Tourists get bird’s eye view of local farms and businesses

MILLERTON — The sights and sounds of country life may be common to its residents, but to city folk it’s an entirely different universe — one they’re often curious enough about to visit. That’s the premise of Dutchess County Tourism’s Farm Fresh Link program, which shuttles visitors from the Manhattan area (who take the train from Grand Central Station up to Wassaic) and brings them to stops throughout Dutchess County. On the weekends of Sept. 18 and 19, as well as Sept. 24 and 25, those tours focused on the village of Millerton, highlighting its rural roots, culinary creations and retail resources, giving it the recognition so many in the small village believe it deserves.“I think it’s really great for people to see who we are,” said McEnroe Organic Farm’s Suko Presseau, farm educator, who offers tours of what is one of the largest organic farms in New York state. “It’s especially [beneficial for] those who are completely unconnected to farming, because it really presupposes a real alternative to how we handle waste in our industrialized world. They get to see our greenhouses and how we extend the growing seasons and our whole operation, as well as organic practices for our livestock and the pastures and grazing practices, so it gives people who might not have the opportunity to see a lot. [McEnroe’s operation] is really extensive, sometimes it’s almost mind-boggling, and I’m amazed at how many people come to the market to [see how things grow and how a farm operates].”And that’s exactly the purpose of the Farm Fresh tours, according to Dutchess County Tourism Deputy Director Lydia Higginson.“It’s a personal passion of mine, reconnecting people to their food sources,” she said, adding the program is in its fourth year. “It’s about eating local and preserving our farms. We don’t want to become another Westchester.”Higginson said she’s had tourists make comments to her about never having seen a tomato plant while still flowering until going on the tour, or being in a greenhouse for the first time while visiting McEnroe’s farm. Those are the types of experiences that keep luring tourists to explore the Hudson Valley, she said.“It is building,” the tourism director said. “Last year, in the few months we ran, we had 1,300 people come up [to tour Millerton], and the entire program had 3,600; the year before we had 528. This year, in the first days we had 140 already, and I will say that everybody wants to join the tour in October, when we’re going to have bigger numbers, but there’s only so many the farms can handle.”In addition to touring McEnroe’s, there was also a demonstration and tasting with the Amazing Real Live Food Company at the farm. Then the Farm Fresh tour visited Harney & Sons Fine Tea Store on Main Street in Millerton, before it allowed for some shopping and dining in the village. It also stopped by Gilmor Glassworks to watch artisan glass blowers, and then it showcased the Harlem Valley Rail Trail. It then stopped at Cascade Mountain Winery for a tasting and some shopping. By day’s end it shuttled participants back to the Wassaic Train Station for the 6:19 p.m. return train to Grand Central.The program is advertised in the New York metro area, on the MetroNorth rail lines, by the Dutchess County Tourism board as well as through other means. MetroNorth offers special rates for travel from Grand Central to and from Wassaic on the two weekends of the tour.Funding for the program originally came from the state’s Department of Agriculture and Markets; that, however, dried up after two year’s time. Last year Higginson said she received funding from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), some of which was leftover to help with this year’s costs. The tours are worth the funding, she said, because they end up giving the local economy a shot in the arm — another one of its purposes.“It is an economic stimulus for these places,” she said. “For Millbrook to get 175 people [during the fall winery tours], or even for Millerton to get 46 people, even if they only spend $10 on lunch, that’s still something. And hopefully, all of those people will come back into the area.“The businesses are building a customer base,” she added. “Hopefully, they’re making money. The tourists are spending money when they’re here — they buy wine at Cascade Winery, tea at Harney’s, lunch in Millerton, and then they might order from these places online in the future. The bottom line is to keep our farmers [and other local industries] in business.”To learn more about the Dutchess County tours or other events through the tourism board, call 845-463-4000 or go to www.dutchesstourism.com.