The farm growing tomorrow’s farmers

Clockwise from top left: Farmers Ris Lansing, Luca Dimambro, SG, co-founder D Rooney, Kyle Ellis, Rica Bryan, and Ainhoa Woodley at Rock Steady Farm in Millerton. Photo courtesy Rock Steady Farm
MILLERTON — Rock Steady Farm, a cooperative farm in Millerton, is exemplary within the agricultural landscape for many reasons, and its fundraising ability is one of them: In 2023, it raised $650,000, largely from grants.
The reason that it’s able to do this, said Maggie Cheney, Rock Steady farmer and co-founder, is that they approach farming not just as a business, but as an intersectional space — meaning that it tries to consider the full wide range of ways in which a farming business engages with the lives of local community members.
“We’re a nonprofit and a farm,” said Cheney. That means that “instead of just surviving, we’ve been able to shift to advocacy and systemic change,” which the cooperative accomplishes through educational and outreach programs.
When Cheney, D Rooney and Angela Defelice co-founded Rock Steady in December 2015, they adhered to a much more traditional model, Cheney said. “In the beginning years, we were really trying to kind of make it work,” they said. “We used to be basically 90% just farmers and producing food wholesale, going to markets, that kind of thing.”
But in the last four years, that has changed.
At Rock Steady, “community” extends beyond about locals and patrons: It’s also about the farmers.
Conducting surveys of Rock Steady alumni, said Cheney, “shifted us more in the direction of education work. Because we heard from our community that there is a gap” in the accessibility to learning how to farm.
It was a survey of the community of Rock Steady alumni, said Cheney, that shifted us more in the direction of education work. Because we heard from our community that there is a gap” in the accessibility to learning how to farm.
“For queer and trans farmers, and specifically queer and trans BIPOC farmers, there aren’t that many training programs on large-scale farms,” they said. “Rural spaces have not felt super welcoming” for those marginalized groups. “People have had abusive relationships with farm owners, myself included.”
At Rock Steady, would-be farmers who have been unwelcome or unsafe elsewhere can learn greenhouse skills, production skills — even basics like tractor driving — across a farming sectors.
Rock Steady’s emphasis on educational farming brought in 16 grants — not including outside of donors and family foundations — in 2023 alone. Its goal for 2024 is to match the $650,000 it was able to raise for the first time this year, a third again as much as it had raised in 2022.
Its most recent recognition was a $40,000 grant from Capital Impact Partners’ Co-op Innovation Awards. It will use the grant to further develop its Pollinate program, an immersive paid apprenticeship for queer, trans and farmers of color, which focuses on training new farmers in cooperative farming models.
It will also fund Rock Steady’s alumni support program “HIVE” and the first year of an incubator program in partnership with Wildseed, also based in Millerton, just up the road from Rock Steady.
It has also received grants from the North Star Fund, a social justice fund, and $125,000 from The Fund for Frontline Power, which describes itself as a “100% grassroots-governed fund supporting grassroots-led climate solutions.” Grants from the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation supports food access work in Ancramdale in partnership with Ancramdale Neighbors Helping Neighbors Association, and a set of documentary shorts that amplify the voices of queer, trans farmers.
Cheney said that things really changed for Rock Steady when it “came out” as a farm. “We were like, ‘Whoa,’” said Cheney, “‘why are all these farmers talking to us from across the country? Why are there, like, farmers from the Balkans, South Africa, Nigeria, India reaching out to us?’ Because there weren’t that many out farms.”
For its first round of public-facing training programs, Rock Steady received 350 applications for eight spots. “And then we were like, ‘How can we not do this?’” said Cheney.
“The current food system is not working,” they said, pointing to what happened at farms across the country duri
ing COVID-19, when whole fields of food were getting composted because of labor shortages and transportation breakdowns. “I think we need as many creative approaches to growing food as possible, especially given climate change.”
And for that, they said, “there’s something to be said about the LGBTQ community and people of color, there’s like a sense of reciprocity and collaboration and because we’re marginalized people. When you’re marginalized, you often have to have a lot more creative solutions to problems because you’re the one who’s usually experiencing the worst of it, if that makes sense.
“A lot of us at Rock Steady have faced, like, housing insecurity, have faced food insecurity. We know what it feels like to stand in line at a food bank,” they said. That makes the farm incredibly well-equipped to actually serve those food banks. “We want that experience to be dignified, to have the highest quality food possible and to build relationships with those who are in that community.
“Not everyone can get it
in the same way. And I think the more farmers that we have who are from marginalized backgrounds, the healthier and more grounded our food system will be.”
As Rock Steady Farm continues to grow, its focus remains on fostering understanding and creating bridges. Its success in securing varied and significant grants not only highlights the effectiveness of its work but also paves the way for a more inclusive and just approach to agriculture and community building.
Cheney commented: “Rock Steady wants to communicate beyond those of our own identity. It’s important to engage with a diverse audience. Some identity politics can be harmful, and we see the change that can happen in communities when you build bridges.”
Long-term town employees were recognized at the Town Board meeting on Thursday, June 12. Honorees pictured with Town Supervisor Leo Blackman, were Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the Town Garage, center, for her 35 years of service to the town and Megan Chamberlin, current Highway Superintendent, for 20 years.
AMENIA — Acknowledging the many years of service accumulated by town employees, the Town Board paused to honor that service at its meeting on Thursday, June 12.
“Thank you for making a difference,” said Town Supervisor Leo Blackman in recognizing Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the town garage, for her 35 years of service.
