Putnam County Government: The Changes To Tilly Foster Farm

Press release from the Putnam County Government:

November 24, 2021

Immediate Release

Putnam County Executive
MaryEllen Odell
845-808-1001

November 24, 2021

When change happens slowly, it’s easy to miss the big picture. The changes at Tilly Foster Farm and Educational Institute since Putnam County took over its management in 2014 have transformed a money-losing property with very little public access into a profitable farm that’s buzzing with visitors and pollinators. Tilly is now a place where tourists and locals visit farm animals, see art exhibits, listen to concerts and dine. It’s a place with a garden that helps educate students and feed senior citizens, and where a barn/event space has become so popular it’s booked a year out. “We knew this was going to be good when we started,” Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell said. “But every year, it has just gotten better. There is so much energy and creative talent working here. Tilly is now a huge draw for tourism, and it establishes Putnam County as the gateway to the Hudson Valley with its embrace of all things farm-to-table, local, sustainable – all of which have become even more attractive during COVID.” And more is coming to Tilly in 2022. Cornell Cooperative Extension will be moving its operations into the Cantina, the red building just beyond the llamas and the farm stand, which visitors see when they pull into the farm. CCE is renovating the building at no cost to the county and will host is 4-H Youth, Master Gardener and many other community programs there. It also helped secure a grant for a creamery and plans to use the commercial kitchen to jar vegetables and honey. The group’s Pollinator Pathway at the farm has already helped keep the county blooming, and it has increased production in the newly expanded garden by 40 percent. That boost enabled the
county to open a farm stand to the public this year, in addition to providing produce to the Tilly’s Table restaurant and to the lunch program at the county’s Office for Senior Resources. The Putnam County Economic Development Corporation is working to bring film and television production to the site.
The Putnam County Tourism office relocated to farm in June, giving the department a face on the east side of the county. The tourism office’s presence at the farm enabled it to entice the Hudson Valley Restaurant Week Kick Off Event to Tilly Foster Farm in October.
“The event was extremely successful and surpassed all our wildest expectations,” said Tracey Walsh, Director of Tourism for the county. “It far surpassed all metrics for the event. We hosted 27 vendors and over 150 attendees, including the largest group of bloggers and influencers ever gathered in Putnam County. The weather was perfect and showed Putnam County in all its fall glory.” An outdoor sculpture show hosted by Collaborative Concepts encouraged the crowd to wander around the farm’s 199 acres, with more than enough space for social distancing. And that’s not the only art at the farm. The county has partnered with Putnam Arts Council, which now has exclusive rights to display art in Tilly’s Table, the successful farm-to-market restaurant on the property. This arrangement helps promote local artists. Tilly’s Table also operates an event space in the barn. The space is so popular for weddings, bridal showers and more that all but two Saturdays in 2022 are already booked. To educate the next generation in sustainable practices, the county has partnered with Putnam-Northern Westchester BOCES, creating an Animal Care program for high school students, and building a commercial kitchen that students in the Culinary Arts Program use. Just because the farm is moving forward doesn’t mean the county has forgotten its past. Historic Images of Putnam County Farms have been displayed at Tilly Foster and the farm was a stop Putnam County’s recent self-guided history tour. While all of these events are popular, nothing compares with the concert series that has brought more than 7,000 people to Tilly Foster Farm.

This press release was produced by the Putnam County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.