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).
Mike Baker named Interim Director of Cornell’s Small Farms Program
As some astute Small Farms Update readers have noticed, Mike Baker has taken on the Directorship of the Cornell Small Farms Program during Anu Rangarajan’s six month sabbatical, which began in October.
Mike is the NYS Beef Extension Specialist in Cornell’s Department of Animal Science, and a long time ally of the Small Farms Program. Since almost all of NY’s beef farms are small, part time operations, Mike has a real appreciation for the value and importance of small farms in our state.
Mike has served on our Small Farm Leadership Team for several years and is very familiar with our programs and staff. We are very pleased to be working with Mike and encourage you to contact him with questions or comments about the Small Farms Program. He can be reached at 607-255-5923 or mjb28@cornell.edu.
Ag Commissioner Patrick Hooker to participate in 2nd NY Small Farm Summit
We are very pleased to announce that Patrick Hooker, NYS Commissioner of Agriculture, will join us at the Second NY Small Farm Summit, on November 29. Farmers at any of the four videoconference sites will have an opportunity to voice questions, suggestions and concerns directly to Commissioner Hooker and to hear his thinking on important small farm issues and opportunities.
In addition we will be joined by Mark Kenville, Director of the new NYS Center for Dairy Excellence, who will share his thoughts about how the Center can address small dairy needs and opportunities. Afternoon discussions will focus on progress to date and future plans for addressing four priority opportunity areas identified at last years Summit:
The Summit will take place from 10AM to 3PM in 300 Rice Hall on the Cornell Campus, as well as at sites in Belmont, Malone, and Voorheesville, NY. If you are interested in participating in the Summit please contact Joanna Green at 607-255-9227 or jg16@cornell.edu. We are especially looking for more dairy farmers to participate this year, particularly during the morning session with Commissioner Hooker and Mark Kenville. (For more information on the Summit see the Program Highlight in this issue.)
Beginning Farmer Trainings Announced for Fall 2007
The NY Beginning Farmer Project has been working with extension educators
across the state to organize new trainings. Our goal is to make it possible for any aspiring or diversifying farmer in NY to receive in-depth training and assistance with their enterprise. If you are a new farmer or are thinking of adding a new enterprise to your operation, visit our training calendar
(www.smallfarms.cornell.edu/pages/events/index.cfm) to find opportunities near you. If you don't see any in your area for this fall, contact Erica Frenay at ejf5@cornell.edu or 607-255-9911 to inquire about plans for future trainings.
Educators who are interested in offering a Beginning Farmer training in their county should also contact Erica to find out about funding and partnership opportunities available through 2009 with the NY Beginning Farmer Project.
Free Farm Energy Audits Available for Dairy Farms
By Dick Peterson, Northeast Agriculture Technology Corp.
When was the last time you had an energy audit conducted on your farm? More than five years ago? Never? If you answered yes to either of those questions, it’s time to consider an energy audit. Most farm energy audits identify numerous, easy, low-cost ways to reduce energy consumption and save money. Qualified farm energy analysts can identify the best ways to save energy on your farm. A Farm Energy Audit Report will provide extensive details about your farm energy use, patterns of use, opportunities for reductions in use, and the cost to install energy conservation measures.
Need to buy equipment to save energy? The Farm Energy Audit Report will tell you where funds are available to help you buy the necessary equipment to improve your energy efficiency. But often, no purchase is necessary. Sometimes, just following some simple maintenance procedures can improve energy efficiency. The audit report will make maintenance suggestions that can reduce your energy bills.
Northeast Agriculture Technology Corporation (NATC) is a Flex Tech contractor for the New York State Energy, Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). Under the Flex Tech program, NATC can perform farm energy audits and NYSERDA will cover all or most of the cost of an audit on your farm. NATC is working with Cornell Cooperative Extension in several counties across the state to encourage farm owners to request an energy audit. It’s a simple, painless process, and we encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to find out just how energy is used on your farm.
