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.
Prefer to print out the update for easier reading? Download this month's Small Farms Update as a Word document.
Small Farms Program Sponsored Events
Other Featured Events:
In preparation for our Small Farms Summit in November of 2006, Joanna Green compiled this booklet to highlight the many programs and research projects conducted by Cornell and Cornell Cooperative Extension for the benefit of small farms in New York State.
The booklet includes brief descriptions and contact information for projects ranging from horticulture, livestock and dairy to agroforestry, business management and marketing. There is a section devoted to organic agriculture and another for Integrated Pest Management research and extension.
You can download a PDF version of the Small Farm Research and Education Resources booklet here
If you've ever wondered about the scope of what the Small Farms Program actually does, this brief but information-packed report details our activities since inception six years ago. Learn more about how the Small Farms Program got started, our outreach efforts and publications, and our research and extension projects. Download a PDF version of the report here.
The Northeast Small Farm and Rural Living Expo and Trade Show, comes back to the Hudson Valley on Saturday, Oct. 13th and Sunday, Oct 14th, from 9am to 4pm. Once again the Ulster County Fairgrounds will be host to the event. The Small Farm and Rural Living Expo, which rotates between New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, will attract thousands of people who are interested in learning more about farming and rural living.
The Expo planning committee is looking for vendors to exhibit at this years Expo. Space is available for agricultural agencies, commodity and breed associations, building and fence companies, feed and animal care companies, rural living product suppliers, small farm equipment manufacturers, and other businesses interested in reaching people interest in farming and rural living. For more information about booth sizes and fees, please contact Joe Walsh at (845) 292-6180, jjw11@cornell.edu or Larry Hulle at (845) 344-1234,
lrh6@cornell.edu. Bookmark our website for updates on the Small Farm and Rural Living Expo at www.smallfarmexpo.orgThe Cornell Small Farms Program is proud to co-sponsor this years Expo.
This spring the Small Farms Program is offering, for the second time, a one-credit course for Cornell students called "Exploring the Small Farm Dream." We have an enthusiastic group of nineteen students, up from 12 last year, who meet weekly to hear from farmers and other resource people about the opportunities and challenges of starting a small farm business. We're really pleased with the high level of student interest, and have made the decision to continue offering the class on a yearly basis. We are also looking into the possibility of additional small-farm-focused classes that might be offered in the future.
We are highlighting these events because of the importance of grazing to our dairy and livestock audience. Please see the Graze NY! Website for a complete listing of pasture walks and grazing workshops.
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, which is produced by NY Farms! in cooperation with the Cornell Small Farms Program; Cornell Community, Food and Agriculture Program; Regional Farm and Food Project, and other organizations.
Cornell Cooperative Extension seeks educator to plan, implement and evaluate educational opportunities for horticulture/agriculture in Fulton/Montgomery County (Johnstown, NY). MS plus related experience required. Send letter of intent, resume, & transcript to PA#432, Box 26 Kennedy Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 by 3/16/07. See hosts.cce.cornell.edu/admin/careerops/pa432.htm for details.
Contact Connie Kan at 607-255-0789 with questions
The Center for Agricultural Development and Entrepreneurship (CADE) seeks an individual to coordinate activities of 501(c)3 dedicated to agricultural economic evelopment/farm-level sustainability in Central New York. Duties include grant writing/fundraising, management of $240,000+ budget, contract oversight, supervision of office assistant/field consultants, workshop implementation, meeting/event attendance, responsible to Board of Directors.
Required qualifications and experiences are: nonprofit management and direct program implementation experience, evidence of successful grant writing, Bachelors Degree or higher, self motivated, strong communication skills, and farm experience/passion for agriculture.
Position begins fall/winter 2007. Salary: $40,000-$60,000, plus health, retirement, paid vacation. Send letter of intent, resume and excerpts from successful grant applications postmarked by June 1, 2007 to CADE, 250 Main St., Oneonta, NY 13820 Attn: John Janiszewski.
For more information please call the CADE office at (607) 433-2545 or check CADE’s website at www.cadefarms.org.
