$125,000 grant secured for Hawthorne Valley Farm

COLUMBIA COUNTY — Through the efforts of New York State Assemblymember Didi Barrett (D-106) and her office, Hawthorne Valley Farm was presented with a $125,000 state grant this May to help the farm obtain a new yogurt filler machine.

Located on County Route 21C in Ghent, Hawthorne Valley Farm is a biodynamic farm that’s been operating in Columbia County for several decades. Praised by Barrett for its pioneering efforts and “pushing the envelope on healthy agriculture,” the farm’s success can be attributed to the dedication of its farmers, its employees and support from the community and from customers at the metro city area’s green markets.

“I would say that if anything sets us apart, it’s the diversity of activity here [that] makes this work as an economically viable farm,” said Hawthorne Valley Association Executive Director Martin Ping. 

On top of its mission to ensure that fresh, healthy food remain available, Hawthorne Valley Farm prides itself on its educational programs. At the moment, the farm is running five summer camps simultaneously, including two residential camps on the farm and a two-week day camp. 

Yogurt is the biggest product from the creamery. After almost 10 years, the former yogurt filler was on its last legs, prompting the farm to seek funding for a new machine.

Before she was even elected to the Assembly, Barrett has had a working relationship with Ping and Hawthorne Valley. She learned about the farm’s need through a conversation with Ping, who informed her that the farm was getting requests from other producers and dairy farms in the region interested in making their own yogurt. She recommended the farm for funding from the state.

“I think the Hawthorne Valley Farm is a very forward-thinking and engaged part of our community,” Barrett said, “and the fact that they were looking to increase and expand their yogurt productivity both to support other farms and increase revenue for their work is why I decided to support it.”

After almost two years since she first recommending the farm for funding, Barrett presented a $125,00 check this past spring. The new yogurt filler costs  $150,000, so the grant paid for the bulk of the purchase; the farm raised the remaining funds through its production and a few other grants and donations.

Hawthorne Valley Farm Creamery Manager Jeremy Shapiro noted that the yogurt cups produced by the machine are lighter in weight, use less plastic and help boost sales while protecting the environment. Compared to the former machine’s ability to produce five cups a minute, the newer model produces 20 cups a minute and is designed to shift cup size to fit the yogurt quantity. 

“It’s very user-friendly, very intuitive and very easy to fix,” Shapiro said. “Customer services has been very on point.”

With the new machine being a third of the former machine’s size, more space has opened up in the creamery, which Shapiro hopes to use to install a bottle machine in the near future. 

“I think that agriculture is a very important economic driver in our region, in our county and in the Hudson Valley,” Barrett said. “Even if you aren’t living in an agricultural area, everyone here loves to eat and fresh, healthy food and locally grown food is the best you can possibly put on your family’s table.

“This is really the best vital type of economy that we can invest in as a state, and I cannot overstate how important it is to continue to support our local farms and encourage young farmers to put down roots in the region to continue this local industry.”

“Didi is a champion for all farmers and people who care about the land in our region,” Ping praised. “She’s really been  a strong and unwavering voice in supporting farmers in the kind of sound economy and ecology that can be part of a good farming system.”

Ping hopes the new machine will allow the farm to copack with other producers in the region, meaning Hawthorne Valley would be responsible for packaging materials to be shelf-ready for its clients. That’s important, as the farm has limited land and wants to  avoid pushing its land, animals or people past their capacity.

“I would say that the ability to grow our own herd is finite,” Ping said. “It’s a very tough vocation, but there are people who are drawn to it and we hope to be supportive of them to have a viable operation.”