Greetings!
The Small Farms 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
|
 Kingbird Farm- Diversified pasture-based livestock and herbs
|
|
 Agriculture: One of the Best Fields for New College Graduates Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a new report showing tremendous demand for recent college graduates with a degree in agricultural programs with an estimated 57,900 high-skilled job openings annually in the food, agriculture, renewable natural resources, and environment fields in the United States. According to the USDA and Purdue University, there is an average of 35,400 new U.S. graduates with a bachelor's degree or higher in agriculture related fields, 22,500 short of the jobs available annually. View the full press release here. |
|
National Heritage Breeds Week
May 17-23, 2015. United States.
The first annual National Heritage Breeds Week sponsored by The Livestock Conservancy is coming up across the United States to raise awareness about nearly 200 endangered heritage breeds of livestock and poultry. The week will culminate with National Heritage Breeds Day, when many farms and ranches will hold farm tours, workshops, or lectures in their communities. Learn more here.
|
 Basic Level Science of Yogurt and Fermented Dairy Products Workshop
June 10-11, 2015. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.
The course will include self-paced video lecture sessions to be completed on-line prior to the hands-on section, covering raw milk quality, milk chemistry, culture microbiology, batching, and processing. The hands-on session on campus June 10-11 will cover production, unit operations, sensory, fruits and flavor systems, stabilizer systems, quality and food safety, and cleaning and sanitizing. Tuition is $500.00 for in-state registrants and $600.00 for out of state registrants. Please enroll by June 1st.
|
|
The Advanced Science of Yogurt and Fermented Dairy Product Workshop
June 16-18. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.
Cornell Dairy Foods Extension will cover advanced topics in the development and creation of high quality cultured dairy products, including aspects from cultured product chemistry, quality and development, and cleaning and sanitizing. Those that should attend include research and developers, quality personnel, more advanced cultured dairy producers and those that are looking for a deep understanding of cultured dairy product development. The tuition is $800.00 for in-state registrants and $960.00 for out of state registrants. Please register here by Monday, June 8.
|
|
 Juneberry Production Workshop
June 12, 9am-2pm. 7238 Ann St., Ovid, NY.
This class is a complete, in-depth introduction to juneberry cultivation in Upstate New York, covering site selection, natural history, planting, pest control, and harvesting. Regional juneberry expert Jim Ochterski will explain the basics of production and what to expect from different varieties of juneberries. The workshop includes lunch and a field tour to Juneberry Farm in Willard, NY where Guy Lister is cultivating a large planting for retail and you-pick sales and is being sponsored by Bundschuh's Greenhouses. For more information, visit http://senecacountycce.org/?carous=juneberry-production-workshop-friday-june-12th.
|
|
2015 NOFA Summer Conference: Registration Now Open
August 14-16. University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA.
Have a passion for organic farming, backyard gardening and food justice? Come to the NOFA Summer Conference for a weekend of workshops and fun, strengthening and transforming the food system and our communities! This year's theme is "Healing the Climate, Healing Ourselves: Regeneration through Microbiology." Register at http://nofasummerconference.org/registration.php.
|
MANY MORE EVENTS at our Statewide Events Calendar.
|
|
Career, Etc. Opportunities
|
Food Education Internship with Just Food - NYC
Reporting to the Food Education Manager, the Food Education Intern will assist with the planning and management of the community chef program. The community chef program trains community members from diverse backgrounds to facilitate interactive cooking demonstrations about how to prepare local, seasonal food. These workshops take place at farmer's markets, food pantries, community gardens, and community events.
Just Food seeks an individual with the capacity to: assist with the development of curriculum and educational materials for Just Food's community chef training program, attend and assist with community chef trainings taking place in late May and early June, create tip-sheets and outreach materials to support the food education program, and provide administrative support. This position is 15-20 hours a week, late May to September. Please send a cover letter and resume to Angela Davis, Food Education Manager, at angela@justfood.org with the subject line "CFE Intern."
|
Greenmarket Market Manager - NYC
This position is seasonal, and is comprised of 3 equally important components - operations, promotions and managing the EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer / SNAP- Food Stamps) program at market. GrowNYC is seeking applicants from all 5 boroughs to manage markets within their communities. Since markets are located in many diverse neighborhoods, some positions may require proficiency in Spanish, Chinese, or other languages. Market managers will attend a training immediately and positions generally run from mid-May through November or December. Full-time positions will be 35-40 hours/week. Submit cover letter, resume and three references to Chelsea Whittaker, [email protected]. Combine all submissions into one PDF and write "Market Manager" in the subject line. Please also include where you heard about the position in your cover letter and indicate if you are looking for a part-time and/or full-time position. View the full job description here.
|
$30 Million Available for Food Entrepreneurs and Agricultural Producers to Develop New Products - Due July 2nd
 The USDA is making $30 million available to farmers, ranchers and food entrepreneurs to develop new product lines. These Value Added Producer Grants can be used to develop new product lines from raw agricultural products or additional uses for already developed product lines. Special priority will be given to military veterans, socially disadvantaged and beginning farmers and ranchers, operators of small- and medium-sized family farms and ranches, farmer and rancher cooperatives, and applicants that propose mid-tier value chain projects. View the full press release here.
|
Food Safety Guidance Helps School and Community Gardens Reduce Risk
Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed guidelines that address how to limit food-safety risk in community and school gardens. A Handbook for Beginning and Veteran Garden Organizers: How to Reduce Food Safety Risks is a 16-page PDF available free online. Researchers found in a pilot study that two months after receiving the guidelines, 16 of 20 gardens observed had improved their food-safety scores.
|
 New England Apple Growers Battle Pests with IPM
The New England Apple Association has produced a three-part video series on Integrated Pest Management in the apple orchard. This engaging series explains aspects of IPM and makes them accessible to a wider audience. Watch the video series online at: http://neipmc.org/go/jhCt. |
FarmersWeb Pro
FarmersWeb is an online business management software that strives to make working with your wholesale customers simple, accurate and painless. From maintaining and publicizing your real-time availability list to collecting orders and generating packing slips and invoices automatically, FarmersWeb can help you decrease the amount of time you spend on paperwork and increase the efficiency of your wholesale operations. A flat monthly fee means no amount of orders or customers affects the cost of using FarmersWeb. Check out the full list of available features here. You can try FarmersWeb free for a month by entering the code 13B55B94 when you create a Pro Unlimited account.
|
 Noncrop Host Plants of Spotted Wing Drosophila in North America
Oregon State University collected information from California, Washington, New York, Michigan and more to determine where Spotted Wing Drosophila like to feed- aside from your crops. Growers can use this information to learn what plants may be providing reservoirs of pest infestation and start thinking about removing these plants. Click here to view the publication. |
A Toolkit to Help Your Community Understand the Economic Impacts of Your Local Food System Initiatives
This guide will enhance the capacity of local organizations to measure local and small-scale economic activity. The Toolkit is made up of seven modules: the first set of modules include framing the system, relevant economic activities and assessment process as well as collecting and analyzing relevant data. The second set of modules discusses how to use the information collected in stage one to conduct an economic impact analysis. View the toolkit at http://www.localfoodeconomics.com/.
|
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.
|
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.
|
|
