Upstate/Downstate NY: Solving the Dilemma

When my wife and I moved our family to the farm in the late 1990s, it didn’t take long before I was meeting my neighbors.

I am a gregarious sort, and as a former news reporter, I have a ridiculous sense of curiosity. I want to learn, listen, and relish in the things that other people do. I have a morbid fascination with people in varying occupations…..just ask my kids, who had to tolerate hours of sitting in the truck with the heat running because I’d pulled over to talk and meet and watch the local chainsaw carving artist guy. Or the lady running the fruit stand. Or the local hardware store owner.

You get the picture.

Anyhow, I started to see and realize the many, many farmers in my area (Central NY, north of Binghamton in Chenango County) were beginning to make really, really amazing food. I met them, talked with them, ate their food and listened. We have a cheese maker within spitting distance. A yogurt maker. An organic milk bottler, etc. etc.

We had started a reasonably large flock of organic egg layers in our third year here. We had about 1400 hens laying organic eggs everyday, and we needed a place to sell them.

Not too many neighbors of mine (Chenango County is one of the poorest in the state) could afford to buy organic eggs from me, so I knew I would have to travel to find buyers.

Ultimately I developed relationships with some organic/natural food stores in the Ithaca and Binghamton areas. I also started to bring these retailers other food made by my neighbors: honey, cheeses, milk, yogurt, etc. They were thrilled to have these local, mostly organic products and before long I was running a mini-distribution business out of the back of my wife’s mini-van.

I knew then that we were doing great things up here, and we just needed a connection to get this great food in the hands (and mouths) of NYC residents. I just knew they would support farmers from their own state, not too far from where they live.

I have spent the last 8 years or so working on developing and creating this marriage. We are closer, for sure, but we have many, many bumps in the road that we need to smooth out.

I am convinced that once the funnel from Upstate to Downstate is available and efficient, we can beginning putting products through the system that all NYC residents can have access to and enjoy.

It is possible. It is reachable. It is happening (on a small scale) now.

I have been using Social Media (SM) like this blog, Twitter and Facebook to get the word out about a line of certified organic, local, small family farm products we have developed and are marketing now. It involves a 20+ farm cooperative of small organic farms in the Northern Fingerlakes Region of New York. We have fresh milk and cheeses out there now, yogurt soon, eggs this summer.

In the process, I have met many, many folks from NYC that want to help in getting this Upstate/Downstate link established. They want to support small farms. They want fresh, good food. My neighbor farmers want to keep farming….keep making great food, grow their volumes, and save their farms. They want to send their kids to college, and ultimately to leave a generational heritage that is passed on to their children and grandchildren. Limited access to markets and consumers is choking them.

This seems so simple….farmers upstate that want to farm and make great food, and a city of 8 million looking for great local fresh food.

Can we let 200 miles between us be the deal breaker? I say no. We can do this.

To assist in this effort, I suggest that we have a series of meetings to organize a NYC event this summer. We’ll have a “Tweetup Meetup Eatup” event, where we can bring together influential consumers, community leaders, media outlets, farmers and retailers to sample and enjoy an amazing sampling menu of all NY grown food, followed by an informal discussion on how we can all work together to develop, maintain, support and advertise this new Upstate/Downstate Funnel Connection.

Whaddaya think? Are you up to it? Are we all up to it? I’m pretty certain that New Yorkers, no matter where we live in the state, are up to this challenge.

This is such a win-win I can hardly stand it…..farmers get to keep farming, and New Yorkers get access to some of the best, most fresh food grown in the world. This has to be a no-brainer. Can you help us get this done?

I know you are very busy and have little time to devote, but let me tell you something for certain: If we can get this done, we leave a legacy our children and grandchildren will benefit from for generations.

Let me know what you think: You can leave a comment here, or email me: dean@getnymilk.com. My twitter nickname is OrganicNYmilk1, and I am also on Facebook (Nymilk).

I look forward to a meaningful series of events that leads to greater awareness and success for New York farmers and consumers alike.

Thank you.
Dean Sparks