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A spotlight on local agriculture
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| Dominique DeVito, of Hudson Chatham Winery, addresses the attendees of the annual Agricultural Business Brunch sponsored by the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce. The event was held at the Hudson Park Restaurant in Greenport Wednesday. Joining DeVito on the panel, which was emceed by Todd Erling of Hudson Valley Agribusiness, were James Marlow of Local Ocean and Karyn Novakowski of Katchkie Farm. (Robert Ragaini/Hudson-Catskill Newspapers) |
Ag brunch brings together local farm and business owners
By Andrew Amelinckx
GREENPORT/LIVINGSTON — Farmers, foodies and the people who bring them together enjoyed the fruits of their labors Wednesday at the Hudson Park Restaurant during the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce-sponsored Agricultural Business Brunch.
While new agribusiness people discussed their endeavors those in attendance brunched on food prepared by Chef Jon Newcomer from local ingredients.
Todd Erling, the emcee of the event, told the crowd that there was currently a “power shift” occurring in Albany and that many lawmakers, being from Westchester and New York City, needed to be educated about the importance of agriculture within the state and beyond.
According to Erling, New York state is a top five agricultural producer for the United States in 20 different categories, not just in dairy and apples, but in such products as squash and maple syrup.
“We vote with our forks three times a day,” he told the crowd.
Erling is the executive director of the Hudson Valley Agribusiness Development Corporation. The HVADV helps to develop, promote, enhance and retain the Hudson Valley’s agricultural industry, according to its Web site.
Wednesday’s panel included James Marlow from Local Ocean, Dominique DeVito of Hudson-Chatham Winery and Karyn Novakowski of Katchkie Farm.
Local Ocean is a seafood manufacturing company in the midst of establishing a controlled environment aquaculture fish farming project in Greenport. The company is a joint venture between Sanit Group, a Brooklyn-based holding company and Grow Fish Anywhere Inc., an Israeli company.
“We have found a way to produce high value protein almost anywhere,” Marlow said, adding that the company is able to do this without polluting waterways and without depleting the ocean’s fish stocks. The system is self-contained, he said, and uses tap water and a special salt from Israel in the process.
The company will be producing Mediterranean Sea Bass at the facility and if all goes according to plan, he said, it would have its first harvest in a year’s time.
“At this time next year I’m hoping there will be a fish plate at our next meeting,” he told the attendees with a smile.
According to Marlow, Local Ocean is hoping to be able to be certified organic within the next three to five years.
Dominique DeVito, owner and operator of the Hudson-Chatham Winery along with husband, Carlo DeVito, began her presentation by asking those present to try the company’s wines, which apparently didn’t take much arm-twisting.
The winery, the first in Columbia County, produces several styles of wine made with grapes from across New York, from a Seyval Blanc to a Merlot.
Dominique DeVito said that they had 1,000 vines, now in their third year, in the ground.
The winery features other Columbia County products, from Coach Farm goat cheese to Katchkie Farm’s ketchup.
“We love to bring the community together around food and wine,” said Dominique DeVito.
Katchkie Farm, producer of the above mentioned ketchup, among other products, began life in 2006 as a way for Great Performances, a New York City-based catering and event company, to have a source of locally grown, organic produce.
“We have the type of client that wants to know where their food is coming from,” said Karen Novakowski of Katchkie Farm and the Sylvia Center.
The Sylvia Center, also part of the farm, is a non-profit organization that works with at-risk children, giving them a chance to connect with nature and learn about nutritious foods, according to Novakowski. She said they not only worked with children from New York City and the Albany area, but those in Columbia County as well.
The farm is located in Kinderhook and run by Bob Walker.
Lori Selden of Columbia County Bounty helped wrap up the day’s event. She called the county a “world class epicenter for food and agriculture,” and extolled the value of a cooperative mind-set in getting that message out to consumers.
The CCB came together at a past agricultural brunch and began as a way for farmers and chefs to connect. Its mission is “to promote and support networking connections between local agricultural producers and culinary businesses,” according to their literature.
“It’s all about collaboration,” Selden said.
By Andrew Amelinckx
GREENPORT/LIVINGSTON — Farmers, foodies and the people who bring them together enjoyed the fruits of their labors Wednesday at the Hudson Park Restaurant during the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce-sponsored Agricultural Business Brunch.
While new agribusiness people discussed their endeavors those in attendance brunched on food prepared by Chef Jon Newcomer from local ingredients.
Todd Erling, the emcee of the event, told the crowd that there was currently a “power shift” occurring in Albany and that many lawmakers, being from Westchester and New York City, needed to be educated about the importance of agriculture within the state and beyond.
According to Erling, New York state is a top five agricultural producer for the United States in 20 different categories, not just in dairy and apples, but in such products as squash and maple syrup.
“We vote with our forks three times a day,” he told the crowd.
Erling is the executive director of the Hudson Valley Agribusiness Development Corporation. The HVADV helps to develop, promote, enhance and retain the Hudson Valley’s agricultural industry, according to its Web site.
Wednesday’s panel included James Marlow from Local Ocean, Dominique DeVito of Hudson-Chatham Winery and Karyn Novakowski of Katchkie Farm.
Local Ocean is a seafood manufacturing company in the midst of establishing a controlled environment aquaculture fish farming project in Greenport. The company is a joint venture between Sanit Group, a Brooklyn-based holding company and Grow Fish Anywhere Inc., an Israeli company.
“We have found a way to produce high value protein almost anywhere,” Marlow said, adding that the company is able to do this without polluting waterways and without depleting the ocean’s fish stocks. The system is self-contained, he said, and uses tap water and a special salt from Israel in the process.
The company will be producing Mediterranean Sea Bass at the facility and if all goes according to plan, he said, it would have its first harvest in a year’s time.
“At this time next year I’m hoping there will be a fish plate at our next meeting,” he told the attendees with a smile.
According to Marlow, Local Ocean is hoping to be able to be certified organic within the next three to five years.
Dominique DeVito, owner and operator of the Hudson-Chatham Winery along with husband, Carlo DeVito, began her presentation by asking those present to try the company’s wines, which apparently didn’t take much arm-twisting.
The winery, the first in Columbia County, produces several styles of wine made with grapes from across New York, from a Seyval Blanc to a Merlot.
Dominique DeVito said that they had 1,000 vines, now in their third year, in the ground.
The winery features other Columbia County products, from Coach Farm goat cheese to Katchkie Farm’s ketchup.
“We love to bring the community together around food and wine,” said Dominique DeVito.
Katchkie Farm, producer of the above mentioned ketchup, among other products, began life in 2006 as a way for Great Performances, a New York City-based catering and event company, to have a source of locally grown, organic produce.
“We have the type of client that wants to know where their food is coming from,” said Karen Novakowski of Katchkie Farm and the Sylvia Center.
The Sylvia Center, also part of the farm, is a non-profit organization that works with at-risk children, giving them a chance to connect with nature and learn about nutritious foods, according to Novakowski. She said they not only worked with children from New York City and the Albany area, but those in Columbia County as well.
The farm is located in Kinderhook and run by Bob Walker.
Lori Selden of Columbia County Bounty helped wrap up the day’s event. She called the county a “world class epicenter for food and agriculture,” and extolled the value of a cooperative mind-set in getting that message out to consumers.
The CCB came together at a past agricultural brunch and began as a way for farmers and chefs to connect. Its mission is “to promote and support networking connections between local agricultural producers and culinary businesses,” according to their literature.
“It’s all about collaboration,” Selden said.
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