Chenango County forked over much more than a bail of hay last week to New York State officials who toured a unique sampling of three enterprises that make up the local agricultural industry.
After first pitching an inside look at the workings of an environmentally conscious farm – the Tumilowicz Dairy – followed by Agro Farma, Inc., where a massive new market for milk has developed, the tour bus proceeded to the innovative, organic vegetable and fruit growing systems under cover at Norwich Meadows Farms.
The group of approximately 35 state officials and local ag representatives were greeted at the state Rt. 23 site by a sampling table brimming with multi-colored heirloom tomatoes, raspberries and thin-skinned cucumbers. Dishing it out was Haifa Kurdieh, who with her husband, Zaid and his business partner, Dr. Yusef Harper, founded Norwich Meadows Farms in 1998.
Zaid Kurdieh proceeded to lead a brisk walk through the organic farm operation’s 50 plus acres of vegetables and melons, strawberries and tomatoes – all held off the ground on trellises and protected under multiple hoop houses, or high tunnels. The structures keep rain, snow and cold temperatures from the produce, allowing for a longer growing season much like farmers enjoy in a few zones south of Central New York.
The trellis structures consist of metal poles and frames with individual string supports that get attached to the vines as they grow higher. In the case of melons, each fruit is further protected in individual nets. Through a Susquehanna River Basin Commission contract, water is piped in from nearby Canasawacta Creek
“I’ve never seen tomato vines that high before in my life,” commented retired farmer Don Franklin, now chairman of the Chenango County Farmland Protection Committee and one of those who suggested the organic farm be on the tour.
“The place is packed. I’m totally amazed at how much he has. It just goes to show what you can do if you set your mind to it,” he said.
Norwich Meadows Farms currently sells more than 99 percent of its produce through greenmarkets in New York City, such as the Union Square Greenmarket, and also directly to restaurants and stores, like Dean & Deluca.
To keep up with demand, and finding themselves out-of-room at the Norwich farm, Kurdieh and Harper leased additional acreage in New Jersey last year. They are also always on the look out for chefs and large, certified kitchens that can receive delivery of their when it’s ripe and then incorporate it into recipes.

Labor and housing remain problematic
During the peak season, Norwich Meadows Farms employs approximately 29 people, 15 of whom are local and the remainder are seasonal field workers brought in from Egypt. There are about two to three core workers year round, including Zaid and his son.
Kurdieh explained that the hoop houses’s intricate growing system takes the kind of skill and speed of which Egyptians are most familiar.
“They are skilled. They do a perfect job every time to get the maximum growth we can,” he said.
But unfortunately, New York State immigration regulations have held up three workers whom he’s already hired, and local housing deficiencies are making it difficult to bring in more from abroad.
“A meaningful change is needed in immigrant worker visa policies. If we can’t bring the people in from overseas to do the planting, the whole thing will go out of business,” he warned.
He said he struggles to find local workers willing and able to do the kind of work required, even in management positions.
“Nobody local wants to work. It’s a hard job, doesn’t pay a lot of money. Nobody wants to be that hot anymore. Only the people who like it are willing to do it,” he said.
During the growing season, 80 percent of Kurdieh’s time is spent working and 20 percent managing labor. For the rest of the year, managing labor issues consume most of his time.
Cornell Cooperative Extension Director Ken Smith said Norwich Meadow’s Egyptian laborers are highly skilled, might have college degrees in agriculture and require very little supervision. He said farms of all kinds are hiring laborers from Mexico, Guatemala and Jamaica.
A bevy of agencies hosted the event, including Cornell Cooperative Extension, Chenango County Farm Bureau, the Farmland Protection Board, and Chenango County Soil and Water Conservation District. Numerous county supervisors made up the 34 in attendance. State officials on hand were: New York State Assembly members Donna Lupardo (D-126th Dist.) and Peter Lopez (R-127th Dist.) and staff representatives from the offices of Assemblyman William Magee and Senators James Seward (R-51st Dist.) and Thomas Libous (R-52nd Dist.) A representative of U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna (R-NY) also attended.