Apparently RPM Ecosystems, one of the bigger companies to set up shop in Dryden in the last few years, didn't survive the current round of economic bleakness. I noted a bankruptcy filing last September.
One small silver lining is that RPM trees are now available from the Tompkins County Soil and Water District office at 1771 Hanshaw Road. You may want to call ahead at 257-2340 to find out what they have left.
This and the closing of Saunders Greenhouse put a dent in an earlier idea I'd had about greenhouse area along Routes 13 and 366.
Update: Looking further into the August 2011 Soil and Water Conservation News, I see:
Posted by simon at August 22, 2011 7:12 AM in agriculture , economyWell over 90 percent of the grant dollars spent on conservation projects in 2010 were reinvested back into the local and regional economy, according to a survey by the Soil and Water. Local contractors are hired to implement the projects and supplies are purchased from area businesses that spend this money locally on labor, materials, and equipment.
"If it were not for agriculture projects funded by the State, our Construction Division that employs ten people would not exist," said Don Ford of RMS Gravel. "Roughly 80% of the work completed by our Construction Division comes from funding for conservation projects, and we spend 95% of these funds right here in the county and the surrounding area."