WALTON _ An area farming official has been named to a New York City food governing board.
Pure Catskills Farm to Market Manager Challey Comer of the Watershed Agricultural Council has been appointed to a position on the Governing Board of the Food Systems Network of New York City, Tara Collins, Watershed Agricultural Council spokeswoman, said Thursday.
Comer coordinates the regional Buy Local branding campaign, Pure Catskills, and its 150 farmer-strong membership located in the five New York City watershed counties and Otsego County, Collins said.
Comer said her new position will begin with a day of networking in mid-February.
Comer joins 19 others on the New York City-based
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board, including Larry Beckhardt of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bob Lewis of New York State Ag & Markets and Tom Strumolo of Greenmarket.
"We are planning a wholesale farmers' market," Comer said Thursday. "It will offer chefs and retail sellers an opportunity to purchase locally-produced products." Comer said there is a great deal of interest in locally raised produce and meat.
"People are looking for places where they can purchase local products," Comer said. "It's driven by a cultural interest in cooking and food, but it also has to do with all the recalls.
"Local products are just healthier," Comer said. "It feels better to buy local than to go and fill a shopping cart with a bunch of produce that was grown on the other side of the world."
Comer brings with her a passion for hands-on farming and community sustainable agriculture, as well as an expertise in engineering and sustainable farming practices, Collins said.
Collins said Comer hopes to unite the watershed's regional farmers and producers with the larger metropolitan consumer market.
"By serving on the FSNYC board, I hope to make connections on behalf of my membership base," Comer said. "New York City is hungry for the farm products that our region produces. It's a positive synergy, connecting the upstate farmer and producer with a downstate consumer.
"Together, we can provide quality nutrition through better tasting, locally grown foods," Comer continued. "Good food is no longer a matter of choice. All people deserve access to high-quality, safe food sources, and the Catskill region is the most immediate and logical place for city dwellers to derive their food locally."
Collins said the FSNYC mission is to promote food systems that support improved nutrition and public health, increase access to safe and wholesome food, and strengthen and expand the regional farm and food economy.
Comer said the Pure Catskills branding campaign is a six-county, economic initiative of the Watershed Agricultural Council. Pure Catskills serves its members by providing educational opportunities designed to enhance farm-business profits, building networking connections to other producers, and increasing visibility among potential consumers through a regional branding campaign.
Comer said Pure Catskills also fosters a sister initiative under the same name, which promotes Catskill-based wood products and agro-forestry businesses.
For more information on the Pure Catskills Buy Local campaign and its members, visit www.BuyPureCatskills.com.
