Dutchess County Fair - Legacy of Agriculture & Community

Host Suzanne Rajczi, interviews John Hardeman of Hardeman Orchards about his family’s multi-generational fruit-farming legacy in Dutchess County and longtime support of the Dutchess County Fair. John recounts how his father became farm manager in 1951, the farm’s shift from cows to a nationally known Morgan horse operation, and the orchard’s growth and evolution toward retail as wholesale markets...

Host Suzanne Rajczi, welcomes Deb Scannell, a rabbit breeder and superintendent of the rabbit barn at the Dutchess County Fair, to discuss rabbits, guinea pigs (cavies), and youth agriculture education. Debbie shares how she began raising rabbits as a child, later joined 4-H with her daughter, expanded into guinea pigs and goats, and became involved with national breeder associations and breed sta...

Host Suzanne Rajczi visits Birchland Acres, a 15-acre Dutchess County family farm dating to the 1800s, and speaks with Michelle and Jeff Hicks about their diversified operation raising Black Angus and crossbred cattle, pigs, and poultry. Jeff shares the farm’s evolution from a larger property with pigs, a slaughterhouse, dairy cows, and horses to today’s beef focus, while Michelle explains breed o...

Host Suzanne Rajczi, visits Cooper Lane Farms with Katie Hines and Bob Ferris to explore the farm’s history and how it evolved from a former dairy property into an operation focused on hay, sweet corn, and local food education. Bob discusses hand-picked sweet corn, hay production and crop rotation, and the challenges and satisfaction of sustaining agriculture, including land conservation and chang...

Step into the powerful world of Percheron draft horses and carriage driving in this episode of Monday Moments. Host Suzanne Rajczi, speaks with Frank Castella of Castle Carriage about the history, strength, and legacy of these incredible horses from their origins as medieval warhorses in France to their vital role in American agriculture. Frank shares how he trains draft horses using trust and con...

Discover the vital role honeybees play in pollination, agriculture, and our food supply in this episode of Monday Moments. Host Suzanne Rajczi sits down with beekeeper Michael   Vlei Forge Apiary, in Rhinebeck, NY, to explore the fascinating world of beekeeping in the Hudson Valley. From hive structure and bee lifecycles to raw honey production and pollination economics, this episode breaks down h...

Host Suzanne Rajczi visits Soukup Farms in Dover Plains, New York, to learn from Mark and Jennifer Soukup about their multigenerational maple operation and its ties to the Dutchess County Fair’s working sugar shack. They discuss the farm’s history from a pre–Civil War orchard to today’s 150 acres owned, 500+ farmed, and 3,000+ tapped trees, along with sustainable forest management and proper tappi...

Suzanne Rajczi sits down with Russ and Amanda Brezinski of North Wind Farms in Tivoli, New York, a family-owned, vertically integrated livestock farm. Russ shares how the farm grew from his father’s 1982 start raising antibiotic-free poultry into a diversified operation with chickens, turkeys, cattle, pigs, lambs, goats, ducks, geese, guinea hens, and rabbits.  They describe raising and processing...

Today we visit Battenfeld Flower & Tree Farm in Red Hook, New York, to explore the story behind one of Dutchess County’s most unique multigenerational farms. Fred Battenfeld shares how the family operation evolved from apple orchards, dairy farming, and violet greenhouses into a thriving flower and Christmas tree business. The farm became known for greenhouse-grown anemones cold-season flowers...

The Dutchess County Agricultural Society is proud to present Episode 1 of our new podcast, The Legacy of Agriculture and Community. Hosted by Suzanne Rajczi, this series celebrates the people, farms, and traditions that define our region. Our first guest is Jennifer DeForest from Stormfield Swiss Farm. Located on the historic Knapp Farm property, Stormfield Swiss is a testament to the resilience o...

Hello and welcome to the Dutchess County Fair – Legacy of Agriculture & Community, a podcast dedicated to celebrating the people, farms, and traditions that make agriculture such an important part of our lives here in Dutchess County and beyond. I’m your host, Suzanne Rajczi — a 25-year member of the Dutchess County Agricultural Society, a foodservice industry leader, community advocate, and p...