July 7, 2017
La
Volume 38, No. 9
Papillote
An Interview with Back Paddock Farm
BY:Dan Salisbury, BPS Applied Food Studies
The majestic Hudson Valley sprawls roughly 7000 miles throughout New York; drive through any of the towns or cities from Albany to Yorktown and you’re bound to cross paths with one of the many bountiful farms, orchards, or
photo courtesy: http://www.backpaddockfarm.com
vineyards sprawled throughout the state. Here in the Hudson Valley, we’ve been quite fortunate to receive access to incredible produce and meats. While this is partly due to increased consumer interest in sourcing locally and having a greater connection with local
farmers, a large reason why we have such quality product is due to the hard work and pride that these farmers put into their craft. For smaller farmers, the work and labor can often be extremely difficult and the days quite long, but the finished result is often ex-
traordinary. Enter Pat Knapp and Allison Toepp of Back Paddock Farm. Now located in Ghent, NY, they have been raising cows since April of last year – more specifically, a herd of 100% grass-fed Red Devons. These cows have a storied history; the first Devons to come to America date all the way back to the 17th century. These purebred and docile bovines have thick skin, are efficient eaters, and their coat color can range from a deep ruby color to light red. In short, they are excellent cattle; a quality animal - raised responsibly and with care – ultimately creates a better product from the farm to your fork. A short while ago, I had the chance to speak with Pat, who graciously explained a little about their operation. You can find a wide variety of BPF cuts and prices to choose from at the CSA pick-up days at the Poughkeepsie Farm Project, located at the Vas-
sar Ecological Preserve. PFP - How did you get started with the farm? Can you tell me a little about the Hudson Valley Farm Business Incubator? Pat - I was working with Allie at Sprout Creek Farm in Poughkeepsie. We worked well together, and realized we wanted to start a business. We drew up a plan and applied [to the Hudson Valley Business Incubator] and were accepted. They provided us with just the space; we shared some land, equipment, and resources with a couple of other farms. We were able to get our feet wet. It allowed us to get people to know what we were doing in a way where this reputable organization was backing us and supporting us. We did some fundraising with some close friends and family who wanted to invest
Cont’d on Pg 4
Opinion: The Fight for Equality Continues
BY:Sean Morrill, BBA Food Business Management
As we close out the month of June, it’s important to celebrate another successful Pride month, in which millions of Americans across the country celebrated their pride and our country’s steps to furthering the rights of LGBTQ Americans. One of the great triumphs in LGBTQ rights included celebrating the second anniversary of marriage equality on June 26th, 2017. Many people may think that the fight for marriage equality was the end of our fight for rights, but in reality, the fight isn’t over yet. The LGBTQ community still has mountains to climb. In many states, there are lawmakers working to overturn the decision of the Supreme Court, and in some cases have implemented laws and policies that keep LGBT Americans from the same rights as their fellow Americans. Recently, the Texas Supreme court ruled that same-sex couples are not entitled to government-sponsored benefits.
When I heard this news, my feelings can be summed up by Sarah Kate Ellis, president and chief executive of GLAAD (previously known as the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation). According to Business Insider, she called the Texas ruling a “warning shot to all LGBTQ Americans that the war on marriage equality is ever-evolving, and anti-LGBTQ activists will do anything possible to discriminate against our families.” To further complicate happenings in the United States, many sources are reporting on Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch’s, opposition to LGBT rights. Finally, President Donald Trump and his White House staff never officially recognized LGBT pride month, breaking the tradition of the past few presidents. Even within our industry, we have some work do. Recently, the James Beard Foundation held its first roundtable on LGBT issues in the culinary industry. The article, Embracing Diversity in the
“Editorial”
“Feature”
Stars and Stripes Weekend
P2
photo courtesy: http:www.caerphillytraining.co.uk
Food World, shares, “the out-andproud lesbian and gay chefs and food writers who joined us told tales of awkwardness and harassment, prejudice and unprofessionalism.” I’d be lying if I said
that I hadn’t also seen much of this in the industry in some of the places that I’ve worked, whether it was towards me or somebody else. Most in our industry does everything right, and is very in-
Papillote
En P3
CENTER SPREAD
“Features”
Seed Saving
P 4-5
BACK PAGE
clusive of LGBT cooks and wait staff; I’d even go as far as saying that LGBT individuals flock to this industry, and cherish our cul-
Cont’d on Pg 4
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“Graduation” “Campus”
AFS Capstone Project