Farmer Neighbor Dinner

Chautauqua County Farmer Neighbor Dinner

Farmer Neighbor Dinner Tickets Available

All invited to celebrate Agriculture in Chautauqua County

-By Lisa Kempisty, Dairy & Livestock Educator, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County

Jamestown, NY (February 17, 2016) - Chautauqua County is rich in agriculture, with over 1,500 farms producing grapes, milk, meat, crops, maple syrup and vegetables. We also have many agribusinesses that serve our farms and families throughout Chautauqua County. Local residents are very fortunate to enjoy the local, nutritious foods produced and the open spaces that our farmers proudly manage.

To celebrate this agricultural bounty, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County is pleased to announce the first annual Chautauqua County Farmer Neighbor Dinner to be held on Tuesday, April 5th, 2016 at St, John’s Church,

270 Newton Avenue in Jamestown, NY.

Tickets for the Farmer Neighbor Dinner are now available for $20 per person purchased by March 15th, and $25 per person after March 15th. For the Farmer Neighbor Dinner on April 5th, the social hour will begin at 5:30 pm, buffet dinner at 6:30 pm, followed by the program with a keynote speaker. Local Individuals and families involved in Chautauqua County’s agricultural industry will also be recognized for their contributions to our communities. The delicious dinner will feature locally produced food products, specially prepared by Robert Cross and his staff of 3-C’s Catering of Kennedy, NY. The menu will include foods grown by local farmers in Chautauqua County.

The highlight of the event will include our invited speaker, Commissioner Richard A. Ball, from the New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets, Albany, NY. A native New Yorker, Mr. Ball has made a living in agriculture his entire life. His inspiration to become a farmer came from his grandparents, who were lifelong dairy farmers. At 18 years old, Mr. Ball began his career in agriculture as a farm worker at a vegetable farm in Rhode Island, and later became operations manager of that same farm. After 20 years in Rhode Island, Mr. Ball moved back to the Empire State with an opportunity to become a farm owner. For the past 20 years, he has been the owner and operator of Schoharie Valley Farms in Schoharie, NY, which consists of 200 acres and produces a wide range of vegetable crops, small fruits and greenhouse crops. The farm serves both retail and wholesale consumers through an onsite farm market known as The Carrot Barn and ships to brokers and restaurants in the local area as well as New York City.

Individuals on the planning committee for this upcoming Farmer Neighbor dinner include: Chair - Lindsay Eckman, Farm Credit East; Ted Card, Chautauqua County Beef Producers and Lake View Gardens; Debra Kelley and Cassandra Pinkoski, Chautauqua County Soil & Water Conservation District; Joanna Nocero, Nationwide Insurance and Chautauqua County Farm Bureau; Rhonda Lindquist, Western NY Crop Management; and Lisa Kempisty, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County.

To purchase tickets for this upcoming Farmer Neighbor dinner, please contact Debra Kelley at 716-664-2351 Ext 102 or dkelley@soilwater.org. To help sponsor the program with a monetary donation, local food donation, or if your organization or business wishes to exhibit, please contact Lindsay Eckman, at 716-753-2144 or lindsay.eckman@farmcrediteast.com.

The Agriculture Program is one of many programs offered by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County (CCE-Chautauqua). CCE-Chautauqua is a subordinate governmental agency with an educational mission that operates under a form of organization and administration approved by Cornell University as agent for the State of New York. It is tax-exempt under section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The association is part of the national cooperative extension system, an educational partnership between County, State, and Federal governments. As New York’s land grant university Cornell administers the system in this state. Each Cornell Cooperative Extension association is an independent employer that is governed by an elected Board of Directors with general oversight from Cornell. All associations work to meet the needs of the counties in which they are located as well as state and national goals. For more information, call 716-664-9502 or visit our website at www.cce.cornell.edu/chautauqua. Cornell University Cooperative Extension provides equal program and employment opportunities.

Contact

Lisa Kempisty
Agriculture Community Educator (Dairy & Livestock)
ljk4@cornell.edu
716-664-9502 ext. 203

Last updated March 17, 2016