Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York has announced their 2017 on-farm field days, featuring knowledgeable organic farmers and researchers in the state. Attend field days to gain valuable farmer-to-farmer knowledge about new methods, and to network with others around the state. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged. Visit here for descriptions and dates of the different field days and to register.

Interested in craft beverage production? Beginning this week, applications are being accepted under a new license authorizing method to allow custom craft beverage production centers to provide space and equipment to those looking to produce beer, wine, or cider for home consumption. Licenses are available to current craft manufacturers seeking to establish a secondary business at their current location as well as businesses seeking to open a standalone custom homemade craft beverage production center. Find more information  here.

Hornell/Alfred region of NY, with other on-site locations to be determined by the topic.  Contact Barb Jones to register, bjj6@cornell.edu, 607-255-7712.  Space is limited to 30 persons. Visit here for more information.

Join host farm Burley Berries at an open house for veterans who are curious about, aspiring to be, or are currently farming. Active and Retired Veterans and their families are encouraged to attend this family event filled with education and fun. Activities include learning about strawberry growing, a strawberry picking activity, a pasture walk and butter making activity, a family scavenger hunt, and a dinner. The event will be held rain or shine. There is no fee if you pre-register for this event. Fee for walk-ins will be $5/person. Pre-register by June 15th for a guaranteed meal. The event will be held on June 25th, 2017 from 2-5pm. The farm is located at 6335 Route 20A East in Warsaw, NY 14569. To pre-register contact Lynn Bliven at 582-268-7644 ext. 18 or email lao3@cornell.edu. For more information, visit here.

Interested in food labeling? This workshop will help you navigate the differentlabeling  regulations and will cover topics such as the basic layout of a label, how to make product claims (high fiber, low sodium), how to make health claims (e.g., can lower your incidence of coronary heart disease), and where to find publicly available resources for food manufacturers. The class will take place on Tuesday, June 27, 2017 from 1-3pm at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Sullivan Count Education Center on Ferndale-Loomis Road in Liberty, NY.  Find more information or register  here .

New York is a hotspot for invasive species. At risk are ecosystem services, human health, food security, and New York's abundant natural areas.The Third Annual NYS Integrated Pest Management conference brings together a wide range of speakers to address the scope of the problem. How many invasive species are already here? What's the risk of new invaders? What we can do about it? Join to learn, discuss - and plan. The conference will be held on Thursday, July 13, 2017 at 8:30am-4:30pm Key Auditorium, Roger Bacon Hall, Siena College, Loudonville, NY. Register or find more information  here until July 11th. 

Cornell Cooperative Extension seeks a dynamic leader to provide commercial crop and vegetable growers, consultants and industry representatives with the knowledge and educational resources to advance precision agriculture and new technology to production and management practices in Western New York. The position is a joint appointment with two CCE Regional Agriculture Teams: the Cornell Vegetable Program and the  Northwest New York Dairy, Livestock & Field Crops Team. See full posting and apply  here. The job posting will expire on  June 30th, 2017.

The Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York (NOFA) seeks a full-time crop and livestock certification coordinator for their office in Binghamton, NY. The coordinator will be  responsible for the intake and flow of certification applications through the certification process. They must ensure that an application is complete, and monitor its progress through the entire certification process.  See here  and here for more information. The position is open until filled.

Are you a detail-oriented horticultural enthusiast?  Hudson Valley Seed Co., located in  Accord, NY, is seeking a full-time sales and marketing manager to develop and execute sales and marketing campaigns, identify advertising channels, manage and support small sales staff, and more. 3 to 5 years of sales and marketing experience in the food or garden sector are preferred. Email Doug at  doug@hudsonvalleyseed.com for more details and to apply. The position is open until filled.

The New York Farm Viability Institute is providing grant funding to help dairy farmers bring outside experts to work with them as a team to develop short- and long-term priorities for the farm. Depending on a farm's size, a team may include a nutritionist, veterinarian, crop specialist and banker. The farmer identifies the team members and possible facilitators for the group. If the farm doesn't have a facilitator in mind, Farm Viability can help identify one. Up to $3000 of the consulting costs associated with the profit team meetings are eligible for reimbursement through the grant.  Visit   here  for more details. Q uestions may be sent to profitteam@nyfvi.org. 

The USDA's, National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Institute of Bioenergy, Climate, and Environment (IBCE) and the Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Golden Field Office, Bioenergy Technologies Office announce the interagency program to support the development of a biomass-based industry in the United States. The grant covers technical areas of feedstocks development, biofuels and biobased products development, and biofuels development analysis. A concept paper is due by Friday, July 7, 2017, and applications close in mid-September. For more information visit here.

Want to protect your alfalfa crop from alfalfa snout beetle but don't know how? The devastating pest is considered to be the most limiting factor of alfalfa production as a key feed crop for the livestock industries in northern New York. You may want to consider applying bio-control nematodes to help control the pest and increase resilience. Specialists recommend applying before September 1st. For more information, visit here and here.

Looking to bring interns or volunteers onto your farm? Farm Commons has released a free online guide which overviews e mployment laws that apply to interns, apprentices, and volunteers. The guide covers obligations to provide minimum wage, to pay workers' compensation, and to contribute payroll taxes depending on whether State or Federal agricultural labor exemptions apply. Find it 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 resources available in the " Plan Your Farm" section of our website.