Early in our Agriculture Initiative we learned that the data available on agriculture had not been analyzed with a focus on the Hudson River Valley.  Without regional data, it was not possible for local leaders to make the case for the investment and other action needed to insure that agriculture will be part of the Valley's future, not just a remnant of its past.

In late 2004, we completed the analysis, which revealed that over 17% of the land in the Hudson Valley - almost 1,000 square miles - remains in agricultural use in 4,000 farms.  The amount of active farmland was a revelation to many, as was the number of independent farms, each of which is a business that generates economic activity.

Most of the farms are relatively small - the median size is 87 acres - and only 20% of them have sales of $50,000 or more.  There is a trend, as one farmer put it, from larger dairy farms to "horses, hay and houses."  At the same time, there is an important counter-trend of farms being supported by direct sales to consumers, which increased in value by almost 70% - to $15 million - from 1997 to 2002.

This analysis and our discussions with more than one hundred farmers and other Valley residents underscored the importance of expanding markets for regional producers and recreating the marketing, processing and distribution infrastructure needed to enhance their efficiency and profitability.

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