Time used to march slowly on the farm, a rhythm established by the seasons thousands of years ago.
Then along came depressed markets, foreign apples, immigration crackdowns and cornfields that produced subdivisions instead of silage. A farmer could be forgiven for pining for the good old days of droughts, floods and early frosts.
Along with the many challenges heading down the farm two-tracks, there is also a cadre of fresh-thinking finance specialists at Hudson Valley AgriBusiness Development Corp. (HVADC) who are working to keep the tractors rolling, notably by moving past the harvest and into the realm of value-added products. The potential market could be close to a billion dollars.
“Talk is one thing,” said Jim Hyland. “The time for talk is passed. Without infrastructure, you”™ll never get to the next level.”
Hyland is president of 5-year-old Winter Sun Farms in New Paltz and of 1-year-old Farm-To-Table Co-Packers at Tech City in Kingston, where, on Aug. 22, efforts were focused on packaging green beans from Migliorelli Farms in Tivoli.
In the name of Winter Sun, Hyland buys, packages and markets commodities from 20 local farms. Winter Sun”™s motto is: “A local bounty all year ”™round.”
At Hyland”™s Farm-To-Table enterprise in a former IBM cafeteria at Tech City, 40 employees can, pack, freeze and prepare “hundreds of thousands of pounds” of crops from more than 50 farms in a $1.5 million to $1.7 million industrial kitchen that slices, dices, peels, packs and more.
Farm-To-Table”™s value-added opportunities include:
Ӣ fresh or frozen soup or chili in pouches, containers or glass;
Ӣ sauces in pouches or glass;
Ӣ pickles in glass jars or fresh;
Ӣ blanched and frozen vegetables in pouches;
Ӣ quiches, tarts and fruit pies;
Ӣ baked deserts and cookies; and
”¢ “We”™re not a slaughterhouse, but we also do pot pies and things like that,” Hyland said.
Farm-To-Table now fields requests for services from farms as far away as Florida and California, the result of a national co-packing shortage, Hyland said.
Hyland credited Todd Erling, executive director of the nonprofit HVADC, and Mary Ann Johnson, HVADC”™s project director, with the behind-the-scenes efforts to bring his efforts to fruition.
Erling cites his enterprise as the only regional entity focused on agricultural economic development.
Erling said the Hudson-headquartered HVADC has helped 45 farms in its four years of existence and is running 10 to 20 farm projects at any given moment. “We work in concert with the HVEDC,” he said, referencing the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp. “We focus on agriculture-dependent and agriculture-critical endeavors. They do the rest: warehouses, manufacturers, biomedical. We do get referrals from them.”
Erling said half his job is dealing with farmers on topics like markets, demand, scale of production, feasibility studies, funding sources and capital development. HVADC actively writes business plans, taking into account variables like what to do if your product is a big hit. (Hint: Start small.) The remainder of his time is spent on policy and advocacy.
Erling was named to the state”™s new Albany-based Economic Development Council, one of 10 established by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. His work group is weighing proposals across fields that include biotechnology and microchip manufacture, but, “I”™m in there pitching agriculture among the other sectors,” he said. “I take it as a great sign that agriculture is being made an equal player with businesses such as that. It”™s a big business.”
He also advises the region”™s Congressional delegation ”“ Senate and House ”“ and speaks to groups about innovative takes on agricultural sustainability between Virginia and New York.
“They saw our potential,” Hyland said of Erling and Johnson. “They helped with the business plans and grants. They were very helpful. For Farm-To-Table, when we looked around we saw a real need for this type of infrastructure. They”™ve been a really strong economic supporter in tough times. Winter Sun is a collection of local farms that is designed to get you local produce in winter. We work closely with farms and now freeze and distribute to 2,500 members. Because HVADC recognized the need, locals can participate in this enterprise. And if we were not here, it”™s tough to launch new products. That”™s the vision.”
Hyland estimates there is an untapped market of $860 million for locally grown food in New York City.
Hyland also credited Dan Wieneke, president of Tech City, and Alan Ginsberg, its chairman, with making Farm-To-Table a reality. Tech City is home to The Solar Energy Consortium and Farm-To-Table makes 40 percent of its electricity from solar power.
“They”™re one of our poster children,” Erling said of Winter Sun, which sought help from HVADC”™s “incubator without walls” program four years ago.
Another program (among about 20) is Hudson Valley Bounty, run by Kristin Roca, whose message is, “More local foods promote economic sustainability.” She speaks with farmers, restaurateurs and even homeowners about environmental and economic issues related to agriculture. “The farmers are very, very interested,” she said. “Many already have farm stands and pick-your-own operations. And we”™re finding they are receptive to reaching out beyond that.”
New law assists farm transportation
Farm-to-market transportation legislation sponsored by the Independent Democratic Conference that includes state Sens. David Carlucci of Orange and Rockland counties and Jeff Klein of Westchester and the Bronx, was recently signed into law.
The measure, (S.614B/ Klein), allows the state”™s economic development arms to extend grants and loans “that will help create or upgrade distribution networks between New York farmers and food distributors, processors and purchasers such as supermarkets and farmer’s markets.”
“This will help New York farmers get their New York products to more New York families ”“ especially in underserved communities,” Klein said.
“Agriculture is one of New York”™s leading industries,” Carlucci said. “It is essential that we work to actively promote our local farms and seek ways to ensure that they continue to grow and prosper. I commend Governor Andrew Cuomo for signing this legislation, which will provide the tools needed to support our farmers, and promote locally grown agriculture products.”
The new law is Chapter 454 of the Laws of 2011.
