Photo Exhibit Opening October 3, 2024 at the Spring Street Gallery in Saratoga Springs, New York
Please join us on Thursday, Oct. 3 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Spring Street Gallery, 110 Spring Street, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
"Our Farms, Our Future" tells the story of New York’s farms in transition, as a third of our state’s farmers are now 65 and older and own two million acres of farmland that will be changing hands in the coming years. This massive shift in land ownership is unprecedented and the pace of farmland loss is increasing. Across the nation, we lose 2,000 acres of farmland every day to development and other uses that jeopardize farming. American Farmland Trust has worked tirelessly to protect farmland and keep farmers on the land, and we see an urgent opportunity to uplift and preserve the stories of those stewards of the land.
Building on the work of AFT’s previous photo exhibit in the Great Lakes region, “Our Farms, Our Future” is focused on the stories of keeping land in farming and of passing it on to a new generation, both within and outside of the traditional family farm. Increasingly, a diverse new generation is looking to farm, including women, people of color, LGBTQIA+ folks, and others who have been historically underserved by agricultural programs and continue to face barriers to get into farming. We feature the poignant images of farmers who are both exiting and entering the field and supplement the collection with written stories and select audio recordings of these farmers, capturing this critical moment in time.
Continuing the Conversation with a Special Series of Events
Family Farm Transitions, a Hands-on Women for the Land Learning Circle at Tiashoke Farm & Store
Wednesday, October 9th | 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Tiashoke Farm Store, located at 11834 NY-40, Schaghticoke, NY 12154
Join Women for the Land for an in-depth discussion about farm transition planning! We will be covering topics around farmland protection, financial and legal considerations, and ways to engage family in the conversation about the farm's future. Two extraordinary next-generation women farmers will lead our discussion, with real-life lessons they encountered during their own farm transition journey. We will be joined by local attorney Megan Harris-Pero, Esq. to discuss the legal aspects of farm transition. Bring your questions for this interactive discussion. We will share lunch together, then tour an exceptional multi-generational farm that has taken their business to the next level.
Tools for Farmland Protection and Transition, a Discussion Featuring West Branch Commons
Thursday, October 17th | 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Spring Street Gallery, located at 110 Spring Street, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Join Farmland for a New Generation New York and West Branch Commons for a discussion about farmland access, transition, and protection. West Branch Commons offers secure, affordable land access to marginalized farmers using an agroecological approach that decommodifies land and promotes long-term stewardship. This grassroots project aims to create a constellation of resources for farm viability, regional collaboration, and intergenerational knowledge transfer. We will be joined by Francis Yu, co-executive director of Catskills Agrarian Alliance, and Sea Matias, an anchor lessee and farm with Serra Vida Farms to discuss the process of forming the commons and accessing land using the community land trust as a tool. We will also be joined by Jerry Cosgrove of American Farmland Trust to discuss how conservation easements can be a tool in protecting and transitioning farmland.
Honoring the Past and Celebrating the Future of Agriculture
Meet the New York farmers featured in our gallery exhibition in Saratoga Springs. Photography by Shawn Linehan, Rebecca Drobis, Nancy J. Parisi, Josh Baldo, Dietrich Gehring, and Eric Jenks.
Tom Hutson, Lifelong Steward of River Haven Farm Makes Protected Farmland Available for a New Generation
Tom Hutson is a lifelong cattle farmer whose rich bottom-land soils filter drinking water for millions of residents in New York City. Tom was in New York City to accept a Steward of the Land award from American Farmland Trust in 2006, when he made a point of pulling a plastic bag from his pocket filled with rich soil collected from his farm and affectionately describing its contents to the crowd. Seventeen years later, Tom remains an innovator in stewardship – of the soil itself – and in thinking about its future.
Decades ago, Tom had permanently protected his farm with a conservation easement, a voluntary program that farmers can utilize to keep their land in agriculture. In Tom’s case, it also contributed to clean drinking water from his watershed for millions of people living downstate in New York City. It can also help future generations to afford the land, as it’s no longer able to be subdivided for development, reducing its market value. Even so, land is expensive, and it’s hard for a young farmer or couple to finance a property with hundreds of acres, along with the start-up costs of a new farm business.
