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August 15, 2016
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 submit, please visit our new online form. Subscribe here. Thank you again for your interest and support of small farms in New York.   


Anu Rangarajan, Director, Cornell Small Farm Program
Small Farms Program Highlights
Online Course Registration Open!
Online Courses are usually six-weeks and feature expert farmers and extension educators offering weekly webinars, readings, video, and activities to help you learn. A range of topics includes enterprise-based courses like poultry production, maple sugaring, and orchard management to business courses including using Quickbooks, writing a business plan, and more! See the roster and learn more here.

Newly Updated! Guide to Urban Farming
Farming in an urban area?  You'll want to check out the newly renovated Guide to Urban Farming for 2016The guide is designed to inform urban farmers about advocating for urban agriculture, accessing and reclaiming land, producing food and farm products in city centers, marketing, financing, and more. The Guide can be accessed online or downloaded as a PDF here.

Announcements
Survey Collecting Regional Information on Drought Issues
As you know, this summer we have experienced a period of lower than average rainfall combined with higher than average temperatures that has led to a drought of moderate to unprecedented severity in New York and much of the Northeast.
A 2016 NY drought survey is being conducted and we need your input.
Please take the survey hereThe survey is an attempt to capture at this critical time information on regional impacts and how you are coping with this situation, so that farmers and those institutions and industries that support farmers will be better prepared in the future. This is associated with research being conducted by NatureNet Science Postdoctoral Fellow, Shannan Sweet, working with Professor David Wolfe on a project focused on NYS water resources and agriculture. Questions or comments? Contact: Shannan Sweet ([email protected];607-255-8641) or David Wolfe ([email protected]607-255-7888)
For more details on the drought see here.
NYS Grown & Certified Food Program
The New York State Grown & Certified program was announced as the first statewide, multi-faceted food certification program designed to strengthen consumer confidence in New York products, address food product labeling, and assist New York farmers so they can take advantage of the growing market demand for foods locally grown and produced to a higher standard. Along with the certification program, a new $20 million food hub in the Bronx will be established to increase access to farm-fresh produce. To learn more about the new program visit the NYS website.

Events
The Crooked Carrot Story: Small-Scale Processing
Tuesday August 23, 2016, 5:30pm-7:30pm
CADE, 5 Elm Street, Oneonta, NY

Silas Conroy, founder and co-owner of the Crooked Carrot in Ithaca, NY, will discuss his experiences in local food processing. The Crooked Carrot, a small-scale local food processing business in Ithaca, NY has grown from a vision of re-localization, a shoe-string budget, and tons of community support. Silas will share the Crooked Carrot's story, including numerous failures, as well as the key strategies and guiding principles that have begun to prove more successful: community finance, diverse enterprises, cooperative culture, local import substitution, low-cost food processing infrastructure and techniques. Join us at the CADE office in Oneonta, for a discussion of what's working for the Crooked Carrot, and the obstacles ahead to continue expanding the re-localization of food. Register here.
Sustainable and Organic Vegetable Pest Management Field Day

August 31, 2016
Cornell Lake Erie Research and Extension Laboratory, Portland, NY

The Cornell Vegetable Program is hosting a Sustainable and Organic Vegetable Pest Management Field Day. Extension Vegetable Specialists and Cornell faculty will be leading research site tours and answering questions on sustainable and organic pest management options for fresh market vegetable growers. Information will be provided for both conventional and organic growers at all levels of expertise.  Industry representatives will have the opportunity to meet with growers to comment on their products. 
Topics include:

-Weed Management in Sweet Corn, Pumpkin, Winter Squash and Root Crops
-Disease Management in Organic Cucumber and Tomato Production
-Vegetable Disease Control Update
-Insect management and Specialty Crop Vegetable Variety Demonstration
-Improving Fertility Management in Vegetable Crops
-Updates on Ongoing Research Projects in the Region
Pre-registration $25 CVP enrollees/$35 all others, includes steak dinner and handouts. Pre-registration required by August 25, 2016. Visit here For more information and to register.
3-Day Agroforestry Professional Development Training

September 7-9th, 2016 

Penn State Fruit Research Center, Biglerville, PA 

With assistance from NE SARE, a partnership of national and regional agroforesters is hosting three-day advanced agroforestry training for technical service providers and agricultural educators. This training will provide a brief review of agroforestry, and opportunities for participants to explore agroforestry applications in depth with regional experts. In order to optimize networking opportunities, registration will be limited to 30 participants. For more information and to register, visit here.
Groundswell's Pig-N-Pints: 
Pig Roast and Silent Auction
Saturday, September 10, 3pm-7pm
Hopshire Farm & Brewery, 
1771 Dryden Rd, Freeville, NY
Pig-N-Pints is an annual fundraising event held each fall by Groundswell Center for Local Food and Farming. We host a pig roast and silent auction at a local farm/brewery which is free to attend and open to the public. The proceeds from our silent auction, food sales and sponsorship benefit our Beginning Farmer Training programs and help to support a diverse, resilient local food system in the Finger Lakes region.

Pig-n-Pints is family-friendly, open to the public, and free to attend. We provide live music, activities such as cider-pressing demonstrations, cider and beer tastings, face-painting and marshmallow roasting. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. Proceeds from Silent Auction and Pig Roast benefit Groundswell Center's Beginning Farmer Training Programs. Fore more information visit here.

MANY MORE EVENTS at our Statewide Events Calendar.

