CATSKILLS COLLABORATIVE REGIONAL ALLIANCE FOR FARMER TRAINING
New York State is experiencing a growth in demand for locally grown farm products. With a decline in the number of traditional farms, a focus on developing and supporting new farmers and diverse agricultural practices is central to meeting such demand, as well as enabling agricultural economic development in the region. The Catskills, with their expansive farmlands and rich agricultural resources, are well suited to continue a long history of raising and growing livestock, produce and various other farm products.
A rich agricultural community that provides both technical skill-sharing and a social network is necessarily to support and inspire our farmers.
With this in mind, the Catskills Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training (CRAFT) was formed in 2011, with the support of Farmhearts, Pure Catskills, and the Watershed Agricultural Council. CRAFT provides opportunities for beginning and established farmers to connect and learn from each other by offering their time, talents and experience. CRAFT provides farmer-to-farmer learning and access to the social network and culture of local farmers.
Catskills CRAFT seeks to:
- Deliver a broader experience to beginning farmers than they can receive alone
- Provide a peer base to help beginning and established farmers connect with others who share similar goals
- Increase the skill base in sustainable agriculture
The first CRAFT program was founded in upstate New York in 1994. In 1997, ten farmers from northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin founded a second CRAFT program in the Upper Midwest. Since then, many more local farmer-led CRAFT alliances have sprouted up across the US and Canada.
A rich agricultural community that provides both technical skill-sharing and a social network is necessarily to support and inspire our farmers.
With this in mind, the Catskills Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training (CRAFT) was formed in 2011, with the support of Farmhearts, Pure Catskills, and the Watershed Agricultural Council. CRAFT provides opportunities for beginning and established farmers to connect and learn from each other by offering their time, talents and experience. CRAFT provides farmer-to-farmer learning and access to the social network and culture of local farmers.
Catskills CRAFT seeks to:
- Deliver a broader experience to beginning farmers than they can receive alone
- Provide a peer base to help beginning and established farmers connect with others who share similar goals
- Increase the skill base in sustainable agriculture
The first CRAFT program was founded in upstate New York in 1994. In 1997, ten farmers from northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin founded a second CRAFT program in the Upper Midwest. Since then, many more local farmer-led CRAFT alliances have sprouted up across the US and Canada.
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