CLC’s Conservation and Agricultural Programs Manager Marissa Codey will be presenting at the upcoming Farming Our Future Conference. She will be discussing the challenges young farmers face finding land on which to farm, and the various strategies they might use to locate land. The conference takes place on Saturday, February 25 in Craryville, NY.
Codey will be conducting two workshops about farmland accessibility at the upcoming Farming our Future conference. As the number of new and young farmers in the Hudson Valley seeking to start their own farm businesses has been expanding in recent years, so has the cost of acquiring land on which to farm. This workshop will review options available to farmers for accessing land, including the CLC’s Farmer Landowner Match Program which connects landowners looking to have their land farmed with farmers seeking land.
Farming our Future will take place on Saturday, February 25 at Taconic Hills Central School. This inaugural conference is geared towards local and regional farmers, educators, farmers’ market managers, agricultural students, providers of goods and services, and consumers. The conference engages the agriculture community to think about its work toward growing food, farms, and community in the context of a rapidly changing local, regional, and global food system. The day is filled with panel discussions, workshops, poster presentations, and networking. Participants will explore critical issues such as how to protect vital farmland, understanding financing options, engaging community, expansion and diversification, marketing, and sharing of resources. All proceeds from the conference will benefit the H.A.R.V.E.S.T club, the award winning agricultural program spearheaded by the students and advisors at Taconic Hills Central Schools.
Codey’s workshop will help prepare farmers to start and expand their farm businesses by obtaining land to use for their operations. Participants will discuss some of the pitfalls of farmland rental agreements as well as highlight some of the ways in which farmers and landowners can work together to establish successful, long-term rental relationships.
More about Farming Our Future Conference
More about CLC’s Working Farms Program