Indian Ladder Farms

342 Altamont Rd.
Altamont, NY 12009
How to get here... [Map]

Phone: (518) 765-2956
Fax: (518) 765-2700
PYO: (866) 640-PICK
EM: info@indianladderfarms.com

Store Hours:
9am - 5pm Every Day

Yellow Rock Café
Opens June 4th
11am - 2pm Mon.,Wed. - Fri.
9am - 3pm Weekends
Closed Tuesdays

Farm Opening June 4th

Yes at last, Indian Ladder Farms will be opening on Wednesday June 4th. While it was closed for the season, there were many exciting and different changes happening at the farm. Some of the familiar faces around the market may be missing. Laurie Ten Eyck the Manager of the farm for 12 years and the daughter of the current owner decided it was finally time to continue to pursue her writing career, (see her letter below). Anne Kelly the buyer and a teacher in the Barn School, left to help promote Fair Trade, a cause very close to her heart. With the loss of these two key people, it did not seem possible to continue the business of the Farm Market and Barn School. In January, four employees got together to map out a way to keep Indian Ladder Farms open and to continue to offer the public a chance to experience farm life and a connection with their foods.

Sustainability for farms is difficult; there are too many factors out of the control of the grower. Faced with closing Indian Ladder Farms farm market, the four employees, Cecelia Soloviev, Laurie Farrar, Donna Merrill and Lauren Welton came to the owner, Peter Ten Eyck II, with hope, plans and fingers crossed. The final proposal included changes but allowed the Farm Market, Yellow Rock Café and the Barn School at Indian Ladder Farms to remain open with only minimal external changes. The attraction and uniqueness of Indian Ladder Farms is just as important to its employees as it is to its customers. So from all of the employees at Indian Ladder Farms, “Welcome back to a new season!”

May, 2008

As some of you may have heard I have left my position as general manager at Indian Ladder Farms. Although I have worked as a manager at the farm market for the last 12 years my farm marketing career actually began when I was in kindergarten when I used to line half peck baskets. My goal was always to see how high a stack of lined baskets I could make. I stacked them pretty high but I think my most important achievement at Indian Ladder Farms has been my part in placing an agricultural easement on the farm, which permanently protects the land from development. The grant-writing, fundraising drive and negotiations of the easement made for a long, difficult and sometime frustrating process but the end result is priceless. Thanks again to my father—without his support the project would never have gotten off the ground. Thanks also to all the friends of Indian Ladder Farms who contributed to the fundraising drive, as well as to the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy and the Open Space Institute who contributed money and expertise.

I continue to live on Indian Ladder Farms. I am now working for the American Farmland Trust, a farmland preservation organization, assisting in the development of Farmland Protection Plans at the town level. I am also continuing with my writing. My family continues to travel whenever possible. My newest project is a blog on alternative family vacations. Anyone who wants to keep up with our family trips as well as get some ideas of their own can visit us at whereswolfie.blogspot.com.

I have full confidence in the new market management team, Laurie Farrar, Donna Merrill, Cecelia Soloviev and Lauren Welton, all of whom I have worked with and been friends with for many years. I am excited for them and know they are going to do an excellent job running the store and I’m looking forward to a great 2008 season.

Laurie Ten Eyck

06/03/2008 18:14 |