Signs to identify protected farmland

Goshen — Orange County, along with many towns and villages in the county, is spending millions of dollars on preserving farms and other open spaces. The public will soon be able to spot some of the scenic lands they are helping to preserve through the installation of farmland preservation signs. The dedication of the first sign was held Thursday morning, Oct. 25, at the Tunis and Sharon Sweetman Farm on County Route 1 in Warwick. The signs are a cooperative effort of the Orange County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board, the Warwick Town Board and Supervisor Michael Sweeton, the Montgomery Town Board and Supervisor Susan Cockburn, in addition to individual property owners in the Towns of Minisink and Goshen. In particular, the signs will identify farmlands that have received money through the Orange County Open Space Fund. As the county experiences rapid growth, maintaining the rural character and open spaces of local towns is important to many of the constituents who make these municipalities their home. Open space advocates say these preserved lands add value to the community for generations to come. In the next few months, 21 signs will be erected on the following preserved farms: Sayre Farm, Peachcroft Farm, Mabee Farm, Zylstra Family Farm, John Baird Farm, Miller Farm, Raynor Farm, Hoekstra Farm, Lowland Farm, Hodgson’s Farm, Bellvale Farms, Brach Dairy Farm, Borderland Farm, Peaceful Valley, Wisner Farm, North Star Farm, Lewis Farm, Brady Farm, Janiak, Myruski Farm, and Miller Farm.