Welcome back to the Cornell Small Farms newsletter!
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With the start of a new season, the Cornell Small Farms Program is excited to start a new outreach initiative — on social media!
Have you taken one of our online courses? Watched
our shiitake mushroom cultivation videos? Interfaced with
our reduced tillage project? We want to stay connected and continue to hear about how things are going for your farm business.
Let us know how we can continue to support your success. You can share with us through our new
Instagram
, as well as on
Facebook
,
Twitter
, and our
website
. Let’s keep our conversations going!
Through this newsletter we want to help inform your week with news stories, announcements, resources, opportunities and upcoming events relevant to small farms. You can always submit a story idea, event, or announcement for an upcoming newsletter using our
online form
. Also, don’t forget to
subscribe
.
Thank you again for your interest and support of small farms in New York.
Anu Rangarajan
Director of the Cornell Small Farms Program
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Show and Tell:
What Does Your Farm Look Like?
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Urban or rural, beginning or established, animal or vegetable, what does farming look like for YOU?
To launch our social media outreach initiative, we’ve opened an
Instagram
account. We’ll be sharing photos and stories of farmers and farm practices in our small farms network, and we hope you’ll do the same.
Have a tool or machine that you love? A new technique for weed management? A farm dog posing for a picture?
Share what’s happening on your farm by using
#CornellSmallFarms
to start the conversation.
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As this new community starts to grow, we will be featuring some of your images and stories in this very newsletter. So start sharing!
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Meet the Everest Grape: A New Concord Varietal
Concord grapes are usually used for juice, jam, and wine. But a new variety developed at Cornell AgriTech has a different role at your table. This new
Concord, called
Everest, is a cold-hardy, extra-large, and flavorful grape that is ready to eat fresh.
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An Apple a Day
Cheers to apples, and autumn, this week with a series of special cider-focused events during
Finger Lakes Cider Week
. This fall is an especially good season for apples of all varieties. Did you know that Cornell has released over 65 apple varieties since the late 1890s?
Learn more
about this fall staple fruit.
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Perfect Pumpkins
to Pick this Fall
Pumpkin patches in New York are prime for picking this season, according to researchers. The field conditions were ideal, so pumpkins are ready early this year. Pick them now before they are shipped out of state to places where the pumpkin crop is poor.
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New England Ranching School
For the first time ever the
Ranching for Profit School
is being offered in New England.
Dave Pratt, CEO of
Ranch Management Consultants
, will be teaching you
how to apply economic and financial principles to increase your profit, manage debt, and improve cash flow. You’ll take home tools to build a resilient business that can withstand risks. The coursework uses cattle as the example, but Dave has experience educating producers of sheep, goats, bison, mixed species operations, commodity crops, and more.
The inaugural New England Ranching for Profit School will be held from February 3 to 9, 2019 in Burlington, Vermont.
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Disaster Relief Available to Farmers
Farming is a risky endeavor and weather doesn't help. If you or your farm has been struck by a natural disaster, there are financial resources to aid you. Farm Aid provides a
comprehensive guide to different resources
. USDA Farm Service Agency provides a
Disaster Assistance Program
.
The Hudson Valley, specifically, was affected by a storm on May 15, 2018, and there are
FSA loans
available for farmers who suffered a 30% loss in crop production, or a physical loss in livestock, products, real estate, or equipment. Farmers can borrow up to $500,000 for up to seven years. Apply for the
FSA Emergency Loan
by March 9, 2019.
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Farmer Grants: $15,000 Available through Northeast SARE
Northeast SARE Farmer Grants are intended for farm business owners and managers who would like to explore new sustainable production and marketing practices, often through an experiment, trial or on-farm demonstration. Reviewers look for innovation, potential for improved sustainability and results that will be useful to other farmers. Proposals due by 11/27.
Learn more and apply.
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Northern New York Research Grants Available
The NY Dept. of Ag & Markets has dedicated $600,000 for grants in 2019. Farmers in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence Counties can submit grant proposals in the areas of research, education, and technical assistance. A list of
research ideas
,
budget template
, and the
application
can all be found on the
NNYADP website
. Applications due by October 29, 2018.
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Call for Survey Responses on Solar Farming
Do you solar farm? Consider filling out
this survey
to help researchers to gain a better understanding of the challenges — economically and agriculturally — that you are facing with the land stewardship of the solar sites you are managing. All responses are completely anonymous so your business will not be identified.