In 2023, Tom decided to sell his farm to American Farmland Trust in exchange for cash and a charitable gift annuity that will provide him with income for the rest of his life as he transitions out of farming. AFT is leasing the land to new and neighboring farmers, and exploring options with a cooperative farming entity, which could purchase the farm and steward it long-term with affordable rates to new farmers.
American Farmland Trust collaborated with Catskills Agrarian Alliance to support the creation of the West Branch Commons, the inaugural land access project of CAA offering alternative and affordable land access opportunities for Queer and Trans, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color farmers and producers. Sea Matías (they/them) of Serra Vida Farms was one of the anchor lessees of the West Branch Commons on Tom’s farm and has partnered closely with Tom to steward the land and livestock together. Sea is a Bronx-born and raised farmer and environmental educator with a mission to create a nourished and resilient community through the sharing of knowledge and fresh, locally grown produce.
Next Generation Farmer, Emma Smalley, Finds Land to Raise a Family and a Herd in Western New York
Emma Smalley grew up in a rural area, but she wasn’t born into a farming family. After moving to the city as an adult, she became interested in food and nutrition, and felt called back to her rural roots. Hungry for experience, she answered a Craigslist ad from an older farmer who was looking for help with his goat farm. Emma quickly fell in love with farming, and with goats especially. Sadly, an accident claimed the life of the farmer she was helping, and she kept some of his goats in tribute to her mentor and friend. She then began the search for land in Western New York. “Right around the city, developers have more money than me,” Emma says. “Anytime a big farm would go up for sale, it would just immediately be chopped up into subdivision pieces. That was my experience for several years.” Emma used American Farmland Trust’s Farmland for a New Generation New York program to find her ‘forever farm’ in to raise her family and her herd. Emma worked closely with American Farmland Trust and Regional Navigator partners to prepare for USDA Farm Service Agency financing, and she ultimately bought the farm!
“Right around the city, developers have more money than me. Anytime a big farm would go up for sale, it would just immediately be chopped up into subdivision pieces. That was my experience for several years.” -Emma Smalley
Retiring Farmers Commit to Transitioning Land and Sharing Knowledge with a New Generation
For over 100 years, the Goodell family has been farming on 275 acres in Shortsville, New York. From dairy, to livestock, to crops, this land has consistently been in production. The current stewards of that land, Bill and Brycie Goodell, were facing a dilemma known intimately to many other farmers in New York: they hoped to retire but didn't have someone in line to take over the farm.
Over the years, much of the farmland surrounding the Goodells' small farm was bought up by large dairies and real estate developers, a common occurrence in Western New York. The Goodells could easily follow that trend and sell to a large farm or real estate developer, which would provide the ticket to their retirement. However, it is important to Bill and Brycie that the land remains farmland and remains a small farm.
In addition to their own desires to maintain the agricultural tradition of their land, Bill and Brycie understand the struggles that beginning farmers face in accessing land to farm and want to provide an opportunity to a young farmer. Through their reading on farmland access, Bill and Brycie found the Farmland for a New Generation New York (FNG-NY) website and listed their farm. The Goodells also began to work with Genesee Land Trust, a FNG-NY Regional Navigator, to explore protecting their farm with an agricultural conservation easement. Protecting their farm would ensure that the land stays in farming and make the property more affordable for a young farmer.
In a twist of fate, one of the users on the website came to the farm to buy hay, and they became a perfect match! Mike and Julia Verstraete were newly married and looking to put down roots. Mike was farming with his family nearby but needed additional acreage to farm and to branch out on his own with direct-to-consumer beef and pork. Bill and Brycie worked with Genesee Land Trust to place a conservation easement on the land, which helped them to build a new home above the farm, and to make their farmhouse and the land more affordable for Mike and Julia to purchase.
