Community Conversations: Affordable farmland and conservation

Community Conversations is an opportunity to join local experts and community members virtually. This program series addresses important issues, from affordable farmland to Indigenous land stewardship and their connection to conservation. One-hour Zoom sessions will include brief presentations, time for questions and answers, and the opportunity to connect with others.

This month, we will explore how conservation efforts and affordable farmland can go hand in hand.

Blake Hill of Hussman Hollow Flower Farm will be joined by Sam Calhoun, CLC’s Conservation Programs Manager, to discuss how one landowner’s desire to donate property became an opportunity for affordable farmland. Blake will share more about what’s going on at the farm, while Sam will share more about ways we can all support affordable farmland initiatives in Columbia County.

Register to join the conversation.

Meet the speakers:

Sam Calhoun joined CLC in 2020. As the Conservation Programs Manager, he partners with farmers and landowners to protect land using voluntary conservation agreements. He also works to acquire new properties for public access or habitat protection. Sam is especially passionate about creating opportunities for farmers to find affordable land. He received a bachelor’s degree from Ithaca College and a Masters degree from Bard College’s Environmental Policy, where his thesis research focused on innovative models of agricultural land protection.

Blake Hill has been a grower for over a decade and growing cut flowers, specifically, for the past 8 years. Blake has experience managing various flower-growing operations for other businesses in the region; however, for the past 4 years, he has been developing and building his own venture, Husmann Hollow Flower Farm (HHFF), to help fill the need for locally grown, seasonal flowers in the Hudson Valley.  Before moving here, Blake has gathered growing experience in many areas of the country, including northern California, Austin, TX and Southeastern Pennsylvania. In the winter of 2023, Blake and his business were selected to purchase a CLC property located in Livingston, NY. Blake moved his flower operation onto the land in the Spring of 2024 and just completed his first season in Livingston this past fall. Blake looks forward to continuing to develop roots in the Columbia County community as he further establishes his business, and family, in the coming years. 

Mark your calendars! The next Community Conversations will take place on: February 18.