Eight years ago, Adam Reed moved his farm to the Adirondacks. 

Saratoga County, where he had been based, was too expensive. Essex County, more affordable, came with a new challenge: running a sustainable business in a low-population region. 

“There’s a great farming community, but the farm-to-mouths-to-feed ratio isn’t ideal,” said Reed, who grows organic vegetables at Tangleroot Farm. “So, everyone’s finding their own niche.” At Tangleroot, the successful formula relies on maintaining Reed’s customer base in Saratoga County while finding ways to reach far-flung consumers in the Adirondacks.

Enter nonprofit partners

He’s been aided by two nonprofit organizations, the Essex Food Hub and AdkAction. The Hub delivers Tangleroot veggies to Saratoga County and deeper sections of the Adirondack Park, enabling Reed to spend more time on his town of Essex farm. AdkAction pays for community-supported agriculture (CSA) farm shares for lower-income households. 

Without AdkAction’s help, Reed doubts his veggies would reach the park’s more vulnerable residents. “We charge a fair bit for our food,” he said. “There’s no denying that. Part of that is reflecting an honest price for good, healthy food.”

Adirondack farmers, nonprofits, and government agencies have been trying to solve the puzzle of how to get more local food to residents for some time. These efforts accelerated during the pandemic when disruptions to supply chains, food shortages and spiking labor costs exposed the fragility of the food system.

In 2021, a coalition of organizations formed the Adirondack Food System Network (AFSN) to build a more resilient and sustainable food system less reliant on distant producers and more capable of absorbing unexpected shocks. 

“When the pandemic hit, when shelves were bare, when farmers didn’t know what to do, people began talking,” recalled Sawyer Bailey, executive director of Keeseville-based AdkAction, which sponsors AFSN.