To complete an audit, we need some basic information:
We also need to see your monthly electricity bills for the last 12 months to analyze energy use profiles. All of this information provides a basis for a complete energy audit. While we are at your farm, we inventory all electrical and other non-field energy-using equipment and determine daily operating times. All of the information is used to develop a very detailed audit report that shows you how energy is used on your farm, how you compare with other similar farms, and how you can improve energy efficiency and save money.
If you want an energy audit for your dairy farm, just call NATC at 607-266-9007 or e-mail us at natc244@verizon.net. This is an opportunity you shouldn’t pass up.
Outreach Education Seeks to Improve Efficiency for Commercial Berry Growers
A new initiative to offer outreach education to commercial berry growers will demonstrate and disseminate information about production practices, weed control and pest management. Project leaders have set as their goal to reach at least 75 farmers who will increase efficiency by a minimum of 10 percent as result of the efforts.
The project, started last month, recently received a two-year $213,000 grant from the New York Farm Viability Institute, a farmer-led nonprofit group that funds research projects to help farmers increase profits. The Institute helps to foster a New York agriculture system of diverse farm sizes, production practices, commodities, sectors and geographic regions.
Spearheaded by the New York Berry Growers Association and Cornell University's Small Fruit Program Work Team, the project focuses on demonstrating and implementing technologies that improve the production efficiency and quality of New York's berry fruit. Marvin P. Pritts, a Cornell University horticulture professor, is overseeing the project, which included hiring two part-time berry Cooperative Extension support specialists. Laura McDermott serves as eastern New York berry educator. She works with the Northeastern New York Fruit Program and Hudson Valley Fruit Team, and helps berry growers across her region with information on all aspects of berry production. McDermott works out of the office of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Washington County in Hudson Falls.
Cathy Heidenreich is filling the western New York position. She is assisting the Lake Ontario Fruit Team and South Central Agriculture Program, and other berry growers in that part of the state. Heidenreich works out of the New York State Agriculture Experiment Station at Geneva.Her responsibilities include coordinating annual updates to the Cornell Pest Management Guidelines and managing content for the recently updated berry pages on the Cornell Fruit Resources website,
http://www.hort.cornell.edu/extension/commercial/fruit/berry.html Heidenreich is an interim editor of the New York Berry News newsletter
http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/pp/extension/tfabp/newslett.s
The Cooperative Extension specialists and programming is available to all commercial berry growers, regardless of scale, method of production or
location within the state.
Contact Information Eastern New York: Cornell Cooperative Extension of Washington County. 415 Lower Main St. Hudson Falls, NY 12839 Phone: (518) 746-2560 Fax: (518) 746-2419 Email: lgm4@cornell.htm Western New York: NYSAES Cornell University 630 W. North St. Geneva, NY 14456 Phone: (315) 787-236. Fax: (315) 787-2389
ATTRA needs your help!
ATTRA, the national sustainable agriculture service, is in a serious funding crunch. This project of the National Center for Appropriate Technology is normally funded by a federal grant from USDA. Due to delays by Congress in passing an Agriculture Appropriations bill, ATTRA is currently without funding. We are asking our ATTRA friends and users to help by sending a donation to keep our staff working on our website and national toll free hotline.
To make a tax-deductible donation please follow the below link and select "Help the ATTRA Project" from the 'Donation Type' dropdown menu. https://payments.auctionpay.com/ver3/?id=w014864 If you would like to send in a donation via traditional mail, please address it to:
NCAT
c/o Marcia Brown
P.O. Box 3838
Butte, MT 59702
We've also posted more information on our home page: http://attra.ncat.org
Thanks for any assistance you can give us. Please keep using our ATTRA services - the website has all of our publications available for download.
Click here for our Calender
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.
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.
