 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
| Sign up to get our E-Newsletter |
| Email Address: |
|
Archived Newsletters December '06 November '06 September '06 August '06 July '06 June '06 March '06 January '06 November '05 October '05 September '05 August '05 July '05 June '05 May '05 April '05 January '05 |
March 2006 - Change is upon us
In this issue
Embracing Change
Young’s Farm will remain OPEN through December of 2006
"The Villages at Young’s Farm" will continue to be a destination.
Contact Us
I’m certain you are all reading about the changes at Young’s Farm. It seems we get letters and questions daily expressing sorrow and concern for the farm and our family. We would like to use this newsletter to say “Thank You” to all of you who have supported Young’s Farm over the years, and we thank you now, in this time of transition, for your prayers and well wishes. Hopefully we can answer some of the reoccurring questions and give our customers and friends a better understanding of the changes happening at Young’s Farm. Please read on for more information and know that you can always find current updates at www.youngsfarminc.com.
Embracing change is always difficult. What often helps is understanding the past and the evolution of events that brings us to today. I am going to take a moment to try to clarify the last few years.
In 1999, we learned that for every year we continued to farm and refused to extinguish our irrigation water rights, the value of our farm would decrease by approximately four percent. We were stunned! We immediately went to work trying to change what we still believe to be a misguided rule.
A ten-year reprieve signed by the governor and called the Young’s Farm Bill passed the 2000 state legislature. Instead of four percent each year the value of our farm would decrease by approximately forty percent at the end of the ten years.
Using this time to try and "Save the Farm" gave us some hope. Trying to sell the farm’s development rights seemed like the best opportunity to preserve our land. I speak from the heart when I say we love this farm and believe the rich soil of this valley deserves to be farmed and produce food.
The creation of the Arizona Agriculture Protection Act was the first success of our efforts. Codified as Title 3 Chapter 18 of the Arizona Revised Statutes, it gives state recognition and definition to "Protected Farmland".
Then, because the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) had decreased our Water Duty from 4.3 acre feet per acre per year to 2.9 acre feet, we believed the 1980 water code needed to be opened and changed. Most everyone advised us that this would be impossible and controversial. However, we succeeded! Now "Protected Farmland" is recognized in state water law and ADWR cannot take any more irrigation water rights away from "Protected Farmland". (ARS 45-483)
Friends, customers, and visitors to our annual pumpkin festival donated over 150,000 dollars to the Central Arizona Land Trust and the Trust for Public Lands to finance a capital fundraising campaign.
Working with the Natural Resource Conservation Service, the "Save Young’s Farm" effort was able to obtain Arizona’s first ever Federal Farm and Ranch Land Protection grant for over half the money needed. However, due to the economic downturn coming with the new century, the state’s struggle to balance an over- extended budget, and other factors, raising the other half proved to be out of reach.
I think the final blow came in September of 2004 when four of the seven State Transportation Board members denied our Highway Enhancement grant proposal even though it was overwhelmingly endorsed and recommended by the Northern Arizona Council of Governments and the State Transportation Board’s own advisory committee.
In the fall of 2004 we were approached by the town of Prescott Valley essentially asking us to annex Young’s Farm into their town. City services would be valuable but we were still trying to remain hopeful about saving the farm, and we believe the rich history of Dewey-Humboldt deserves a chance to develop with its own unique character.
In January 2005 we officially ended the "Save Young’s Farm" effort and started working toward:
- Finding another property where we can continue in production agriculture because that is what we want to do;
- Ensuring the continued availability of Young’s Farm products desired by our customers; and
- Finding a buyer who appreciates the value of our farm and offers the best hope for a quality project highlighting the history and reflecting the character of our community with appropriate scale and services.
We are proud to announce a new partnership with the Basha Family to carry Young’s Farm products in their AJ’s Fine Food Stores and we have started our own "online store" at www.youngsfarminc.com.
We believe that Don Allison of Monogram Companies and Tom Chambers are the right partners to buy the farm, work with the community and create the next chapter for Young’s Farm. We plan to work with them to build a smooth, positive transition.
For detailed information regarding our efforts to Save Young’s Farm and the legislative action taken please click on the Young’s Farm Status page of our website.
Young’s Farm will remain OPEN through December of 2006
We are happy to inform you that you can plan on one final season of traditional Young’s Farm events. This year we will be hosting the annual Pie Festival on Memorial Day Weekend, the Garlic Festival the last weekend in June, the Corn Festival the last weekend in July, the Friday Night Corn Feed Dinners every Friday night in August, of course, the annual fall Pumpkin Festival in October and fresh Young’s Farm turkeys for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The Country Store and Farm Restaurant will also remain open and we will have fresh produce in the produce barn this summer and fall. We are planting the sweet corn in April and will have ample supply from July through September. So don’t erase Young’s Farm family outings from your calendar. Plan a visit this year for more fun memories and experiences. Calendar of Events.
"The Villages at Young’s Farm" will continue to be a destination.
The buyers and developers of Young’s Farm would like to see this land and the community of Dewey-Humboldt continue to be a destination for families in Yavapai County as well as around the state of Arizona. It is their intention to keep a restaurant and store open as well as a farmers market. They have discussed plans of other hometown businesses such as a barbershop and a bank in the commercial part of their development and would like to incorporate street fairs and crafts during special holidays. They plan to incorporate parks and open space areas as well as utilizing the existing ponds and Cottonwood trees on the property for family adventures.
Not only do you have this to look forward to, but you can also continue to find fresh Young’s Farm poultry at your nearby AJ’s Fine Foods and Basha’s grocery stores. Or visit the online store at www.youngsfarminc.com to purchase specialty items provided by Young’s Farm such as Vidalia Onion dressing or Apple Butter. Take a look at the link to see all the items available online from Young’s Farm.
If you have any questions or comments please feel free to e-mail us at
928-632-7272 | P.O. Box 147 Dewey, Arizona 86327 | Webmaster
Copyright © Young's Farm, Inc. 2005. All Rights Reserved.