Senator Gillibrand meets with Cortland County Farmers and Residents

The Knapp Family with Senator Gillibrand

This past Friday morning, on a beautiful Central New York day, I had the pleasure of visiting Cobblestone Valley Farm in Preble, NY.  Since the Knapp Family (Maureen, Paul, Casey, Blaise and Evan) provide us with most of our locally grown beef, chicken, turkey, pork and strawberries, we had been to their farm many times. On this day, they were hosting a "listening session" with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand who is serving on the Senate Agriculture committee and conducting a listening tour about agricultural issues that her citizens would like addressed in the next farm bill.  Senator Gillibrand was impressive as she took charge of the meeting and had obviously done her own research on key issues as she responded and questioned individuals as they presented questions and comments.  The Senator was joined by Darrel Aubertine, the Commissioner of the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Casey Knapp introducing Senator Gillibrand

One of the issues raised was federal subsidies for corn-based ethanol - which besides being a food source used for fuel, is also usually grown in non-sustainable manners, is a net energy looser (it takes more energy to make it than we get out of it as a fuel) and as my husband said to the Senator "it is wrecking my chain saw, ruining my gas mileage and I get to PAY for the privilege!" Another issue raised was that of famers needing to be paid enough for their products so they can pay employees a decent wage, pay for their costs of production and make a little profit so that they can continue to grow our food.  Other issues included a request for support for the development of regional food systems and markets, and also labeling of GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) products.

The latter question was asked by Heather Hawkins, co-owner of Green Hills Market in Syracuse.  We chatted for a while afterwards and I was very impressed with her depth of knowledge of healthy foods, and her dedication for her family grocery store to offer quality food.  She went to the Future of Food conference in DC and also watched (as did I) the TEDxManhattan conference in January on Changing the Way We Eat.

Senator Gillibrand and Commissioner Aubertine

I also bumped into Neil Brody Miller who developed the iPhone (iPad/iPod) app called Farmshed.  This free app  as Neil says on his website "puts all of Central New York's local food producers at your fingertips.  Browse through comprehensive directories of regional farms, CSAs, farmers markets, natural food stores, locavore restaurants, and more. .  .  Why Central New York?  Because we live, work, and eat here.  We believe that buying local does a world of good for the region, and that supporting local farmers and food producers puts fresher, more nutritious food on our tables, strengthens community-based economies and local food cultures, and builds closer personal relationships between producers and consumers."  Of course this includes Cortland County!  Neil also said that they were coming out shortly with  a web-based app that would also work on your PC and other portable wireless devices, so check the Farmshed website for more info.