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Red Hook Farming in Danger

Farms help Red Hook’s economy

Rampant development threatens farms: usually farmland is the easiest land to use for housing developments, but Red Hook needs its farms. Farms are not only a key part of the rural beauty we love in Red Hook, they’re also a big part of the local economy: they create jobs, purchase services, pay taxes, buy supplies, re-circulate income, and serve as an attraction for visitors.

Red Hook is home to most of Dutchess County’s agricultural production. Red Hook’s agricultural industry sales are estimated at more than $10 million per year. Further, income to local farmers is spent locally, re-circulating that income into other local businesses. That $10 million farm economy may be pouring tens of millions more into our local economy. And this doesn’t even include additional non-agricultural purchases by visitors drawn to the area because of farm-related events such as Hudson Valley Food and Wine and the Farmers’ Markets!

Our agricultural heritage is now at great risk.

Conversion of land to other uses has diminished some of our critical mass of farmlands. Support services that farmers rely on (large animal veterinarians, repair services), as well as support lands are continuing to dissappear. Other communities that have taken steps to protect their working landscapes have protected their economy and are doing quite well—we can too.

When farmland is turned into housing,
two major undesirable changes occur

First, Red Hook’s environment is compromised—open space disappears, roads become clogged, air quality declines, and both water quality and supply are increasingly threatened. Where undeveloped land absorbs 98% of water, and farm land absorbs 95%, paved land absorbs only 2%. The rest becomes run-off that contributes to flooding, and to the pooling of pollutants.

Second, taxes are pushed higher for all of us, even as the quality of life declines. This increase in taxes stems from the lower rate at which farms use municipal services when compared with the sprawling new residences that replace farms and other open spaces.