NYS Helps To Preserve Stuarts Fruit Farm

Left to Right: County Executive Andrew J. Spano and U.S. Senator Charles Schumer with Bob Stuart and Randy Pratt (of Wilkens Fruit & Fir Farm) at Stuart's Orchards in Somers.

This is terrific news - the 170 acres of Stuart's Fruit Farm in Somers is permanently preserved thanks to a NYS Farmland Protection Grant, announced Christmas Eve. NYS has paid $2.3 million to the farm in exchange for its development rights, meaning that houses can never be built on the property. Now that's a major step to preserve a Hudson Valley farm!

The family has farmed the property since 1828, and has had frequent offers to sell their farm to developers. Now they can invest and improve the farm, rather than worrying about how to keep it going.

Hemlock Hills Farm in Cortland received a similar award last year.

Thank you Governor Spitzer for helping to preserve our farms. State Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Patrick Hooker said: “New York loses valuable farmland every year to development, and we cannot afford to lose anymore. New York’s farms and farm families are at the core of many rural communities. The land they utilize contains some of the richest and most productive soils in the world, and because many farms are located in scenic areas of the State, they are in high demand for development."

It is said that the Hudson Valley loses an average of 7 acres of farmland per day to residential and other development.

For more info on the State program click here.

Source

I noticed this is happening more and more in my area. (State "saving" farms)

Is it happening everywhere? I'd like to hear comments on this. Good...or not so good? What say ye?

Seems so unnatural.

BTW...Spano and Schumer (above pic) are both kikes.

-Jim