Greetings!
The Small Farms Update is intended as a resource for farmers and agricultural service providers in New York and the Northeast, and is provided to you by Cornell Small Farms Program. Our mission is to foster the sustainability of diverse, thriving small farms that contribute to food security, healthy rural communities, and the environment. The Cornell Small Farm Program is a joint effort of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Cornell Cooperative Extension.
This update summarizes announcements, information resources, opportunities and upcoming events relevant to small farms. Please feel free to share this information in newsletters, email lists, etc. If you have announcements or resources you would like to include, please send us an email. SUBSCRIBE HERE
Thank you again for your interest and support of small farms in New York.
Anu Rangarajan
Director, Cornell Small Farm Program
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Online Berry Course Starts Nov 21!
If you're considering starting a berry farm, or adding berries and bramble fruits to your farm, this is the course for you. This fast-paced 3-week course combines twice-a-week webinars with resources and discussion forums in an online classroom. Course runs Thurs. Nov. 21 - Dec. 12, 2013 and costs $200 . To learn more and register, visit the BF 122: Berry Production course page.
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New Small Farms Baby!
We welcome back Program Coordinator Violet Stone from her 3 month maternity leave. She and her partner Joshua had a baby boy named Julian on August 9th. Julian is growing fast and will be making appearances at Small Farms outreach events from time to time when he is old enough to hold up his head! Violet can be reached at [email protected].
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Small Farms Program Hosts Training for Beginning Farmer Educators
What new research and tools can we incorporate in our beginning farmer training services? What are the most effective methods for training these new farmers? How do we reach diverse and underserved beginning farmer communities? Beginning farmer service providers from across the NE gathered in Albany, NY this past week to tackle these issues in a 3 day professional development training. Over 50 beginning farmer service providers representing extension services, organizations, and government agencies across 8 states joined invited speakers to focus on improving training skills in Organic Vegetable Production and Farm Financial and Business Management. Conference workshops brought creative teaching methods that will translate into new knowledge and skills for beginning farmers as they build their farm enterprise. Participants were also challenged to think about how they can effectively reach veterans, african americans, latinos, recent immigrants, women and other underserved groups in their community. The conference was hosted by the Cornell Small Farms Program through funding from NE SARE. More information can be found in the Trainers Toolbox on the Northeast Beginning Farmers Project website.
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Join us for the 5th Annual 'Local' Fair
The Cornell Small Farms Program is pleased to cosponsor the 5th Annual Local Fair, to be held in the Mann Library Lobby on the Cornell University campus on November 21 at 2 PM. There will be a lively open market offering a variety of products from the Finger Lakes region, as well as displays highlighting initiatives contributing to healthy, resilient communities. In collaboration with several campus and community partners, this year's theme will be Fair & Local, showcasing efforts supporting fair and equitable local economies and "value chains". More information can be found here. Event is co-sponsored by CCE of Tompkins County, Mann Library, Cornell Small Farms Program, and Farmers' Market at Cornell. Learn more.
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November 5, 2013. 2:00 PM. Organic Pastured Poultry Nutrition Webinar. Join eOrganic for a webinar on a nutritional approach to rearing organic pastured broiler chickens by Michael Lilburn of the Ohio State University. Registration is free and open to the public and advance registration is required. Register at http://www.extension.org/pages/69713.
November 12, 2013. 5:30 PM- 9:00 PM. Meat Preservation Workshop. Gerald J. Skoda Extension Education Center, 64 Ferndale-Loomis Road, Liberty, NY. Just in time for hunting season, Master Food Preserver volunteers, Karen Mariner and Jessica Gibbons, will demonstrate how to properly use a pressure canner at home to identify and cook low acid foods, and learn why these foods need to be pressure canned. There will be a discussion of safety measures to take, how to choose quality meats, and hot and raw pack procedures for preserving meats such as venison. All class materials are covered with a registration fee of $30.00. Class size is limited so pre-registration with non-refundable payment is required by November 8. Registration and more information can be obtained by calling 845-292-6180 or emailing [email protected].
November 12 & 13, 2013. 8:30 AM- 3:30 PM. Develop Your Own Farm Food Safety Plan. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County, 840 Upper Front St, Binghamton. This training is for any fresh produce grower interested in taking a proactive approach to food safety and is especially useful for anyone who is interested in selling to large retailers, institutional markets, or other buyers who require GAPs certification. Pre-registration is required, and the deadline to sign up is Nov 8th. To register for this workshop, visit https://reg.cce.cornell.edu/gapstraining_203, or call their office at (607) 584-9966. Space is limited, so register today!
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NOFA Journeyperson (New Farmer Support) Applications Due Nov. 24
The Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York, Inc. (NOFA-NY) will be accepting applications from qualified new farmers to participate in its two-year support program, known as the NOFA-NY Journeyperson Program, until 11:59pm on November 24th, 2013. Through this initiative, NOFA-NY provides select beginning farmers (farming independently for 1-5 years) with stipends to stimulate their education about production and farm business management from January 2014-January 2016. During this time period, Journeyperson farmers receive the support of a paid farmer mentor to supplement the educational opportunities on offer. NOFA-NY also provides one-on-one support to these start-up farmers.
The application form is available for download at http://www.nofany.org/jp or can be requested from the NOFA-NY office. Final decisions will be made in the first week of January 2014, at which point the mentor selection process will begin. For more information, farmers should contact the Beginning Farmer Program at [email protected] or (585) 271-1979 ext. 511.
