2018 Cultivators

The harvest period of October was the ideal month to launch the first ever simultaneous Taste NY Farm and Food Expos held at Anthony’s Pier 9 in New Windsor and the Desmond Hotel in Albany.

Founded in 2017, the Harlem Valley Farm and Food Alliance (HVFFA) is a coalition of next-generation farmers looking to continue a way of life and return to their family farms; sharing the bonds of their common passion and the struggles linking them,as well as a like-minded approach to farming.

Eleven Food Entrepreneurs from Across the Region Begin Intensive Training Program to Prepare to Present to Potential Funders

If you live, work or play in the Hudson Valley, chances are that you are going to want to learn more about its bounty in order to take advantage of all the region has to offer.

You might not think of a food product requiring its own dedicated law firm unless you were in the business of producing or marketing food products, then you would be relieved to know about The Food Law Firm in Dutchess County.

Stap Dairy has been milking cows for over 13 years in the bucolic fields of Orange County’s pastures, where they recently launched two new whole milk products to the retail market.

Given the sheer expanse of the seven counties within HVADC’s coverage and the countless organizations it collaborates with, almost every day either Executive Director Todd Erling or Deputy Director Mary Ann Johnson are on the road interacting with HVADC clients and other key stakeholders in the region.

The Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NESAWG) is a network of over 500 organizations and thousands of individuals involved with farm and food system enhancement initiatives throughout Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland,

Locust Grove Farm Smokehouse and Country Store in Argyle has been slaughtering and butchering since 1973, and thanks to some help from HVADC, was finally able to update the building that was built when they first started cutting meat there.

In August 2016 New York State launched the NYS Grown & Certified (G&C) program.

Sylke Chesterfield, principal of Chesterfield Advantage, a business consultant and certified coach has been named the Farm and Food Funding Accelerator (FFFA) Project Manager.

Seminary Hill Orchards—so named for neighboring St. Joseph’s Seminary-- is a family-run, holistic cider orchard, tasting room, guest house and wedding venue with 360 degree jaw-dropping views of the Delaware River in Sullivan County.

HVADC’s next Farm and Food Funding Accelerator (FFFA) program is scheduled to blast-off November 2018, which means that applications must be received by September 15 in order to be considered.

The Hudson Valley is abundant with fresh-grown food and establishments specializing in it.

Fabio Chizzola and Laura Ferrara are cultivating the nuances of time-honored practices from their families’ Italian rural agrarian lifestyles on their Ulster County-based farm, Westwind Orchard.

Most days of any given week, both HVADC Executive Director Todd Erling and Deputy Director Mary Ann Johnson are on the road attending meetings with farms, agribusinesses, committees, boards, businesses, municipalities, initiatives, and state and county governments throughout the seven-county region served by HVADC, to lend expertise and to collaborate with other groups’ initiatives.

Not all distilleries can boast that their spirits are crafted from local grain and fruit and aged on-site, “farm to cask,” in their own handmade barrels.

When it comes to preserving historical properties, shouldn’t we apply the same logic as respecting our elders to our venerable farmlands as well?

To answer the need for a more refined and deeper knowledge-base for those considering entering the steadily growing sheep industry in the Hudson Valley, HVADC developed the Local Lamb Lessons series

Farmers have long been adapting to unexpected weather patterns and events; however there is little consolation that a farmer can take when healthy, producing fruit trees or other crops are damaged by the ravages of nature.