We Are Upstate NY With Fierce Small Farm Advocate Dana DiPrima

Meet Dana DiPrima, a.k.a. “Farm Girl”, a corporate executive turned accidental farmer and a passionate advocate for farmers, open space and healthy food. Dana founded the website For Farmers Movement, where she leads a program that offers essential grants to small and mid-sized American farms.

Sincere and articulate, Dana brings a contagious passion to her fans, followers and farmers through her engaging and wisdom-packed podcast, “One Bite is Everything” and on her social media posts. In her playful series of short, engaging videos on Instagram, for example, Dana begins with “Here’s something I bet you didn’t know,” in which she debunks myths and misconceptions about farming and the environment. Sharing important facts without being pedantic, she offers important info about sustainability, deforestation, climate change, and the benefits of supporting organic and Fairtrade practices, all while keeping the tone fun and devoid of ire. Dana then invites us to be part of the solution, knowing that “no farms” really means “no food.” In a post entitled, “Have You Found Ghosts Where Farms Used To Be?” Dana shares, “Far too often, when I hear about a farm and start to research them, I hear they have disappeared. Between 2017 and 2022, 141,733 small farms closed their doors. Those are the ghosts. The loss of a small farm means the loss of good food, an economic driver, and environmental steward.” Yet again, she has led her viewers into the tough stuff while inspiring them to take notice and action without leaving them feeling devastated.

“Far too often when I hear about a farm and start to research them, I hear they have disappeared. Between 2017 and 2022, 141,733 small farms closed their doors.”

Helping Farmers in 33 States: Through all her work, Dana reminds us how we, too, can help with advocacy and consciousness-raising by making better, actionable choices, shopping locally and supporting small farmers, supporting her grant program, and not contributing to the widespread use of pesticides. In its first year, For Farmers Movement awarded grants to 75 small and mid-sized farms in 33 states. Three farms also received financial support through the first annual People’s Choice Award on National Ag Day. The For Farmers grant process takes place annually, starting with farmer nominations on October 12th, National Farmer’s Day. Grants are announced on the first Wednesday after Thanksgiving each year.

“Farmers are essential. They’re at the center of solutions to our health, environment, communities and economy.”

Let’s learn more about Dana DiPrima’s journey and work below in our exclusive interview. We hope you will “like her” on social media, consider giving to her campaign this holiday season and beyond – contributions make great gifts!

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INSIDE+OUT: Where are you from and how did you wind up in the Hudson Valley?

Dana DiPrima: I grew up in North Carolina and moved to New York City, sorta by accident, when I graduated from college (University North Carolina Chapel Hill). In the shadows of the towering skyscrapers, I met my husband of 30 years, worked in many industries and raised my family (two grown kids who still live nearby). I still spend a lot of time there, where I am fortunate enough to have access to the fruits of the labors of many Hudson Valley farmers. In 2008, my husband and I bought a property in Upstate New York that is now our family compound that we share with a flock of hens, some ducks, goats, bees and two donkeys.

We love what you are doing for our farmers in the Hudson Valley – and beyond. What drew you to the farming movement?  Was farming something you were surrounded with growing up?

When I was a kid, I remember thinking that the two things I would never want to be when I grew up were 1) a farmer and 2) a radio personality. I am both — an accidental farm girl working to support small farmers and a weekly podcaster who is often on local radio. I think growing up in the 80s with the farming crisis booming on the evening news was a significant influence in some way, almost subliminally, on my intrinsic understanding of farmer struggles and how essential they are.

Do you actually live on a farm?

I split my time between New York City and a small farm with livestock — ducks, chickens, goats, donkeys and honeybees — and way too many gardens for one farm girl to handle on her own. When we repurchased the land in 2008, it boasted some vestiges of its history as a working farm. I brought that back and have maintained it since 2010 when my then 9-year-old daughter asked if we could get some chickens. The rest followed. Chickens are a slippery slope to a bigger farm.

Tell us about your organization, For Farmers Movement. What is it and what are the goals for the organization?

The For Farmers Movement aims to create a unique space where farmers and non-farmers can come together. The central idea is to support small American farmers by making sure they are not invisible. For Farmers does this in a few key ways:

1. By sharing farmer stories (on social media and in One Bite is Everything podcast that’s been running since 2019).
2. By dispelling myths and replacing them with facts.
3. By supporting farmers directly with grants, other resources and acknowledgments.

Did you have a background in grant writing to make this happen?

I have a background in community organizing, partnerships + grantmaking through some 25 years of working for the public good in the government, private non-profit organizations, community-based organizations and big corporations.

How long have you been on social media as “xoxo, Farm Girl”?

Forever, it seems. I started a blog in 2016 that I used to sign, “xoxo, Farm Girl,” as I got used to using my own voice in this direction. I think my Instagram @xoxofarmgirl somewhat preceded that as a humorous nod to Gossip Girl.

