Local farmers face theft | Leader Herald News

“I stayed there every day until about a week ago when we switched to vegetables,” said Korona, who owns Korona Premier Farm with her husband, Bob. “We have the greenhouses going. It’s mainly Bob and I doing it, so we can’t be there all the time.”

The measure became necessary after several abuses of the honor system. The Koronas are one of many farms that have suffered losses due to thieves. However, the horde of farmers remains resilient and continues to offer their crops and support each other.

“The farming community is small, we are close-knit,” says Erika Gorgis, owner of The Plaid Farm Store in Amsterdam.

She noted that many local farmers are in a group app and that when one of them experiences theft, they are often the first to report it, trying to spread the word and prevent further crimes.

“If someone violates one position, it doesn’t stop there,” she said.

Although there are cameras at the Koronas stand, the thieves are not always easy to track down.

“Once a lady drove in and took flowers and absolutely did not pay. I know a gentleman on camera also did not pay, and that was only in the last four days,” Korona said last week.

The most scandalous thing about Corona is the theft of non-essential items.

“The saddest thing is that if it was vegetables or food and they needed it, we would help everyone,” Korona said. “But that’s not necessary, if they steal flowers or take three at a time. They might just resell them.”

Korona said the support is greater than the scammers and they have no plans to go anywhere yet.

“Generally, everyone is so grateful and thankful that we are here and for what we are doing,” Korona said. “But unfortunately, you have people like that and it is very sad.”

Gorgis expressed these sentiments, saying that every year there are “a few bad seeds.”

In a June 2023 Facebook post, Gorgis shared photos of a woman stealing from the store. The post was shared thousands of times, leading to the suspect being identified in the comments.

Thanks to the efforts of the New York State Police, the thief in question was apprehended and ordered to repay Gorgis.

“I couldn’t have asked for better support from the state police that helped me, and also from the justice system here in our city, because they’re actually giving me a full refund,” Gorgis said. “I honestly didn’t expect to get all of my stuff back… so I’m very grateful for that.”

In a follow-up post, Gorgis wrote: “Please don’t be so stupid, don’t steal from my store! But most importantly, if you need food or help, just ask.”

Besides the loss of produce, theft also costs farmers a lot of time.

Just as Joanne Korona was forced to man the booth, Gorgis had to spend hours sifting through security footage to capture screenshots and recordings. The task was simple, but time-consuming.

“It’s tough. I barely have time to do my regular full-time job and also stock the store,” Gorgis said.

Fulton County Sheriff Richard Giardino noted that there will undoubtedly be a spike in thefts during the summer months when more stands are open, but that the problem is generally rare. He acknowledged that the impact is more pronounced for small farmers, however.

“I think it’s rare for the amount of farm stands that we have in the summer, but if you’re a victim of it, it’s not rare. It’s annoying,” the sheriff said. “The numbers tell us it’s rare and not a big deal, but if you’re one of the ones that they’re stealing from, then obviously it’s a big deal for you.”

He gave tips to reduce theft, such as setting up stalls on your farm, closer to home than the road, installing cameras and regularly taking cash inside to avoid large sums of money being left unattended.

“Farmers are some of the hardest working people in our country. There are fewer and fewer farmers and they are working harder and harder to feed people. Yet these people use the local stalls,” Giardino said.