Learn more about the project.
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Farmland for Farmers in New York
The National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC) analyzed the issues facing land use in New York State and determined that a viable solution to ensure that farmland is conserved and able to be used for production in the future. They concluded that Working Farm Easements are a solution to land disappearing or land protected, but not legally suited for agricultural production.
Read the full report.
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CCE Otsego Hiring Ag & Farmland Implementation Coordinator
Cornell Cooperative Extension Association of Schoharie and Otsego Counties haved announced the current opening for an Ag and Farmland Implementation Coordinator. The position will be housed at its Cooperstown, New York office.
Read the full job description and apply here.
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October is Beef Quality Assurance Month
Beef Farmers: Have you heard of the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certification? This certification is free through the Beef Checkoff program. Over 1,000 farmers are already a part of the program, and there are multiple trainings held around the state this month to make it easier to get your farm certified.
Read more about the certification and find a training near you.
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Hands-On Tree Transplanting
When:
October 3, 2018, beginning at 9:30 a.m.
Where:
121 Second Street, Oriskany, NY 13424
Details
:
NYS DEC Foresters will present on the basics of tree transplanting, then the group will go outside and transplant apple trees. This workshop is free to the public. RSVP to Terri Harrison if you plan on attending at (315) 736-3394 ext. 168.
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Exploring the Small Farm Dream
When:
Oct. 2, 10, 16 & 30,
Tuesday: 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Wednesday: 6 - 8 p.m.
Where:
840 Upper Front St, Binghamton, NY 13905
Details:
The cost to attend this workshop is $75 per farm or family, and includes two registrations. Special preference will be given to NYS veterans and scholarships may be available to offset travel costs.
Pre-register here.
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Maple Workshop and Certification Class
When:
October 13, 2018, from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Where
: 4085 Quakertown Road, Warsaw, NY 14569
Details
: NYS Maple Specialist, Steve Childs will provide valuable production information on methods, materials, management and much more. To register, contact Lisa Aures at 585-786-2251 or email
lma96@cornell.edu.
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Growing Vegetables for Market Workshop Series
If you are interested in growing vegetables for commercial or direct sales, Jefferson County CCE is hosting a series of five workshops for vegetable growers. Topics include pests and diseases, growing in high tunnels, growing pumpkins and sweet corn for profit, harvesting and post-harvest handling and long range planning, crop rotation and field layout.
The workshop series costs $50 total, or $12 per session. Veterans and military attend for free. The workshops are held on
Wednesdays through October, from 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. at CCE Jefferson County,
offices located at 203 North Hamilton Street.
For more information or to register, call Cathy Moore at 315-788-8450 or
register online.
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Dr. Temple Grandin Coming to
New York
Dr. Grandin is a world-renowned autism advocate, best-selling author, animal welfare and behavior expert, and a professor of animal science at Colorado State University. She is known for relating her personal experience with autism to provide an interesting perspective on how thinking differently can provide opportunities.
Dr. Grandin’s talk, which will be geared toward animal behavior, is free and open to the public. It will be held on
Wednesday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. in the Beekmantown High School gym
in West Chazy, NY.
For more information, contact Sara Bull at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Clinton County at
slk95@cornell.edu
or 518-561-7450.
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Block Two Courses Starting the Week of November 5
The Cornell Small Farms Program's 2018-2019 season of online courses is underway, and now's the time to register for our upcoming
block two courses
.
Learn how to grow your business through growing new products. In block two you can learn about veggie farming, berry production, maple syrup, poultry production, and our new course on pastured pigs. Courses are filling up fast and registration closes for block two in just one month, so
register now
!
Registration closes for block two on
Sunday, October 28 at 11:59 p.m. EST
.
We strongly encourage you to register early to avoid being shut out of courses.
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About Us
The Cornell Small Farms newsletter is a resource for farmers and agricultural service providers in New York and beyond. 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 Farms Program (SFP) is a joint effort of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Cornell Cooperative Extension.
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Are you just starting to farm? We have an extensive resources available in the
"Plan Your Farm"
section of our website. Do you have farm-related questions? Sometimes local questions are best answered by your neighborhood Cornell Cooperative Extension agent. Check our
county-by-county listing
for your small farm agents.
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