Hope Farms, an agricultural counterpart of New Hope Community, hosted a fresh produce symposium recently. Just last year alone, the community-based farm that spans only 3-acres harvested over 12,000 pounds fresh produce which included over 55 different crops. 

The farm is located on SUNY Sullivan’s campus and operates in conjunction with the college’s Culinary Arts program. The fresh produce is also distributed to a number of local food pantries, as well as providing access to these foods to New Hope Community Residents. The work that Hope Farms does allows those individuals in residency at New Hope Community with various physical and mental disabilities to curb the ‘at-risk’ status of having a lack of fresh produce that many disabled individuals face nation-wide.

Attendees were invited to partake in a nutrition class held by SNAP-Ed New York and Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Bee Moser, witness a showcase of Hope Farms and their recently installed lean-to rainwater collection system and accessible raised garden beds, Work-Based Learning student demonstration on planting, harvesting, and vegetable washing by Sullivan BOCES’ Peter Monfredo, and lastly a tour of the stables at McCoy Meadow Horse Barn at New Hope Community. 

The Head Farmer at Hope Farms, Megan Greene, noted that the rainwater collection systems were constructed and installed by students enrolled in the Sullivan BOCES Tech program.

Greene highlighted Hope Farm’s importance for introducing not only the produce itself to those at-risk of inaccessibility to fresh fruits and veggies, but to the concepts and ideas of how these plants are grown, kept for, and harvested. 

For Greene, visiting the farm is an opportunity for a greater education, allowing people a chance to learn something new.