Welcome to the launch of the New York Agri-Women blog. Big thank you to the folks at EDJE for designing this website for us. EDJE offers discounts to agriculture organizations and I 
hope that you will consider EDJE for your web design needs. Huge thank you to our generous business sponsors who made this website possible. If you are interested in being a business sponsor, please contact me. I am really looking forward to following this blog and reading posts from other women involved in the New York agriculture industry. For those of you who don’t know me, I am the founding member and newly elected President of New York Agri-Women, a state affiliate of American Agri-Women (@Women4Ag).
Who Is Cari Rincker?
I am a food and agriculture attorney in Manhattan, an entreprenuer, a cattle owner, a livestock photographer, a livestock judge, a writer, and a social media lover. I am passionate about our food and fiber system and I believe that a strong U.S. agriculture system is paramount for food security around the world. Before starting my own law practice, I completed a consultancy at the Food and Agriculture Organization (“FAO”) of the United Nations in Rome, Italy and was an advisor on international policy to the Permanent Mission of the Marshall Islands to the United Nations. I grew up on a Simmental beef cattle farm in Shelbyville, Illinois and have degrees in animal science. True to my cattle roots, I am on the leadership board for National Cattlemen’s Beef Association‘s (“NCBA”) Young Producers’ Council (“YPC”) and a voting member on NCBA’s Agriculture Policy Committee. I am also on the legislative committee for the New York Beef Producers’ Association and on the leadership board for the New York Simmental Association. Furthermore, I sit on the Agriculture and Rural Issues Committee and Animal Law Committee for the New York State Bar Association. I love New York City, the Yankees (don’t hate!), running around Central Park, playing volleyball, watching college basketball, and traveling internationally. I live on the Upper West Side with my cat, Felicity, and I started an Ag Book Club for my subway reading.
I just celebrated my fourth year of being a New Yorker and one year of being an agriculture law blogger. In a sense, I am new to the agriculture community here in New York. But at the same time I have been around this industry my entire life. I love the beautiful diverse agriculture industry that this state has and I am proud to be a part of it.
So Why Did I Start New York Agri-Women?
Some of you might be wondering why an attorney in NYC would start an agriculture organization. Afterall, I live in the most densely populated city in the country. I first learned about American Agri-Women (“AAW”) several years ago when I was interning on The Hill in Washington, D.C. for Congressman Kevin Brady. AAW was having its annual reception during its lobbying trip to D.C. I mostly went for the free food (poor intern) but while I was there I learned a lot about the organization and what it stood for. I have been a member of AAW for several years. I believe that the organization is doing a great job reaching out to consumers and elected representatives. Upon learning that AAW did not have a state affilate in New York, I decided to take on the challenge. I believe that women have a unique and important voice in the agriculture industy and I am excited to see how that united voice can impact the New York agriculture industry. I hope that New York Agri-Women can be a powerful teammate with already existing agriculture organizations in New York. Additionally, because I live in New York City, I am aware of the misconceptions that the urban public has about the agriculture industry. I am passionate about connecting with consumers – both urban and rural - to help spread the truth about this industry that is so near to my heart.
So What Lies Ahead For New York Agri-Women?
That is up to the membership. I have laid the groundwork but it will take the time of energy from our volunteers to help make New York Agri-Women successful. We had an amazing turnout for the AAW reception and agri-tours in New York City. The organization also had successful meet-ups in the Finger Lakes and Syracuse regions. Please let me know if you are interested in planning a meet-up in your neck of the woods. We just had officer elections a few weeks ago and we are still looking for some County Leaders. If you are interested, please email me at newyorkagriwomen@gmail.com.
The New York Agri-Women leadership board has been busy planning events for the next year and shaping what we hope the organization will look like. The purpose of New York Agri-Women is three fold — to educate: (i) consumers, (ii) elected officials, and (iii) fellow agriculture producers. During the next year, next three years, and next ten years, I hope that the organization’s activities will be in line with these core goals. We have shaped the committees accordingly and I am excited to see what the committee chairs have in store.
Please follow New York Agri-Women on Twitter and Facebook. You can also join our Google Group. Looking forward to getting to know more women involved in the New York agriculture industry. Please feel free to contact me anytime at 646/717.2659 for more information about New York Agri-Women.
