Gathering focuses on identity of region

CANTON — In some ways, the town of Hardwick, Vt., is very similar to many in the north country. Both have small populations and struggling economies comprised mostly of blue-collar workers. But Hardwick differs in how it feeds itself.

Over the past several years, residents of the small northern Vermont town have banded together to start local farms and food cooperatives and a book has been written to tell the town's story.

On Tuesday, the book's author, Ben Hewitt, came to St. Lawrence University to talk about applying the lessons of Hardwick here.

"Practically speaking, if this stuff can happen in Hardwick, it can happen here," Mr. Hewitt, who runs a small farm in Cabot, Vt., said. "A greenhouse can be put up for a couple thousand bucks and that can start seeds to feed an entire community."

Mr. Hewitt, author of "The Town that Food Saved: How one community found vitality in local food," was the keynote speaker at this year's North Country Symposium.

More than 100 people from across the north country came together to brainstorm ways to reinvigorate the region at the ninth annual symposium.

This year's program, "Growing our own way: Strengthening our identity for the north country's future," focused on trying to create a regional brand and increase awareness about the need to support local businesses, especially small farmers.

Though the north country does have farmers markets throughout the summer months and co-ops and community-supported agriculture, to make the idea really take off there needs to be a change in attitude, Mr. Hewitt said.

"Unless you can sort of change the values of the community, you're not going to be able to do this," he said. "When we take this on ourselves, we really are empowering ourselves."

The discussions and smaller brainstorming sessions that broke out after Mr. Hewitt's keynote address were not all about supporting agriculture, but expanding the north country "brand" through expanded marketing efforts and helping other small businesses expand.

Business owners, economic development officers, farmers, teachers and other residents filled the main room in Eben Holden Dining Center to discuss ways to pull the community together further.

"We have a do-it-yourself attitude here in the north country. The focus needs to be on how we can translate that into the marketplace," said Matthew Draper, deputy director for Clarkson University's Shipley Center for Innovation. "It's not automatically assuming that we come up with this idea but we have to send it somewhere south to make it viable."

St. Lawrence University began hosting symposia regarding the north country's economy in 2003 in an effort to foster collaboration between different sectors of the economy.

People broke up into separate discussion groups to talk about business development, food and agriculture as well as health and human services. After a break for lunch, they then discussed energy, education and quality of life, arts and recreation.

Each session discussed different ideas to create a sustainable north country and tried to identify the best ways to meet those goals.

"I think as individuals (we need) to get inspired, to go to farmers markets or get involved in community-supported agriculture and not just in food," manager of Birdsfoot Farms, Russell, Kerstin "Dulli" Tengeler said. "I think his talk was very inspirational to keep going."

Canton symposium...