Explain the importance of storytelling for farmers.

Farmers have become more and more invisible in the decades since I was a girl. They are no longer at the center of government and politics. Small farmers, in particular, are often overshadowed and sidelined by giant industrial farms. Their invisibility leads to their disappearance, a trend that has continued since the mid-1900s. Sharing farmer stories helps non-farmers — important customers — understand their importance and the pivotal role that small farms play in our agricultural system and our collective health, communities, environment and local and regional economies.

MEET THE FARMER: Deep Roots Farm in Copake, NY | Micro-Grant Recipients from “For Farmers Movement”

Describe the types of grants you help Farmers get and what the review process is like.

Since 2023, the For Farmers Movement has issued grants nationally to small farmers. The grants range from $500 to $1000 for individual farms and from $1000 to $3000 for farm collaborations. For the most part, grants are awarded to support equipment, infrastructure, the offsetting of expenses or price spikes, to make up for a loss, to improve farm safety and for innovation. Farmers apply for what they need on the farm. I’m very excited to announce we stand to add 100 new grants this year by December 4th!

How do Farmers find out about your program?

Social media, a weekly letter, the One Bite is Everything podcast, partnerships, PR and media coverage in publications and on podcasts and through the nominations process.

How can local residents and beyond help support this endeavor? Can they donate money on your website and what would their donation pay for?

Besides the nomination process, For Farmers invites regular citizens to participate in the Movement by sharing key messages and by donating $1 or more to the Farmer Grants Fund. Every single dollar raised through donations and events goes directly to farmers in an annual grants process that kicks off each year on National Farmer’s Day.

MEET THE FARMER: The Herbal Scoop Farm, Narrowsburg, NY |  Micro-Grant Recipients from “For Farmers Movement”

I just listened to your podcast One Bite is Everything, Episode 71: “The Growing Farmland Crisis in the US and Some Creative Solutions.”  Can you tell us about the top three reasons that contribute to this issue and some of the creative solutions to address it?

The top issue here is that:

• Farmland is expensive and hard to attain, especially for young farmers. They have little capital and those who can afford it are up against larger, more industrial farms with funds and investors.

Solutions include:

• Making sure that zoning laws are in place to protect farmland or putting it under environmental easement; this is a big issue and if it’s not clear in your area, you want it to be. More small farmers are being pushed out due to urban vs rural culture clashes.
• Farmers can lease land to farm, often allowing them to be closer to a customer base than affordable land for purchase.
• Farmers can barter for land, offering to repair lands or to provide produce or meat in exchange for the use of land.
• Sometimes, an exchange of land use for farming can earn landowners a tax break.
• Landowners can think creatively about allowing farmers to use their land and to build community. For example: For Farmers funded a land link project in Wyoming, where farmers find land from nearby landowners who would like their land farmed to address the above-mentioned issues.

What do you think is the most pressing issue for today’s farmers?

New farmers face issues with access to affordable land. Older farmers face issues with successfully passing on farmland to the next generation of farmers (family or others). All small farmers face major economic challenges — in a system often stacked against them as our food is sourced more industrially. They struggle to make a living wage without an off-farm job. They pay out many expenses upfront with no insurance or guarantee of a crop yield. They are up against climate change and more prolonged adverse weather patterns. It’s a long list, but it centers mainly around the economics of small-scale farming.

What do you love about living + working in the Hudson Valley?

I need nature. I grew up playing in the creek and woods near my childhood home in North Carolina, and I have never really gotten over it. I love to get my hands dirty and my imagination continues to drive me from within—whether it’s in my garden, my chicken coop cocktail bar, my little barn with its XO Dutch doors, or in the creation and perpetuation of the For Farmers Movement.

What is missing in the area that you wish we had?

Farm stores in every town featuring farm products exclusively from the local area.

Tell us something about yourself people would be surprised to know.

For the past two years, following a lifetime of thinking it was dumb, I have loved getting my nails done. The fancier, the better. And the more opaque the color, the easier it is to hide the dirt from the garden. Plus, my nails are more barn-ready this way, never splitting down the middle during some regular barn chore. I am also in the middle of writing a book.

Writing a book? Do tell!

Yes! I am working on a book that invites us into the lives of farmers and some of their most powerful customers to explore their relationships, the issues surrounding the food we eat and the impact they have on our daily lives. A robust proposal for the book is currently being considered by a list of literary agents.

What is your current state of mind?

By nature, I am optimistic. Even when I feel despair, I push forward with something positive and hopeful. I believe we all are responsible for doing our part to make the world a better place. My work in that direction grounds me and keeps me sane.

Photos Courtesy of Dana DiPrima | Select Photos: Jeanne Sager Photography @jeannesagerphotography

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