Calling all commercial farmers and ranchers! NCAT is offering $20 for spending 20 minutes taking a survey of needs and attitudes about crop insurance. You can take the confidential survey at  www.ncat.org/cropinsurance using any computer, smart phone, or other mobile device.  You'll be helping NCAT make recommendations to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) about crop insurance for diversified, organic, and specialty crop producers. But we need to hear from all   kinds of farmers and ranchers in all  parts of the country. The deadline for taking the survey has been extended to November 22, 2017.  For more information, click  here  or e-mail  cropinsurance@ncat.org .

SustainAbility Farm, located in Accord, NY, is looking for a farm manager to help us grow our farm operation, currently a CSA, with some restaurant sales. We also offer the opportunity for our farm manager to lease some acres at minimal cost to start your own independent farm operation. Our farm is dedicated to offering people with developmental disabilities the chance to make agriculture their life's work. In this way, they join their adult communities, not only as consumers, but also as producers. Anyone considering this job would have to be comfortable working with different people. We can offer an apartment in our beautiful farmhouse overlooking the Mohonk Ridge in the Hudson Valley, and some opportunity for outside income to the right farmer or farm couple. Interested? Please email resume and/or letter of introduction to Wendy Kaplan at wsksustain@gmail.com. Thank you.

This Whole Farm Planning training guides farmers through specific processes to improve on-farm decision making, increase farm efficiency, develop communication skills, enhance profitability, and ensure environmental conditions on farms.  The 3 year program will involve 3 in person sessions, each lasting 2.5 days. And 2, once-a-week webinars for 4 weeks. The first in person sessions will be held in December 2017, the second session in December 2018 and the third session in December 2019.  The first 4-week webinar series will be in Feb-March 2018, the second in Feb-March 2019. All expenses for the training will be paid through a Northeast SARE Professional Development Grant.  Covered expenses include travel, room and board, and supplies and materials. Additionally, a program mentor will support participants through communication on monthly conference calls and via email.  For more information about the program, contact Sarah Williford at  (845) 264-2401 or   sarahmwilliford@gmail.com. Applications due to Sarah Williford by November 20^th 2017.

Available for rent or long term lease, north of Horseheads. Four bedroom farm house with 103 acres of land. The farm house, over 100 years old, with love could become a solid family home. The barn, built in 1954, needs some repairs. Ample fertile land for gardens and crops, a stream and a pond and lots of trees make this a great place to live. We are ideally looking for a family who would love and look after this family farm and be interested in a long term lease. There is also a wood stove and a furnace. We would like $200 a week. Write to  bobbygreg@gmail.com if interested in more information. 

This position primarily supports aspiring, beginning and existing farmers from diverse backgrounds in their business development and goals including overseeing Groundswell's farm business courses and services for English speakers and English as a New Language Learners.  This is a full-time 30-hour/week position. The position is grant funded until December 2018, with the possibility to renew based on funding and performance. Deadline to apply is December 1, 2017, and the position start date is January 3, 2018. Click here for the full position description. To apply, please email a cover letter and resume as one attachment to Elizabeth@GroundswellCenter.org with "Last Name_BizCoord" in the subject line. We prefer emailed submissions, however you may also drop off or mail your application to 225 S Fulton Street, Ithaca, NY 14850.

Are you a military veteran interested in learning the trade of farming? Look no further! Take Root is a program that connects veterans to paid employment and training on established farms in southern Wisconsin, northern Illinois, and the Chicagoland area.  The application period is until December 1, 2017. Applicants should demonstrate a strong motivation to learn the business of sustainable farming. Learn more about the program here, and submit an application.  For more information email farmertraining@learngrowconnect.org  or call the Farmer Training department at 815-389-8455. 

We are now hiring for the 2018 season. We hire a small 4 person crew to work April through the middle of November 8:00am to 4:30pm, Monday-Friday. We farm 20 acres of fruits and vegetables and market to a 300 member Summer CSA and a 100 member Winter CSA. We offer competitive wages starting at $12/hour (or more depending on experience) and employment includes a CSA share and a weeks vacation in September. Our CSA market allows us to spend most of our time focused on production. You will be involved in all aspects of the farm from greenhouse seeding, planting, cultivating, irrigating, pest management, and harvest. We are looking for dedicated people willing to work hard and work well with a small crew of people. If you are interested in becoming part of our team please send an email and resume to Paul Martin at  sweetlandfarmcsa@gmail.com.