Beef cow calf farm with 200 mother cows with calves grazing on the Finger Lakes National Forest. Complete feedlot, finishing cattle for grid marketing to Certified Angus Beef Program. Job entails forage crop production, corn silage, haylage, and dry hay with associated machinery maintenance and operation, cattle feeding and handling, fence and building repair. Horses are used to handle cattle on National Forest. A strong emphasis is placed on profitable bottom line.
Skills and experience desired: Beef cattle handling and feeding, AI breeding and feedlot management, and experience with horses. Prefer experience operating farm machinery and associated equipment maintenance and field crop production. Computer record keeping and documentation is important for nutrient management plan and CAFO regulations. Emphasis on understanding what makes farm profit and living wage. Pay, housing and board consummate with skill.
Individuals without experience but strong desire to learn will be considered. We strongly encourage interested persons to visit the farm. We are located twenty miles north of Ithaca, NY. Possible weekend work during the semester. Contact:
Mary & Jim Fravil
2483 Betzler Road
Lodi, NY 14860
607-582-6881
jfravil@empacc.net
Canticle Farm in Allegany, NY is entering its seventh season as a not-for-profit organic farm sponsored by the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, NY. We have 6-7 acres in diversified vegetable production, located along the Allegheny River on a 10-acre farm that is Certified Naturally Grown. Our primary marketing outlet is through our 180-member CSA, of which many members are participating shareholders who volunteer at the farm throughout the season. Our goal each year is to give 20% of our sold shares to food pantries, soup kitchens, and domestic violence shelters, with money raised through grants and donations. We also operate a roadside stand and participate in a Saturday farmers market in the town of Olean, just five miles away. We have strong community ties with St. Bonaventure University and with the Rehabilitation Center, among others, and are active on our local foods meetings through the New York Sustainable Agriculture Working Group. The farm is always open to public visitors and hosts many student groups, workshops, and events. We are 1 ½ hours southeast of Buffalo, NY, just north of the Pennsylvania border, and our region includes Allegany State Park, Allegheny National Forest, and plenty of hiking and biking opportunities.
Pay is dependent upon experience, starting at a minimum of $7.50 per hour. This position provides a great opportunity for someone to learn how to manage a vegetable producing farm. While experience is helpful, the ability to work hard and the commitment to learning are more important. Someone self-motivated, able to do physical and tedious tasks, committed to environmental sustainability, and building community will thrive in this position.
Contact Farm Manager Mark Printz at 716.378.9714 or canticleoffice@yahoo.com and printz@netsync.net
Are you creative and innovative? Are you doing on-farm processing and packaging? Do you have a small business or food business or food service industry? Would you like to truly make a difference in the lives of Africans by teaching what you know about these topics?
FarmServe currently has 7-10 openings for Packaging and Food Handling Specialists, for short-term assignments in Africa from March to July 2007. Your Packaging and Food Handling Assignment would take you to Ghana, Guinea, Mali or Nigeria, West Africa, through the FarmServe Africa program. FarmServe Africa is a USAID Farmer-to-Farmer
program led by OIC International. OIC International works primarily in Africa and has as its mission to help others help themselves through sustainable and practical training. Agriculture is just one of the many topics we are involved with.Assignments are 3 weeks in length (more if you have the time) and all expenses are paid except for your time. You would work to teach African farmers, farm educators, and local food industry people about topics such as safe food handling and packaging to add value, shelf life and use up surplus. Your work would address the tragedy of post harvest loss and
spoilage due to lack of skills for preservation and also lack of electricity and refrigeration. Even worse is that these very farmers use many imported vegetable products, such as tomato paste, vegetable oil, and bouillon cubes for cooking, whilst their products rot by the basket-loads in the market. Africa is capable of producing for itself, with just a little knowledge and know-how. Now is the time; it is the dry season, when they do market gardening and high value vegetable crops.
If you or someone you know is a Packaging, Food Handling/Processing person (farmer, farm educator, small-scale food industry, or chef), please contact FarmServe for information and an application. Even if you don't know anyone, you can help Africa by forwarding this message to those who would might be interested. Call 215-842-0860 or email farmserve@oici.org.
