Small Farms Update is intended as a resource for farmers and agricultural service providers in New York, and is provided to you by Cornell’s Small Farms Program. Our mission is to foster the sustainability of diverse, thriving small farms that contribute to food security, healthy rural communities, and the environment. Our work is made possible by a network of close partnerships among Cornell faculty and staff, Cornell Cooperative Extension educators and staff, NYS agriculture support agencies, non profit agriculture organizations and farmers.
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New “Organic Crops for Organic Dairies” CD released
The NY Organic Dairy Initiative, a project of the Cornell Small Farms Program and funded by the NY Farm Viability Initiative, has responded to the critical shortage of organic grain available for organic livestock production by creating a CD titled “Organic Crops for Organic Dairies”. The CD is a compilation of some of the most up-to-date resources on growing organic field crops, covering everything from technical information to certification requirements, soil amendments, weed management and business tools. A complete index and an online download of the CD’s contents may be found at the New York Organic Dairy Initiative’s website. Visit: www.organic.cornell.edu and click on “Organic Dairy”. For more information, please see our program highlight.
2007-8 Small Farm Grant Progress Reports Now Online
The Cornell Small Farms Program is pleased to announce that its 2007-8 Small Farm Grant Progress Reports are now online. These grants are made available to Cornell Cooperative Extension educators with creative program ideas that specifically target local small farm businesses and the families who live and work on these farms.
In the 2007-8 cycle, eleven projects were funded for a total of $30,000. Three of the projects are new statewide “Work Teams” organized specifically in response to priorities identified by participants at the 2006 and 2007 Small Farms Summit. The work teams are identifying barriers and opportunities in the areas of Grasslands Utilization, Local Markets, and Livestock Processing. Other projects include several farmer to farmer discussion groups, a career exploration program, a How-to Guide to produce a local food/wine/fiber festival, and a NY Horse Farm Managers Association. For details on these small farm extension projects, visit: http://www.smallfarms.cornell.edu/pages/projects/grants/0708.cfm/
Organic Farmers: Send in Your Cover Crop Questions!
A new column titled “Dear Vicki Vetch: Researchers and farmers fielding your cover crop questions” is planned as a creative forum for Cornell University scientists and educators to communicate up-to-date research results and farmer innovations to the organic farming community. The forum will be a way to connect regional farmers with agricultural scientists, educators and farmers who are experts on various topics related to use of cover crops in organic farming systems. Questions and answers will be published in the NOFA-NY newsletter, Small Farms Quarterly and Veg Edge, a cooperative extension newsletter serving Erie, Genesee, Monroe, Niagara, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne & Yates Counties. The column will select 2-3 questions on a quarterly basis and tackle any topic related to the role of cover crops in farming systems or cover crop management! Questions can be sent to: dearvickivetch@cornell.edu or Dear Vicki Vetch c/o the Drinkwater Laboratory. Cornell University. 134A Plant Science Bldg. Ithaca, NY 14853.
Grant will help advertise “Buy From the Backyard” Campaign in Southern Tier
Farmers will get $100,000 to help promote local foods from a grant Senator Tom Libous secured in the 2008-09 New York State budget. Last year, Libous started “Buy From the Backyard”, a campaign including a guide to local farmers’ markets, farmers who sell retail products, community-supported agriculture services and groceries that buy local. Libous’ research shows that if each of the 110,000 families in his district of Broome, Chenango and Tioga counties spends $15 a week on local food, that would generate $86 million a year in local spending, almost tripling the $50 million industry of local crops.
The new $100,000 member item grant for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County will fund an advertising and promotions campaign to step up press for the campaign. “It’s a project that creates a double benefit” Libous said. “Food prices are up all over the country because of the cost of fuel and grains. But we suspect our grass-fed meats and our nearby farmers can avoid some of those pressures, meaning you’ll likely save money by buying local”. To download the “Buy from the Backyard” materials, visit: http://www.tomlibous.com/.