Historic Meadowland Farm in Clinton Corners, NY (Dutchess County) is looking to lease land to an entrepreneurial farmer eager to build a livestock business. Our family owned farm is ideal for raising livestock as the 135-acre property has been completely re-fenced with page wire and includes several 10-20 acre segregated fenced/gated pastures. We have a large 8,000-10,000 square foot barn complex (and silo) that has been used in the past for animals as well as for hay/grain storage. The barnyard also has two moderately sized machine storage sheds. In the fields, we have several run-in sheds and smaller catch-pens/paddocks. There are two streams and a small pond supplying water. The pastures are high quality, having been continuously grazed/hayed for decades. Equipment is available for use and includes: tractors, haying equipment, cone seeder, cultivation implements, and a mobile chicken house. Candidates who bring a seriousness of purpose, a thoughtful business plan, and a congenial personality will find that Meadowland Farm can offer low cost land access and a highly supportive environment in return. Those wishing to apply should send a resume and cover letter to Judah@Meadowlandfarmny.com.

NESARE Farmer Grants are for commercial producers who have an innovative idea they want to test using a field trial, on-farm demonstration, marketing initiative, or other technique. A technical advisor--often an extension agent, crop consultant, or other service professional--must also be involved. Projects should seek results other farmers can use, and all projects must have the potential to add to our knowledge about effective sustainable practices.  To apply, you must be a commercial farmer in the Northeast SARE region. You need not be farming full time, but your operation should have an established crop or animal product that you sell on a regular basis. For more info, click  here.  Due December 5th, 2017.

New York State has allocated $250,000 in the state budget for the New York State Veterans Farmer Grant Fund. Its purpose is to provide grants to support veterans across the state grow their agricultural businesses.  The grant fund helps improve the profitability of a farm owned by a veteran  through one or both of the following  program goals: e xpanding agricultural production, diversifying  agricultural production and/or extending the  agricultural season, and a dvancing innovative agricultural techniques  that increase sustainable practices. Check out the program guidelines and application, or view the program overview here. Applications must be postmarked by January 26, 2018. It is anticipated grant awards will be announced in late Spring/early Summer 2018.

New York State announced $1 million for the  4th round of the New Farmers Grant Fund.  The grants will help beginning farmers improve  profitability through one or both of the following  program goals: e xpanding agricultural production, diversifying  agricultural production and/or extending the  agricultural season, and a dvancing innovative agricultural techniques  that increase sustainable practice. Check out the program guidelines and application, or view the program overview here. Applications must be postmarked by January 26, 2018. It is anticipated grant awards will be announced in late Spring/early Summer 2018.

Limited scholarships are available for military veterans who would like to attend Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group's (SAWG) annual  Practical Tools and Solutions for Sustaining Family Farms Conference. Southern SAWG will host the 2018 conference January 17 through January 20 in Chattanooga, TN. This popular event focuses on practical tools and solutions to build the necessary bridges between farmers, marketers, agriculture professionals, and local-food system advocates. The deadline to apply for the scholarships is December 8, 2017. The application is available  here. Selection priority will be given to veterans in the Southeast who have been farming less than 10 years, but all veterans are welcome to apply. For more information on the scholarships,   contact Margo Hale at  margoh@ncat.org . To learn more about the conference,  visit the website  here .

If you are a farmer whose market channels are requesting a GAP audit or are confused about whether or not your farm needs to comply with the new national food safety standards, the video series "Farm-Based Approaches to Food Safety: The Internal GAP Audit" is a good place to start. To see the video series click here.

The growing season may be coming to a close, but a season full of workshops and education is just heating up. This month's newsletter from the NYS Berry Growers Association is full of news from around the industry over the past couple of months, when most of us were still knee-deep in farm work. It's also got a comprehensive listing of conferences, expos, meetings, and workshops from now through February 2018.