|
RCBJ-Audible (Listen For Free)
 |
Sue Ferreri, Former Executive Director Of Rockland Farm Alliance, Is Successful Bidder To Run Cropsey & Depew Farms In New City
By Tina Traster
There is little surprise that the contract to manage and operate Cropsey Community Farm and Depew Farm in the Town of Clarkstown has been awarded to Rockland Community Farm Network, a nonprofit established by Sue Ferreri, the former executive director of the Rockland Farm Alliance.
The Rockland Community Farm Network will be awarded a one-year $75,000 contract to run both farm properties. The County’s Request for Proposal sought qualified nonprofit organizations to oversee agricultural operations, public programming and educational initiatives. In addition to facilities and ground maintenance, Ferreri will also operate an organic farm stand and a “Fruit & Vegetable Membership” (also called Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA).
The Stony Point-based Cornell Cooperative Extension was the only other bidder.
“Rockland County is committed to protecting and enhancing our farmland by partnering with other preservation minded entities like the Town of Clarkstown,” said County Executive Ed Day. “With Rockland Community Farm Network at the helm, Cropsey and Depew Farms will thrive as educational, agricultural, and environmental resources for our residents, particularly our youth.”
Last December, the Rockland Farm Alliance, which had run the Cropsey Farm on Little Tor Road in New City since 2007, dissolved its organization due to a messy schism between the Alliance’s board and Ferreri, the organization’s executive director. Ferreri filed a claim with the New York State Department of Human Rights in early 2024 alleging harassment and discrimination against the board members.
Subsequently, the board filed bankruptcy due to yearlong internal strife that led to its dissolution.
The revelation sent shock waves through the community, which has relied on the farm for fresh produce, education, and a continuation of Rockland’s nearly extinct farming legacy. The Cropsey Farm, which has an historic barn, greenhouses and cultivated fields, is one of the only remaining commercial farms in the county. A menagerie of farm animals was being raised when the group split, leaving their care to the county.
John and Alexandra McDowell, along with a passionate group of community members, started operations on the former Cropsey Farm in New City in 2007. The RFA was born out of a shared vision to support local farming in Rockland County. The McDowells, who had already established the county’s first Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project at Camp Hill Farm, recognized the critical need for infrastructure and support for the area’s remaining farms.
The 25-acre farm, once operated by the Cropsey family, is jointly owned by Rockland County (61 percent) and the Town of Clarkstown (39 percent). The nonprofit Alliance leased 25 acres and farmed roughly five acres.
The $75,000 award also encompasses farming at the Depew Farm at 101 Old Route 34 in New City.
In 2023, Rockland Farm Alliance’s operating revenue was $473,000 of which $94,500 came from government grants, and $151,000 came from other donations, contributions, and non-government grants. The balance of its revenue came from educational programming, membership dues, and farm market sales.
In 2024, Rockland County purchased the historic Peter Depew House, a sandstone Dutch house from the 1700s situated on 32 acres in New City, for $2.9 million. The County acquired the home and farmland through its Open Space Acquisition Program to ensure that this heritage-rich property continues to serve as a symbol of Rockland’s history and a resource for community engagement.
The property includes an historic farmhouse and barn, sheds and farmland. The Town of Clarkstown will be purchasing a 39 percent share of the property, similar to the partnership which preserved Cropsey. The Rockland County Division of Environmental Resources (RCDER) will oversee the contract administration to ensure long-term sustainability and community access, according to the county.
Under the contract, the Rockland Community Farm Network must host an Agricultural Education Program for public and private school students, promote sustainable agriculture and offer a Junior Farmers’ summer program for children five- ten.
According to a recent report from the New York State Comptroller’s Office titled, “A Profile of Agriculture in New York State” Rockland and Ulster were the only two Hudson Valley counties that showed an increase in the growth in the number of farms. Rockland County saw a 29 percent increase in the number of farm operations from 2017 to 2022.
Rockland, the report says, has 18 farms and 442 farmed acres, representing .4 percent of its land acreage. Farming in 2022 generated $4 million in sales of farm products according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
Farm enterprises have to generate at least $1,000 annually from agriculture product sales to be included in the survey.