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Women Beginning Farmers Training Applications Due Nov. 15
This course was developed for women farmers with 2-10 years of experience managing a farm business. The course will cover a wide range of topics including how to create a values-based farm mission, improve leadership and communication skills and use management tools such as business planning and marketing strategies to increase farm profitability. Participants also will learn about the whole farm decision analysis process, time management, land and infrastructure planning, soil fertility and integration of livestock on the farm. Applications for this course are now being accepted through November 15. Space is limited to 17 qualified participants. Full and partial scholarships are available to cover the registration fee, which is on a sliding scale of $150 to $500. An online application form may be found at http://www.uvm.edu/newfarmer/?Page=classes/wfp-application.html&SM=classes/sub-menu.html. For additional information and questions, contact Jessie Schmidt, 802-223-2389 x203, [email protected].
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The Seed Farm's New Farmer Training Program Applications Due Nov. 15
This intensive organic vegetable training program includes 500 hours of training on The Seed Farm's 45-acre farm in Emmaus, PA, and 100 hours of formal workshops and classes. The Seed Farm training program gives apprentices experience in such key areas as management, tractor/equipment use, business planning, and marketing. Graduates of the training program may then apply for admission into The Seed Farm's agricultural incubator, where they can start their own farms on Lehigh County-owned land with access to equipment, greenhouse & cooler space and continued mentorship. For more information and application materials, visit www.theseedfarm.org/apply or call The Seed Farm Executive Director, Lindsey Parks, at (610) 391-9583 ext. 16.
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Sweet Land Farm in Trumansburg, NY for Sale
Sweet Land Farm is an organic farm just outside of the village of Trumansburg, NY. The farm is currently run as a vegetable CSA, and also provides flowers, herbs, soft and hard fruit, and eggs to the shareholders. The farm consists of 21 acres. The house and buildings sit on 3 acres, with the balance in farm land, 3 greenhouses, and a pond. They have leased 14 additional adjoining acres for the last 7 years, and this land may be available for lease in the future. The farm is fully set up with the right equipment, buildings, and a thoughtful layout to run a very efficient CSA. The CSA has been very successfully run with two farmers, and 3 employees that work forty hours week from roughly April through Thanksgiving. For more information on the farm: http://us6.campaign-archive2.com/?u=09c9299914c01f283d38cf872&id=1fb5abb3aa
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Want to browse through more job opportunities in the region? Check out the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group's database here.
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Northeast SARE Partnership Grant Proposals Due Nov. 13
Partnership Grants are reserved for agricultural service providers--extension staff, nonprofits, consultants, state departments of agriculture, and others working in the agricultural community--who want to conduct on-farm demonstrations, research, marketing, and other projects with farmers as active cooperators. More information is available here.
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Northeast SARE Farmer Grant Proposals Due Dec. 2
NE SARE Farmer Grants are for commercial producers who have an innovative idea they want to test using a field trial, on-farm demonstration, marketing initiative, or other technique. A technical advisor--often an extension agent, crop consultant, or other service professional--must also be involved. Projects should seek results other farmers can use, and all projects must have the potential to add to our knowledge about effective sustainable practices. More information is available here.
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IPM Partnership Grant Applications Due Dec. 5
Projects funded through the IPM Partnership Grants Program must further the mission of the Northeastern IPM Center, address or identify regional IPM stakeholder priorities, and benefit the region at large. Extension projects are encouraged. The current project types are: (1) IPM Working Groups, (2) IPM Issues, and (3) Regional IPM Communications. New IPM methods may be developed under this program, but funds for this purpose are limited. A maximum of $50,000 will be awarded per project. For more information: http://www.northeastipm.org/grant-programs/ipm-center-grants/ipm-partnership-grants/.
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New Crop of ATTRA Publications Available Now
ATTRA, a National Center for Appropriate Technology project, has recently updated several of their farming publications. These publications cover, among other topics, vermicomposting and pastured poultry nutrition. These publications, and many more, are available online at https://attra.ncat.org/publication.html.
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A Farmer's Guide to Food Safety and Conservation Recently Published
This guide, co-published by Wild Farm Alliance and Community Alliance with Family Farmers, details basic factors that affect the survival and movement of food borne pathogens on the farm and how healthy diverse ecosystems can help to keep pathogens in check. The guide addresses everything from wildlife and compost issues, to CSA visitors on the farm. To access this guide: http://wildfarmalliance.org/resources/FS_Facts_Tip_FAQ.htm.
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Register Today for a FREE Upcoming Webinar Series on Marketing
The Farmers Market Federation of NY and the NY Farm Viability Institute have partnered with USDA Northeast SARE to present a series of webinars on marketing: "Marketing for Profit: Tools for Success." This series will focus on identifying your market and customers, satisfying your customers, and maintaining your customers long-term with direct marketing. For more information on the webinars and to register:http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com/work-shop-programs/webinars/program.html
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Need personal help?
Sometimes local questions are best answered by your neighborhood Cornell Cooperative Extension agent. Check out our county-by-county listing of small farm agents here. You can also get to know our Cornell Small Farms Program staff, or contact us. Just starting to farm? We have an extensive directory of beginning farmer service providers across the Northeast in the "Who Can Help?" section of our Northeast Beginning Farmers Project website.
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