Executive Director, Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York
The Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York (NOFA-NY) is seeking a committed and dynamic Executive Director to build on its twenty five year history of promoting organic and sustainable agriculture throughout the state of New York; this person will lead an expanding organization into the next phase of education and advocacy for New York state farmers, gardeners, and consumers.
TO APPLY: Email resume and a letter of interest, inclusive of salary requirements, prior to 12/1/07 to: schaskey@peconiclandtrust.org (Current President, NOFA-NY), or Scott Chaskey c/o Quail Hill Farm, PO Box 1268, Amagansett, NY 11930. Resume reviews will begin immediately.
4-H Youth Development Program Leader - Genesee County
The 4-H Youth Development Program Leader of Cornell Cooperative Extension Association of Genesee County will coordinate all programming efforts and provide leadership for the 4-H Youth Development Staff (currently includes 4-H Youth Development and Consumer Horticulture). The 4-H Youth Development Program Leader will serve as a senior member of the Association’s Management Group and will report directly to and work closely with the Executive Director. While the primary responsibilities are for program coordination and leadership and management of 4-H Youth Development staff, the Program Leader may also provide some direct educational delivery in an appropriate content area. For details, see http://hosts.cce.cornell.edu/admin/careerops/pa453.htm
Natural Resource Conservationist, 2 positions available
Cortland County Soil and Water Conservation District
For more info, e-mail Amanda.Barber@ny.nacdnet.net or call 753-0851
Farmers in 25 upstate counties eligible for emergency loans
Twenty-five Upstate New York counties have been designated as disaster areas by the United States Department of Agriculture, qualifying farmers in those counties for Farm Service Agency emergency loan assistance, Senator Charles Schumer reported in October.
The USDA designations come as the result of a severe drought in parts of the state, and from a significant hail storm on July 13, 2007, in the Finger Lakes region. The storm and the ongoing drought have destroyed a significant portion of the production capacity of many farms.
Seven counties, Chautauqua, Genesee, Lewis, Ontario, Erie, Jefferson, and Monroe were designated 'primary' natural disaster areas caused by an ongoing drought, meaning these seven counties sustained more than thirty-percent loss of at least one crop in the county. Thirteen counties, Cattaraugus, Herkimer, Livingston, Niagara, Oneida, Orleans, Oswego, Seneca, St. Lawrence, Steuben, Wayne, Wyoming and Yates were labeled 'contiguous' disaster areas due to significant crop loss and proximity to primary regions.
Diet for small planet may be most efficient if it includes dairy and a little meat, Cornell researchers report.
Article reprinted from the Cornell Chronicle, October 4, 2007
A low-fat vegetarian diet is very efficient in terms of how much land is needed to support it. But adding some dairy products and a limited amount of meat may actually increase this efficiency, Cornell researchers suggest.
This deduction stems from the findings of their new study, which concludes that if everyone in New York state followed a low-fat vegetarian diet, the state could directly support almost 50 percent more people, or about 32 percent of its population, agriculturally. With today's high-meat, high-dairy diet, the state is able to support directly only 22 percent of its population, say the researchers.
The study, published in the journal Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, is the first to examine the land requirements of complete diets. The researchers compared 42 diets with the same number of calories and a core of grains, fruits, vegetables and dairy products (using only foods that can be produced in New York state), but with varying amounts of meat (from none to 13.4 ounces daily) and fat (from 20 to 45 percent of calories) to determine each diet's"agricultural land footprint." They found a fivefold difference between the two extremes.
"A person following a low-fat vegetarian diet, for example, will need less than half (0.44) an acre per person per year to produce their food," said Christian Peters, M.S. '02, Ph.D. '07, a Cornell postdoctoral associate in crop and soil sciences and lead author of the research. "A high-fat diet with a lot of meat, on the other hand,
needs 2.11 acres."
"Surprisingly, however, a vegetarian diet is not necessarily the most efficient in terms of land use," said Peters.
