Dec 17, 2020
Courtesy of CADENear the barn in this undated photo is Serkan Cambudak of Catskill Processing in Sidney Center. Cambudak has been producing and processing livestock since 2002.
Thirty years ago, Otsego County had nearly 400 working dairy farms. In 2019, that number had dwindled to 66.
Those numbers are according to CADE, the Center for Agricultural Development and Entrepreneurship, an organization that was formed 30 years ago to address this problem of decline and create new agricultural opportunities across the region.
âImagine Otsego County with a demonstration farm that helps local farmers produce specialty fruits and vegetables. Or a local compost heap, beside a community recycling center, that serves an entire town or region,â The Daily Star reported on June 20, 1990.