Did you know that each year the Small Farms Program gives small grants of up to $7,000 to Cornell Cooperative Extension Educators to implement projects to help farmers? The emphasis for these projects tends to be on farmer-to-farmer learning, though other topics are encouraged as well. Each month in this Update, we highlight one of these grant projects in our Program Highlights section. You can read descriptions and reports from all past grant projects at our website: www.smallfarms.cornell.edu/pages/projects/grants/index.cfm
Applications for this year's grants aren't due until this October, but if you have an idea for a project that fits in with the criteria for this funding, it's not too early to start gathering your local farmers and Extension Educators together to plan for it. If you have questions about this grants program, contact Anu Rangarajan at ar47@cornell.edu or 607-255-1780.
For two years Cornell Cooperative Extension Small Farm Specialist Bill Henning has been working with farmers, pork marketers, and Extension colleagues to promote markets for natural pork in the Northeast. "With every step get a little closer and we've never been closer than we are now," he says. "The trick has been to have enough supply to have something to sell and enough demand to take the supply. Things are looking good."
A new email listserve offers producers the chance to ask questions, share information, sell pigs, look for assistance or anything else related to outdoor, natural, pastured, and/or organic pig production. "OUTDOORPIG" (cce-outdoorpig-l@cornell.edu) is managed by Bernadetter Logozar, Agriculture Development Specialist with Franklin County CCE. She says, "If folks are interested in joining the Outdoorpig listserv they just need to send an email to me at bel7@cornell.edu. Please put 'Add me to the
Outdoorpig list' in the subject line so we can do so."
If you are thinking about producing pastured pork this year, get in touch with Bill Henning for help in connecting with potential markets. He can be reached at 315-536-5123, 585-233-4167 or wrh6@cornell.edu.
National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) offers an online database to help fruit, herb, and vegetable producers understand the products available to them for ecological pest management. The database is searchable by pest name (common or scientific) as well as by pesticide name. The pesticides listed are considered biorational, which includes:
- microbial pesticides: formulations of viruses, bacteria, fungi, or nematodes that have low non-target impacts;
- pesticides derived from plants that have low non-target impacts and degrade into non-toxic components; and/or
- various new types of pesticides, such as particle film barriers, pheromones, and compounds such as Spinosad, that have low non-target impacts and degrade into non-toxic components.
The database notes which materials are listed by OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute). Because OMRI listings are frequently updated, organic growers should always check with their certifiers prior to applying any materials to their crops or livestock. Visit //attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/biorationals/biorationals_main_srch.php to search the database.
UVM Extension has compiled some resources on meat processing. While some of the information is specific to Vermont, there are also links to slaughterhouse feasibility studiees from other states, federal regulatory information, a link to join a discussion group.Visit the site at: www.uvm.edu/livestock/meat/
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.
The following projects represent the latest round of awardees of the 2006-07 CCE Grant for Innovative Small Farm Education from the Cornell Small Farms Program. This Fall, we will feature full reports from these grants in this section of the Update. Until then, we will continue to highlight reports from our 2005-06 grantees.
Equine Pasture Management Conference & Discussions
Heather Sweeney, Oneida County, hes7@cornell.edu
Since the equine industry significantly impacts the State's economy, it's important that horse owners and managers learn proper pasture and forage management.
To re-establish discussion groups to exchange ideas and information about innovative marketing, husbandry and business management methods.
To recruit and train interns in the ideals of sustainable farming by pasture-based livestock producers.
With up to 40 classes & workshops, the Expo provides a "one stop shop" atmosphere for small farmers & beginning farmers.
They plan to form a farmer to farmer winter discussion group to work on improving the marketing of their vegetable and constructing a website.
The objective of this project is to facilitate an exchange of successful production and marketing methods at wholesale produce auctions among p roduce growers.
To enhance their knowledge of meat science and issues related to the characteristics of grass-fed beef and to explore new marketing options.
Seneca County Dairy Discussion Group
Gerald Bertoldo, Maureen Zorn (mr235@cornell.edu), Seneca County
Small Dairy Farm Manager Discussion GroupsLocal farmers will meet on a monthly basis to discuss common topics of interest, challenges, etc. Farmers will teach each other new methods and foster relationships.
To provide an informal educational opportunity for farm owners and family member of small sized dairy farms to meet and share experiences.
For additional ag-related news and events by email:
