Are you a small or mid-scale farmer in New York State with experience selling to food hubs, distributors, groceries, restaurants or cooperatives? The Cornell Small Farms Program is seeking 30 minute phone interviews with farmers of all enterprises who market at least a portion of products to wholesale channels. The interview questions will ask about your experiences building relationships, marketing, harvesting, packing and transporting your product to the wholesale buyer. Quotes from the interviews will be incorporated into the 2nd Edition of the Baskets to Pallets curriculum, a training manual to prepare farmers to successfully enter wholesale markets. Farmers will have the opportunity to review and approve any selected quotes and will also receive a $50.00 check for their time. Interviews will be scheduled at the farmer's convenience. For more information, contact Violet Stone, project coordinator, at 607-255-9227 or email [email protected]. Thank you!

Groundswell Center for Local Food and Farming is currently soliciting proposals for their 2017 classes, technical courses and workshops. Groundswell is seeking any program proposal idea that meets their mission of supporting diverse learners and creating a sustainable, just and equitable food system. Groundswell programs are typically organized and offered in the Finger Lakes region including Tompkins, Schuyler, Tioga, Cortland, Broome and Seneca counties. If your RFP is accepted, you will be compensated $25/hour for planning and teaching time. RFP's are due by 5pm on November 15th. If you're RFP is selected, you will be notified by December 15th. Submission of this RFP does not guarantee your proposal will be selected, nor that the course topic you suggest will be offered. Please contact Elizabeth Gabriel at [email protected] or 607-793-3383 if you have specific questions regarding RFP's or need assistance filling out the form. Forms can be submitted online or mailed/delivered to their office at 225 S. Fulton Street, Ithaca, NY 14850. Visit Groundswell's RFP webpage for more information.

Beef producers all across the country, from every segment of the industry, are being encouraged to participate in a survey that will help establish a benchmark and course for the beef industry for 2017 and beyond. The Producer Survey of the checkoff-funded 2016 National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA) will collect producer information and opinions, which will be added to the audit's traditional production research to form an in-depth look at where the industry stands and what its successes and shortcomings are. The survey will be completely anonymous and include both information about the industry's cattle operations and the opinions of the people who run them about the strengths and weaknesses of the industry. Input from every segment of the industry - cow-calf, stocker, feeder, dairy and others - is valued and will become part of the detailed picture of the U.S. cattle industry. The survey can be accessed at the Beef Quality Assurance website.

October 20, 6pm-8pm. CCE Ontario's Offices, 480 N Main Street, Canandaigua, NY

Horse owners looking to provide the best nutritional

care to their animals will benefit from Cornell Cooperative Extension Ontario County's upcoming workshop, Practical Aspects of Feeding Horses. Presenter Carol Buckhout, Assistant Professor of Equine Business Management and co-author of the recently published "Practical Equine Nutrition Manual" will present on a wide variety of horse feeding issues. Carol will cover forage quality, including forage analysis, and the impact that this has on feeding strategies. She will also address feeding challenges related to situations such as equine metabolic syndrome and horses with high energy needs. There will also be time for questions and answers from attendees. Workshop participants will have the opportunity to receive forage analysis kits, with one lucky person receiving a complimentary analysis courtesy of Equi-Analytical Laboratories.

Pre-registration is required. Attendees may register in advance online or call Nancy at 585.394.3977 x427. Workshop attendance fee is $15 per person or $25 per farm and will include light refreshments.

November 11, 2:30pm-7:30pm and November 12, 8:15am-1:30pm. Ramada Inn, 6300 Arsenal St, Watertown, NY 13601

Local Foods, Local Places helps communities create more livable neighborhoods by promoting local foods. The Local Foods, Local Places program will provide selected communities planning assistance that centers around a two-day community workshop. At the workshop, a team of experts will help community members develop an implementable action plan that promotes local food and neighborhood revitalization. Eligible applicants include local governments, Indian tribes, and nonprofit institutions and organizations proposing to work in a neighborhood, town, or city of any size anywhere in the United States. Access the application here. If you have questions about the Local Foods, Local Places Program or the application process, please email [email protected]. Email the completed application and optional letter(s) of support to [email protected] by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on November 6, 2016.

$17.7 million in grant funding is available to help train and educate the next generation of agricultural producers through the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP). The maximum award is $200,000 per year for a period of up to 3 years. 

Farm Credit East offers grant writing services to help farms and agribusinesses grow, change or expand their enterprises. For more information and for a summary identifying federal and regional grants and other incentives available to help Northeast producers, click here. To access Show Me the {Grant} Money, a guide to finding, planning, writing and submitting a competitive grant application, click here.

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.