The Small Farms update summarizes announcements, resources, opportunities and upcoming events relevant to small farms.  Please feel free to share this information in newsletters, email lists, etc. If you would like to submit an item for an upcoming issue,  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

The Cornell Small Farms Program is offering two more two-day Agroforestry Trainings for Military Veterans in 2017. Agroforestry includes farming practices that combine trees and forestry with crop production. Each training includes classroom instruction and site visits to farms in active production. Content will cover the technical aspects of production as well as the financial and business considerations for each venture. These workshops are exclusively for veterans and active military personnel with an interest in selling commercial farm products (filing a Schedule F) in 2017 or 2018. The March 31 & April 1 training will cover Log-Grown Shiitake Mushroom Production, while the May 12 & 13 training will cover Managing Trees and Animals in Silvopasture. Learn more and register here.

A new study seeks to examine local and regional agricultural production and intermediated markets.  The study will examine the opportunities and risks of four main marketing opportunities for farmers-direct-to-consumer, direct-to-institution, direct-to-retail, and selling to intermediaries (such as distributors or food hubs), who in turn sell the products as local food. We are interested in all farmers' perceptions of these markets, whether currently selling to these markets or not. The survey has several intended benefits for farmers, including the identification of technical assistance and information needs to help scale up farms for marketing to intermediaries. A national outreach and technical assistance program, conducted by NCAT's ATTRA Program will be developed based on the results of this research. Click here for the survey.

March 9, 2-3pm. Online.

The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) Specialty Crops Program  (SCP) invites you to a live, interactive webinar on the Specialty Crops Market News  (SCMN). Of special focus is the National Retail Report, how it is produced, and how it may be utilized by all sectors of the produce industry. Our presentation will be led by Melissa Reeves, National Retail Manager (SCMN) and Kim Mercer, Assistant to the Director, SC Market News.

Melissa & Kim will detail the features of the report, including how to customize a search for retail market information. Other areas covered include:

  *     Tracking trends over time
  *     Illuminating retail patterns
  *     Looking through the window at competition
  *     Dairy and Livestock retail reporting
  *     Question and Answer Session

Access the webinar here. If you have any questions about the webinars or AMS, please contact Jeffrey Davis at  (202) 306-2673  or  jeffrey.davis4@ams.usda.gov.

March 14, 8:30am-3pm. Whallonsburg Grange Hall, 1610 NYS Route 22, Essex, NY 12936

Join Cornell Cooperative Extension Vegetable Specialists in a day-long program covering a variety of topics relating to fresh market vegetable production. This year's focus is on improving soil health. Guest speaker Will Stevens from Golden Russet Farm in Shoreham, VT will speak on fitting cover crops into his crop rotations. Click here  for details and registration. Sponsored by the Eastern NY Commercial Horticulture Program. Registration deadline is  March 10 . Questions? Contact Amy Ivy at  adi2@cornell.edu.

March 23, 9am-5pm. 50 West High Street, Ballston Spa, NY 

12020

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Saratoga County is offering a workshop for food entrepreneurs, "Recipe for Success" on March 23, 2017. The program fee is $65, a discount is offered for two registering together. The workshop will include speakers covering topics including licensing, recipe approval, processing, marketing and small business planning. Register by March 17. For more information see "Events" at www.ccesaratoga.org or contact Diane Whitten at Cornell Cooperative Extension, 518-885-8995, or dwhitten@cornell.edu. This workshop is perfect for anyone thinking of starting a small scale food business to sell a product directly to the consumer or through a retailer. The speakers have experience guiding food entrepreneurs in developing their product and business. Three small scale food business owners will share their experiences, plus a representative from a local retail food market will explain the process of getting a product on their shelves.

Be a part of a growing non-profit company, NOFA-NY Certified Organic, LLC. This USDA-accredited organic certification agency provides high integrity organic certification to over 900 organic farmers and processors throughout New York State and surrounding areas. We have an immediate opening for a full-time Dairy Certification Coordinator Assistant  in our Binghamton, NY office. The starting hourly rate for this entry level position is $12.00 to $14.00 depending on experience along with annual pay increases. Benefits include healthcare, dental and 403(b) as well as generous paid holidays/vacation time. Primary responsibilities of the Dairy Certification Coordinator Assistant include providing administrative support to the Dairy Certification Coordinator to ensure the timely intake and flow of certification applications through the entire certification process. Key duties include assisting with phones, emails, letter writing, data input, and deadline management. Interested and qualified candidates are invited to email a resume and letter of interest to Lori@nofany.org. For more information on this position and our organization visit www.nofany.org.

The Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund provides direct assistance to veterans in their beginning years of farming or ranching. The Fund does not give money directly to the veteran, but rather to a third party vendor for any items that make a critical difference in the launch of a young farm business.  In addition to monetary awards, the Fellowship provides support in the form of guidance in production, business planning, and marketing. Awards are also made in the form of a scholarship to study for a career in agriculture at a college, university or farm-training program. Click here for more information and to apply. All applications must be received prior to 5:30 P.M. PST on March 20, 2017.

The Ground Work Tractor Resource Hub brings together information and resources regarding b asic tractor use and operation, b asic tractor maintenance, t ractor safety, t ractor purchase decision-making, and f arm mechanization strategies.  The website is designed as a resource for both farmers and educators, containing links to webinar recordings, slide sets, fact sheets and other resources. Visit blog.uvm.edu/groundwk/ for the full set of resources.