Sonia at home with Lois, one of her two overly affectionate hens. |
Over sixty
years ago, my family joined the farming community in Delaware County. My
grandparents, a young couple with two small children, bought a dairy farm on
Elk Creek Road. This farm was their American dream: a place to raise their family, earn a living
and grow old. My grandmother still recounts the day they arrived on the farm,
not sure exactly what they were doing but determined to make a good life of it.
Their hopes and dreams reflect those of many
existing farmers committed to keeping the family farm and of new farmers
looking for a different quality of life, one from which they can sustain their
families and become part of a like-minded community.
With a
background in marketing and communications, and a passion for agricultural
economic development and local food systems, I will lead the Pure Catskills buy
local campaign and continue the Council’s efforts to provide production and
marketing education of local farm products; offer regional technical assistance;
and support a new economic viability initiative to enhance the campaign through
the development of an online marketplace.
Personally
and professionally, I am committed to enabling the economic viability of
Catskills agriculture for future generations of my family, my neighbors’
families, and our communities.
I look
forward to working with you towards this goal! Please feel free to contact me
with questions or ideas at sjaniszewski@nycwatershed.org
or 607-865-7090, extension 217.