Pay it Forward editorial

Paying it Forward 

(published in the Watervillle Times Editorial section  2/20/10)

We appreciate being featured on the front page of the Waterville Times as a testament to keeping our family farm in business for 133 years.  It’s been quite a journey filled with triumph and challenge, and we’re not done yet.   We’ve been able to accomplish this goal of longevity with hard work, faith, business diversity and the ability to react to change while respecting our topsoil.  Like many of the farm families in our area, we found the tenacity to never give up despite the pressures of a cheap food policy that has dwindled the farm population to 1%.  I’m sure our ancestors would never have imagined this fact.

What you don’t see in the photo is the “sweat equity” put into this community by our relatives who helped build the barns, fight the fires and produce food for a growing population.  The strength of the family farm and its hard working stewards were and are the foundation of this area.  I remember my grandfather greeting visitors in the milk-house as they filled their jugs with spring water and triple-thick Guernsey milk, all the while exchanging commerce, stories and handshakes in a trusting environment where you knew and appreciated your local farmer.  When was the last time you stepped on a farm to chat or heaven forbid receive a frothy drink directly from the bulk tank?

For me, the irony of our cover shot came in the aftermath of a troubled, downstate farmer taking his own life and that of his milk cows.  I refuse to forget this “soil” soldier’s peril and that of his family who have toiled so hard but didn’t reach out for help soon enough to avoid this tragedy.  I’m scared to think this could happen again in another small town if we don’t change the way we perceive our food system and its stewards.  The farmer’s widow said, “She wants to keep the farm going”.  Agriculture would cease without these kinds of strong ladies.  We’ve been so blessed to have such women in our family who have sacrificed much to help keep the family and farm going while juggling a lifetime of tasks.

So here I sit with 46 years of farming under my belt and a new NYS Century Farm Award on the shelf, looking at a country that needs at least 50,001 more family farmers to meet any new long-term food production paradigms.   What will our future, local food supply look like?  Will I be able to farm in a way that is consistent with my local resources and values?  Will it even be legal for me to sell you something directly from the farm or to Waterville School?  If I listen to you, the consumer, will you stop at the farm and buy or will you drive on for a cheaper overseas alternative?  And if that is the case, how will my children be able to sustain a farm and this local community?

I raise your awareness of these issues because it is important to support your farming neighbors with not only your wallet but with your votes.   If you want to build a regenerative farming system that sustains a village and respects the landscape for future generations, it’s going to have to start at home with a strong, local agriculture.  Our family is here, ready to help for another century.  Are you ready?

Troy Bishopp, Bishopp Family Farm,  Deansboro, N.Y.