value-added products, the need for a supporting infrastructure grows.
Marketing
Farmers need profitable markets for their products. Farm Catskills works to promote our farms through the Pure Catskills Buy Local campaign. Partners such as the Watershed Agricultural Council, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and the Center for Agriculture Development and Entrepreneurship regularly offer educational opportunities to farmers on marketing farm products.