Founded in 1915 by Scott and Florence Holmes De Golyer, Table Rock Farm has been a pillar of the farming community for over a century. Celebrated for their dairy farm’s commitment to climate-smart agriculture, the family sold their plow in 2000 and were awarded the prestigious Leopold Conservation Award in 2021 while serving as a Genesee River Demonstration Farm with American Farmland Trust. The leadership of the farm has always been forward-looking. Cal and Willard DeGolyer were thinking about their transition plan ten years prior, and with the passing of Cal in 2018 and Willard in 2020, the farm landed in the capable hands of Willard’s daughter, Meghan Hauser, who had been part of the farm management team. Without a next generation waiting to take over the dairy business, Meghan was put in a position of planning her own farm transition. Ensuring continuity for the Table Rock Farm Team was her top concern, as many of the farm’s employees had spent decades of their lives on the farm and had vast knowledge of the land and the farm’s practices. This was a key factor in finding the right farm successor for the business.
Fourth Generation Farmer, Leslie Hamilton, Finds Her "Why" Farming Alongside Family
Fourth generation farmer, Leslie Hamilton, has found her “why” farming alongside family and raising up the next generation to have the same opportunity, or better. Farming with her father, Roger Hamilton, uncle Randy Hamilton, and husband Danny Stein on Triple H Farms in Livingston County, Leslie juggles roles in the field and operating heavy equipment to managing the books and caring for their two young children. While Triple H is the farm’s main business growing grain crops, Leslie and Danny have ventured into diversification with their own River Ridge Farms, primarily raising freezer beef and hay. Currently, the generations work closely together and confer on major decisions for the farm, and during harvest and planting seasons, it’s ‘all hands on deck.’ The family is in the progress of farm transition planning, knowing that Leslie and Danny are invested in the farm’s future, and want to ensure the farm is available for the next generation, should they want it. Triple H Farms has permanently protected their 800 acres with an agricultural conservation easement with Genesee Valley Conservancy.
Peter Ten Eyck Looks to Leave a Legacy of Green Space and Local Food by Protecting the Family Farm
Peter Ten Eyck carries on his family’s legacy of farming for four generations in the shadow of the Helderberg Escarpment, an area of rugged limestone cliffs just miles from Albany. Peter’s grandfather bought the farm in 1916 starting with dairy cattle and fruit trees, and the farm has since evolved to be an Upstate New York favorite for apple-picking, seasonal berries, as well as tours and educational programs, and most recently, craft beer and cider. Peter shares responsibilities for Indian Ladder Farms with his son, also named Peter, and daughter, Laurie, who previously worked for American Farmland Trust. Peter credits Laurie’s time at American Farmland Trust with influencing his decision to permanently protect his land in 2003, making it the first farm in Albany Country to be placed under an agricultural conservation easement.
Multi-generational Tiashoke Farm Diversifies to Complement Dairy and Create Opportunities for Family
Tiashoke Farm is a fourth-generation dairy farm that has grown to diversify over the years to add homegrown beef and pork, eggs, pumpkins, and a farm store and events – with three generations of the Ziehm family involved in the operations of the farm in Washington County. Brothers Stuart and Brian Ziehm are the fourth generation managing Tiashoke’s dairy, following in the steps of their father, Frank Ziehm, who continues to help on the farm and set an example by protecting his home farm with a conservation easement, and the brothers followed suit when they purchased their farmland. Stuart’s wife, Jessica Ziehm, has led the farm’s efforts to connect the broader community to their farm by renovating the old hayloft into a farm store and event space, highlighting the bounty and the beauty of their working farm and supplementing their dairy farm, the bread and butter of their operation. The Ziehm family’s guiding belief is painted proudly on the side of their barn: “Life is better on the farm,” and they are working to ensure that the fifth generation has an opportunity to bring their own dreams to life on the farm.
