Whether you're a new or renewing member, NOW is the time to get in the 2012 Pure Catskills Guide to Farm Fresh Products. It's a simple three-step process:

1) Complete the form online to join Pure Catskills and create your farm or business listing.  

2) Agree to the Pure Catskills Membership Standards [PDF].  

3) Make your $35 membership payment either by check or call/email Stephanie Wyant of Luminary Publishing at (845) 514-0063. Make your membership fee check to "Luminary Publishing - Pure Catskills" and mail it to Pure Catskills, c/o Luminary Publishing, 314 Wall Street, Kingston, NY 12401. Memberships received before April 30, 2012 will be included in the 2012-2013 print guide. The membership fee does not include a display advertisement in the print guide, but Stephanie at Luminary Publishing can arrange for your color ad to appear before thousands of interested locavores. The 2012 advertising rates can be found here. 

Questions about membership? Contact Challey Comer at [email protected] or (607) 865-7090. When you become a Pure Catskills member, you'll access to member benefits like an online website listing, marketplace materials, and scholarship opportunities. This year, your business will also be included in the Pure Catskills Business-to-Business Directory. A complimentary publication to the direct-to-consumer-oriented Pure Catskills guide, this B2B directory will provide information relevant to retailers, restaurateurs and distributors of local food. But you have to Get in the Guide by April 30!    

Ready to transition from dairy to beef? Wondering if joining the growing numbers of beef cattle farmers is right for you? Cornell Cooperative Extension of Delaware County (CCE) and the Council are offering a three-part Beginner Beef Production Workshop on May 4, 5 and 12. On May 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the introductory lecture will feature speakers Cornell Beef Cattle Extension Specialist Dr. Michael Baker. Session #1 will be held at the CCE Resource Center, 34570 Route 10, Hamden. Workshops #2 and #3 will feature on-farm tours to be announced at the first session. Cost is $20 per session, or pay $50 for all three sessions.  Bring your own bag lunch; coffee, tea and juice will be provided. For more information or to register, call Janet Aldrich, CCEDC (607) 865-7161. Tell a friend and register by April 27.   

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Starting May 3, the Roxbury Arts Group (RAG) and the Council have teamed up for the 9-week IMPACT Film Series at Stamford's 76 Main!

Every Thursday at 7 p.m., we're showing a documentary on water, agriculture or forestry. Feature film, "Vanishing of the Bees" kicks off the series along with a raffle for a Pure Catskills goodie bag. Enter to win online; if your name is called at the screening, you win! No purchase necessary, but you must be present to win. Movie admission is free; donations will be accepted and benefit future RAG programming and the Council's Easement Stewardship Fund. 

Newsletter: April Small Farms Update (Cornell)
Newsletter: Watershed News: April 2012 (US EPA)
Newsletter: Watershed Currents (Catskill Watershed Corp.)
Newsletter: Esopus Creek Newsletter (Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program)
Report: Troubled Waters: Farm Pollution Threatens Drinking Water (Environmental Working Group)
Adult Summer Camp: Without Walls EcoPracticum