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 in Rich Text Format (RTF).
The New York Center for Dairy Excellence will work to increase dairy farm profitability and build a stronger dairy industry. The Center was recently formed under the New York Farm Viability Institute to provide coordination and leadership for collaborative, focused efforts that prioritize opportunities and obstacles to profitability on New York dairy farms and in the Northeast dairy industry.
``The New York Center for Dairy Excellence is in a unique position to bring together different people to work collectively. It's an approach that will multiply and optimize New York's dairy industry resources and expedite arriving at answers,'' said Thomas N. Sleight, executive director of the New York Farm Viability Institute. "The Center will work to enhance and better utilize existing resources and will focus efforts on elements within the control of individual producers," Sleight said.
A New York Dairy Industry Task Force will be established to work closely with the Center and the Farm Viability Institute's existing Dairy Committee. Representation will reflect the diversity of the dairy industry, including farms of different sizes, geography and production practices, as well as agri-business, New York Department of Agriculture and Markets, Cornell University and Cooperative Extension, State University of New York schools, farm groups and agencies and others.
New York State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker said, "The Center for Dairy Excellence will be a critical component to advancing our dairy industry, as well as the mission of the Northeast Dairy Leadership Team in ensuring a vibrant and profitable dairy industry for the entire Northeast. We are pleased to have been able to provide the seed money to get this exciting new initiative off the ground, and anticipate many great solutions and successes."
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 of Delaware County is seeking a Dairy/Livestock Resource Educator to develop leadership in the planning, implementation and evaluation of innovative educational programs in the disciplines of dairy and livestock enterprises (including herd health management (especially calves), general herd management, crop and business management) for the agricultural community of Delaware County. MS in dairy, animal science or related area with rel exp. Competitive salary & benefits.
For details, see http://hosts.cce.cornell.edu/admin/careerops/pa434.htm. Send letter of intent, resume, name/address of 4 references & transcript(s) by 4/10/07 to: PA#434, Box 26 Kennedy Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853. EOE. Please contact Connie Kan at ck236@cornell.edu for questions.
Starting Date: June 1, 2007
Location: Ithaca, NY
Responsibilities: Increase the business analysis and economic decision making skills of New York dairy farm managers. Develop an exciting dairy farm business summary and analysis program that will include enhancing the existing, as well as developing a new, extension and applied research program. Work state-wide, especially where current Extension educator resources are not sufficient, to complete Dairy Farm Business Summaries, conduct educational meetings and prepare popular press articles. Also assist dairy farmers in determining strengths and weaknesses of their business, and developing goals for the future. Use existing economic decision making tools where appropriate. Opportunities to conduct applied research on management systems and dairy technologies will be encouraged. The effort allocation will be 80% extension and 20% applied research.Application: Applicants should submit a letter of application, vita, transcripts, and names of three references familiar with their professional work. If available, evidence of extension, teaching or research activity should also be submitted. Materials should be sent to:
Dr. Wayne Knoblauch
Department of Applied Economics and Management
357 Warren Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14850-7801Salary: Competitive salary and an attractive fringe benefits package. Position is for one year with continuation possible based on continued funding.
Closing date: April 15, 2007
The New York Farm Viability Institute seeks a highly motivated, team-oriented individual to direct the newly established New York Center for Dairy Excellence. Responsibilities include the day to day management of the Center, overseeing projects and activities and preparing reports on the progress and outcomes of the Center. Candidates must have demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with a variety of collaborators and stakeholders, strong communication skills, computer literate, with a proven track record of financial and personnel management. Familiarity with the New York State/U.S. dairy industry is a major plus. Position is based in Syracuse, NY.
An undergraduate or graduate degree in an agricultural field is preferred, with at least five years of professional experience in the dairy industry, agriculture, agricultural research, agricultural extension, or agribusiness.
Salary is commensurate with experience and complemented by an attractive benefits package.
Send a letter of interest and resume to: CDE Search Committee/New York Farm Viability Institute at application@nyfarmviability.org, or by mail to 159 Dwight Park Circle, Suite 104, Syracuse, NY 13209. No calls, EOE
Department: School of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Start Date: August 2007Description: SEARCH REOPENED. Tenure track position in an Associates degree program and anticipated BBA program. Instructional responsibilities could include: lower level courses in agricultural economics; basic commodity marketing; agricultural business; farm management with dairy emphasis; equine farm management; farm finance. Upper level courses could include: international marketing; capstone in agriculture management; value added agriculture; agriculture tourism and management; agriculture financial decision making. Additional responsibilities include: college/university service; academic advisement; curriculum development; student recruitment. Teaching assignments may be in a distance learning environment and may include nights, weekends, and off-site locations.