“Megan’s job is not an easy one,” Blackman said, honoring Megan Chamberlin, current Highway Superintendent who has served the town for 20 years.
Also among those honored was Town Clerk Dawn Marie Klingner for 20 years of service as Court Clerk.
Maureen Moore, Court Clerk, was also honored in absentia for her 20 years of town service.
In anticipation of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution in 2026, new historic markers are appearing at each of the local cemeteries where Revolutionary War veterans are buried. Unveiling the new marker at Amenia Union Cemetery on Saturday, June 21, were left to right, Town Historian Betsy Strauss, Jim Middlebrook representing the regional chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, and Gail Seymour, President of the Union Cemetery Association.
AMENIA — One by one, new historic markers are appearing at local cemeteries where Revolutionary War dead are buried. On Saturday, June 21, community members gathered to see a new marker unveiled at Amenia Union Cemetery on Leedsville Road.
A tent provided welcome shade for the attendees and refreshments as about 30 residents gathered for the unveiling and to share stories of local history with one another.
As with the first historic market installation at the Old Amenia Burying Ground, held in April, Amenia Union Cemetery graves of Revolutionary War veterans had been marked with American flags in advance.
Jim Middlebrook, representing the Columbia Mid-Hudson chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, attended along with other members of his chapter. Speaking before the unveiling, Middlebrook said that the historic marker project had begun in August 2024, and included a detailed process to certify the names on the graves.
Middlebrook described the work of the William C. Pomeroy Foundation of Syracuse whose mission is to promote “pride of place” by providing grants in support of installing historic markers and plaques nationwide to honor patriots for their service. Active now in seven or eight states, Middlebrook said, the foundation will soon add Connecticut and Massachusetts to the list.
The new Amenia Union marker honors “at least five veterans of the American Revolution interred between 1787 and 1810,” although Town Historian Betsy Strauss lists six veterans buried in the cemetery. The sixth, Gerhard Winegar, whose burial had been in 1781 could not fully satisfy the certification standards.
Strauss provided the following listing of six names:
Col. Colbe Chamberlain, 1739-1796
Capt. William Chamberlain, 1745-1810
Lieut. Samuel Snyder, 1712-1808
Gerhard Winegar, 1750-1781
Ensign Henry Winegar, 1723-1787
Capt. William Young, 1747-1806
Bee Bee the clown, face painters and a community wide scavenger hunt are among the activities planned for the Millerton Street Fair in Downtown Millerton on Saturday, June 28.
MILLERTON — The Millerton News, in partnership with the North East Community Center (NECC) and the Millerton Business Alliance, is hosting its first Street Fair on Saturday in a celebration of the town.
Rain or shine from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, the fair will bring together local nonprofits and businesses, with live music, entertainment, kids’ activities, local eats, and family fun in Veterans Park, in front of the Millerton Inn, and beyond.
“The Millerton Street Fair will celebrate everything we love about this community — its spirit, its dedication to service and its creative energy,” said James Clark, publisher and CEO of The Millerton News.
Local nonprofits will showcase their work and impact, including Climate Smart Millerton, Eddie Collins Memorial Park, North East Historical Society, Townscape, Tri-Corner FEED, Village of Millerton, and the Webutuck Elementary School.Participating businesses include Bes, Little Red Bird Studio, NBT, The Elephant’s Tusk, and many more.Local retail and dining establishments will be open with special promotions. NECC’s Farmer’s Market will run during the event.
Among the planned festivities are live music from John Stey and the Resilience Brass Band, performances from Bee Bee the Clown, face painting by students from Webutuck High School, and a community-wide scavenger hunt for kids.Other kids’ activities include egg and spoon races, and a “touch-a-truck” open house at the firehouse.The Irondale Schoolhouse will be hosting a special exhibit, and the North East-Millerton Library will be offering signups for the Summer Reading Program, a science show from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., lawn games, and a cookie cook-off.
For more information, go to millertonnews.com/street-fair.
The Nine Partners Road Quaker Meetinghouse, built in 1780, will be the site of two summer lectures sponsored by the Millbrook Historical Society.
MILLBROOK — Long in the planning, the Millbrook Historical Society has announced that it is sponsoring two lectures in observance of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Both lectures relating to Quaker history are to be held in the historic Quaker Meeting House on Nine Partners Road.
For the first talk, scheduled for Sunday, June 29, at 2 p.m., the historical society has invited Sarah Gronningsater, Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania, to talk on “Quakers, Anti-slavery, and the American Revolution.” The topic will explore the role that New York’s Quakers, especially in the Hudson Valley, played in the rise of the anti-slavery movement that followed the American Revolution.
The second talk, scheduled for Sunday, July 27, at 2 p.m., invites Carl Lounsbury of the College of William and Mary and Colonial Williamsburg to speak on the architecture of the Nine Partners Meetinghouse. His talk is titled, “Nine Partners Meetinghouse Plan: A New Form in the Hudson Valley.” Expert in early American architecture, Lounsbury’s talk will compare Nine Partners with other later houses of worship in New York and New England.
Both lecture events will be held at the 1780 brick Nine Partners Quaker Meetinghouse in Millbrook. An earlier meetinghouse on the site had burned. The building has remained largely unchanged since the 18th century.
Given the age of the structure, handicapped access is limited and there are no rest room facilities.
Visitors should enter through the cemetery gate entrance.
The lectures are free and open to all, supported by a grant from the county and offered as part of Dutchess County’s participation in the nation’s 250th anniversary commemoration.