The Hands that Feed Us
As demand for locally grown food continues to rise, Western New York growers are finding more ways to ensure their produce gets to the table. In addition to running farm stands and going to farmers markets, they are working together to share resources and reach a wider range of customers across our region and along the East Coast.
“People in Western New York are very passionate about their local foods and their local providers, probably more supportive than in many other areas of the country,” says David Walczak, operations manager at Eden Valley Growers, a cooperative of 10 multigenerational farms based in southern Erie County. “And I believe it has gotten stronger since Covid.”
The Covid pandemic revealed the vulnerability of the nation’s supply chain. It brought renewed focus on food security and the importance of local and regional food systems. In these systems, foods go from production to consumption within a localized area, such as the counties that comprise Western New York or the whole of New York state.
As a major agricultural region, Western New York produces fruits and vegetables that reach tables from Michelin-starred restaurants in New York City to school cafeterias in Buffalo. Beyond farm stands and markets, local growers supply regional grocery stores and restaurants, collaborate on community-supported agriculture (CSA) boxes, and support food banks and other programs that provide nutrition assistance.
They are working to meet the needs of consumers concerned not just with flavor, freshness and nutrition, but also with the safety, traceability and sustainability of their food.
For operations as large as Eden Valley Growers and as small as family farm Abers Acres in Chautauqua County, supplying our region with food takes a lot of planning and a deep commitment to quality.
Planning Ahead, Anticipating Change
At Eden Valley Growers, annual planning usually begins in December and January with collaborative conversations about how the previous season went and what may lie ahead.
“The growers aren’t afraid to share successes, failures and opportunities,” Walczak says. “It’s all for the betterment of the co-op. This also allows for diversification and the ability to have a bigger shopping cart of products to offer to the customer.”
Eden Valley’s growers produce more than 60 different crops including peppers, corn, tomatoes and squash. They are family farms that collectively employ more than 800 people over each growing season. They are certified through the USDA’s Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) quality program, and they follow sustainable practices such as integrated pest management (IPM). Many are also Ivy League graduates, Walczak says, who have deep science-based knowledge that helps them maximize yields in our short growing window.
Eden Valley is also home to the Western New York Food Hub, which works with more than a dozen small growers who can offer specialty produce such as unique hot peppers or leafy greens. The hub connects these smaller growers with resources including access to wholesale markets, marketing support and assistance obtaining food safety certifications.
“It does take a lot of communication, and those relationships are so important,” Walczak says.
One of Eden Valley’s largest customers is Bronx-based Baldor Specialty Foods, which delivers to food-service providers, such as restaurants, from Maine to Virginia.
“We want to offer safe, consistent, good food, and when we can work with a local grower that checks all those boxes, then it really is a home run,” says Donald Russo, senior category manager for produce at Baldor Specialty Foods. “You are going to get a fresher product, a longer shelf life, and a better yield and flavor. And I think more and more people are leaning into that.”
Russo and his team start planning with Eden Valley every January. They not only discuss staple vegetables that every kitchen uses, but they also bring their needs to the growers. Last year, for example, they needed a bigger supply of a popular Italian heirloom pepper called Jimmy Nardello.
“We asked Eden Valley to grow it for us, and we worked with them and their grower as far as determining the seed selection, crop cycle, and volume for both of us to take on or understand,” Russo says. “We’re partners with them through that whole process.”
Eden Valley must also anticipate changes in consumer preferences and evolving industry regulations. For example, they are providing more convenience-packaged produce to retail outlets, and ahead of legislation that will take effect in 2026, they are labeling their produce for traceability.
“We always try to be ahead of the curve, ahead of what’s being asked of the industry,” Walczak says.
Supplying on a Smaller Scale
At Abers Acres in Kennedy, Chautauqua County, Sue Abers and her family have been providing fresh fruits and vegetables for the last 40 years. They started out selling produce from a stand at their home, as well as offering pick-your-own berries. Over the years, they have grown to farm more than 100 acres, become certified organic, and diversified by offering their produce through CSAs, farmers markets, grocery stores and restaurants. In addition to the quality of their produce, their commitment to organic practices and good stewardship of the land are important factors for their customers.
They start their crops by hand from organic seed, either in their greenhouse or directly in their fields, which have been maintained with sustainable practices such as cover cropping and using natural fertilizers. Their produce is harvested daily and often delivered straight from the field.
“We pick it, pack it and take it,” Abers explains.
They are also certified under the USDA’s GAP program, which allows them to compete for opportunities to supply different outlets with fresh fruits and vegetables.
For example, Abers Acres provides the produce for a weekly CSA-like program through the Chautauqua County Office for Aging aimed at helping low-income older adults stay independent.
“Nutrition plays a huge role in a person’s cognition, quality of life and prevention of chronic disease,” says Carey Skelton, registered dietitian and nutrition coordinator at the Office for Aging Services. “If they are able to stay healthy for longer, they can stay independent for longer.”
This year, the grant-funded program expects to serve 450 people at designated locations and through Meals on Wheels deliveries. Participants in the program—dubbed Local Roots at pickup locations and Local Routes for home delivery—receive a box of produce with several in-season items, along with recipes and other guidance on storing and preparing the foods.
“Not only are these individuals getting increased nutrition from fruits and vegetables, they are getting it locally grown,” Skelton says. “On top of that, we’re supporting a local business. For us, that’s a win-win.”
It is also ideal for Abers Acres.
“With a small farm like this, where we’re on a shoestring budget, having a for-sure market where I can send whatever I have really helps,” Abers says.
It supplements the loyal following Abers Acres has developed with families and wholesale customers such as restaurants and grocery stores, where they compete against growers from around the state and country.
Their selling point is freshness: Produce picked at its peak does not suffer the loss of flavor or nutrition that can come with longer storage and transportation. But staying competitive takes work.
“Grocery stores like it if we can make things consumer-convenient,” Abers says. As a farm, they do not have their own packinghouse, but they will put items like beans in grab-and-go bags and will deliver lettuce, kale and chard already banded and labeled organic.
After 40 years of feeding Western New York, Abers and her husband John are looking toward retirement.
“Our goal is to keep the farm a farm—to get the next generation to be able to make a living off of it,” Sue Abers says, adding that they are trying to make it employee owned and operated as much as possible.
Despite the challenges of farming, Abers says she wouldn’t change her life in any way.
“You know, it’s a lot of work and commitment,” she says. “And if people want to keep organic farms or keep small farms around, it’s fairly important that they support them.”