Qualifications: A Ph.D degree in Agricultural Economics, Management, Marketing or related area with at least 3 years teaching and/or business experience required. Experience in computer applications in business management essential. Skills in entrepreneurship, applied business management, and business technology are desirable
Qualified candidates should send a letter of application and resume to:
Human Resources Office
Morrisville State College
Morrisville, NY 13408
American Farmland Trust seeks a dedicated and motivated professional for its field activities in New England. AFT's New England field efforts include work with state and local governments, USDA field personnel, agriculture and conservation stakeholders, municipal officials, farmers and landowners, and other supporters of farmland conservation. Activities will be focused primarily in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, but may involve work elsewhere in the region. This individual will work out of AFT's New England Field Office in Northampton, Mass., with regular travel throughout Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Duties and Responsibilities: Manage multiple projects at the regional, state or sub-state level, and assist with ongoing projects in the region. Activities may include advocacy, coalition building, public education and outreach, research and technical assistance on state and local policies relating to farmland conservation, environmental stewardship, agricultural viability and planning for agriculture, and marketing AFT services. Responsible for developing and managing work plans and budgets for specific projects, and will be expected to propose projects for consideration by the organization. Assist in obtaining necessary funds for his/her projects and may as necessary be involved in the hiring and supervising of staff, consultants and/or interns to achieve project objectives.
Qualifications:
- BA or BS degree and a minimum of 2 years of related work experience in public policy, land use planning, agriculture, land conservation or natural resource planning.
- An advanced degree in one or more of the disciplines noted may substitute for work experience;
- Strong writing and verbal communications skills; Preference given to candidates with project and budget management experience;
- Background in agriculture, agricultural policy and/or land use planning strongly encouraged.
Compensation: Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience and background. Full benefits package. EOE.
To Apply: Please send cover letter, resume, writing sample and three references by March 31st to:
Cris Coffin
New England Director
American Farmland Trust
One Short Street
Northampton, MA 01060
ccoffin@farmland.org
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
USDA Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Grants - Due May 18
Rural Business—Cooperative Service (RBS), an Agency within USDA Rural Development, announces it is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2007 to purchase renewable energy systems and make energy efficiency improvements for agriculture producers and rural small businesses in eligible rural areas. Funding will be available in the form of grants, guaranteed loans, and combined guaranteed loans and grant applications. (Can not use the Grants.gov system for guaranteed loans application submission, please refer to Federal Register - NOFA for information on submitting guaranteed loan or combination applications.) For renewable energy systems, the minimum grant request is $2,500 and the maximum is $500,000. For energy efficiency improvements, the minimum grant request is $1,500 and the maximum is $250,000.
Applications must be completed and submitted to the NYS USDA Rural Development State Office no later than May 18, 2007. Any unused guaranteed loan funding as of August 1, 2007, may be pooled and revert to grant funding. It is anticipated that grant award announcements will be made approximately 75 days following the submission deadline. Guaranteed Loans and Combined Guaranteed Loans and Grants Applications for guaranteed loans as well as combined guaranteed loan and grant packages must be completed and submitted to the appropriate USDA Rural Development State Office no later than July 2, 2007. Combined guaranteed loan and grant packages will compete and be awarded on a bi-weekly basis. Guaranteed loan applications will be accepted and processed in a rolling application manner. For more information and to submit your application, contact:
Thomas Hauryski, USDA Rural
Development, 415 West Morris Street,
Bath, NY 14810, (607) 776–7398 Ext.132.
NYS Announces New Municipal Grant Program for Agricultural Economic Development and Farmland ProtectionThe New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets is developing an application for municipalities to develop local agricultural economic development and farmland protection plans. Interested municipalities are eligible for grants up to $25,000 or 75% of the cost (which ever is less) of developing a local protection plan. Applications for municipal grant funds are expected to be released from the Department early this summer (2007).
The Guidelines and Application will also be posted on the Department's web site, www.agmkt.state.ny.us under Funding Opportunities. The Department has set aside approximately $800,000 for the Municipal Planning Grant Program. Grants will be awarded on a first come first serve basis.
