Today is the last day of National Dairy Month. Do you know the somatic cell count of the milk you’re drinking? What is somatic cell count you ask? Well, in the world of dairy, it’s one of our best indicators of quality: the lower the number, the higher the quality, the healthier the cow, the creamier the milk, the fresher the taste…we could go on, but you get the picture.

Most farmers in the northeast are happy to bid adieu to a tough spring. Too wet, too cold, then too hot, then too wet: nothing like a few weeks to change that. Apple farmers are cautiously optimistic about the Fall, but recognize that it was a little too wet and they had one too many hail storms to make autumn a banner season. First wave of strawberries has come. Blueberries are here. Sugar snap peas in full swing, as well as all salad greens. First zucchini sightings: Radishes abundant. Tomato crop looks to be solid but is a few weeks away. It’s probably gotten too hot for a disastrous blight this season. String beans are closing in. All winter squash has been planted.

Thank goodness it’s summer.

Farmers play an important role in society as, among many other things, stewards of our land. Because their farming practices directly impact the quality of our drinking water, these practices are directly relevant to all of us.

For those of us living or working in Metro New York, the best example of this direct link may be that we rely on the upstate watershed, home to several hundred farmers, for our water supply. So, it’s easy to see how supporting farms that practice sustainable and therefore water-protective agriculture is important to all of us and the way we live.

The good news is that, as consumers, we can do something for ourselves and the health and well-being of our families while at the same time promoting the collective good – buying products that are made using sustainable farming practices.

Five Acre Farms – Positively Local

Five Acre Farms was recently featured on edible Manhattan!   Click here to go over there and read the article– we also have a link in our “News” section!