SYRACUSE, N.Y. — At the New York Farm Viability Institute, we believe that farmers know the problems they need solved and can determine if a potential solution could be adopted on their farm. That’s why our competitive grant program relies on New York farmers to read and score the research proposals we receive. NYFVI is led by a 10-person board of directors, and each of our board members is an active member of the farming community. Allow us to introduce Brian Reeves.
Brian Reeves, long-term president of the NYS Vegetable Growers Association, joined the NYFVI board in 2020. He has served on the vegetable review panel since 2015.
Brian is also president of a farmer-owned cooperative, Upstate Growers and Packers, and has been a tireless advocate for numerous agriculture initiatives. He is the owner, along with his family of Reeves Farms in Baldwinsville, Onondaga County. The operation sells fruit and vegetables through wholesale channels, at its farm stand, and through u-pick. About fifteen percent of their production is certified organic.
“There’s a lot of stakeholder pressure on the industry to change its practices, and I understand where the marketplace is going. What’s important is that we make the right changes and ensure that the practices that farms are encouraged to adopt are truly sustainable. The environment, economics, and human factors must all be considered. The Farm Viability program does a good job of focusing researchers on integrated solutions.”
For more information about the New York Farm Viability Institute please visit www.nyfvi.org.
–New York Farm Viability Institute