9/28/11 Letter from Bob Buccieri thanking NYS farmers markets & our farmers

VISIT Philmont Farmers Market this Sunday!

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Photo: Steve Benson 9/18/11

There's a farm along the NYS Thruway. I am sure you've seen it
> along the south side between Herkimer and Canajoharie, there's an
> open barn for feeding cows close to the road, with a large white
> barn to the east and a small, muddy hillside stretching beyond.
> For years it has been a landmark for me in my travels along
> Interstate 90. While zipping by at 65 (more or less) I would peek
> in on the cows and see them eating, or resting or just staring off
> in that way cows do. Sometimes I would try to count them, but the
> speed of travel, coupled with the fact that the cows would be
> spread across the small space from feed barn to field, always made
> that impossible!
>
> About five years ago I drove by and the feed barn was empty, so
> was the field and the small patch of mud between the road and the
> barn, and it has remained empty ever since. Every time I see it, I
> wonder if the farmer ever knew that I (and I presume others)
> marked their trip with a sighting of their farm. While the cows
> didn't know, I wonder if the family who cared for them recognized
> the service they performed for the hundreds of thousands of mind
> numbed Thruway travelers with this little sighting and activity
> close by the Thruway. Most of all, I wonder what happened.
>
> I hope the farmer won the lottery and is retired in the Caribbean,
> or is traveling the world without a care in the world. I hope the
> cows have been relocated and are enjoying their new homes. Most of
> all, I hope the farm, which still looks good after years of being
> (seemingly) abandoned, can hold on and be revived.
>
> So why share this story?
>
> This is among the reasons I remain committed to this organization.
> I enjoy food, I enjoy growing food, I enjoy the social aspect of
> our local markets and, being a kid from the Bronx, I enjoy being
> in a community of farms and farming, a community we call Upstate
> NY. I believe that our markets are the center of social discourse,
> that they are an essential part of local commerce, that they
> provide a means to revive a neighborhood, or even an entire city.
> Property values in market areas are strong, from hundreds of
> thousands being spent in Rochester to tens of millions in Union
> Square. Commerce is strong and retail is growing in communities
> like Seneca Falls, Fairport, Trumansburg and Cape Vincent, among
> dozens of examples.
>
> Our markets represent such a vital economic engine that the
> Governor's office lists Agriculture and Farmers Markets within
> economic development issues in much of their literature and
> websites, as well they should.
>
> So if you don't hear it enough (and who does?) allow me to THANK
> YOU for your efforts and recognize the incredible value you bring
> to New York. Should you need more appreciation, come hang out in
> Saratoga this coming March and cheer one another on. As we face
> the challenges inherent in our own growth and the wealth of
> attention from Albany, we need to be sure of ourselves, our
> markets and our farms. As one season begins to close and another
> begins, I hope you are able to refresh yourselves and begin anew
> the planning for another year. More than anything, I hope the
> Farmers Market Federation membership is among the things you value
> and that we will be working together for greater market support
> and vendor success.
>
> Or there will be more emptiness along the Thruway.
>
> Be well
>
> Bob
>
> Bob Buccieri
>
> President, BOD
>
> Farmers Market Federation of New York