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This is great. I think New York really needs to highlight its agricultural abilities for several reasons. There are a number of universities with great programs working in the field, there is access to several large metropolitan areas and their markets (including one within the state), and there are ample water resources. Local agriculture, especially with the great water quality possible in New York, the relatively inexpensive land and access to markets, and the technical know-how of processing raw agricultural products to upsell, is one of the better possible highlights for New York's economy.
I wonder when someone's going to go with the on-the-nose work of trying for a buffalo (bison) farm in Buffalo.
You'd think that upstate NY's agricultural industry would be booming a lot more than it currently is with all the grass-fed, hormone-free meat crazes gaining more popularity over the recent years.
You'd think that upstate NY's agricultural industry would be booming a lot more than it currently is with all the grass-fed, hormone-free meat crazes gaining more popularity over the recent years.
I think it may be a matter of competition and how many people are actually into farming in the state. Many I believe have walked away from farming. There is or has been some craft beer/wine industry growth though.
I think it may be a matter of competition and how many people are actually into farming in the state. Many I believe have walked away from farming. There is or has been some craft beer/wine industry growth though.
It seems I am always coming across newspaper articles about small farms popping up to serve NYCs demand for fresh, local produce. Also, there is an increase in locally produced secondary products (beer, cider, cheese)
that rely on agricultural produce.
Of course many, if not most of these are located in proximity to the city, so not really upstate, but LI, the lower/mid Hudson Valley, etc.
It seems I am always coming across newspaper articles about small farms popping up to serve NYCs demand for fresh, local produce. Also, there is an increase in locally produced secondary products (beer, cider, cheese)
that rely on agricultural produce.
Of course many, if not most of these are located in proximity to the city, so not really upstate, but LI, the lower/mid Hudson Valley, etc.
It could be a matter of both versus either/or. Meaning, some may be walking away from say dairy farming, but others may be into hops farming, which I believe is the case further north. Same with cider and wine up here as well.
I only mention the aspect of people walking away from farming due to it being mentioned on here and from talking with someone that grew up on a farm in Lewis County.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 10-03-2017 at 11:53 AM..
It could be a matter of both versus either/or. Meaning, some may be walking away from say dairy farming, but others may be into hops farming, which I believe is the case further north. Same with cider and wine up here as well.
I only mention the aspect of people walking away from farming due to it being mentioned on here and from talking with someone that grew up on a farm in Lewis County.
It seems my whole life (over 4 decades so far) I have been hearing how dairy farming in NY is in dire straits. I guess when I was young it was mainly in the Catskills/downstate area, but upstate, too. Then I hear how Chobani and Fage have reinvigorated dairy in NY, but I still hear dairy farmers complaining that it is an unsustainable business.
Yet there were even dairies in Westchester when I was a kid, selling under the Dairylea brand.
It seems my whole life (over 4 decades so far) I have been hearing how dairy farming in NY is in dire straits. I guess when I was young it was mainly in the Catskills/downstate area, but upstate, too. Then I hear how Chobani and Fage have reinvigorated dairy in NY, but I still hear dairy farmers complaining that it is an unsustainable business.
Yet there were even dairies in Westchester when I was a kid, selling under the Dairylea brand.
True and it is interesting that you mentioned Dairylea, which has its HQ's in East Syracuse but started in Pearl River. It is a cooperative that gets its dairy from dairy farmers all over the state. I know of one farmer in the town of Fowler outside of Gouverneur that still runs the family farm and he is a part of the Dairylea co-op. I wonder what happens when he can't do it anymore though, as I believe that all of his daughters are away from the farm and I'm not sure if they would go back. So, family dynamics might be how some dairy farms go out business, but the dairy business is still alive in the state.
It turns out there are still at least a couple of functioning dairy farms in Westchester County (not counting farm-to-table operations like Stone Barns).
It seems my whole life (over 4 decades so far) I have been hearing how dairy farming in NY is in dire straits.
I remember hearing the same exact thing when I was growing up. I actually have family members who own and work on farms and they complain every time I see them about how unprofitable the business is, reminiscing on years back when farming was a profitable profession, and all sorts of things like that.
I feel like Chobani is the Global Foundries of the recent agricultural "success" stories of upstate NY. The state likes to brand the Albany area as the Tech Valley, but does anyone ever really hear about tech companies relocating to the area? It sure seems like the state loves to provide massive, almost ridiculous, cash grants and subsidies to these businesses to bring them in and then promote that single company throughout the state as the basis for an astounding economical success.
I never hear of any other Chobani-like companies moving to upstate, except for Chobani itself. I never hear about any other large chip plants being major players in the area except Global Foundries.
Meanwhile, down here in Raleigh, you've got companies from all over the place relocating to the Triangle area every year. In Atlanta, it's the same sort of thing. In Austin, you could walk into a Subway restaurant and half the people there are discussing relevant tech industry things. Companies and young professionals flock to these states/cities for a ton of reasons.
Other cities don't even have to promote them as success stories to the local communities, it's just a known fact that these cities are the place to be. I remember living in Albany and seeing those NY promo commercials sponsored by the state. The ones where Robert DeNiro says Schenectady is his second home and all of that nonsense. It seriously feels like upstate NY has to brainwash its residents into thinking they live in a fantastic place so they'll stay there.
Sorry, I sort of went off on a little bit of a rant. I'm sure some people will disagree with me, but this is coming from someone who grew up in upstate and has lived in many other places since then.
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