To receive these events via e-mail, write to karen.hoffman2@ny.usda.gov Type the word “Subscribe” in the subject line.
Other Featured
Events -- www.nyfarms.info/calendar.html
A sampling of regional/statewide events that may be of interest to small farmers. Details on the following events and many more can be found in the NY Farms! Calendar of Agricultural Events.
Administrative Assistant – Farmers Market Federation of New York
The Farmers’ Market Federation of New York is a growing organization dedicated to developing opportunities for agricultural producers, consumers and communities all across the state. Our goal is to create access to wholesome, locally grown foods for consumers, create rewarding market opportunities for producers, and economic and social opportunities for communities. We are seeking an organized, motivated professional interested in a challenging and diverse part-time position. The individual chosen for this position will assist the Executive Director in administering the many programs and services of the Federation. Duties will include general tasks as well as managing the office in the Executive Director’s absence, including answering phones and replying to routine e-mails and requests for information and working with the Executive Director to execute the various program offerings of the Federation. The position is currently funded through the 2008 calendar year; extension beyond this date is dependent upon the acquisition of additional resources. Salary is based on a half time position. Please send salary requirements with resume. To Apply: Email resume and cover letter to: Diane Eggert, Executive Director, Farmers’ Market Federation of NY at diane.eggert@verizon.net by May 9, 2008
Agricultural and Natural Resources Team Coordinator – CCE Sullivan County, Liberty, NY
Provide in-depth administrative and organizational leadership for the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the Agricultural and Natural Resource Program both adult and youth for Sullivan County. Will conduct programs in areas of agricultural expertise; participate as an active member of the Association program management team in developing integrated overall Association educational efforts. Responsible for effective management of resources available to the Agricultural and Natural Resources program and for assuring that accountability and affirmative action requirements are met. Represent the Association before the public, community leaders, agricultural organizations, governmental officials and Cornell University in conjunction with program and leadership responsibilities. See http://hosts.cce.cornell.edu/admin/careerops/pa468.htm for details. APPLICATIONS will be reviewed beginning on May 23, 2008, or until an acceptable pool of applicants has been identified.
Agriculture Program Leader - Schoharie County, Cobleskill, NY
Schoharie County's significant agricultural economy is enhanced by research-based educational programming. Therefore, this Association requires an Agriculture Program Leader who: is responsible for planning, organizing, leading, and evaluating an Agricultural Program that includes traditional and alternative agriculture, consumer horticulture, volunteer development, and Master Gardening; serves as a member of the Association's management team; represents the Association to the public, community leaders, government officials and Cornell University; provides educational programming in assigned subject-matter fields; supervises Agriculture Program staff (Horticulture Educator) and Master Gardener volunteers; is responsible for all aspects of equal program and employment opportunities for the Agriculture Program. See http://hosts.cce.cornell.edu/admin/careerops/pa469.htm APPLICATIONS will be reviewed beginning on May 30, 2008, or until an acceptable pool of applicants has been identified.
Farm Business Program Educator - Onondaga County, Syracuse, NY.
The person in this position is required to plan, develop, implement, and evaluate programs in the area of agriculture and farm business management. He or she is responsible for assessing community needs for educational outreach and is responsible for reporting and data collection of program activities and reports to his/her direct supervisor. Expected to assist supervisor in securing funds to support this program and position through collaborations, partnerships, grant applications. The individual is expected to represent Cornell Cooperative Extension in all interactions with targeted audiences, community collaborators and with the general public. See http://hosts.cce.cornell.edu/admin/careerops/pa471.htm for details. Submit letter of interest, resume, and 3 references by 5/14/08 or until acceptable pool is identified to: Agricultural Farm Business Management Educator Position CCE 220 Herald Place 2nd Floor, Syracuse, NY 13202. Or email to jps294@cornell.edu.
