Rockland Farm Alliance Dedicates Field to O&R

NEW CITY, NY — The Rockland Farm Alliance has named a field after one of its biggest donors, Orange & Rockland Utilities, which provided a $25,000 grant to fence the field against predation by wild animals such as deer.

The north field at Cropsey Farm is the main food production field. Dozens of different organic vegetables are grown and are used for donations to low-to-moderate income families throughout Rockland County.

"We have had a longstanding relationship with O&R, and we could not thank them enough for all they do," said Sue Ferreri, Rockland Farm Alliance executive director, in an announcement about the plaque. "Because of them, we’ve been able to take leaps forward. Our community is better because of O&R’s involvement."

The field lacked sufficient fencing, which often resulted in deer and other animals eating the crops, she said. O&R, which began a partnership with Rockland Farm Alliance just over a decade ago, provided a $25,000 grant that allowed the group to invest in adequate fencing around the field’s perimeter.

The RFA has dedicated the north field at the historic farm in New City to O&R. A special plaque was unveiled on the field’s fencing.

"I have proudly worked with the Rockland Farm Alliance for the last 10 years," said Linda Feger, O&R’s manager of strategic partnerships. "To be able to share sustainability goals with a local partner allows us to give so much back to families in our service area."

The RFA cares for the historic Cropsey Farm property on South Little Tor Road, both farming and running educational programs.

Two Blauvelt brothers established the farm in 1769, when they built the Dutch Colonial home at the site. The farm had 10 subsequent owners between 1850 and 1890, when Jim Cropsey’s grandfather Andrew, a Brooklyn lawyer, purchased the property. The property passed to Andrew’s son, Wallace, then to Jim Cropsey, who fully farmed the site. Finally, Jim and Patricia Cropsey agreed to sell it to the county and Clarkstown and through an intermunicipal agreement more than a decade ago it was preserved and saved from development through an intermunicipal agreement.

The farm's historically significant Revolutionary War-era New World Dutch barn, one of the few remaining structures from the 1700s in Rockland, was restored in 2019.

Now Cropsey Community Farm supplies organic produce for its community-supported agriculture farm-share program, including a program for low-income members, and donates thousands of pounds annually to local food pantries.

Rockland Farm Alliance's educational facilities are dedicated to teaching sustainable farming practices to people of all ages.

SEE: A New Generation of Farmers Comes to New City's Cropsey Farm

Its weekend farm market in the red barn includes Cropsey produce plus a variety of independent market. The 2023 season runs through Nov. 19:

• Fridays 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
• Saturdays 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Sundays 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.