The reason is that fruits, vegetables and grains must be grown on high-quality cropland, he explained. Meat and dairy products from ruminant animals are supported by lower quality, but more widely available, land that can support pasture and hay. A large pool of such land is available in New York state because for sustainable use, most farmland requires a crop rotation with such perennial crops as pasture and hay.
Thus, although vegetarian diets in New York state may require less land per person, they use more high-valued land. "It appears that while meat increases land-use requirements, diets including modest amounts of meat can feed more people than some higher fat vegetarian diets," said Peters.
"The key to conserving land and other resources with our diets is to limit the amount of meat we eat and for farmers to rely more on grazing and forages to feed their livestock," said Jennifer Wilkins, senior extension associate in nutritional sciences who specializes in the connection between local food systems and health and co-authored the study with Gary Fick, Cornell professor of crop and soil sciences. "Consumers need to be aware that foods differ not only in their nutrient content but in the amount of resources required to produce, process, package and transport them."
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average American ate approximately 5.8 ounces of meat and eggs a day in 2005.
"In order to reach the efficiency in land use of moderate-fat, vegetarian diets, our study suggests that New Yorkers would need to limit their annual meat and egg intake to about 2 cooked ounces a day," Peters said.
The research was supported in part by the National Research Initiative of the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service.
Guide to High Tunnel Berry Production
Northeast growers can capture more of the lucrative local market for fresh berries by growing brambles (raspberries and blackberries) in high tunnels, according to researchers at Cornell and Pennsylvania State Universities.
These relatively low-cost, usually unheated, plastic-covered hoophouses can help growers fill late-spring and late-fall gaps in the market. Instead of mid-June, high-tunnel berries can be harvested in May. The field-grown season for brambles usually ends in early October. But growers using high tunnels continue to harvest berries through November.
Other benefits of high tunnels include:
A new publication, High Tunnel Raspberries and Blackberries, spells out in detail how it’s done. The 29-page guide is available online at www.fruit.cornell.edu/Berries. Or you can order hard copies. (See details below.)
Topics covered include:
If coupled with brambles grown in heated greenhouses, Northeast berry growers could produce brambles nearly year-round. (An earlier publication, Greenhouse Raspberries, describes those growing practices: www.fruit.cornell.edu/Berries/bramblehtml/ghrasp.html) Rising energy costs make greenhouse berries more expensive to grow. But these two practices could help shift market supply along the Atlantic seaboard to local sources instead of berries imported from other regions or hemispheres.
To order hard copies of these publications, send check (payable to Cornell University) for $10 for the high tunnel guide or $9.50 for the greenhouse guide to: Max Welcome, Dept. of Horticulture, 134A Plant Science Bldg., Cornell University, Ithaca NY 14853-5904
Sustainable Viticulture Workbook
By Joe Ogrodnick
Geneva, N.Y.: Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) has published a 125-page self-assessment workbook on sustainable agriculture for grape growers. The workbook, New York Guide to Sustainable Viticulture Practices, is now available in both print and online versions. "Increased sustainability has been embraced as a goal for many businesses, from agriculture and industry to retail giants. Everybody knows that they 'want' it, but defining it has been more elusive," said Tim Martinson, a CCE senior extension associate and leader of the Sustainable Viticulture Project. "For growers, sustainability is the result of numerous day-to-day decisions they make about managing their vineyards. We hope this workbook will provide them with practical, nuts-and-bolts ideas that they can apply to reducing environmental impacts while improving or maintaining profitability and protecting health and safety for workers and consumers."
New York Guide To Sustainable Viticulture Practices offers grape growers in New York and other regions of the northeastern United States guidance in the evaluation and adoption of best management practices to minimize environmental impacts, reduce economic risks and protect worker health and safety. These practices include: soil management to reduce erosion, runoff and leaching; use of integrated pest management (IPM) practices for insect, disease and weed management; nutrient management, with a particular focus of nitrogen use; pesticide management and spray technology; and cultural practices used in viticulture. The workbook asks growers 134 questions related to these practices.
