City Greenmarkets Growing Local

For the city's 50 farmer's markets, the hunt for ingredients has begun. New rules for the Greenmarket, a program run by the nonprofit GrowNYC, mandate that all breads and baked goods contain at least 15% regionally grown and milled grain and flour. Eggs, dairy, meat, honey, maple syrup and any produce used in baked goods must also come from the region, an area defined as 250 miles to the north, 120 miles to the south and 170 miles to the east and west of the city.

New York is considered many things, but America's breadbasket isn't one of them, so sourcing in the region can be a challenge for the 11 bakers and 17 farm-based bakeries that participate in the Greenmarket program. The flour is sometimes hard to get and expensive to have delivered. Also, it can cost more and some bakers have had to adapt recipes for the new flour.

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City Greenmarkets Growing Local

Drill Finger Lakes Drill?

As Natural Gas Drilling Expands in the Finger Lakes Region, Some Wineries Fear Potential Pollution

The Finger Lakes region of New York is known for its wineries and its pristine beauty. But below the picturesque landscape lie large deposits of natural gas—encased in a large shale formation that runs from West Virginia to New York. While some natural gas drilling is currently underway, many residents fear plans for more could have a chilling effect on tourism and wineries.

"One concern has been the millions of gallons of waste water," said Lindsay Wickham, Area Field Supervisor for the New York Farm Bureau who spoke to the Seneca Lake Wine Association at a recent meeting

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Drill Finger Lakes Drill?

Dairy Price Stabilization Act Introduced

Congressman Jim Costa (D-Fresno) today introduced legislation to protect American jobs and strengthen our nation’s dairy industry. The Dairy Price Stabilization Act promotes market stability and individual dairy farmers’ ability to grow their own business.

“While periods of boom and bust are not new to the dairy industry, our dairy families cannot afford another year of low milk checks that don’t even cover the cost of production,” said Costa. “The dairy price crisis is devastating our local economy and ability to create and sustain jobs. This bill will help the dairy industry get back on track and curb the milk price volatility that is driving dairy farmers in the Valley and our nation out of business”

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Dairy Price Stabilization Act

Planting Cabbage Takes 'Intestinal Fortitude'

EDITOR'S NOTE: this is of an agricultural series.

BYRON -- Tom Starowitz apologizes. He's running a little late on Tuesday morning.

He drives through a dirt field on Tower Hill Road, his truck pulling a trailer stacked with trays of cabbage plants.

Starowitz is joined by a group of nine workers, all from Guatemala and all wearing either green coveralls or thick sweatshirts. When Starowitz picked up the crew earlier, they weren't dressed for the cold morning.

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Planting Cabbage