Ulster County News
The sight of pumpkins tossing in the frothing waters of local creeks was witnessed by many who live in Ulster County's Rondout Valley after hurricanes Irene and Lee swept through the region in late August. And though thousands of pumpkins were lost, as many as 1,000 bins worth, one farmer estimates, pumpkins were far from the only crop damaged on local farms. The combination of flooding and days of pelting rain severely damaged all kinds of local produce, farm soils and infrastructure at the worst possible time of year—the time when farmers are looking forward to the harvest-time crops that pay off loans taken out for planting at the beginning of the growing season.
A High Falls resident's email to the Rondout Valley Growers Association to inquire about sending a check for pumpkins he’d pulled out of the creek sparked the concept of creating a fundraiser as a way to offer much-needed financial support to affected members of the agricultural community. Farmer and RVGA President Bruce Davenport came up with the idea to sell paper pumpkins as a way to create a disaster relief fund to distribute to the hard-hit local farmers who grow the Rondout Valley’s food.
Artist and RVGA board member Maria Reidelbach created a lively pumpkin image ideal for hanging on walls, doors, barn doors, and anywhere else one may fancy. Like real pumpkins, each will be sold by the “pound.” The per pound price will be one dollar, and minimum suggested donation is five pounds. Click here to download the pumpkin image. (PDF) (And just for the record, 1631.5 pounds is the record for the biggest pumpkin ever grown in New York State...)
They'll be available through Thanksgiving at all Rondout Valley farmstands, at local farmer’s markets, and at various businesses region-wide. It takes a community to support a farm, and purchase of a paper pumpkin helps do just that. For more information: skrawitz@rondoutvalleygrowers.org, www.rondoutvalleygrowers.com.
Ulster County Tourism
Please visit http://www.ulstertourism.info/ to find all the great places to eat, stay and play in Ulster County.
Congratulations to the Hurd Family!
Hurd's Family Farm, Modena, N.Y., is the first marketer to ever win the Golden Apple Marketer Award, according to an announcement from the National Apple Month Program. The presentation of the award kicked off the North American Farm Direct Market Association's annual convention in Baltimore. Susan Hurd of Hurd's Family Farm accepted the award, which was given as part of the Golden Apple Market promotion introduced in 2010. The Hurd operation earned the honor because of its efforts in promoting and merchandising apples and apple products during September and October. To find out more about the Hurd Family Farm, please visit their Bounty listing at http://hudsonvalleybounty.com/listing/hurds-family-farm.
Temple Grandin will lecture at the Ulster County Community College's Quimby Theater in Stone Ridge on April 21 at 6 p.m.
Grandin is one of the most accomplished and well-known adults with autism. Her work in agriculture includes being a designer of livestock handling facilities and she is a Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University. Facilities she has designed are located in the United States, Canada, Europe, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and other countries. In North America, almost half of the cattle are handled in a center track restrainer system that she designed for meat plants. Curved chute and race systems she has designed for cattle are used worldwide and her writings on the flight zone and other principles of grazing animal behavior have helped many people to reduce stress on their animals during handling. She has also developed an objective scoring system for assessing handling of cattle and pigs at meat plants. This scoring system is being used by many large corporations to improve animal welfare. Other areas of research are: cattle temperament, environmental enrichment for pigs, reducing dark cutters and bruises, bull fertility, training procedures, and effective stunning methods for cattle and pigs at meat plants. Grandin s also the topic for the full-length HBO film that bears her name, starring Claire Danes, winner of the Golden Globe for Best Actress on Sunday. Cornell Cooperative Extension Your extension office provides a variety of services for the consumer to the farmer. Check out their website today for more information - http://www.cceulster.org/.