[caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="The Berry Farm in Chatham has also been honored by County Bounty as a significant locavore farm."][/caption]Yes, we are still an agricultural area! The Register Star reports this morning that the Columbia County Farm Bureau was recognized earlier in December as a recipient of the American Farm Bureau Federation’s National Farm-City Award for the county’s effort in developing a program for agricultural education that also received the 2010 New York Farm Bureau Promotion & Education Award.

Farm-City programs successfully educate on the interdependence among agriculture-the people who grow the food and the people who eat it. The Columbia county program involved school age children growing a “Pizza Garden.” The garden had a round shape and each “slice” contained a different vegetable or herb. The students managed the garden through design, germination, planting and finally recipe creation from the harvested produce and the project culminated with the students presenting their recipes, tangy baba ghanoush and a cucumber/tomato salad to attendees at the Local County Bounty event in Columbia County.

The New York Farm Bureau is the statewide lobbying/trade organization that represents thousands of farm families. Its members and the public know the organization as “The Voice of New York Agriculture.” New York Farm Bureau is dedicated to solving the economic and public policy issues challenging the agricultural community.

The new award was announced during National Farm-City Week in November and the group was formally recognized at the New York Farm Bureau State Annual Meeting in Melville, Dec. 7 to 9.

“Our Farm-City Council partners at the state level play a critical role in helping non-farming consumers understand the vital importance of U.S. agriculture to our economy,” said National Farm-City Council Chair Al Pell. “We’re pleased to honor several state organizations for their outstanding work in accomplishing the Farm-City mission.”