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Good Morning, North Fork! This is your “I’m glad I read that” moment.

In today’s North Fork Buzz:

• The Real Cost of Farming

• Black Cat Supper Club

• New Local Childcare App

Ready, Set, Go!

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The Lowdown

The Real Cost of Farming 👩‍🌾

Farming on the North Fork may look idyllic from the roadside, but behind the scenes it’s one of the toughest businesses to break into, and even harder to sustain.

At a recent Cutchogue Civic Association panel, local farmers Les and Priscilla Howard and Dan and Prudence Heston pulled back the curtain on what it really takes: steep land prices, unpredictable weather, evolving town regulations, and the growing tension between agriculture and a changing residential community.

Programs like the Peconic Land Trust’s Farms for the Future are helping new farmers get started by offering access to land and shared resources. But even with support, success requires years of trial, error, and resilience, with farmers getting only so many “tries” thanks to the once a year growing cycle.

Then there’s the human factor. As more non-farming residents move in, conflicts are rising, from complaints about noise and aesthetics to outright interference with farm operations. Even with “Right to Farm” protections, navigating neighbor relationships has become part of the job.

Local laws haven’t fully kept pace either. Farmers say zoning restrictions often limit how they can use their land, especially as modern farms diversify into events, direct sales, and value added products to stay afloat.

And looming over it all is climate change. Farmers report more erratic weather, new pests, and even land lost to rising water levels, pushing many to adopt solutions like high tunnels to extend growing seasons.

Still, there’s optimism. Interest from new farmers remains strong, and the region’s agricultural diversity continues to evolve. But the message from those working the land is clear: preserving farmland isn’t enough, the community has to actively support the people farming it.

Get the full story 👉 North Fork Sun

Greenport Schools Face $3.1M Budget Gap 💰

Greenport School District is staring down a $3.1 million budget gap for the 2026–27 school year, and officials say it’s the result of rising costs colliding with a noticeable drop in revenue.

At the first public budget presentation on March 17, Superintendent Beth Doyle, in her first cycle in the role, framed the number as daunting but manageable, calling it a starting point for more deliberate planning.

The numbers tell the story. Expenses are climbing about 3%, pushing the budget to $27.8 million, while revenue is projected to fall more than 8% to $24.7 million.

A few key drivers are behind the gap. The district has leaned heavily on reserve funds in recent years, a short-term fix that doesn’t hold up long term. Add in 20 new staff hires from last year, rising benefits costs, and increasing debt payments tied to a $17.8 million capital project, and the baseline cost of running the district has shifted upward.

What this means for taxpayers is still taking shape. ($)

Get the full story 👉 Suffolk Times

Black Cat Supper Club 🍽

Tucked into a Mattituck shopping center, Ali Katz Kitchen is one of those places you start going to, and then just keep going back to.

Run by chefs Alison Katz and Fritz Beckmann, the shop started as a wholesale operation before evolving into a retail space serving everything from soups and noodle bowls to fried chicken, pastries, and prepared meals.

But the real insider move? Their Black Cat Supper Club.

A few times each winter and early spring, the couple transforms their small shop into an intimate, communal dining experience, capped at just 16 guests. Each dinner features a welcome drink, three courses, and dessert, all paired with local wines and built around whatever ideas the duo is excited about at the moment.

Get the full story 👉 Northforker

New Local Childcare App 👶

Finding childcare can feel like a full time job. A North Fork mom is trying to change that with a new app called titi.

Created by Mattituck resident Zoila Darton, titi is designed to connect families with caregivers, but with a little more intention behind it. The app focuses on things like communication style, emotional intelligence, and discipline approach, aiming to match people who actually work well together, not just fill a spot.

The app, currently in beta, offers everything from last minute sitters to long term care, plus job listings and local resources like daycares and kid friendly spots. Most caregivers come through word of mouth recommendations, with options for background checks and certifications built in.

Get the full story 👉 Petite North Fork

Orient’s Country Store 🛒

Running a small business is hard. Running one that’s been around since the 1830s, on the North Fork, in 2026, is something else entirely.

The Orient Country Store has been part of the village for nearly two centuries, outlasting everything from wagons to Amazon. But today, the pressure isn’t just about competition, it’s about whether places like this can still exist at all.

Current owners Miriam Foster and Grayson Murphy took over in 2011 at just 24 years old, with no business plan and no real connection to Orient. Fifteen years later, they’re raising three kids upstairs and running the store five days a week.

The challenges are constant. Vendors drop deliveries because it’s “too far.” Insurance costs spike. Repairs on a nearly 200-year-old building don’t exactly come cheap. And margins stay thin, especially in the winter, when business slows to a crawl.

The store has adapted over time: better food, a real kitchen, a thoughtful mix of goods, but some things are intentionally unchanged. No self-checkout. No online ordering. No rushing people through.

You walk in, and you talk to someone. That’s the point. It’s also the reason it’s lasted this long. ($)

Get the full story 👉 Suffolk Times

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Happenings: This Week

Monday

🍖 The State of Mattituck If you want to know what’s actually happening around town and what’s coming next, this is the room to be in. The Mattituck Chamber of Commerce is bringing together 13 speakers at Tucker’s Taproom, each offering a different lens on the future of Mattituck and Southold Town, from development and local business to community priorities. More Info

Tuesday

🥕 Eat to Heal Sometimes the smallest changes on your plate make the biggest difference. Slow Food East End, Stacey Isaacs and Becky Chidester will be at Peconic Landing to share practical tips, smart food swaps, and favorite seasonal spots to shop. More Info

🧘‍♀️Monthly Meditation A quiet reset at the end of the month. Meditation offers a chance to slow down, breathe deeper, and gently dial down the stress. The calming session takes place at Floyd Memorial Library, creating space to relax, reset, and re-center before heading back out into the world. More Info

🕵️‍♀️ Female Mystery Characters (Zoom) A deep dive into the sharpest women in crime fiction. Queens College Professor Emeritus Roberta Brody teams up with PopCult Nerdbrarian Nola Thacker to explore the evolution of female detectives, spies, and even a few morally gray masterminds who prove the genre only gets better with time. Not Dead Yet is hosted by East End Libraries on Zoom. More Info

Thursday

⚓ The Nautical Origins of Everyday Expressions Turns out a lot of what gets said on land started out at sea. Author Cynthia Barrett unpacks the surprisingly salty backstories behind everyday phrases, from “three sheets to the wind” to why “turning a blind eye” traces back to Admiral Nelson, during this talk at the Southold Historical Museum. More Info

🌌 Yankee Stargazers (Zoom) A look up at the night sky, with a side of history. This East End Libraries Zoom talk traces how astronomy evolved from the era of the Declaration of Independence through today, connecting early stargazers to modern science

^{_{Nothing in this section is sponsored. They’re just fun things you need to know. I’ll always let you know when something is sponsored}}

Live Music + Fun Breakdown

Monday

The Watershed | Danny Casey | 6-9 PM
Ram’s Head | Bingo | 6 PM

Tuesday

Eastern Front Brewing | Trivia with Emily | 6 PM
First & South | Rachelle Rossi | 6-9 PM
Front Street Station | Music Bingo | 7 PM

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Tom Loncar- Publisher
Nicole Loncar- Editor + Partnerships