Welcome back to the Small Farms newsletter!
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Dear farmers friends,
Here in Ithaca, we had a lovely weekend for outdoor work. Our team was busy. Seeds were planted, gardens and hoop houses cleaned up, animals dewormed, horses driven, mushroom logs inoculated, and bikes turned out. Working with our hands got us out of our heads. Today, my arms are sore!
We hope that our "Building Resilience" series of email and resources has been helpful as you try to understand how this pandemic may affect your farm. While we have been emailing you more than usual, we are doing our best to collect relevant resources, guidance and educational opportunities to help you make decisions.
Over the next few weeks, we will continue to share thematic collections of resources. Our previous resource updates (e.g. labor, markets) and other important links can be found on our
COVID-19 resource page.
If you have other ideas for support needed, please do respond to
our form.
I am also sharing a lovely poem that captures so much of our experience right now. While we may be observing physical distancing, we remain socially connected.
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And People Stayed At Home
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And people stayed at home
And read books
And listened
And they rested
And did exercises
And made art and played
And learned new ways of being
And stopped and listened
More deeply
Someone meditated, someone prayed
Someone met their shadow
And people began to think differently
And people healed.
And in the absence of people who
Lived in ignorant ways
Dangerous, meaningless and heartless,
The earth also began to heal
And when the danger ended and
People found themselves
They grieved for the dead
And made new choices
And dreamed of new visions
And created new ways of living
And completely healed the earth
Just as they were healed.
By Kitty O'Meara
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Be well and keep in touch.
We are in this together,
Anu Rangarajan
Director of the Cornell Small Farms Program
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Small Farms Program Updates
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Spring 2020 Issue of Small Farms Quarterly Now Available
The Cornell Small Farms Program is pleased to announce the arrival of the Spring 2020 edition of the Small Farms Quarterly. In this issue, we feature a problem-solving manual offering a step-by-step process for on-farm problem solving and experimentation, part-two of an ocean farming aquaculture series featuring productive, regenerative seaweed farms, and an advice guide for farmers interested in solar leases. You can read articles from the
Spring 2020 Quarterly online now.
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Resources for Building Farm Resilience During COVID-19
The current COVID-19 pandemic has many wondering what they can, and should, do. The Cornell Small Farms Program has been working in partnership with educators, researchers and others, to provide information and resources to help guide the farming community. We have offered curated resource collections on topics such as marketing, labor, active learning and more. We will be consistently updating as new information and resources are available on our
COVID-19 resource page.
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Featured From #CornellSmallFarms
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@teremarietini is spending more time @wylliefoxfarm as a family, their children learning life skills and how to be more self sufficient.
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@saint_isidores_farm moved their cows back onto pasture and out of their winter silvopasture area, because spring is in the air.
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@fallbrookfarmsny showed how their farm keeps moving forward in these challenging times, including building a high tunnel!
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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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Call for Proposals for NE SARE Partnership Grant
This grant program funds projects conducted by agricultural service providers working in partnership with farmers to encourage the understanding and widespread use of sustainable techniques. Projects will add to SARE’s collective understanding of sustainable agriculture, and strengthen working partnerships between farmers and farm service providers.
Learn more and apply by April 14.
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American Farmland Trust Farmer Relief Fund
To help directly support farmers impacted by the current crisis, AFT's fund will award farmers cash grants up to $1,000 each to help them weather market disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. A full 100% of donations to the fund will go directly to farmers. Initially, eligible applicants include any small and mid-size direct-market producers.
Learn more and apply by April 23.
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Apply Now for On-Farm Trial Grants with NRCS
The USDA NRCS is accepting proposals for grants to help support the adoption and evaluation of innovative conservation approaches on agricultural land. There are over $25 million in funds to implement projects in irrigation management technologies, precision agriculture technologies and strategies, management technologies and strategies, and soil health demonstration trials.
Learn more and apply by May 11.
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Food & Land Sovereignty Resource List for COVID-19
Soul Fire Farm, the Black Farmer Fund, and the Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust have organized this
collection of resources for COVID-19. They also have a
Mutual Aid Survey if you either have resources to give or are looking for aid.
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Business & Career Opportunities
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USDA Seeks Peer Reviewers
USDA seeks qualified individuals to serve as peer reviewers to evaluate proposals that support socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers and ranchers. The program will require approximately two to three weeks of electronically reviewing proposals and then a gathering in Atlanta, GA, to finalize reviews and scoring. USDA provides compensation and travel expenses for reviewers.
Learn more and apply by April 30.
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Applications Open for the 2020 Grow New York Competition
The NYS Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture at Cornell AgriTech announced that applications are now being accepted for round two of the Grow-NY competition. This initiative provides funding, mentorship, business development support, and other key resources to leading food and ag startups from across the globe. A total of $3 million in prizes will be awarded this year to seven startups.
Learn more and apply.
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CCE Lewis Seeks Farm to School Coordinator
This Lowville, NY, position will work with farms to facilitate food procurement for schools and will work with schools to connect with classrooms and teachers. Additionally, the coordinator will publicize farm to school efforts through multiple methods and assist in the preparation of reports, presentations and any outreach materials to support identified projects.
Learn more and apply by April 9.
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Basic Poultry Management Webinar
When: Tuesday, April 14 at 6:30 p.m.
Details: Interested in raising chickens? CCE Rensselaer will be presenting on hatching egg care, breeds, animal care and handling, housing, and health management.
Learn more and contact Kayela at
kls342@cornell.edu to register for this webinar.
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E-Commerce: Selling Online 101
When: Friday, April 17 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Details: No matter what you want to sell, there is a way to do it online.This free workshop will include case studies from other farms and food businesses, including how they decided what they needed for effective e-commerce.
Learn more and register.
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Get Seen Online: Tips For Your Food Business
When: Friday, May 1 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Details: If you've ever wished your business was more online famous, this workshop is for you. Learn strategies to increase your visibility, and discuss search engines, social media marketing, business listings and more.
Learn more and register.
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Active Learning Calendar for Virtual Opportunities and Webinars
The Cornell Small Farms Program team has created this new calendar dedicated to the various webinars and other virtual learning opportunities being offered during this time of physical distancing.
Explore upcoming events.
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Additional Reading & Resources
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Now Free! ATTRA Publications Available to Download
The ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture program has over
500 publications for farmers, gardeners, homesteaders, and more. Formerly for a small fee, the paywall is now gone and .pdfs and hard copies (with the cost of shipping) are available. They also offer free weekly podcasts, a YouTube channel, and Ask an Ag-Expert service.
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Online Sales Platforms: What You Need to Know
Oregon Tilth presented a webinar about
online sales platforms for direct-to-consumer sales. Hear from representatives from four online food sales platforms and see the list of
common questions when considering online sales.
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Free Seed Starting Academy
Fruition Seeds is now offering their popular
Seed Starting Academy for free. The course tutorials and resources will be shared over ten weeks and include easy approaches to thin, pot up, harden off, and transplant seedlings, strategies for successful direct sowing all season long with tips for optimal seed storage, and solutions to common mistakes.
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About Us
The Small Farms Newsletter is a resource for farmers and agricultural service providers in New York and beyond. The newsletter is produced by the Cornell Small Farms Program (SFP), which helps farmers get expert assistance to facilitate all phases of small farm business development. SFP is housed at Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and works collaboratively with Cornell Cooperative Extension.
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Do you have farm-related questions? Sometimes local questions are best answered by your neighborhood Cornell Cooperative Extension agent.
Find your local contact
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