It's time for Schoharie County's farmers to put up or shut up.
Harsh words, maybe, but consider the source:
Schoharie County Farm Bureau President John Radliff, who's passionate about agriculture--and worked up over the fact that too few local farmers have filled out an online survey to help chart its future.
"Five minutes. Ten. That's all it will take," Mr. Radliff said of the County Ag Plan survey posted on the county website, www.schohariecounty-ny.gov.
"Heck, call me and I'll even deliver. Now's the time to make your voice heard-not after the decisions that are going to impact us for the next 15 years have already been made."
Since February, the County Agriculture & Farmland Protection Board has been reaching out to farmers in an effort to update its 2000 County Ag Plan.
Two farmer focus sessions drew about 100 participants, but Mr. Radliff said too few of them were from the county's larger, well-known farms-"those guys who make their living milking cows or growing vegetables," he said.
The survey, which went online in March, is designed to allow for more detailed answers.
And though there's been some response, Mr. Radliff said it's less than he and others had hoped-despite personal invitations to participate-literally-mailed out to about 20 farmers.
He's not sure why.
"You can't complain, complain, complain and not participate," he said.
Participation in the process has been better from part-time and niche farmers, Mr. Radliff said, and though he values what they've had to say, their needs are different.
"Larger-scale farming has certain infrastructure needs," he said. "If you're selling milk, you're probably not interested in an online farmers' market. Your concern might be roads that can handle a 20-ton tractor-trailer of feed. That's the kind of thing we want to hear."
Mr. Radliff said the survey will be available online until May 1,
"I'll do the heavy lifting," he added. "But I don't have a crystal ball. We need to hear from farmers to know what they want."