GRAZE-NY PROGRAM SPEECH
Graze-NY Speech @ 8/7/09 press conference, Oneida Co. SWCD
Welcome to Oneida County and my Conservation District, who has been charged with caring for our local natural resources and working with farmers like me. My name is Troy Bishopp or to some I’m the “Grass Whisperer”. My family an I have owned and operated a 5th generation family farm since 1874 in Deansboro, N.Y. where we custom graze some of the finest grass-finished beef in the nation on 400 acres of owned and leased land in Oneida and Herkimer counties.
In fact, some of the beef that was grazed on our “Graze-a-licious” pastures has been served overseas, at white tablecloth restaurants in New York City and was even served at one of the inaugural banquets for President Obama. Most like the beef because you can “taste the sunshine in every bite” and like supporting a local farm family. While I admit the meat tastes great and is less filling, the real success and legacy of our farm is that my ancestors and I have covered our topsoil with grass that’s important for our entire watershed. Look over in the canal or the Mohawk River along the Thruway on a rainy day and you will see your next generation’s future going out to sea, never to return. Lose the topsoil and you lose the lifeblood of a farming community. It’s this loss of legacy sediment as to why the Graze-NY program was born here in Central New York as a model for the nation.
This covering of my daughter’s future with grasslands is why I am here today on behalf of my fellow farmers, conservation professionals and consumers to sincerely thank Congressman Mike Arcuri and his staff for securing the funding and expansion of the highly regarded Graze-NY Program. This keeps retired Congressman Jim Walsh’s legacy of helping grass-based agriculture gain a carbon hoof-print in today’s “green economy”.
Since 1996 this multi-county initiative and it’s local Conservation District staff, like my grazing specialist, Bill “the Blade” Paddock has worked with over 6000 farm families like me to realize the benefits of managed grazing for a more profitable farm future. This staff has brought expertise, passion and a grassroots work ethic that has grown the program beyond what Mr. Walsh probably envisioned. The Graze-NY staff has also used their knowledge to garner over 7 million dollars in matching grazing funding for installing on-farm, best management practices that enhance farm profitability and water quality.
The program also works in tandem with the Natural Resources and Conservation Service, the NYS Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative, Cornell Cooperative Extension, the Adirondack North Country Association, the regional Resource Conservation and Development Councils and the Upper Susquehanna Coalition’s new grazing initiative that seeks to create “Wall to Wall Buffers” in the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay, using pasture management.
For me, Graze-NY has helped me become a better farmer and steward of the land, helped me plan & manage my grazing resources as well as become part of the grazing community that is growing by leaps and bounds. It doesn’t matter if you have cows, sheep, goats, horses or pigs and you farm conventional, or Organically or are Big or Small farms, learning to become better pasture managers helps with the bottom line. I think it has been a great value to the local farming community and to the social fabric of our area. Isn’t tourism in Central New York directly connected to the hills and valleys of the 24th district and seeing those cows grazing and wildlife playing in our pastoral landscapes?
I appreciate Mr. Arcuri and his staff for sharing in my lifelong commitment to the grasslands of NYS. In fact, I see Sarah Borman at many critical farm and conservation meetings taking notes for the boss. This awesome grassland resource feeds us, covers us, sequesters green house gases and will one day heat us. Mike sees the big picture of how managed grasslands in NY, positions agriculture well for the future.
He also recognizes the importance of this resource to grow a local food system where we still import 75% of our food from elsewhere and how getting started with a grass-based farming system inspires a new generation of farmers. He has also worked with other concerned legislators and state officials to see the benefits of exploring a pro-active approach to utilizing our own 3 million acres of green. It is understood that times are tough for agriculture as well as for our customers, however an investment in this regenerative, solar driven resource is a win-win for our local farming community and upstate economy.
Mike, Thanks for your passion, leadership and drive to protect the topsoil through a grazing mindset. This soil will feed a family, a community, a watershed, a nation and foster the growth of future generations. You are doing a fine thing today. Soon you will realize Grasslands are like motherhood and apple pie. And when you tell your friends you’re high on grass, make sure you tell them it’s the legal kind!!!! Thank you.