Local plans would need to: 1) identify the location of any agricultural lands proposed to be protected; 2) provide an analysis of the value of proposed protected lands to the economy of the municipality; 3) open space value; 4) describe the threats to productive farmland and consequences of farmland conversion, and 5) develop realistic programs and strategies to promote and maintain the economic viability of the local agricultural industry and its agricultural land base.
The Municipal Grant Program for Agricultural Economic Development and Farmland Protection will provide local municipalities the opportunity to craft a specific strategy or group of strategies to keep their farm community viable amidst the demands of worldwide markets, decreasing workforce and increasing regulations. Local government can play a key role in revising local land use regulations and development policies which may hinder a farmer’s ability to grow and diversity their business. Additionally, through this grant program municipalities can evaluate new markets and business development opportunities specifically tailored to address the needs of their farm community.
For more information about the municipal grants program, contact:
John Brennan Farmland Protection Specialist
Division of Agriculture Protection & Development
NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets
10 B Airline Drive, Albany, NY 12235
(518) 457-5606, john.brennan@agmkt.state.ny.us
Two relatively new resources exist for farmers, consumers, and educators interested in learning more about how climate change is already impacting agriculture, and what changes are predicted for the future. Visit www.climateandfarming.org which contains downloadable fact sheets and Powerpoint presentations, and visit www.northeastclimateimpacts.org to view or download a PDF report with detailed forecasts of climate change for the region.
The Soil Health team has completed a final version ("1st edition") of a comprehensive "Soil Health Assessment Training Manual". At the following link, associated with the soil health website, you can view the table of contents and download the entire document or download specific chapters. Information for ordering hard copies is also provided.
//soilhealth.cals.cornell.edu/Cornell%20Soil%20Health%20Manual.htm
The 2007 edition of the Cornell Pest Management Guidelines for Berry Crops is now available. This annual publication provides up-to-date pest management information for blueberry, bramble (raspberry and blackberry), strawberry, and ribes (currant and gooseberry) production. Guidelines are provided for the proper management of economically important insects, diseases, and weeds affecting these crops. Supplemental information on wildlife management and harvesting, handling, and transporting berries is also included.
Sporting a laminated full-color cover, this year?s edition features an expanded discussion section on berry crop disease and insect management. In addition, new information on private pesticide applicator record keeping requirements has been added. Pesticide registration information has also been updated.
The 2007 Pest Management Guidelines for Berry Crops can be obtained through your local Cornell Cooperative Extension office or directly from the Pesticide Management Education Program (PMEP) Educational Resources Distribution Center at Cornell University. To order from the PMEP Educational Resources Distribution Center, call (607) 255-7282, send an email to patorder@cornell.edu, or order on-line at http://store.cce.cornell.edu/pmep.The guidelines are also available on line at: //ipmguidelines.org/BerryCrops/
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 is a Small Farm Education grant project that was funded in 2004-5.
Project Leaders: Rebecca Hargrave, CCE Chenango (jrh45@cornell.edu) and Terri
Bickford, Opportunities for Chenango, Inc.- Literacy Volunteers
Background
Chenango County is a rural community that relies heavily on its 950 dairy, livestock,
fruit, and vegetable farms to support the economy. Almost all of them are considered
small farms, family run, maybe with an extra employee or two, and many are struggling
to make ends meet. Small farms are more important than ever, but will need to
diversify and change in order to remain viable.
Many of our family farms divide their labor and leave the women primarily in
charge of running the business and the men running the production. Often the
women in charge of the family business have had little or no business background,
and many do not even think of their farm as a business or that it should be
run like one. Some of these women went to college, but many did not, and they
are struggling as they sort out paperwork, sift through forms and bulletins,
and try to work with computers. This creates a considerable need for training
and skills development.
Expected outcomes
1) Through training targeted towards their needs, participants will gain enhanced
skills in a variety of areas including communication, computers, networking
and advocacy. These skills will allow participants to better envision a future
for farm-related businesses.
2) As a result of the training and networking process, participants will develop
a better capacity to advocate for themselves and farming and network with each
other. Out of this will grow a self-sustaining grassroots coalition lead by
local farmers with input and support from the project coordinator and collaborating
organizations.
Project activities
The original intention was to formulate a program based on a Women in Ag program
we ran in 2004. Many of our original women were involved in this second series,
and we had hoped to have it play out in the same manner with a group of farm
women getting together once every few weeks to tackle a subject and build camaraderie.