The impetus for developing this workbook came from industry groups across New York state - from juice grape cooperatives and large wineries based in the Finger Lakes and Lake Erie to the small- winery segment in the Finger Lakes and on Long Island. All of these groups were represented on the steering committee (12 from industry and three from CCE), and were looking for a way to promote and document the use of sustainable production practices by growers, processors and wineries. The project was funded through the Northeast Center for Risk Management Education, the New York Farm Viability Institute, and the New York Wine and Grape Foundation.
The workbook is recognized and endorsed by the Agricultural Environmental Management (AEM) Program of the New York State Soil and Water Conservation Committee and the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets as the official Tier 2 AEM Worksheets for vineyards. Through local soil and water conservation districts, the AEM program helps identify cost-sharing opportunities to help finance conservation practices that reduce environmental impacts of agriculture.
"The development of this workbook was the first totally collaborative project that included all grape-growing regions across New York state and all varieties that are used for juice, wine and table grape production," said Tom Davenport, director of viticulture for the National Grape Cooperative. "Producers, processors and winery representatives across the state worked diligently with Cornell research and Cooperative Extension personnel to develop the workbook. It not only enables producers to evaluate the sustainability of their farms, but contains specific recommendations that will help them continue to adopt new sustainable practices as part of a continuous improvement process."
Copies of New York Guide To Sustainable Viticulture Practices can be purchased online for $30.00 through the NYSAES bookstore at: https://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/store/catalog/product_info.php? products_id=40.
The online version is available at: http:// www.vinebalance.com.
New Publication Focuses on Disaster Readiness for Organic Farmers
The Farmers' Legal Action Group, Inc. (FLAG) has released a new publication, Disaster Readiness and Recovery: Legal Considerations for Organic Farmers (http://flaginc.org/topics/pubs/arts/OrganicDisaster2007.pdf) The new article focuses on aspects of federal disaster assistance that are of particular relevance for organic farmers. The first part of the article discusses steps that organic farmers may take to reduce the impact of natural disasters that may occur in the future. The second part of the article discusses federal programs that provide assistance to farmers in order to help them recover from natural disaster. The article concludes with information about how natural disaster and disaster recovery may affect farmers' organic certification. This article is a supplement to Farmers' Guide to Disaster Assistance
(http://flaginc.org/topics/disaster/index.php)
FLAG is a nonprofit law center in St. Paul, Minnesota, dedicated to providing legal services to family farmers and their rural communities in order to help keep family farmers on the land.
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 NY Small Farm Summit – From Ideas to Action
The 2006 Summit drew attention to key small farm opportunities in New York State. Now, new statewide work teams are moving forward to take advantage of these opportunities
What are the biggest opportunities for small farms these days, and how can we further develop these opportunities so that small farms can be more profitable, more sustainable, and more abundant in New York State?
These were the questions pondered by over 80 participants in last year’s NY Small Farm Summit. Their findings were summarized in our report, Key Opportunities and Strategic Investments to Enhance Small Farm Viability in New York State: Report and Recommendations from the 2006 NYS Small Farm Summit (available online at www.smallfarms.cornell.edu.)
Well, what became of all those good ideas? We’re pleased to say there’s progress to report! We’ll be sharing that progress and gathering more input from farmers across the state at the 2nd Small Farm Summit on November 29. But meanwhile, here’s what’s happened since the last Summit.
Since the 2006 Summit…
The 2006 Summit identified six key opportunities to enhance the viability and sustainability of New York’s small farms:
Based on these opportunities and recommended investments, the Cornell Small Farm Program has launched three new statewide Work Teams to move forward in the areas of Local Markets, Livestock Processing and Grasslands Utilization. Each of these teams received a “Small Farms Grant” of $5,000 in October (federal Smith-Lever funds provided by Cornell Cooperative Extension) to pursue a statewide strategy in their respective issue area. A fourth statewide team - the NY Beginning Farmer Project – had already been organized and funded through other sources.
