Rogowski wins a MacArthur 'genius' award

By Linda McCandless

George Lawrence, an antiques dealer in Warwick, N.Y., used to call Cheryl Rogowski the "mayor of Warwick." Now he calls her the "genius of Pine Island." Rogowski, a farmer and a member of the current LEAD-New York class in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at Cornell, has received a 2004 MacArthur "genius award." She and 22 others will each receive a $500,000 fellowship, awarded over five years.

Rogowski

Out of 642 recipients, Rogowski is the first farmer ever to win a MacArthur Fellowship. The fourth-generation farmer grows over 200 varieties of fruits and vegetables on her family's 150-acre farm in Orange County. In explaining her lifelong commitment to the land, the 43-year-old Rogowski simply said, "The earth touches my soul."

Rogowski has been involved in several innovative agricultural programs, including soup kitchens and community supported agriculture programs in Warwick and New York City for Hispanics and seniors. She played a key role in new farm development projects, mentored immigrant farmers seeking their own farms, and supported literacy programs for migrant farm workers and public art exhibitions in support of local foods. She helped found the Warwick Farmers' Market, and she is an adviser to the Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) Immigrant Farmer Program in New York City and to the agriculture program for CCE/Orange County.

"Farmers are often the economic engines for their communities," said Rogowski. "They provide a quality of life by retaining the open spaces and rural character that so many people are seeking."

"Cheryl tirelessly gives her time and energy to promote the food industry to a wider community audience -- not for the good of her own farm business, but for the good of her industry and her community. She exemplifies the type of leadership behavior we encourage in LEAD," said Larry Van De Valk, director of the LEAD-New York program.

"LEAD has helped me refute those urban naysayers who tell me agriculture is doomed and reaffirmed my conviction that agriculture is still viable in New York," Rogowski said. Her future plans include making her farm more productive, writing an ethnic foods cookbook and helping the historical museum in Pine Island upgrade its agricultural exhibits on the onion farmers who settled Warwick.

The mission of LEAD-New York is to inspire and develop leaders for New York state's food and agricultural industries. The two-year program of workshops and field travel in the Department of Education in CALS helps midcareer professionals improve their skills in communication, leadership, issue analysis and networking.

The 2004 class of MacArthur fellows includes a marine roboticist, a ragtime pianist, a high school debating coach and a molecular biologist. Since 1981, when the MacArthur fellowship program was established, 682 people have been honored. The program places no restrictions on how recipients use the award. Ability to transcend traditional boundaries, willingness to take risks, persistence, extraordinary originality and a marked capacity for self-direction are important considerations in the selection process.