However the course took a different turn.
Our first workshop was to be a Skills for Ag Success planning meeting and bring
in a speaker from one of our local accounting firms to discuss farm taxes. This
event was snowed out, and after speaking to the women who had registered, it
was determined to hold topical sessions aimed at farm women, but each run as
an independent workshop, not in a series. We held five workshops in response
to the needs of our farm women involved.
The first session was “Skills for Ag Success- Women Business Owners,”
held on April 21, 2005 at the Oxford American Legion, in Oxford, NY. We invited
in three local farm women who had recently expanded their businesses and received
grants to do so. Fifteen participants joined together for a lunchtime sharing
session. The three presenters, Katie Ives, Kim Marshman, and Gwen Hinman provided
inspirational tales of success.
The next two sessions were on grant writing. Dan McCormack from Binghamton University, Center for Learning and Teaching was invited in to present two workshops on finding and writing grants for agriculture. Grant Writing for Agriculture, June, 29, 2005, from 6-9 pm. Five attendees reported very positive feedback, “Mr. McCormack provided great tools and motivation to seek out grants for agriculture.” This session focused on looking for grants and the basics of grant writing. The third session was held on August 17, 2005 from 6-9 pm with seven participants. This session was a more in-depth instruction on writing grants.
The fourth workshop, “Afternoon Tea at the Fair” was held during
our County Fair, on Wednesday, August 10, 2005. This workshop was about stress
management and relaxation. The time was chosen since many of our farm women
were at the County Fair with their animals and children. Eighteen participants
worked though tips and techniques to reduce their daily stress: exercises, organization,
and easy tools to make life seem easier. This was an excellent venue since we
were able to capture some women who were unable to come to some of the other
events, and it was a good break from their animals and children during the hot
fair week.
The fifth workshop was “Computer Basics” held on September 9, 2005
at Morrisville State College, Norwich Campus from 9:30-2:30. One of the college
instructors, Jeri O’Brien, led a group of four farm women through basic
word processing, e-mail usage, and internet browsing. One of the women in the
class was building her own alpaca website, and was able to show it off to the
class as an excellent example of how basic computer skills had helped her business.
Farmer participation
Farmers were involved in the planning of this project by encouraging us to continue
our Skills for Ag Success, Women in Agriculture program last year. The 2004
participating farmers gave us input on topics and schedules they were interested
in. During each class the participating farmers had a chance to share their
knowledge and concerns. Whenever possible, we involved farm women as the presenters
of the programs. This information was used to determine future classes.
Evaluation
Much of the feedback was gathered from participating farmers at the end of each
workshop and in conversations between workshops.
Major topics relating to our project:
• Not enough time to attend the meetings as originally scheduled, preferred
the individual format, but still not enough time.
• Liked the opportunity to connect with other farm women.
• Relieved to have some time away from the farm and family and to learn
something useful.
• Large demand for improved computer skills, and we need to develop an
easy way to get basic instruction out to farms.
• The grant writing workshops were motivating and informative, just the
type of information needed to get started.
• Consensus that they wished more people were able to attend.
Farmer impacts
A few that attended the computer training workshop were determined to go home
and learn more about their computers.
One is planning a new web site.
One is continuing to add diversified opportunities to her farm, such as adding
additional attraction animals, and promoting those she already owns,
A few are planning on submitting grant to help expand their farming operations.
Your evaluation
We think we were fairly successful at achieving our goals. Although we had to
modify our original intention with class schedule, session participation was
good, and the bonds that were built between the farmers and the program coordinator
(Terri Bickford) were very noticeable by the end of the course.
Keys to success
Learn to adapt to the changes in everyone’s schedule. Our program
coordinator’s career position changed part-way through the grant, which
with our farmer’s schedules, influenced how the courses were run.
Pitfalls
No one has enough time to come to a lot of workshops. We need to develop
other strategies to get our message out to our local farmers. We tried many
different methods over the last two years to reach a wide audience: postcards
dropped off by milk trucks, postcards mailed, ads, articles, newsletters, etc.
We often heard from people that they liked the program and wanted to attend,
but couldn’t. We need to develop another hook beside education and socializing.
Some ideas would be to link workshops with farm visits so they can actually
see what others are doing, and to include more official sharing time.
For additional ag-related news and events by email:
