Welcome back to the Cornell Small Farms newsletter!
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Dear friends,
With Anu overseas, I have the pleasure of dropping you a line this newsletter. It’s the peak of summer, and the halls outside the Small Farms office have grown quiet with students away and researchers in the fields.
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Working in my garden, I find the same quiet has settled over the land surrounding our home. The song birds have fledged and other wildlife is keeping cool and silent in shady groves. I hope you are making time during these long, hot days for a nap in the shade or to relax near the water.
Don’t forget to keep a look-out for wild black raspberries. They are at peak ripeness. If you’re willing to brave the poison ivy, thorns and mosquitoes to reach them, they are amazingly delicious!
Wishing you a peaceful mid-summer,
Violet Stone
Baskets to Pallets Project Coordinator
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Small Farms Program Updates
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Learn to Grow Mushrooms in Upcoming NYC Workshop
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The Cornell Small Farms Program’s specialty
mushroom project is hosting a workshop on specialty mushrooms production in New York City in partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension, Grow NYC, and Just Food. The workshop will cover how to grow mushrooms, focusing on their potential as a small enterprise for community and local markets. Everyone who completes the workshop will leave with materials to produce their own mushrooms. Join us on Wednesday, July 17, in Brooklyn, NY, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. This workshop is offered for free, but space is limited.
Learn more and register.
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Up Next in Our Events Series for Veterans in Agriculture
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Farm OPS, a project of the Cornell Small Farms Program, is providing series of training workshops throughout 2019 for veterans interested in agriculture. These events will be held at EquiCenter Farm in Honeoye Falls, NY.
Pasture Management on Tuesday, August 6, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., will give participants the basic understanding of soils and pasture plants and how to improve the functioning of the Four Ecosystem Processes (water cycle, mineral cycle, biological communities, and energy flow) to improve forage for livestock. After classroom learning in the morning, the afternoon will be hands on and in the field. This workshop will be led by Elizabeth Marks.
Learn more and register.
Holistic Planned Grazing on Tuesday, August 20, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., will teach participants how to improve the land with animals. In the afternoon, participants will break into small groups to create a grazing plan, and then will head out in the field to learn some pasture monitoring techniques. This workshop will be led by Elizabeth Marks.
Learn more and register.
High Tunnel Workshop II on Tuesday, September 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., participants will tour EquiCenter's new high tunnel and share in learned lessons from construction to planting. The topics covered include: site prep and construction, soil types, management and fertility in high tunnels, crops to grow in cool and cold seasons, and high tunnel cover crop considerations such as timing and species benefits. This workshop will be led by CCE Educator and Vegetable Specialist Judson Reid.
Learn more and register.
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Featured From #CornellSmallFarms
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@zerafarm shared how they practice rotational grazing, with happy cows and sheep enjoying their greens.
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@juneberry.farm said no words were needed, and let their beautiful honeyberry speak for itself.
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Share what’s been happening on your farm with
#CornellSmallFarms
on Instagram and we may feature your image and story in the next newsletter.
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Organic Farming Research Foundation Grant Funding
Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) is accepting letters of intent for organic farming and food systems project funding for 2020. Priority areas for research projects include soil health and weed management, organic pest management, climate change, and social science research on the barriers to organic transition.
Learn more and apply by August 16, 2019.
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USDA Investing $12.5 Million in Conservation Innovation Grants
Up to $12.5 million is being invested to help support the adoption of innovative conservation approaches on agricultural lands through the national Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG). CIG projects boost production on farms, ranches, and private forests and improve water quality, soil health, and wildlife habitat.
Learn more and apply by July 29.
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USDA Helps Cover Costs for Organic Certification
Organic producers and handlers can apply for funds to assist with the cost of receiving and maintaining organic certification through the Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP). Reimbursements are for up to 75 percent of certification costs per year, up to a maximum of $750 per certification.
Learn more and apply by October 31.
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$10 Million in Grants Available to Support Specialty Crops
The USDA announced that $10 million is available for competitive grant funding in the 2019 Specialty Crop Multi-State Program. Grants are awarded to state departments of agriculture to fund collaborative, multi-state projects that address food safety, plant pests and disease, research, crop-specific common issues, and marketing and promotion for specialty crops.
