Written By: Ellie Wilson, MS, RD Senior Nutritionist, Price Chopper Supermarkets
Springboard – planting in full swing at Black Horse Farms Greene County is home to Black Horse Farms, and with leaves and buds popping out on trees and bushes, it was starting to live up to its name when dietetic intern Kelly Smith and I visited at the end of April. One of the largest vegetable growers in New York State, Lloyd Zimmerman and his family has made farming a family business. Lloyd moved into farming on his own, with a little help from his parents, in the early 1960’s, and his business now employs both of his daughters, a son-in-law, and three grandsons. A true diplomat, Lloyd was careful to tell us that his wife, Mary Lou, is the real boss.
We toured multiple green houses on a clear, warm morning – they have about 40 all together. We saw the planting g room, where a machine helps workers push dirt into seedling planters, and greenhouses full of pumpkin and pepper plants, tomatoes, rosemary, and flowers. The Zimmerman’s grow all of their own plants, which has been the practice of most of the farmers I have seen so far, though some items may come from different farms that just supply growing plants to farmers. Cabbage is being planted in the field today, and tomatoes will go into fields in May.
