Customers to the Rescue in the Hudson Valley
Posted by Amara Projansky on Sun, Oct 02, 2011 @ 04:00 AM
Agricultural and dairy farms throughout the Hudson Valley and into the Catskills were devastated by Tropical Storm Irene. Not only was the timing—prime growing season—awful, but many of the area’s most productive farms are situated in flood plains. RSK Farm in the Greene County hamlet of Prattsville was among the hardest hit. Bob and Sandy Kiley lost all the topsoil on 14 acres they own—it’s now pretty much a rockpile—and all the crops on another 14 acres that they rent.
“I was in shock for a while,” says Bob Kiley. “I think I’m starting to emerge. And in ways I’m lucky. I still have my home. I have electricity. The heat went on earlier this week like it’s supposed to. A lot of people in Prattsville, much of which Irene washed away, are a lot worse off than me.”
Still, his business has largely vanished, at least for now. How’s a farmer to climb out from under this mountain of woes?
FEMA isn’t any help. Its focus is strictly residential. Governor Cuomo has created a $15M fund to help rebuild the farm industry, but that’s only a beginning. Early estimates place the total agricultural damage at about $45M and that’s probably low. Whatever help Kiley gets from the state—and it’s looking as though some funds may go toward stream bank restoration—it will fall far short of what’s needed to make him whole.
What’s left? Kiley’s customers. “They’ve been fantastic,” he says. “It’s really hard to me to ask for help. I’d much rather be giving than receiving.” One of his customers set up a website, Help the Farm, to raise money for Kiley. So far, they’ve raised $5,000 toward a goal of $150,000. Two other customers, Michael Bernardo of Cafe Mio and Jessica Winchell of Globale Palate Restaurant, are partnering on a benefit to be held on November 6th.
“I’ve found another 14 acres to rent, so I’ll be okay next year,” Kiley says. “The challenge is to make it through till then. It would be easy to just quit. But it’s always been about my customers—and it’s my customers who keep me going.”
By Carl Frankel
Carl Frankel writes regularly for Chronogram about local business, sustainability and other issues.