Learn more and apply.
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Funding Available to Develop Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network
The purpose of the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) Program is to establish a network that connects individuals who are engaged in farming, ranching, and other agriculture-related occupations to stress assistance programs. The network will offer a conduit to improving behavioral health awareness, literacy, and outcomes for agricultural producers, workers and their families.
Learn more and apply by July 25.
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Business & Career Opportunities
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Oneida County Seeks Farmers Market & Ag. Incubator Kitchen Manager
This full-time position will serve as the Farmers Market Manager for CCE Oneida, and will work assist in the planning of educational programs and activities. Also, this position serves as the Ag Incubator Manager and will assist entrepreneurs participating in the Farm & Food Business Incubator Program.
Learn more and apply.
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Putnam County Farm Hiring a Farm Hand
Ryder Farm, a non-profit residency program and working organic farm, seeks a Farm Hand to join their growing team. This position will work with the experienced farm team to learn the ins and outs of Certified Organic vegetable growing, equipment operation and farm planning on an eight-acre farm.
Learn more and apply.
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Dutchess County Farm Seeking Head Vegetable Grower
Shekomeko Farms is looking for a Vegetable Grower to serve as the manager of the vegetable operation for the remainder of the growing season. Working in coordination with the family chef, the grower would harvest, wash/pack, plant, cultivate, and maintain successions, as well as keep the growing areas orderly.
Learn more and apply.
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Vegetable Production Apprenticeship Now Accepting Applications
Hawthorne Valley Farm is a diversified 900-acre Organic and Demeter certified Biodynamic Farm. Apprentices experience farming through hands-on learning, balancing the demands of being a production farm with the goal of gaining the skills needed to succeed in starting or managing farm enterprises in the future.
Learn more and apply.
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Organic@Cornel: No-Till to New Cultivars
When: Tuesday, July 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Aurora, NY
Details: As part of the Organic@Cornell Summer Field Day Series, this event will feature a new no-till planter, the latest info about rolled cover crop organic no-till soybean production, and more.
Learn more.
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Visitor Liability Risk Event for Farm Women
When: Wednesday, July 17, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Where: Greenwich, NY
Details: Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Ag Stewardship Association are hosting a “Reducing Your Liability Risk When Visitors Come to Your Farm”, a free meeting for farm women.
Learn more.
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High Fat Pastures: Managing Forage
When: Thursday, July 18, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Where: Dundee, NY
Details: Learn how to optimize cows’ efficiency on pasture and how the basic nutritional aspects of pastures lead to greater butterfat in the milk and body condition on cows.
Learn more.
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Farm Tour And Volunteer Night: Rocky Acres Community Farm
Enjoy a trip to Rocky Acres Community Farm, run by Rafael Aponte in Freeville, NY for a tour, and volunteer night on Tuesday, July 23. Rocky Acres Farm raises goats, chickens, and vegetables, with dedication to regenerative farming practices and increasing the accessibility of healthy, fresh foods within our local community. Carpool available from Groundswell Center Office in Ithaca, NY.
Learn more and register.
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Industrial Hemp Events at 2019 Empire Farm Days
Industrial grade hemp production is a focus area at 2019 Empire Farm Days, an agricultural and rural living showcase event at Rodman Lott and Son Farms in Seneca Falls, NY, from August 6 to 8. Hemp-focused events include seminars and a daily demonstration crop walk.
Learn more and register.
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Additional Reading & Resources
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Cover Crop Economics: Improve Your Bottom Line in Row Crops
Newly published from Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE), this
free resource addresses the kinds of economic returns that can be expected from cover crops, under various management scenarios and as cover crops improve soil health over time.
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Updated SoilWeb App Available from NRCS
The 2.0 version of the free iOS and Android SoilWeb app is now available from USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the University of California at Davis Soil Resource Laboratory.
SoilWeb provides users with information relating to soil types associated with their location.
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Organic Weed Control Video on Cultivator Adjustments Available
As part of its ongoing video series on organic weed control, Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) has posted a
20-minute video on cultivator adjustment. In this video, several PFI farmers talk about which adjustments they make to throw more or less soil.
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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. The Cornell Small Farms Program (SFP) envisions 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 program 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 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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