Radio Catskill - Farm and Country

Margaretville is getting ready for a special annual tradition: their 22nd Cauliflower Festival to celebrate this beloved Catskills crop. Margaretville was known for having an abundance of cauliflower grows in the early 1900s. 

Radio Catskill's Kimberly Izar chatted with Garth Kravits and Julia Rugg of the Margaretville Arts Center to learn all about the history behind the festival and what folks can expect. 

Brook, brown, and rainbow trout are just some of the fish at the Beaverkill Trout Hatchery. 

The Shaver family are the owners of this fifth-generation fish hatchery, which also happens to be the largest private fish hatchery in New York state right here in the Catskills.

Radio Catskill's Kimberly Izar spoke with Sherry and Tyler Shavery of the Beaverkill Trout Hatchery to learn about the simple joys of raising fish.

Brook, brown, and rainbow trout are just some of the fish at the Beaverkill Trout Hatchery. The Shaver family are the owners of this fifth-generation fish hatchery, which also happens to be the largest private fish hatchery in New York state in the Catskills.

Radio Catskill's Kimberly Izar spoke with Sherry and Tyler Shaver, owners and operators of the Beaverkill Trout Hatchery, to learn about the simple joys of raising fish.

Farmers have had to navigate a series of tornados, flash floods, wildfire smoke, and extreme weather events this past year.

Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar spoke with Michelle Proscia, agriculture educator at Sullivan County’s Cornell Cooperative Extension, about how farmers are navigating and adapting to climate change.

Conservation easements are one of the most effective tools to permanently conserve land for agricultural and forestry purposes. But what exactly are they and how do they work?

Radio Catskill's Kimberly Izar spoke with Serena Orleski, Easement Program Manager at the Watershed Agricultural Council, about these important conservation efforts.

Zoe Friedberg is surrounded by lettuce – about 15 different kinds of lettuce – on her two-acre farm, Little Gem Farm. She’s one of 11 farms leasing land at the Chester Agricultural Center in Chester’s Black Dirt region in Orange County. Radio Catskill's Kimberly Izar reports.

Applications for New York’s Agricultural Resiliency Against Tariffs Program are still open. The state budget includes $30 million for the program aimed at helping farmers offset federal tariff impacts and rising costs.

Radio Catskill's Kimberly Izar spoke with Richard Ball, Commissioner of the state's Department of Agriculture and Markets, about how federal tariffs shaped some farmers' latest seasons.

Farmers markets are plentiful in the Catskills and Northeast Pennsylvania regions, especially during the summertime. But keeping farm fresh produce crisp through the warmer weather and wind can be challenging for some. 

Radio Catskill’s Kimberly Izar spoke with Erica Madden, co-owner of Good Find Farm in Damascus, Pennsylvania, about her best tips for keeping farm fresh produce last a little bit longer and crisp through the summer heat.