Warwick Farm Aid Sep 25, 2011 | Concert & events to benefit Warwick NY farmers affected by Hurricane Irene

$100,000 Raised to Aid Warwick's 45 Black Dirt farms affected by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee flooding!

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Warwick Farm Aid fund was closed on Sunday October 2, 2011 at the end of Applefest. T-shirts and unclaimed items from the silent auction were available for sale at the FFA booth during Applefest. Once the fund closed and the checks cleared, the fund was evenly split among the 45 Warwick Farm Aid applicants who met the application criteria. Any funds received after the Warwick Farm Aid fund was closed were forwarded to Community 2000 to be combined with other benefits aimed at helping the farmers who have applied for aid. Community 2000 will continue to accept donations on behalf of Farm Aid. Thank you for your continued support of our local farming community.

Thank You to the Volunteers:

Individual Volunteers | Sponsoring Businesses-Organizations-Musicians

The Town of Warwick includes Villages of Florida, Greenwood Lake, Warwick, and hamlets of Amity, Bellvale, Edenville, Little York, New Milford, Pine Island, and Sterling Forest.

Although FEMA declared Orange County a "Disaster Area" there is nothing in either the federal or state programs that covers crop losses. Millions of dollars in crop losses were sustained by Warwick's farms in Pine Island and Florida. These same farms supply New York City's green markets (including Union Square and others in the five boroughs), as well as some of the top restaurants. The amount of water that overflowed the Wallkill River levees was so great that it now places the viability of the region in jeopardy. Click here to view USGS/EROS satellite images > of the Black Dirt Region, before and after Hurricane Irene.

During normal harvest periods, above, the Black Dirt Region is home to one of the most fertile soils in North America, and home to farm families who have grown onions, garlic, and dozens of herb and vegetable varieties for more than six generations.
These red onions floating in the flooded fields are among three main types of onions grown extensively in the reigon, reaching a yield of 30,000 pounds per acre usually. Now this year's crop is worthless.
This field, off Skinners Lane, is usually filled with the magnificent golden onions, prized by gourmet cooks and restaurateurs across the country.
The 10,000 acre basin of black organic soil was created when a glacier receded about 12,000 years ago, leaving the largest concentration of "chenozen" in the United States outside of Florida's Everglades.
Some flooding, which usually occurs in the spring of the year, has contributed to the rich organic soil. When the timing of a flood is during harvest, its impact is both financially and organically devastating.
It wasn't until the arrival of immigrants from Eastern Europe, mainly Poles and Volga Germans that the "drowned lands" were drained, cultivated, and managed in the mid 19th and early 20th centuries.
Hurricane Irene turned this previously bucolic farming region back into its "drowned lands" origin, with the sixth 50-year food in three years.
Sod farms, critical to controlling erosion, dominate this region. Hurricane Irene turned this sod farm into its "drowned lands" origin.
This harvest could have been a generous one, except for the timing of Hurricane Irene.
Nothing was spared, including this pumpkin patch.
This harvest could have been a generous one.
This harvest could have been a generous one.
This harvest could have been a generous one, except for the extreme flooding.
Harvest interrupted.

Resources, Partners, and Links

DONATE NOW
To make a tax-deductible charitable donation to support this cause, please make out a check payable to "Community 2000" (a recognized 501(c)(3) charitable organization), put "Farm Aid 2011" as a notation in the memo line and mail it to: Community 2000, Inc., PO Box 1270, Warwick, NY 10990

Concert ticket purchases and non-tax-deductible contributions can be made via credit card online at the Warwick Valley Chamber of Commerce website. Although the credit card payments through the Chamber website are not tax-deductible, 100% of your contribution will go directly to benefit the local farmers because the Chamber will absorb the costs associated with credit card processing of your contributions.

Media links about the Warwick area farmers and farms

Farm Aid Sep 25

Warwick Valley Farm Aid 2011 is an event to benefit local farmers who were signifcantly impacted by Hurricane Irene and its subsequent flooding.

The event will take place on Sept. 25, 2011 from 1 to 9PM at Warwick Valley High School, with the goal to raise $25,000 to provide immediate relief to local farmers in need. See Program Guide>>

All proceeds will go directly to local farmers. Radio station WTBQ (1110AM and 93.5FM) will broadcase the concert live.

Open House 1-4PM

Here is the lineup of artists performing in the afternoon:

Gio Pelella • Marji Zintz • Evan Teatum • Cindy Diskin & Doli Grace • Jazzy Jan • John Riggo • Steve Rubin - Warwick Jazz • Morning Door • Laura Birdsong • Smalltown Sheiks • The Sun Never Rises • Luke Liddy • Jeremy Langsdale band

Concert 4-9PM

Here is the lineup of artists performing at the evening Concert: