October 21, 2009
Encouraging agriculture in Dryden
Too many people think that farming, especially in our rolling terrain, is a dying way of life. It's been a lousy year for milk prices, there's a "rural brain drain" going on, and farming seems stuck in a brutal cycle in which the actual farmers get an ever-smaller share of the money spent on food. The classic joke about a farmer who wins the lottery asks him what he'll do with the money: "Keep on farming until the money runs out."
Llamas off Lake Road.
Nonetheless, I see farming - more broadly, agriculture - as a key part of economic growth for Dryden. It's not just nostalgia, and definitely not the awful thought of preserving green spaces at the cost of those who live there. Dryden's soil isn't perfect - but other factors matter more. To figure out what this means, I'll take a look at different kinds of Dryden agriculture, what their prospects might be for the future, and how I'd like to see the Town encourage them.
It's a complex mix, and any useful program for encouraging agriculture will need to reflect that diversity.
Posted by simon at October 21, 2009 10:09 AM in agricultureNote on photos