Meet and Learn About New Farmers at Germantown Public Library

COPAKE, NY: The Germantown Public Library invites people to meet and talk with new farmers in the Germantown area, enjoy light locally-produced refreshments and learn more about the rise of new farmers in the County on Wednesday, July 11th at 7pm.
The event is happening in conjunction with the arrival of the New Farmer Narrative Project’s traveling exhibit Journeys into Farming at the Germantown Library, where it will be on display from July 3rd through July 14th. The evening will include a talk by one of the Project creators that shares highlights and findings from the Project based on 20 interviews and 30 surveys conducted this winter with a wide diversity of people starting or taking over farms in the area.
A panel of new farmers from the Germantown area will be present to answer questions about their own journeys into agriculture during a New Farmer Q&A following the talk.
The 17-panel exhibit is based on in-depth interviews and farm tours conducted by the Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program in 2012. It features the stories and experiences of new farmers in their own words, pictures of their farms, an evolving map seeking to represent all new Columbia County farms, and an exploration of the current context of new farms in the area.
The Farmscape Ecology Program is a small research and outreach initiative dedicated to helping people explore the ecological, agricultural and cultural landscape of Columbia County. It is a branch of Hawthorne Valley Association, a diverse educational not-for-profit in central Columbia County. To find out more about the Farmscape Ecology Program, the New Farmer Narrative Project, or any of these events, visit www.hawthornevalleyfarm.org/fep/newfarmer.
The Germantown Public Library is located at 31 Palatine Park Road in Germantown, NY. For more information on hours and events, call 518-537-5800, or visit the library’s website at www.germantownlibrary.org.