Each of the four Work Teams is working to improve coordination among the agencies supporting NY small farms, and to identify priorities for additional funding and staffing to develop economically viable opportunities for small farms:
The Local Markets Work Team will improve communication, coordination, and shared learning among the many agencies and organizations already working to strengthen local/regional marketing systems. It will identify opportunities and challenges for creating marketing innovations; and will develop a strategic plan for enhancing local market opportunities across the state. For more information contact Heidi Mouillesseaux-Kunzman at Cornell’s Community and Rural Development Institute, 607-255-0417 or hmm1@cornell.edu.
The Grasslands Utilization Work Team will examine strategies to increase livestock utilization of the grasslands of New York State. They will identify and advocate for needed communication, education, research and policy initiatives to enhance the production and marketing of livestock products which utilize New York’s grasslands in a fashion which is financially, environmentally, and socially sustainable. The team includes farmers, Extension educators, NGO representatives, and Cornell faculty. For further information contact the team leader, Fay Benson, at afb3@cornell.edu or 607-753-5213.
The Livestock Processing Work Team has two objectives. The first is to provide up to date information on processing regulations, infrastructure and resources to farmers across the state. These resources include a new “Resource Guide to Direct Marketing Livestock and Poultry;” a newly updated list of USDA-inspected slaughterhouse in NY; and a list, to be developed, of small scale (farmstead and artisan) dairy processors. The team’s second objective is to identify current challenges and opportunities, and plan a course of action to improve small-scale livestock processing options across the state. The Work Team includes farmers, Cornell Extension faculty, NGO and agency representatives. For more information contact the team leader, tatiana Stanton, at 607-254-6024 or tls7@cornell.edu.
The NY Beginning Farmer Project Team is working to provide high quality statewide support for aspiring farmers - through trainings and informational resources - while making it easier for educators to develop new training programs where there currently are none. With funding from the NY Farm Viability Institute and Cornell Cooperative Extension, the team is developing online and print resources including: The Guide to Farming in NYS; a Beginning Farmer Website and decision aid; an online course led by Extension educators; a self-assessment, resource packet, and intake process for county extension offices to use in responding to new farmer inquiries; and several new regional training programs. For more information contact the team leader, Erica Frenay, at 607-255-9911 or ejf5@cornell.edu.
Next Step: The 2007 Summit
With all this activity among the Work Teams we will have a lot to talk about at the 2007 Small Farm Summit on November 29. The Summit will take place from 10AM to 3PM in 300 Rice Hall on the Cornell Campus, as well as at sites in Belmont, Malone, and Voorheesville, NY. The afternoon discussions will focus on the progress being made by the Work Teams. Each team is looking forward to some feedback on their efforts from farmers and service providers across the state.
In the morning, we are very pleased to be joined by Patrick Hooker, NYS Commissioner of Agriculture. Farmers at any of the four videoconference sites will have an opportunity to voice questions, suggestions and concerns directly to Commissioner Hooker and to hear his thinking on important small farm issues and opportunities. In addition we will be joined by Mark Kenville, Director of the new NYS Center for Dairy Excellence, who will share his thoughts about how the Center can address small dairy needs and opportunities.
Finally, we will have several high-level Cornell administrators participating in the Summit this year, who will offer their reflections at the end of the day.
Invitation to farmers
The 2006 Small Farm Summit and follow-up report has gotten the attention of New York’s agriculture community and institutions. Now, the 2007 Summit depends on the active participation of farmers at each of our four sites. This year we are especially looking for more dairy farmers to participate, particularly during the morning session with Commissioner Hooker and Mark Kenville. If you are a small-scale farmer of any kind and are interested in participating in the 2007 Summit, please contact Joanna Green at 607-255-9227 or jg16@cornell.edu.
For additional ag-related news and events by email:
