Small Farmers Criticize Presidential Contenders For Lack of Ag Focus
Shoppers at Union Square's Greenmarket take advantage of "Peak Week," when summer crop is interspersed with the fall infusion of apples and the year-round offerings of cheeses, meats, jams, wool and bread.
Photo: Aaron Parsley
Photo: Aaron Parsley
Photo: Aaron Parsley
Planted between Petco and Barnes & Noble to the north and a Virgin Megastore to the south, organic farmers presided beneath their tented stands at the Union Square Greenmarket a week before the autumnal equinox. With dark sky overhead and a hint of chill in the air, red, yellow, and orange tomatoes sat beside bunches of radishes and wild grapes so vibrant they looked color corrected. At the Cato Corner Farm stand, Mark Gillman, wielding a large knife, opened the back door of his van and grabbed a half wheel of Bridgid’s Abbey cheese. Gillman wore a bandana and a full red beard; the van sported a blue and red John Kerry bumper sticker.
As another farmer clad in authentic well-worn jeans called it, this was “Peak Week” at the Greenmarket. The bountiful ripened summer crop was interspersed with the fall infusion of apples and the year-round offerings of cheeses, meats, jams, wool, bread and fresh catnip — to name a few. Greenmarket’s local produce (mostly from small farms in the tri-state area) winds up in New York City’s finest restaurants as well as in kitchens otherwise stocked by supermarkets.
While the Greenmarket during “Peak Week” was teeming with options, the 2004 presidential election provides little choice. As his bumper reflects, Gillman, 35, has chosen John Kerry — or more accurately, he has chosen against George W. Bush. “He [President Bush] cut a lot of department of agriculture money that had been used for conservation grants,” Gillman said, cutting cheese samples with his knife (he admitted not knowing where Kerry stands on agriculture — “I don’t think he’s articulated a message very clearly”). If small farms can’t apply for grants to increase their operations, he said, their future is bleak. “We’re losing opportunities.”
A few stands down from Gillman, Karen Weinberg was cooking naturally raised, grass-fed lamb sausage at her 3-Corner Field Farm stand. “I haven’t heard Kerry say a lot about agriculture,” she said. “I find this whole campaign this year to be very disingenuous.”
“Are you voting for Bush?” said an incredulous customer, thrusting a finger toward Weinberg’s face. “What do you think?” Weinberg replied curtly, causing her customer to exhale and retract the finger. “On the night of the election, my heart will be in my throat,” Weinberg said. “I’ve got young kids. I’m very worried.”
“It’s the end of the world if Bush is reelected,” said Morse Pitts, owner of Windfall Farms in Montgomery, NY. “That’ll affect business.” In this presidential campaign, Pitts said, “Agriculture is a forgotten issue.” Forgotten, but not already decided, he added. “The federal government seems to think it’s their job to destroy the small farms.”
One of Pitts’ customers, Samantha Carson, a personal fitness trainer, said, “George Bush supports big business, not people with small farms.”
It’s the other way around, said Ron Kipps, owner of Elk Trails Bison Ranch in Pennsylvania, and a Bush supporter. “Kerry’s against the farmer,” he said. Kipps, who maintains his family has been in agriculture for over 200 years (he looks the part — wearing a straw hat and suspenders), said that Kerry was against current federal programs like the sugar cane and beet subsidies.
“The only one who really backed agriculture was Al Gore,” said Henry Drew, a boyish-looking 51-year-old with close-cropped salt and pepper hair and matching goatee, while standing at his egg stand, out of sight of Elk Trails’ Kipps. The main issues in the 2004 election are terrorism and the economy, Drew said. Bush is going to be tougher on terrorism than Kerry, he said. “For the economy, Kerry is better, but he’s a bit weak.”
Drew spoke highly of the ex-president with the newly bypassed heart arteries and who coincidentally shares a name with Drew’s hometown of Clinton Corners, NY. Bill Clinton is a good egg, said Drew, who has been selling at the Greenmarket for 14 years. “Hillary and Bill used to eat our eggs at the St. Regis,” he said, with a moderate rasp. “I would reelect him again. He did a lot.” Hillary Clinton is also a good egg, he said. “If Hillary was running, I’d vote for her.”
Drew said that business is slower this year than last. “People are out of work,” he said. There are some loyal regular customers who Drew allows IOU’s; he said they usually pay him back within a month. “These are people 40 to 50 years old,” he said of a group of unemployed and forced early retirees that include industrial workers, computer programmers and bankers. “They’re going for Kerry — they just want a job.” Drew has seven employees and was being helped at the Greenmarket by his 16-year-old son, Alex. Drew mentioned that Alex was interested in joining the military. “I don’t want to be an officer — I want to be in Special Forces,” Alex said. When asked whether he’d choose to serve in Iraq if he was of age, Alex softly said he wasn’t sure.
Next to Drew’s egg stand, Mark Gillman started to pack up his van with the John Kerry bumper sticker. Once “Peak Weak” waned, fewer farmers would show up to sell at the Greenmarket. Gillman said he plans to sell his 11 varieties of cheese in Union Square through the fall, past the election, into 2005 and beyond. It is his choice.
David Puner can be reached at dpuner@aol.com.