Agriculture/Horticulture Program Issue Leader - Dutchess County, Millbrook, NY
Provides leadership to the Agriculture/Horticulture Program area within the Association; Responsible for Agricultural/Horticultural Program development, implementation, grants, marketing, evaluation, and applied research to address local and system-wide initiatives; Develops, delivers and evaluates educational programs pertaining to farm business management and marketing in partnership with the agricultural/horticultural community of the county; Provides leadership for agricultural/horticultural policy and is spokesperson for local agriculture/horticulture including the agricultural district law, general agricultural practices, town zoning and regulation as they relate to agriculture/horticulture and public education; Develops and maintains local, regional, and community liaisons. See http://hosts.cce.cornell.edu/admin/careerops/pa472.htm for details. APPLICATIONS will be reviewed beginning on May 30, 2008, or until an acceptable pool of applicants has been identified.
Permaculture Apprenticeship, Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute, Ithaca, NY
The Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute (FLPCI) offers an exciting opportunity to explore permaculture in exchange for 10 - 20 hours of work each week helping organize, run events, and work on farm, forestry, and garden projects on CNC's 130 acres. Apprentices have the opportunity to attend several FLPCI events without charge, including the Permaculture Design Certification Course, held from August 8 - 24. The program will run from May 26th through August 24th. The apprentice program is heavily rooted in self-directed learning. We facilitate apprentices to define their own goals, set milestones, and produce measurable results. Facilitators, instructors, and staff members offer advice and feedback, but none will tell you how or why you are doing something. This is both a challenging and rewarding endeavor. The cost is $700 for residential apprentices, which includes access to facilities, materials and facilitation. The cost for commuters is $500, which includes materials and facilitation.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Agricultural Prosperity for Small & Medium Sized Farms – Due June 5th
One component of the National Research Initiative is the Agricultural Prosperity for Small & Medium Sized Farms Program. Proposals for this program must be "integrated," i.e. contain at least two of three functions: research, outreach, and education. This year the program is highlighting involvement of Extension personnel & curriculum development that involves K-12 teachers. The program also encourages applications on sustainable biofuel production. Proposals are due June 5, 2008. Read more at: http://www.csrees.usda.gov/funding/rfas/nri_rfa.htmlRenewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program – Due June 16th
USDA will accept $220.9 million in loan and grant applications within USDA's Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program. Loan guarantees and grants are available to agricultural producers and rural small businesses to purchase and install renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. Eligible applicants may seek loan guarantees to cover up to 50 percent of a project's cost, not to exceed $10 million. Grants are available for up to 25 percent of a project's cost, not to exceed $250,000 for energy efficiency improvements and $500,000 for renewable energy systems. USDA will issue one grant solicitation for two separate competitions in FY 2008. For the first competitive window, grant-only applications must be submitted no later than April 15, 2008. For the second competitive window, grant-only applications must be submitted no earlier than April 16, 2008, and no later than June 16, 2008. Applications for loan guarantees, as well as those for loan/grant combinations must be completed and submitted to the appropriate USDA Rural Development State Office no later than June 16, 2008. Read more at: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?
contentidonly=true&contentid=2008/03/0072.xmlOrganic Research and Education Grants – Due July 15th
The Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) has issued its Request for Proposals for organic research and education projects for Fall 2008 grants. OFRF offers funds for research on any topic that will improve organic production systems, and for education and outreach projects to share organic farming information with current organic producers and to farmers and ranchers considering transitioning their operations to organic. Proposals may request awards of up to $15,000 per year
($20,000 for fruit projects). Multi-year funding will be considered for fruit projects. Proposals are due July 15, 2008. Read more at:
http://ofrf.org/pressroom/releases/071116_stretchislandfunding.html
RESOURCES
Small Ruminant Dairy Project Quarterly Newsletter
The UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture is now offering a Small Ruminant Dairy Project Quarterly Newsletter. For more information on the Small Ruminant Dairy Project or to sign up for the newsletter please contact Carol Delaney at (802) 656-0915, UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture, 63 Carrigan Drive, Burlington, VT 05405 or Carol.Delaney@uvm.edu. Previous issues may be read online at: www.uvm.edu/~susagctr/srdpnewsletter.html/
Resources for Raspberry & Blackberry Growers Now Online
Growing raspberries and blackberries in Northern New York using high tunnels just got a lot easier. The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program just uploaded the new High Tunnel Raspberries and Blackberries guide to its website www.nnyagdev.org. Researchers at Cornell and Pennsylvania State universities have published the guide on the latest and ongoing high tunnel research in the Northeast region of the U.S. The color photo-filled High Tunnel Raspberries and Blackberries includes information on using the relatively inexpensive, usually unheated hoop structures called high tunnels for starting fruit earlier in the spring and producing berries later in the fall season. There are sections on site selection; the types of tunnels; construction; plant selection; tunnel, crop and pest management; early and late season extension techniques; and budgeting. High Tunnel Raspberries and Blackberries, the production guide and other high tunnel information links are online on the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program website at http://www.nnyagdev.org/.
