opportunity in upstate New York

west penn · March 05, 2011, 04:05:42 PM

Recently my two best customers, Amish cabinet makers, called to let me know that they and six other Amish families are moving to upstate New York in the area of Holland Patent (somewhere between Rome and Utica). They will be building houses, barns , work shops, etc. and will be needing lots of lumber. Also they have been buying approx. 1mbf per month of KD cabinet wood from me for the last 10 yrs or so. I hate to see them go. This is a great opportunity for someone in that area. They are planning to move in the may to july time frame.
PM me if you are in the area and are interested.

Mark K · March 05, 2011, 04:19:59 PM

There is a lot of Amish moving in the area here. I'm about 20 minutes from Holland Patent, just outside of Rome. We sold one Amish family a load of baleage, when he came to the farm to look at it he saw our mill shed. Asked a ton of questions and studied my Lt40 Woodmizer. They can't have electric even on there mills. He bought a Hud-son in the end. There is also a Amish mill north of here in Lowville. It's a pretty decent sized operation. They shouldn't have any problem finding mills in the area.

Ironwood · March 05, 2011, 08:54:05 PM

I love Holland Patent, just wish the Stewarts was open 24/7. ;) I love the renovation job the one family did on the nice Victorian near the cemetary. I have some contacts up there and they are developing a community in that region. I went and met the one Amish fellow (and his extended family) in person when they were down here at Children's Hosp. in Pittsburgh. Good folks. I deal "locally" with his cousin 2 hours from me (local :D). Nice area, your lucky to live there.

Ironwood

west penn · March 05, 2011, 11:25:23 PM

Eli and Lester both do exceptionally nice work, I would reccomend them to anyone looking for cabinets. They did nearly 40 kitchens last year between them. They will be looking for KD lumber before summer is over.

Mark K · March 06, 2011, 08:31:01 AM

Over towards the Vernon, Augusta area they built a community also. Last year fourteen family's moved in that area. Five familys bought up a 600 cow dairy and divided it up into smaller farms like it use to be. I'd rather see the smaller farms pop back up. There buying land thats been vacant for years and turning it back into production ground. Usually one family has a mill and cuts for the rest. Seems like a lot moving in. Why they leaving Pa?

Woodbuzzer · March 06, 2011, 08:51:23 AM

There are a couple of mills in the area.Koenig Bros Sawmill is about 15 miles north of Holland Pattent On the North Lake Rd outside of Forrestport.(Ph#315-392=4891)The other is Spink Lumber,which is up in Camden,and Onieda.(Ph#315-245-3513)They also have a web site-www.spinklumber.com.Also Hud-Son band mills are made about 5 miles from H Pattent in Barneveld so maybe they can get some more info from them-Buzz

Ironwood · March 06, 2011, 09:01:51 AM

I think there is pressure from Englisman (as we're all called), taking some of the open land for houses. It is a bit embarrassing quite frankly, some BIG ridiculus houses, some smaller but all nibbling at the edges of the farmable terrain. Also I think it serves some other goals of mixing genes, gives another semi close areas settle. They go visit family more than I thought given distance and need to hire drivers. I could not believe how many extended family came down to Children's Hosp. for the operation on the one little boy, Mom, Dad, siblings, Uncles,Aunts, Grandpa, Grandma, cousins. It was quite an insite into their culture. The "Elders" of the community tend to help guide things somewhat. The folks I know and the one moving up to Holland I believe should be "Old Order", they are allowed to use, phones, and cell phones for busines purposes. I must say I do find their treatment of their women in the culture a bit distasteful. ALOT of depression in females in their community, ALOT, @#$% I'd be depressed too.

Ironwood

west penn · March 06, 2011, 11:05:05 AM

Although most amish in this area work in the woods, (cutting and skidding with horses does much less damage) or work on sawmills, one of the reasons for moving is because the farmers can only sell their milk to the cheese factories because they have no refrigeration but as I understand it , in New York they can get into the organic milk business and get much more$$ for it. I'm sure there are many other reasons as mentioned.

Mark K · March 06, 2011, 12:30:08 PM

Up here they ship there milk to a co-op. They have a community bulk tank that they all haul there milk to. It's a building in the center of the community that has electricity to cool the milk. The highest they can get is class C milk because it is moved so many times. There community phone is next to the milk house. I'm glad to see them come and use farms that have been sitting for years. They have a Amish store that does a heck of a lot of business. People like there products, not full of preservatives and other junk.

Raider Bill · March 06, 2011, 06:18:52 PM

Mark, I wonder how the Amish and the Indians will get along? Seems the Oneidas are buying around your area as fast as they can.

Mark K · March 06, 2011, 06:35:35 PM

The Oneida's buying land came to a grinding halt about two years ago. There trying to be claimed a soveirent nation. They would have bought up all that land before the Amish. The Oneida's just sold off all there farm equipment last fall and the land is sitting. They own everything across the road from me. Glad to see the Amish getting use out of the land and it staying on the tax rolls.

Raider Bill · March 06, 2011, 06:45:11 PM

Wow I had no idea they stopped buying everything and the farming. Was it due to the econemy or that they are having a hard tom lately in court?

Mark K · March 06, 2011, 07:27:42 PM

Having a hard time in court so they sold all there equipment, slaughtered all there Black Angus herd, sold all crops in the field this past fall. They bought up almost all farms in Verona. We have about four dairy farms left, we had over twenty. The Casino does bring in a lot of jobs but also a lot of mischief :(.

metljakt · March 07, 2011, 02:46:46 PM

I was born and raised in Oneida. Haven't been there since the end of the Vietnam War. When I was a boy there were some mighty big trees in upstate. Been in the NW since 1970 & never went back. Maybe I should plan a trip. Nothing but 7 varieties of softwoods here. Cut D. Fir here like there's no tomorrow.

Woodbuzzer · March 07, 2011, 07:55:17 PM

Yepp-All those farms just sittin there like they were all just abandoned.Its a shame to see them fallin apart!!!Oh but they have that beautifull casino that just keeps on ripping people off!!!!You can say what you want about the Amish,but there not thieves like the other people are-Buzz

Raider Bill · March 08, 2011, 10:29:43 AM

I used to hunt where the casino is now when I was a kid.

johnjbc · March 11, 2011, 06:46:20 PM

My wife just got word that her High school class will be holding their reunion in the Casino in September. She is from Utica and our daughter lives on Shed Rd off of Rt. 26 south of Rome so we are in the area quite often.

Mark K · March 12, 2011, 08:14:51 AM

We use to own the barn on the end of Shed Rd. towards Blackmans Corners. Milked 40 cows in that barn and had another barn down the road that we milked 35 in. Moved the farm to Taberg in the early 90's.

Ironwood · March 13, 2011, 05:14:35 PM

I believe I know where Blackman's Corner is, I have a friend who has a Blacksmith shop on the country road that leads across the big swamp east of Sylvan Beach, NY and I have "dead reconed" several times both South and East, once heading to 365 and west back to the Thruway. I remember a sign Blackman's Corner. FLAT country.

Ironwood