Career, Etc. Opportunities
Marketing Content Specialist: High Mowing Organic Seeds

The Marketing Content Specialist is the voice of High Mowing Organic Seeds. High Mowing Organic Seeds is an independently owned leader in the non-GMO seed, farming and food industry, committed to providing high quality organic seeds to our customers. He/she is responsible for creating, writing and curating content for all marketing channels. The successful individual will possess the ability to write content that is specific to commercial growers and home gardeners. The ideal candidate must be detail-oriented, possess excellent prioritization and organizational skills, solid written and oral communication skills, and a passion for working as part of a team. He/she must have a willingness to ask questions, learn and respond constructively to feedback and maintain a sense of humor. To be considered for this position, experience with farming or gardening is required along with a minimum of two years of demonstrated experience writing/editing marketing content. A bachelor's degree in English, Marketing, Communications or other applicable field is preferred, but not required.

For a complete job description and to apply, visit our website.

Milking Shorthorn Oxen For Sale

6 year old team of Milking Shorthorn oxen for sale. Located in northern VT. These are two good boys, willing learners and workers and very friendly animals. They deserve more attention and time commitment than we can give them. Please call Laura @ (802)393-7654 or Albert @ (802)393-0262 for more information or to come meet the boys.

Farm School NYC Offering Certificate Programs in Urban Agriculture

Certificate in Urban Agriculture Program: Farm School NYC offers a two-year certificate program in Urban Agriculture as well as select individual courses. Our courses are taught by experts in the field and focus on a wide range of topics from social justice issues, to urban planting techniques, to grassroots community organizing. Through engaging, site-based education, Farm School classes offer comprehensive professional training in urban agriculture and cultivate future leaders in NYC's food justice movement. 

Accelerated Certificate in Urban Agriculture: Farm School NYC is partnering with the Youth Farm on a new Accelerated Certificate in Urban Agriculture, launching in November 2016. Accelerated certificate students can complete their certificates in 12-18 months rather than 24 months. This expedited and immersive 660-hour, season-long training program will allow highly motivated students to take many of Farm School NYC's core courses, such as Food Justice, Botany and Training of Trainers, as well as the Youth Farm's 20+ hands-on workshops, refined over the last five years through the Youth Farm's respected Urban Farm Training Program. For more information about both programs and to apply, visit the Farm School NYC website.
Farm For Sale
We have a home/land/barn for sale at 40 Requate Rd, Valley Falls, NY 12185 approx. 30 minutes from Saratoga. The house is currently listed on all sites for $325,000. The home is a 3 bedroom, 1-1/2 bath but has a 30 X 40 3-story drive through Barn already set-up for 1 horse and designed for 6+. We have 28 acres with 5 acres currently cleared. Property includes a small hay barn, a small single horse stall, and a 2 car oversized detached garage. For more information contact Deborah Wolbert at [email protected].

Funding Opportunities
NYSERDA's Agriculture Energy Audit Program

NYSERDA offers financial assistance to identify electric and natural gas energy efficiency measures for eligible farms and on-farm producers, including but not limited to: dairies, orchards, greenhouses, vegetables, vineyards, grain dryers, and poultry/egg. NYSERDA will assign Flexible Technical Assistance (FlexTech) Program Consultants to perform energy audits to eligible farms. The program offers free energy audits on a first-come, first-served basis, and is connecting producers with funding to implement the recommended energy efficiency practices. This is a great opportunity for producers to learn where to save energy on their operations, and to take advantage of funding that can help them reduce energy costs. Visit the NYSERDA website for more information.
Young Farmers Conference Scholarships

Stone Barns Center is offering a limited number of farmer scholarships to the 2016 Young Farmers Conference on December 7, 8 and 9. Every year, hundreds of beginning farmers from across the United States gather at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Pocantico Hills, New York to learn from agricultural luminaries, peers, and advocacy organizations at the Young Farmers Conference.Scholarships cover the cost of conference registration; recipients are expected to cover the cost of their lodging and travel expenses to and from the conference. To be considered, please thoughtfully answer the questions below. Applications must be submitted by 5PM EST on Saturday, August 20, 2016. Apply here.

Funding to Address Climate Change Impact on US Agriculture

 The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced the availability of $8.4 million in available funding to study and develop new approaches for the agriculture sector to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change. The funding is available through NIFA's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), which is authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. Applicants for fiscal year 2016 should focus on how land-use affects and is affected by climate change. Applications are due November 17 for climate and land use projects. Climate masters outreach and extension applications are due September 14. See the request for applications for more information.
Latest Resources
Beef Cattle Drought Management: Early Weaning Decision Guide
Does early weaning pay? Cornell University's Beef Cattle Management team has created a spread sheet designed to help you decide if weaning early is financially viable. The assumption is that by weaning early and providing the best feed for the calves you can provide less expensive feed to the cows thus reducing cost and/or extending pasture. To download visit the Beef Cattle Management website.
Advice for Protection From Salmonella Linked to Poultry

Contact with live poultry and their environment can make people sick with Salmonella infections. Live poultry can be carrying Salmonella bacteria but appear healthy and clean and show no signs of illness. The CDC has released advice for backyard flock owners, mail-order hatcheries, feed stores, and people in contact with live poultry on how to reduce chances of spreading Salmonella. Read the full article here.

Get Connected!
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.

About
SFP Small Farms Program Logo
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. We envision a future where diverse and vibrant urban and rural farms build human capacity, revitalize communities, supply regional food systems, and foster ecological resilience in a changing world. The Cornell Small Farm Program is a joint effort of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Cornell Cooperative Extension.


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