Rice paddies in New York? African farmer adds crucial wetlands and crop
For Ever-Growing Family Farm in Ulster County, farming rice is both tradition and community building
Lindsey Danis
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Ever-Growing Family Farm in Ulster Park is New York state’s first commercial rice farm, and farmers Dawn Hoyte and Nfamara Badjie use the traditional rice growing methods of Gambia’s Jola tribe, of which Badjie, pictured, is a member. As rainfall continues to increase in the region a nearby weather center reported an average of 9.1 more inches of rain in 2010 than in 1957 it might not be such a novel crop. Dawn Hoyte