Katelyn Lipton designed this logo for the BQE, a project piloted by Karen Washington of Rise and Root Farm that connects small farms in the Hudson Valley to buyers in New York City. Katelyn Lipton’s Website
Produce/BQE
Soil to Service
Chester Agricultural Center is the home of BQE, a collaborative of 18 first-generation, small farms across the Hudson Valley, Capital Region and Catskills, united by a shared commitment to sustainability, regeneration, and community. Most farms practices soil-centered, water-protective, seed-saving methods rooted in ecological stewardship.
Together, BQE farms aggregate and distribute from the Chester Agricultural Center — making it easy for farm-to-table restaurants, institutions, food distributors and emergency food providers to source directly from farmers who care as much about the land as they do about quality. In 2024, regional, BIPOC-led farms, led by Rise & Root Farm, formed the BQE as an aggregator to assist small-scale farms to reach wholesale and other new market channels in NYS.
Our goal was to become stronger together, forming an alliance of small farms who increase volumes to reach new markets, while reducing transport costs and climate impacts. Many of our clients are providing food access in their local communities. In 2026, 18 farms are selling products through BQE.
