November 20, 2013. Harvesting Opportunities in New York Conference. Hilton Albany, 40 Lodge St., Albany, NY. Harvesting Opportunities in New York is a conference for people who care about New York agriculture and want to work together to grow local food economies, protect farmland from development and support the next generation of farmers. Conference participants will include: farmers, public officials from all levels of government, land trusts, local foods and public health leaders, hunger relief advocates, institutional food-service managers, agricultural organizations and concerned citizens. The 2013 conference features 12 concurrent workshops as well as a morning and lunchtime program. A Cider Doughnut Continental Breakfast will jump-start the day and a lunch will be Thanksgiving-Locally Grown! For more information: http://newyork.farmland.org/harvestingopportunities2013.  

December 9, 2013. Cornell Agribusiness Economic Outlook Conference. Warren Hall, Corrnell University, Ithaca, NY. The program will focus on the current situation and outlook for the national economy. Breakout sessions will include: dairy and dairy policy; feed grains; fruit and vegetable; grape, wine and ornamental Situation and Outlook and utilizing technology with consumers of horticultural products. A special general session in the morning will discuss the "Legislative Challenges on the Road to Immigration Reform" with a panel discussion on management implications. The program is presented by the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University. Please contact Carol Thomson at [email protected] or (607) 255-5464 or visit the website at http://dyson.cornell.edu/outreach/ag_outlook_conference.php for more program information.

December 13 & 20, 2013 and January 3, 2014. Capturing Money Using Quickbooks. This workshop series is designed and targeted to those that have little or no knowledge of using quickbooks. The workshop will help you set up a beginning chart of accounts to use, learn to automate routine income and expenses and how to generate reports meaningful for you. The class will be held in two locations; from 12:30 to 3:00 P.M., the workshop will be held at CCE Washington County, 415 Lower Main St, Hudson Falls, NY and from 6:00 to 8:30 P.M., the workshop will be held at CCE of Albany County, 24 Martin Road, Voorheesville, NY. The cost is $50 per farm for up to two people. Can register online at: https://reg.cce.cornell.edu/FarmerQuickbooksWorkshop_201.  You can also register by contacting Gale Kohler at 518-765-3579 or at [email protected].   

NOFA-NY Journeyperson Program Accepting Applications through Nov. 24

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. For more information, farmers should contact the Beginning Farmer Program at [email protected] or (585) 271-1979 ext. 511.  Interested mentor farmers should also use this contact information. 

Farm Manager Position Opening in Weston, MA

Land's Sake in Weston, MA is looking for a new farm manager. They are a 20 acre community-based mixed vegetable farm with about 300 farmshares and a thriving farmstand. They use organic practices, but are not USDA certified. They also have a robust farm education program, with deep connections to the Weston public schools.  They reach about 3,000 kids per year with education and outreach programs, including every K-4 student at least once per year. For more information about the farm and how to apply: http://www.landssake.org/joinus/jobs. 

Northeast IPM Center (Ithaca, NY) Seeks Director

This full-time position requires working in partnership with stakeholders from agricultural, urban, and rural settings to help them identify and address priorities for research, education, and outreach in the Northeast (complete job description). Master's degree required. Review of applications will begin January 6, 2014. More information.

Want to browse through more job opportunities in the region? Check out the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group's database here. 

The Northeast regional Extension Risk Management Education Centers are now accepting proposals for the Extension Risk Management Education Competitive Grants Program. Applications for up to $50,000 will be accepted from eligible organizations with a demonstrated capacity to develop and deliver results/outcome-based risk management education and training programs to agricultural producers and their families. Each region has established funding priorities. Pre-proposals for all regions are due by December 12, 2013. For more information: http://www.necrme.org/grants/newfunding.html. 

ATTRA's New Toolkit Can Help You Make Those Tough Farm Decisions

The "Farm Transitions Toolkit" was developed through a collaborative project involving LSP, MISA, Farmers' Legal Action Group and ATTRA. This "Toolkit" contains resources, links to services, and practical calculation tables to help landowners establish a commonsense plan. It also features user-friendly resources on the economic, legal, governmental, agronomic, ecological and even social issues that must be considered in order to ensure a successful farm transition. It is rounded out with thought-provoking profiles of farmers who are in various stages of transitioning their enterprises to the next generation. An online version of the "Toolkit" is available at www.landstewardshipproject.org/farmtransitionstoolkit. Paper versions can be purchased by calling 800-909-MISA (6472).

Cornell Dairy Foods Certification Program

The Cornell Dairy Foods Extension group has developed and implemented a Cornell Dairy Foods Certificate Program. This program provides training for dairy food industry professionals to better prepare them to produce safe, quality dairy products. The program includes short courses in Basic Dairy Science & Sanitation, Certified HACCP, and HTST or Vat Pasteurization. After completing those courses the enrollee can specialize in Fluid Milk Safety & Quality, the Science of Cheese Making, the Science of Yogurt & Fermented Products, or Membrane, Evaporation & Drying Technology. Required courses for the certificate programs and other training and meeting opportunities are listed on their website.

Maple Sugaring Book Fresh off the Press!

The Sugarmaker's Companion, written by Michael Farrell, contains extensive information on how to develop an efficient, profitable, and enjoyable sugaring operation. Michael Farrell documents the untapped potential of American forests and shows how sugaring can turn a substantial profit for farmers while providing tremendous enjoyment and satisfaction. This book is available through Chelsea Green Publishing here: http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/the_sugarmakers_companion:paperback. 

Farmer Knows Best: Online Forum for Farmers Now Available

A new user forum on NCAT's ATTRA website, called Farmer Knows Best, gives farmers a chance to start a conversation or contribute to ongoing conversations in more than a dozen topic areas, including education, field crops, local food systems, and many more! ATTRA sustainable-ag experts will also be involved in the conversations. More information about this program can be found at  www.attra.ncat.org.