Presentations from 2008 Northeast Grasstravaganza Available Online
The Northeast Grazing Guide, the official website of the Northeast Pasture Consortium, will soon have the presentations given at the Annual Meeting held in Binghamton available to view. If you want to see the research that is happening and some of the results, go to http://www.umaine.edu/grazingguide/. Likewise, presentations from Northeast Grasstravaganza will soon be available to view at http://www.cnyrcd.org/. So, if you missed either event and were interested in any of the presentations, you can at least get a sense of what the various speakers discussed.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
In this section we highlight the Small Farms Program's activities, including projects we coordinate and those we have funded through Innovative Small Farm Education grants to Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) educators.
New York Organic Dairy Initiative releases new “Organic Crops for Organic Dairies” CD
The NY Organic Dairy Initiative, a project of the Cornell Small Farms Program and funded by the NY Farm Viability Initiative, has responded to the critical shortage of organic grain available for organic livestock production by creating a CD titled “Organic Crops for Organic Dairies”. The CD is a compilation of some of the most up-to-date resources on growing organic field crops, covering everything from technical information to certification requirements, soil amendments, weed management and business tools. A complete index and an online download of the CD’s contents may be found at the New York Organic Dairy Initiative’s website. Visit: www.organic.cornell.edu and click on “Organic Dairy”.The CD has received much attention this past winter after it was first presented at the NY Certified Organic meeting in January. Since that presentation The Rodale Institute asked for a copy of the NYODI Transition Spreadsheet, which they used to demonstrate to the PA State Legislature the potential profit that was achievable by transitioning to organic crop production. PA is considering offering a tax incentive to farmers transitioning their land to organic crop production.
To date 3 of the 4 New York state organic processors have purchased 400 copies of the CD to pass out to their farmers. In addition 100 copies have been given out to farmers at meetings this past winter.
Many people are interested in the technical info contained on the CD but the most useful tools to insure a successful, sustainable business are the spread sheets. These allow the individual farm to input their own information and accurately evaluate changes and practices on their farm. This summer the NYODI will be holding an Adobe Breeze training workshop to familiarize extension personnel, processor field people, agri-service, and farmers on the use of spreadsheets contained on the CD: NYODI Transition, Petersen’s Constants for grain and forage, and the Manure nutrient calculator.
To get the files contained on the CD visit www.organic.cornell.edu and click on the NY ODI link. Or if you are an organic dairy producer ask your field person for a copy of the CD. Others and Cornell Extension personnel can contact Sharon VanDeuson at 607-753-5213 or shv7@cornell.edu
For additional ag-related news and events by email:
Agricultural community and economic development news and events: Community Food
and Agriculture Program, hmm1@cornell.edu
Consumer and public education news and events: NY Farms! News To Share, nyfarms@nyfarms.info
Eastern NY, MA and VT news and events: Regional Farm and Food Project, billie@farmandfood.org
Policy-related news and alerts: National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture,
campaign@sustainableagriculture.net