Joan Petzen spent a 38-year-career serving farmers through Cornell Cooperative Extension. In the early nineties she was one of the authors of a series of workbooks titled, ‘Your Dairy in Transition,’ which aimed to help farmers with navigating change on their farm. Joan grew up on her family’s dairy, Sinclair Farm, where she described herself as her dad’s shadow. After his passing, she became the non-operating landowner responsible for the farm. Joan became involved in American Farmland Trust’s work to support landowners who were in a similar position, and she began leading women’s learning circles for the program. It was always Joan’s vision to permanently protect her family’s farm with a conservation easement to keep it available for agriculture. In 2023 that dream came true when a local dairy farm, a family who had rented her farm for years, partnered with Joan to include the property in a conservation easement with Genesee Valley Conservancy. Bringing the story full circle, the project was funded by New York’s ‘Dairy Transitions’ grant for farmland protection, a fitting call back to Joan’s lifetime of work to help dairy farms in transition.
Fourth Generation Farmer, Olivia Fuller, Transitions Conserved Farm from Dairy to Diversified Livestock and Finds New Markets
Olivia Fuller did not always know she would become a farmer. Growing up on a dairy farm in Fort Ann, she experienced the challenges for small to mid-sized farms like theirs to stay viable. Despite the financial risks, Olivia and her high school sweetheart and farm employee, Thomas Hughes, couldn’t stay away from the farm for long. After college, where Olivia studied communications and Thomas gained experience in beef and other livestock, the two were determined to help keep the farm going and add their own enterprises to the mix. In 2016, Olivia’s father, Douglas Fuller, decided to permanently protect the farm with an agricultural conservation easement working with Agricultural Stewardship Association. The state-funded program enabled Douglas to reinvest into the farm and plan for its future. After many conversations and time spent testing the waters, the farm transitioned out of dairy and into Olivia’s ownership to become a diversified farm raising pastured beef, pork, and lamb, and selling direct to consumer. Both generations enjoy farming together and sharing the work and rewards of a life connected to the land.
The Klein Family Kept Connected to Agriculture through Five Generations in Western New York
“Conservation is so important because it allows the generations who come after us to have a place to grow food long into the future.” -Stanley Klein
The Klein Family has been deeply connected to agriculture through five generations. The farm was first purchased in 1953 by John Klein and his son, Ron Klein and soon brought in Ron’s son Stanley, who led the farm’s advancement with a new milking parlor in the 1970s. Stanley and his wife Michele, along with their son Russell, decided to permanently protect Silver Meadows Farm with a conservation easement in 2021, working with Genesee Valley Conservancy and local partners to apply for the state’s farmland protection program. “Conservation is so important because it allows the generations who come after us to have a place to grow food long into the future,” Stanley says. As the fourth generation, Russell Klein manages the farm operations in partnership with his parents and has added his own improvements to the farm, including a robotic milking system to usher the farm into a new era. Russell’s sister, Colleen Klein, is the executive director of the New York Corn & Soybean Growers Association and remains active in the farming community along with her daughters who have entered agricultural careers and studies.
Original Farm Story Interview with Josh Morgenthau and the late Robert Morgenthau of Fishkill Farms
In 2015, American Farmland Trust embarked on a storytelling initiative called Farm Story, which began with a pilot episode interviewing the late Robert Morgenthau, who was the longest-standing district attorney for Manhattan. Robert Morgenthau speaks with his youngest son Joshua about Fishkill Farms, started in 1914 by Robert’s father Henry Morgenthau Junior, who served as Secretary of the Treasury under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The two relive the farm’s history, including visits from FDR and a major barn fire that almost put them out of business. They also discuss Robert’s decision to permanently protect their 275 acres of farmland from development with Hudson Highlands Land Trust and Joshua’s commitment to return to the farm. Since stepping into ownership, Josh has led the farm towards diversification and more ecological farming practices, while upholding the rich history of the farm. This original project planted the seed for continued storytelling through the "Our Farms, Our Future" exhibit.
About American Farmland Trust: American Farmland Trust is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. AFT launched the conservation agriculture movement and continues to raise public awareness through our No Farms, No Food® message. Since our founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 7.8 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally-sound farming practices on millions of additional acres and supported thousands of farm families. Learn more at www.farmland.org.
The "Our Farms, Our Future" exhibit is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Nordlys Foundation.