Some two hundred farmers and their supporters attended the "Farming Our Future" panel on Saturday at Taconic Hills High School, according to John Mason of the Register Star. Keynote speaker Steffen Schneider, the general manager of Hawthorne Valley Farm, told the crowd that farmers needed to encourage, “mentorship, coaching, learning pods,” in order to meet the challenges of the future. Ben Shute, the owner of Hearty Roots Community Farm in Clermont, moderated a panel discussion with Schneider, farm-to-table advocate Amy Cotler, farmers Bruce Davenport and Ellen Poggi, and Taconic Hills ninth-grader Ian Perry on the panel. They discussed a variety of strategies that farmers are using to try to stay profitable during challenging times. Cotler said there's definitely demand these days, but it's hampered by the “astronomically high” price of land in the Northeast. She agreed that more has to be done to encourage young farmers, as well as to open up markets for farmers. Read John Mason's article in the Register Star for the full story.