Farmers Column - Upcoming Events

Back to the future, as it was announced last week, August 29, 2026, the Cornell Cooperative extension will be holding its 14th annual Family Farm day.  The family farm day event was started in the year of 2013.  At that time, there were about 21 farms and 4 farmers markets that joined the first Schoharie Family Farm Day Saturday.  Still going strong and now in the calendar year 2026, there  are well over 40 different farms in Delaware, Otsego, and Schoharie Counties.  

Visiting these farms enable our guests to gain insight on how products on a farm are made or grown.  It is refreshing to see how many farms have recovered due to the floods of Hurricane Sandy and Irene even though some land will never recover.   Many of their products to be shown are grown right on the farm.  That would include maple syrup, honey, beef, pork, and dairy products.  

Mark your calendar for the 2026 coming Family Fun Day on August 29, 2026.    

Now, let’s look forward to the future, the real future.   Our larger farm lands are being decimated between  solar power, wind power and condominiums being built.  Rural New York, known as the Bread Basket of the American Revolution, is being invaded by savvy investors willing to buy out farms at top dollar and bulldoze fields that at one time grew your vegetables in the spring and pumpkins for the fall.  Fields that one time had fully working farms with chickens, pigs, and cows with acres full of grain growing in the wind.  

Environmentally Protected land, animals and birds are now finding out that they will no longer have the deep woods as protected habitat.  With all the wisdom of New York State government and a deep reaching arm of a department nicknamed ORES, or New York State, Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission, the land that was farming now is turned into treeless, baron land with the future looking dim as solar farms, wind farms and condos paint the land of what use to be farms.  ORES issues a siting permit for large scale renewable energy projects 25 megawatts or larger— Basically leaving small local towns silent to these big investors  

Check out the ORES web site, as there is a survey you can take for your opinion.  Call your state legislators and give them you opinion also.  Let’s save the farms!

Have a great weekend!