One must embrace a sense of intense optimism to override the creeping suspicion that the future of American farming looks bleak. According to the most recent “State of the American Farmer” report by the Modern Ag Alliance, it is expected that only about half of all farmers in this country will be able to turn a profit this year. The reality is that modern life is not amenable to the very stuff required to fuel it. Though we are far from solving the issue on a national stage, the farming communities of the Hudson Valley are hard at work building the infrastructure necessary to envision more positive times ahead.
Specifically, on a scant 15 acres in Bloomingburg, NY, an architecture professor named Eugene Kwak, 46, along with his wife, Claire Ko, 44, are connecting talented regenerative farmers and a league of tenacious Korean chefs with the land and support they need to grow fresh, diverse produce. They call this operation Togather and its mission is to offset the staggering costs of land access in order to promote smaller, more sustainable and biodiverse farming practices.
In 2015, Kwak, who was born in Korea, had completed his advanced degrees in architecture and urban design and was enjoying his life with his wife as professionals in New York City. Kwak was a full-time designer at Cookfox Architects, and teaching at Pratt and NYIT (Ko, who had emigrated from Korea at 14, was transitioning into her role as Chief People Officer at Maison Kayser).
A Sudden Rush of Gratitude
One morning, however, he found himself overwhelmed with gratitude and a sudden urge to give back that was impossible to ignore. “Some people call it a midlife crisis,” he says. “It was really a start of soul searching, you know? Why am I here?” It carried him from beloved local restaurants to farmers’ markets, to finally recognizing that farming was the true intersection of all his passions: sustainability, systems design, and food. He began to volunteer at farming centers including Dan Barber’s Stone Barns and The Glynwood Center in the Hudson Valley. Finally, in 2018, working with American Farmland Trust, he purchased an old dairy farm and began to build something bigger.
“It’s easy to become so overwhelmed by the crises of the world that believing one could make a difference is tantamount to delusion,” says Kwak. But he decided to use the culmination of all his skills to tackle two of the biggest obstacles facing farmers today: land access and housing. First, he designed and built a two-family house, one side for himself and his wife and the other for a rotating cast of farmers to use as they worked on the land. This was the beginning of Togather.
By the spring of 2019, a young family moved in and began their practice of regenerative farming—now a thriving small farm known as . They are a certified organic operation using practices that center on soil health and biological sustainability. They have managed to expand from a single acre to four, as well as double their revenue year after year, selling much of their produce at farmers’ markets.
The most successful part of Kwak’s endeavor, however, has been his role as a connector: In addition to the flourishing business of Hidden Acre Farm, Kwak established a relationship with the world of Hand Hospitality, a restaurant group that the New York Times described as “redefining Korean dining in New York.” Owners of more than 20 restaurants in Manhattan, Hand Hospitality is responsible for elevating and spreading the good word of fine Korean cuisine all over the city. With a focus on fresh ingredients and innovative palates, the group had been searching for a place to begin a farming operation when they were connected with Kwak.
Take, for example, Joo Ok. When Chef Chang-ho Shin moved his Michelin-starred restaurant from South Korea to New York City in 2023, he realized he had miscalculated the depth of the transition. While many of the ingredients he used in Korea were available here, the flavor and texture were simply not the same; the differences were subtle, but crucial.
“If I could not understand those nuances, I would not be able to achieve the balance I was aiming for,” Chef Shin explains. “Techniques matter, but ingredients set the ceiling.” Though cultivating their own produce has certainly been a learning experience, observing and embracing the entire life cycle of a plant has always been an integral part of Chef Shin’s work in the kitchen. The chef personally goes up every Monday and Thursday to check the crops—from cabbage to chili peppers to kkaennip leaves; a leafy herb, integral to Korean cuisine—and harvest what is ready for the restaurant.
“Season by season,” he says, “we are building knowledge.” It is one thing to recognize a broken system and quite another to embark on a multilevel attempt to rectify the situation. Though still in its infancy, Togather has been successful in its objective of a network of diverse, connective, empowered farmers cultivating strong relationships in addition to their produce. What began as one man’s question has blossomed into a distinct vision of a more optimistic future.
Kwak describes his motivation as a simple “love for the environment,” but the reality is more complex: If you want to live in the house you love, you have to build it with your hands. If you want to bring your diversity into the world in a tangible way, you have to put your hands in the dirt and grow it.
Togather
Bloomingburg | @togather_us
