Check out the scenes from the 2017 Meredith Dairy Fest! The Dairy Fest is back this year after a long hiatus. It was a great event with multiple Pure Catskills members and WAC Participants present. The event was held June 17-18 in Meridale, NY.
The local food movement is not new to the Catskill region. It is a part of our livelihood, our everyday routine, and to put it simply-it’s our lifestyle. This year in the new Guide to Pure Catskills Products we are proud to feature nine restaurants who are just as passionate about preparing high quality meals as they are about purchasing locally sourced food. These pages will show you a glimpse inside the doors of the Peekamoose Restaurant and Tap Room, Ruby’s Hotel, Pickled Owl, Table on Ten, The Bull and Garland, Zephyr Restaurant, The North Branch Inn, Rolling River Café and Two Old Tarts and One Smart Cookie. Every establishment is committed to the same mission, to source the best and most nutritious products from the very region they reside in.
This year, we wanted to show you the unique partnership between the farmers, growers and producers in the Catskills, and the chefs who use their products. We are extremely proud that each page reflects the abundance of products, people, restaurants and businesses that Pure Catskills is working to support, from the farm to the table. My hope is that you will take the time to meet the chefs who have dedicated their menus to sourcing locally because they are helping to preserve the working landscapes of the Catskills, and are keeping their money within our communities. In doing so, they are helping to improve the economic viability of the region while providing the public with some of the most delicious, nutritious and outstanding meals in the world. And it’s not just the nine restaurants featured who are making a difference, it is all of those listed under our Restaurant and Lodging section on page 47.
Visit purecatskills.com for upcoming events, extended member listings, wholesale information, member news and additional resources. Please contact the Pure Catskills team with any questions regarding Pure Catskills at purecatskills@nycwatershed.org or (607) 865-7090.
Supporting farms and forest businesses, protecting water quality, and preserving the pristine environment of the New York City Watershed region is not only our mission, but our way of life. Thank you for supporting Pure Catskills!
Check out our May 2017 ENews. Check out photos from our 2017 AG Tour held on May 2nd in the West of Hudson region, learn more about our Conservation Easement program with our new Infographic titled Conservation Easements: Protecting the Working Landscape, read about our Arbor Day Trees for Tribs Planting in the East of Hudson Region, proper Agriculture sharp disposal and see how the region is “greening up” this spring! All these stories and more can be found here.
The annual Watershed Agricultural Program Tour was once again a success! The 2017 Ag Tour had 65 attendees from agencies including the Watershed Agricultural Council, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Delaware County, Watershed Affairs, Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation District, Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Health, Environmental Protection Agency, Farm Service Agency, National Resources Conservation Service and the United States Department of Agriculture.
The tour began at the Mark MacGibbon Farm a 110 cow/calf beef operation located in Walton, NY. Various Best Management Practices (BMPs) have been implemented over the years including exclusion fencing, a covered feeding pad and a ground manure storage. The second stop was in Hamden at the 4th generation Springdale Farm operated by the Moody Family. The dairy herd consists of mostly Jerseys and a few Holsteins, with a milking herd of 55 cows and 45 youngstock on close to 300 acres that are rotationally grazed and hayed. Active in the program since the mid-1990’s, various BMPs have been installed over the years including solar calf housing and an uncovered concrete dairy barnyard that have surpassed their lifespan and are both on the docket for repair. A riparian buffer was established in 2000 through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) and was re-enrolled in 2016. The farm participates in the Nutrient Management Credit Program and Precision Feed Management Program.
The third stop was along State Highway 10 in Hamden at the Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation District Streambank Stabilization project. The site is a major drainage area in the headwaters of the Delaware River system. The proposal was to construct an armored bank with rip rap approximately 6 feet high and with a 3 feet deep toe along the eroding stream bank for approximately 450 feet. Upon completion a 100’ riparian buffer was planted along the stream bank.The DCSWCD Stream Corridor Management Team worked closely with WAC Easement Stewardship Team throughout the process of this project as one of the properties involved also holds a WAC Conservation Easement. (View photos of construction here.)
The next stop was Lucky Dog Farm, a 160 acre Certified Organic Vegetable farm in Hamden. Richard Giles and Holley White started the farm in 2000, became Pure Catskills members in 2004 and enrolled the farm in a WAC Conservation Easement in 2005. The farm participates in CREP and has planted riparian buffers on the Delaware River streambank and has enrolled in cost share program for high tunnel greenhouses and a buried irrigation system. Richard sells produce locally in his farm store as well as driving to NYC twice a week with products from multiple Catskills producers via the Lucky Dog Local Food Hub, delivering to NYC restaurants and markets.
The final stop was the Delaware County Solid Waste Management Center. Sue McIntyre graciously guided the group through the facility’s state of the art recycling and compost centers. The cutting edge system is able to compost or recycle a majority of waste brought in (including household waste in trash bags), free of charge to Delaware County residents, enabling the site to be used to an additional 20 years past it’s projected lifespan. A “model for the country” of how to properly manage waste in a environmentally conscious way.
On April 25th WAC hosted senior level Forest Supervisors from India’s state agencies. We discussed how our programs in the NYC Watershed are voluntary, fully funded and locally led. We had great discussions and thank SUNY ESF for organizing the tour!
Check out our April 2017 ENews. Learn how to Make Maple Syrup from our Forestry Program Manager Tom Pavlesich, read about recent Conservation Easement landowners Merry Breeze Farm and their commitment to agriculture in the region, remember proper spreading techniques as spring weather approaches and learn about the Pepacton Reservoir and NYC’s water supply protect by our region’s farm and forest landowners. Read these stories and more here!
Winter Storm Stella dropped over 3′ on the NYC Watershed region March 14-15, 2017. The region was slammed with the historic storm Tuesday morning through Wednesday night and a State of Emergency was declared with schools, businesses and roads being closed for two days. What didn’t close were our farms. Farmers battled the storm to feed livestock and clear snow. Milk pick-ups were delayed and a few barns collapsed, but Upstate New Yorker’s are tough and prevailed in the hazardous conditions. Check out the scenes around the watershed in the calm after the storm. All photos were taken on Thursday March 16, 2017 (photos by Heather Magnan).
The Watershed Agricultural Program (WAP) had another great year of implementing Best Management Practices (BMPs) that addressed multiple resource concerns on participant farms. Check out the report here.
