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 Regional Ag Conference, January 18
 Join Cornell Cooperative Extension of Delaware County (CCE) and the Watershed Agricultural Council (WAC) for the 10th annual Catskill Regional Agriculture Conference! The conference will be held from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Friday, January 18 at Farrell Hall, on the SUNY-Delhi campus. A lineup of nationally and regionally recognized speakers will talk on relevant topics appealing to a wide variety of farmers. Anyone can attend; simply pre-register by January 11. Conference attendees can register online or call Kim Holden at 607-865-7090, ext. 241.
Conference registration opens at 9:30 a.m. At 10 a.m., participants can attend one of two early-bird sessions: Understanding Risk Management or Pasture Renovation and Weed Control. At 11 a.m., four tracks begin in Dairy, Livestock, Grazing and Vegetable.
The dairy track sessions on milk quality and amino acid nutrition will feature presentations by Armand Dragon, national dairy specialist with IBA, and Dr. Charles Schwab, Professor Emeritus University of New Hampshire and internationally renowned amino acid nutrition researcher.
The livestock track sessions will focus on facilities for raising multiple species, presented by Jim Hayes. CCE marketing specialist, Matt LeRoux will speak on marketing livestock products. Jodie Kubiak and Dan Stone from Adirondack Grazers Cooperative will talk on beef cooperatives.
The grazing track will feature Karen Hoffman, NRCS resource conservationist, will help grazers understand forage quality. Tricia Park from Creekside Meadows Farm will share her experience raising swine on pasture. Also, a panel of Catskill farmers will speak on making daily grazing decisions.
The vegetable track will include planting winter rye for weed control and low-cost tunnels for late season production, presented by Judson Reid and Robert Hadad, CCE vegetable specialists. Jim Barber will speak on retail marketing.
Patrick Hooker, Empire State Development, will headline the local food luncheon. Patrick will discuss the future for New York State agriculture, exploring the opportunities and challenges facing the industry in the coming decades.
Pre-register by January 11 for $25; cost includes lunch and all conference materials. Late registrations will be accepted at the door for $35; lunch availability may be limited.    
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United Way Grant to Farmer Flood Relief
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The Council Turns 20
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2013 Buy Local Resolutions
 The ball has dropped. It's time to make good on those New Year's resolutions by taking the Buy Local Challenge. We've got a short resolutions list (5 to be exact) to get you started.
What's the #1 Thing To Do in 2013? Choose 5 items to purchase locally -- regularly. Think milk, bread, meat, eggs, cheese, wine, beer. What are your staples? Buy accordingly.
Sounds easy enough, right? Find four other easy-to-execute suggestions in this Pure Catskills blog post.
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You Can Protect Catskills Farmland
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Need a speaker for your next event, workshop, or conference? Let us provide an expert staffer to present on topics related to agriculture, forestry, conservation easements, water quality, natural-resource based economics, marketing, and the Council's community impact. To learn more, contact our Communications Department at
(607) 865-7090, ext. 226.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
NEW DAY & TIME: Watershed Wake-up Call Every other Friday at 7:30 a.m. WIOX Community Radio 91.3FM
Find many more events and workshops listed on the Pure Catskills home page and the Council's event pages for agriculture and forestry.
OUR BLOGS:
Pure Catskills
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