1 Event Co-Sponsored by: Town of Bethlehem, Town of New Scotland, Albany County, Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy, Delmar Farmers Market, and Indian Ladder Farms. Welcome! 6:00 – 6:30 Relax, enjoy the barn, learn from displays, taste craft beverages and farm-to-table foods 6:30 – 8:00 Short talks by local and regional farmers and farm support organizations 8:00 – 8:30 Questions, answers, and discussion with our speakers Peter G. Ten Eyck, II: Indian Ladder Farms, Owner. Welcome to Indian Ladder Farms! In 1916, Peter’s father, Peter Gansevoort Ten Eyck I, opened Indian Ladder Farms (ILF) as an apple orchard supplying Albany Public Markets and a dairy with approximately 100 head of award-winning Guernsey cattle. Today, the centennial farm, protected forever with a conservation easement, is a well- loved local landmark complete with scenic views of the Helderberg Escarpment; you-pick apples, berries and pumpkins; educational programs and guided hikes; a farm store and café; and a bustling series of events held at the newly opened ILF Cidery and Brewery. The farm is currently operated by the fourth generation of the Ten Eyck family. Now enjoying a well-deserved retirement, as his daughter and son co-manage the farm and business, Peter says, “Having a place where people can observe and participate in the process of growing food is worth doing.” Contact Peter: 518-765-2956, www.indianladderfarms.com New York State Commissioner of Agriculture, Richard A. Ball: Commissioner Ball has served as Commissioner of Agriculture since 2014. Richard began his career in agriculture at the age of 18, working on a vegetable farm in Rhode Island. For the last 25 years, he has been the proud owner and operator of Schoharie Valley Farms, consisting of 200 acres and producing vegetables, small fruits, and greenhouse crops. The farm serves both retail and wholesale consumers through an onsite farm market. Richard has held a number of positions within agriculture and community organizations at the local, state and national level, including the NYS Vegetable Growers Association, the New York Farm Bureau, the American Farm Bureau, and the Schoharie County Chamber of Commerce. He currently serves as Secretary- Treasurer on the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) Board of Directors and as the NASDA Food Regulation Committee Chair. He is also the President of Food Export Northeast. Richard’s family is proudly engaged in the farm operation in Schoharie. Find out about the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets Farmland Protection Implementation Grants program (Purchase of Development Rights): contact David Behm, 518-485-7729, [email protected]. Contact the Commissioner’s office: Jola Szubielski at: 518-457-0752, [email protected], www.agriculture.ny.gov. Meet the People Making Local Conservation Happen: Talks, Tastes, and a Tour! Part Two: Conserving Farmland June 13 th , 6:00-8:30PM @ Indian Ladder Farms Thank you to our speakers for sharing their farmland conservation stories: Photo: Indian Ladder Farms
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Transcript
1
Event Co-Sponsored by: Town of Bethlehem, Town of New Scotland, Albany County,
Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy, Delmar Farmers Market, and Indian Ladder Farms.
Welcome! 6:00 – 6:30 Relax, enjoy the barn, learn from displays, taste craft beverages and farm-to-table foods
6:30 – 8:00 Short talks by local and regional farmers and farm support organizations
8:00 – 8:30 Questions, answers, and discussion with our speakers
Peter G. Ten Eyck, II: Indian Ladder Farms, Owner. Welcome to Indian Ladder
Farms! In 1916, Peter’s father, Peter Gansevoort Ten Eyck I, opened Indian
Ladder Farms (ILF) as an apple orchard supplying Albany Public Markets and a
dairy with approximately 100 head of award-winning Guernsey cattle. Today,
the centennial farm, protected forever with a conservation easement, is a well-
loved local landmark complete with scenic views of the Helderberg Escarpment;
you-pick apples, berries and pumpkins; educational programs and guided hikes;
a farm store and café; and a bustling series of events held at the newly opened
ILF Cidery and Brewery. The farm is currently operated by the fourth generation
of the Ten Eyck family. Now enjoying a well-deserved retirement, as his
daughter and son co-manage the farm and business, Peter says, “Having a place
where people can observe and participate in the process of growing food is
Indian Ladder Farms (New Scotland, Albany Co.): Laurie Ten Eyck, Co-Manager and Farmer. Indian Ladder Farms, an iconic centennial farm at the base of the Helderberg Escarpment, contains 325 acres of apple orchards, berry and pumpkin fields (pick-your-own); a retail store, café and bakery; a thriving cidery and brewery, event spaces, and educational areas offering summer “Barn School” and other opportunities for children and families. Weddings and other celebratory events on the farm are frequent. Agritourism is thriving at this destination farm. Laurie Ten Eyck, a fourth generation family member, led the successful effort to extinguish the development rights on the majority of the farmland to protect her family’s farm forever. In 2003, ILF was the first farm in Albany County to receive the state’s grant for purchase of development rights (PDR). Partnerships with the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy, the Open Space Institute, the Town of New Scotland, and friends of the farm were critical in contributing funds and expertise to complete this large conservation project. A permanent agricultural conservation easement on the farm will travel with the deed and protect the farmland from development in perpetuity. In 2015, Laurie, in partnership with her husband, Dietrich Gehring, has also published a book The Hop Grower’s Handbook, which focuses on farming hops sustainably. Contact Laurie at: 518-765-2956, www.indianladderfarms.com
Laughing Earth Farm (Brunswick, Rensselaer Co.): Annie and
Zack Metzger, Owners and Farmers. Laughing Earth Farm has
been an active farm for over 200 years and is now protected
forever by a conservation easement held by the Agricultural
Stewardship Association (ASA) and farmed by new owners, Annie
and Zack Metzger. This farm conservation and farmer transition
project is truly an example of collaboration and support made
possible by multiple partners, including the retiring former farm
owners, ASA, NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets, Equity
Trust, and Scenic Hudson. Additional support was provided by
American Farmland Trust and Hudson Valley Agribusiness
Development Corporation. The farm is also on the NYS register of
historic places. Under the stewardship of the Metzgers, the farm
grows vegetables, flowers, pastured poultry and pork for a
thriving Community Supported Agriculture business. “We are
farmers because we care about providing healthy food for ourselves and our community, and about feeding the soil on
which we depend. We are eager to forge a connection with the ecosystem that supports us…”. Contact Zack or Annie at: