posted January 16, 2007
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What happens when Ithaca and Cornell's local food movement meets self-proclaimed ''Christian libertarian environmental capitalist" farmer Joel Salatin? Find out on January 25th at 4:00 PM in Room 233 Plant Science Building on the Cornell Campus when Cornell's New World Agriculture and Ecology Group welcomes Salatin for a public presentation. The talk will be followed by an informal reception.
Salatin, author of several books and featured farmer in Michael Pollan's most recent book, The Omnivore's Dilemma is one of America's premier and innovative farmers. He raises grass-fed livestock using farming methods that mimic nature, such as avoiding chemical fertilizer and imported seed. Salatin's Polyface Farm, whose mission is "To develop agricultural prototypes that are environmentally, economically and emotionally enhancing and facilitate their duplication throughout the world," attracts admiring visitors from distant corners of the globe. Joel has pioneered models for raising and processing cattle, pork, and rabbits and has inspired numerous family farmers to adopt his techniques.
posted January 12, 2007
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So you’re asking yourself, why would I go to a grazing conference named
GRAZE-A-PALOOZA?? To learn, taste and experience the passion for grass-based
agriculture in New York, and to have fun, meet new people and share ideas. That’s
why!
A Celebration of Healthy Grass-Based Farming, Food and Families will be the focus on March 31st, 2007 from 9am to 5pm at the White Eagle Conference Center in beautiful Hamilton, New York. Lunch will feature New York State grown grass-fed meats.
We are pleased to have on the program:
• Dr. Kate Clancy, Consultant, Scientist, and Author of Greener Pastures:
How grass-fed beef and milk contribute to healthy eating
• Jerry Brunetti, Internationally Recognized Speaker, Founder of Agri-Dynamics
and Author of The Keys to Herd Health
• Dr. Susan Beal, DVM Big Run Healing Arts specializing in Homeopathic
Medicine and Herbal Remedies for Livestock
• Holly Burley and Gary Burley, East Hill Pasture-Based Dairy Farm and
Contributors to the GRAZE Magazine
• Mike Debach, Leona Meat Plant and All Natural Beef Company
• James Ochterski, Cornell CCE, Schuyler County on Balancing Grassland
Bird Habitat
Practical Farmer Sessions include: Soil Life, Stocking Rate Strategies; Tree Crops; Young Grazing Families; Grassland Birds; Ask the Vet; Knapweed/ Bedstraw Eradication; Startup Custom Grazing Operations; Ask the Butcher; Small Farm Marketing; Grass-Fed Meats for Pets; Grazing Small Grains and More!!
Admission is $ 30.00, which includes lunch, trade show and materials. Sponsors to date include the Central NY RC&D Project; Soil and Water Conservation Districts of Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, Madison Counties: Chenango County Agriculture Development Council; Cornell Small Farms Program; Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga and Oneida Counties; USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service; The Graze-NY Program; NY Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative; and Cornell’s Department of Animal Science.
Pre-registration is required. Call Kim Totten at (607) 334-3231 Ext. 4 or register online @ www.cnyrcd.org. For more information on a variety of small farm topics, visit www.smallfarms.cornell.edu.
posted January 10, 2007
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When one farmer was asked how their management changed when they transitioned to organic, they responded, “Going Organic is like taking all the problems that I had when I was conventional, and adding a whole lot more.” Managing those problems is the key to success!
Organic dairy farm families will have a chance to sharpen their management skills this winter.
These two-day Organic Dairy Farm Management Workshops will be held in three locations across the state. Participants will get help in establishing their core values and goals, setting plans to achieve these goals, and managing their farms holistically, to the benefit of their families, their animals, the environment, and future generations.
“There’s an opportunity now for people to make some good money in organic dairy,” says workshop organizer Fay Benson. “One concept of management that needs to change when farmers transition from conventional to organic is their “Time Management”. In conventional dairy production there are a lot of tools to change or correct short-term situations by using: antibiotics, hormones, fertilizers, weed spray, etc. These are no longer available in organic management. Farmers need to manage their time, so that they are spending it on actions that are preventive and benefit them in the long-term.”
“You have to be clear about why you’re farming organically, and you have to figure out how to use your resources most effectively to create a sustainable, profitable and enjoyable farming system.” Workshops will help farm families answer these four basic questions:
1. Where do you want to go? Create your own holistic goal for enhancing sustainability, paying off debt, bringing in the next generation, and/or retiring.
2. What are the resources you can use to get there? Assess your current management abilities, employee abilities, soils and pastures, buildings and facilities, cows, crops, products and markets.
3. What is the route you will take to arrive at that point? Learn how to set appropriate long term and short term goals, identify the root causes of problems, make sound decisions, and take action.
4. How to use records to keep track of your journey to be sure you are on the right route? Improve your management of financial records and production records, and learn how to monitor personal, family and employee satisfaction.
The first of the three, two-day workshops will be held at:
Dryden Fire Hall, Dryden NY, February 21 and 28, 10AM to 3PM.
Fee is $20 per farm. We encourage all decision makers from the farm to attend.
The other two sites will be announced at a later date. For more information or to register call Sharon at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cortland County at 607-753-5078, or e-mail shv7@cornell.edu.
The NY Organic Dairy Initiative, NY Farm Viability Intsitute and the Cornell Small Farms Program sponsor these workshops. For more information about a variety of small farm topics, visit www.smallfarms.cornell.edu.
posted January 10, 2007
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Are you interested in starting a small farm business? What type of information do you need to start? What type of farming enterprise you would like to develop?
If these questions sound familiar, Cornell Cooperative Extension Wayne County, in cooperation with Wayne County Agriculture Development Board and Wayne County Department of Planning will be presenting a 4 session workshop on February 28th, March 7, 21 and 28th to help you answer these questions.
This in-depth program will run each evening from 6-9pm at the CCE Wayne County office in Newark, NY. Applications for participation are now available by calling 315-331-8415. Applications are due by Monday, February 12.
This workshop curriculum was designed by the Northeast Small Farm Institute and will be taught by Beth Claypoole, Executive Director and Ag Specialist with CCE Wayne County and Elizabeth Henderson, farm owner of Peacework Organic Farm and author of several books on sustainable farming.
Individuals of many different backgrounds are invited to submit an application for participation in the workshop. While the Explorer workshop is not designed to help participants develop a full business plan, this workshop will help those in the initial stages of thinking about starting an agriculture business.
Beth Claypoole is excited about bringing this program to Wayne County. “In the CCE office, I get about one phone call a month from people wanting to start a farm business. This workshop will allow participants to explore all the options available. Participation in the workshop will allow aspiring farmers an opportunity to examine many critical issues that they must consider to establish clear personal and business goals for the farm.”
This fun, interactive workshop will include discussion, case study and research by each participant. Submission of an application is required prior to registration. There is a $25 registration fee with the rest of the workshop expenses being paid through a Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Grant of the United States Department of Agriculture received by Wayne County Department of Planning.
For information and application form call 315-331-8415. For more information on a variety of small farm topics visit www.smallfarms.cornell.edu.
posted January 9, 2007
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Have you been thinking about using your land to develop a farming enterprise but don't know where to begin???
If so, the South Central NY Cornell Cooperative Extension Agriculture Program can help you get started. This winter we are offering three workshops that focus on understanding your rural land resource base, the legalities and logistics of farming, and a final business consultation session.
Meeting Dates and Locations:
Saturday, February 10, 9-Noon - Understanding your Land Resource and its Potential - explore land evaluation, soils, and drainage and how they impact the way you use your land. Learn about programs that help with making land improvements.
Saturday, February 24, 9-Noon - Legalities and Logistics of Starting a Farm - learn about services, programs, financial considerations, regulations, taxes, and more.
Saturday, March 10, - 9-Noon - Farm Business Consultation Session - meet with Extension Educators and area farmers to discuss your specific farming and land use interests.
All sessions will be held at the Candor Fire Station, Rt. 96, on the north end of the Village of Candor. There is a $10 fee for each workshop to cover the cost of materials. For additional persons from the same farm, the fee is $5.
For a program brochure and registration information, contact Monika Roth at 607-272-2292 or email mr55@cornell.edu. For more information about a variety of small farm topics, visit www.smallfarms.cornell.edu.
posted January 9, 2007
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The educational program at the 2007 Annual Cattle Feeders Conference and Winter Management Program will focus on the record keeping necessary to increase competitiveness and profitability. The program takes place January 19-20, at the Holiday Inn at Carrier Circle, in Syracuse, NY
On Friday, our focus will be the feedlot. Local and national experts will discuss the corn outlook, using by-products to reduce cost of production, government program support and record keeping software to help analyze production and financial data. An old friend of the NY Beef Industry, Ted Perry, will return to discuss the future of feeding cattle and the technologies that will make a difference.
The second day follows with a focus on the cow/calf operation. Records for profitability will again take center stage. Ted Perry will return to discuss what production records should be part of every producer’s tool kit. A local producer panel will discuss the lessons they have learned in keeping records and analyzing records for improved performance. Darrell Busby, Iowa State Livestock Specialist will discuss what their producers have learned through evaluation of data generated in steer feed-out programs.
The National Beef Cattle Evaluation Consortium is once again sponsoring a speaker. Dr. Mark Enns, Colorado State University has designed a web based software system which will evaluate the economic impact of using a particular sire. The data base includes most of the AI sires available from many of the major breeds. Producers interested in improving their bottom line will not want to miss this real-time demonstration.
Other speakers will address the use of Quicken for financial record keeping, what data to record to meet environmental standards and an update on the NYS Department of Transportation regulations for cattle hauling.
An exciting trade show will round out your educational experience. Cost of the educational program is $35/person/day which includes lunch each day and breaks (add $5/day for registration after Jan. 15).
For information on the educational program, contact Mike Baker, Cornell Beef Extension Specialist, 607-255-5923, mjb28@cornell.edu, or to register contact Connie Kelley, NY Beef Producers, 315-245-3386, nybpa1@twcny.rr.com. For more information on a variety of small farm topics visit www.smallfarms.cornell.edu.
posted December 20, 2006
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January 18-20, Owego, NY
The 2007 NYS Farmers' Direct Marketing Conference, "The Food Less Traveled: How Local Food Contributes to Healthy People and Healthy Communities", will be held at the Owego Treadway Inn in Owego, NY on January 18-20, 2007. The conference will focus on the links between local agriculture and the health and well being of citizens and communities.
"This is our most ambitious conference yet," explains Diane Eggert, conference director. "Not only are we covering the traditional bases; agritourism, market management, but we're collaborating with the health and nutrition industry to offer seminars and workshops in healthy cooking demos, harvesting for nutrition and school requirements. These tools will open up new market opportunities for attendees."
For more information about this event, download the entire announcement and/or contact Diane Eggert at 315-475-1101 or diane99@dreamscape.com or Martha Goodsell at nyfarms@clarityconnect.com. For more information about a variety of small farm topics, visit www.smallfarms.cornell.edu.
posted December 20, 2006
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By Bill Henning, Small Farm Specialist, NWNY Dairy, Livestock and Field Crops Team
The Family Farming Conference, formerly called the Low Input Sustainable Farming Conference, will be held on Saturday, January 20, 2007 in Jordan Hall at the New York State Experiment Station at Geneva. Pre-registration is required. For more information you can contact Bill Henning at 315-536-5123 or wrh6@cornell.edu.
A lot of people would like to have a dairy farm; a lot of young people and a surprising number of older people entering retirement. But isn't dairy farming too difficult? The land, the equipment, the livestock, paying the bills, supporting the family, it just seems so overwhelming.
At Empire Farm Days, several years ago, I talked to more than one college student who thought the only way to farm was with 500 cows in a free stall barn. You have to feed a TMR, use BST, have a vet come on a scheduled basis and adopt every new technology before the neighbors do to gain the competitive edge. You have to have management skills for all the employees you have to hire. They also hear you have to expand your output by at least 10% every year just to keep up with inflation. Does this sound like a rat race?
These folks seldom hear what that constant expansion does to the prices they are forced to live with. And seldom are they provided a road map for paying for that high cost of business. All this leaves them somewhat bewildered.
Can you imagine the look on their faces when they hear there are profitable dairy operations in New York where the cows never go inside a building except to be milked? When they hear about a farm family being supported by eight Jersey cows and direct marketing? Or, a farm family with an income rivaling the wages of a Kodak employee, with just 40 cows?
Interestingly, for many successful small farms money is not the primary reason for farming. Being outdoors, doing physical work, nurturing plants and animals, accepting the challenges of a wide variety of disciplines, relishing management, taking responsibility for the outcome, and accepting the risks are all motivating factors. But perhaps the most mentioned motivating factor among successful small farmers is the great environment for raising a family.
Yes, you do have to make a living, but there are also many other rewards. Want to learn more? For more information about a variety of small farm topics, visit www.smallfarms.cornell.edu.
posted on Feb. 12, 2007
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Who takes on the dairy if your kids don't want it? How do you get into dairying if you didn't grow up on a farm? How do you explore new management practices when the farm you're on won't allow it? Find answers to these questions and more on March 2nd at the Fire Hall in Dryden, NY, where progressive dairy farmers will learn about and discuss a proven dairy career path that begins on their farms.
Speakers:
Join us at the Dryden Fire Hall on Route 13 in Dryden, NY on Friday, March 2nd, from 10 am to 3pm. Pre-registration is requested for lunch reservations by calling Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cortland County (607)753-5077, or CROPP Cooperative (888) 802-9297. Walk-ins are also welcome. Registration begins at 10am. A $10 fee ($5 for each additional person from your farm) covers the meal, refreshments and handouts.
posted on Feb. 15, 2007
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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.
Similarly to the 2004 Expo hosted by New York, the 7th annual Expo will feature demonstrations, workshops and classes on commercial horticulture, natural resources, equine/livestock farming and various topics on rural living. There will also be children's educational activities, farm animals, farm equipment, and fun activities for the entire family.
The Expo planning committee is looking for vendors to exhibit at this year's 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.org
posted Feb. 20, 2007
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March 31st, 2007 @ the White Eagle Conf. Center, Hamilton, N.Y.
9:00am to 5:00pm
Featuring Lunch with New York State Grown Grass-Fed Meats
Speakers include:
Practical Sessions include:
Soil Life, Stocking Rate Strategies and Paddock Designs, Tree Crops, Successful
Young Grazing Families, Grassland Birds, Ask the Vet, Knapweed Eradication,
Startup Custom Grazing Operation Rewards and Challenges, Ask the Butcher, Small
Farm Marketing,
Grass-Fed Meats for Pets, Grazing Small Grains and More!! Admission for this
exciting event and lunch is $ 30.00. For more details and to register: Call
Kim Totten at the CNY RC&D office (607) 334-3231 Ext. 4
posted March 7, 2007
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When one farmer was asked how their management changed when they transitioned to organic, they responded, "Going Organic is like taking all the problems that I had when I was conventional, and adding a whole lot more." Managing those problems is the key to success!
Organic dairy farm families will have a chance to sharpen their management skills this winter.
The second and third rounds of these workshops will be held in Franklin County on April 6 & 12, and in Jefferson County on April 7 & 13. PRE-REGISTRATION IN NECESSARY FOR THESE WORKSHOPS! The cost is $10 per person with a maximum of $20 per farm to encourage multiple family members to attend. Cost covers all materials and lunch. For more information or to register call Molly Ames or Ron Kuck at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County at 315-788-8450, or e-mail mba7@cornell.edu. We encourage all decision makers from the farm to attend.
Participants will get help in establishing their core values and goals, setting plans to achieve these goals, and managing their farms holistically, to the benefit of their families, their animals, the environment, and future generations.
posted March 19, 2007
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Enjoy a lunch with NYS Ag. Commissioner Patrick Hooker at
GRAZE-A-PALOOZA - Saturday March 31st, 2007
White Eagle Conference Center in Hamilton, N.Y.
The time has come for you to make a decision to join us in hearing Dr. Kate Clancy, Jerry Brunetti, Holly Burley, Bill Cooke, Mike Debach, Jim Ochterski, Darrell Emmick, Gary Will, Fred Griffen and a host of farmer speakers present the exciting attributes of a grass-based agricultural system of farming.
Call now to register as seats are filling up fast. Don't be left out of this experience. Admission is $30.00. Pre-registration is required. Call Kim Totten at the CNYRC&D office (607) 334-3231 Ext.4 or online at www.cnyrcd.org
Mr. Will Cotter and his staff at the White Eagle Center will prepare a savory slow-cooked meal reminiscent of times past that utilized farm fresh raised meat and vegetables on Sunday morning.
Every flavorful bite contains the spirit of the land, animals and the farmers that produced it. Sharing this experience with others is what this grazing conference is all about: A celebration of healthy grass-based farming, food and families.
posted April 23, 2007
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The 2nd National Conference on Facilitating Sustainable Agriculture Education will be held at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY from July 11-14, 2007.
We invite attendance by anyone who is active or interested in sustainable agriculture education at institutions of post-secondary learning. We hope you will join us for this exciting opportunity to facilitate a cross-disciplinary dialogue on learning and teaching in sustainable agriculture at colleges and universities.
In addition to your participation, we are soliciting posters, displays, multimedia resources, articles, etc. from attendees (including students!) to share educational materials and resources at the conference. Submissions must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, June 1.
To register for the conference or learn more about how to submit materials to share, please visit the conference website, www.hort.cornell.edu/SustAgEd/ .
The Conference steering committee is made up of students, faculty, staff & administrators from Cornell University, Delaware Valley College, Mercyhurst College, The Pennsylvania State University, The Rodale Institute, and the University of California-Davis. The Cornell Small Farms Program is a proud co-sponsor.
Posted July 11, 2007
Ann Wells, of Springpond Holistic Animal Health, will visit Chenango County farms on July 27th and 28th. Dr. Wells is a nationally known veterinarian who relates the health of animals to the health of the soils and plants on a farm. She will assess the health of two Chenango County farms during her visit, based upon what she sees in the pastures. Dr. Wells also works extensively with organic animal health, and is knowledgeable in a wide range of alternative animal health practices. She serves on the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) Board, which advises on products that can be used under the National Organic Program
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Posted July 11, 2007
An organic field crop walk will be held at Schefler’s farm in West Groton, NY on Tuesday, July 31st from 10 am – 1 pm. Grower Ed Schefler will be on hand to show his organic corn and soybean fields. A highlight of the tour will include a small test plot where combinations of Field peas, Oats, Barley, and Triticale have been sown for evaluations. Klass Martens will join a panel of organic grain growers to discuss their experience with growing grains organically. Attendees can pick up additional resources on organic practices made available by Fay Benson of the Organic Dairy Initiative.
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Posted August 14, 2007
The seventh annual Northeast Small Farm and Rural Living Expo and Trade Show returns to the Ulster County Fairgrounds, New Paltz, NY, on Saturday October 13 and Sunday October 14. The Expo is from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day. Admission is $5 per day for adults, $2 for children between 5-14, and free for children under 5.
The 2007 Expo will feature over 50 educational workshops including an array of hands-on demonstrations; a variety of children’s learning activities, and a large exhibit hall with businesses and agencies who work with farms and rural communities to answer a wide range of questions. Classes discussing “Raising Meat Goats”, “Producing Quality Horse Hay”, “Home Energy Efficiency”, “ATV Safety” and a farm field trip are only a sampling of the educational programs offered over two days. For a complete list go to www.smallfarmexpo.org
Posted August 30, 2008
NEW YORK—Beginning at the great New York State Fair in Syracuse and culminating with its annual benefit concert, Farm Aid’s Upstate–Downstate Food and Farm Caravan will crisscross the state visiting farms in the Rochester, Ithaca, Albany and the Hudson Valley areas to showcase the latest innovations on family farms across New York. The caravan will highlight cutting-edge community efforts and state-supported programs that strengthen the state’s agriculture and help more people gain access to good food grown on family farms. The caravan will gather fresh farm food along the way to feed the artists and crew at Farm Aid’s first New York concert event, Farm Aid 2007: A HOMEGROWN Festival at Randall’s Island in New York City on Sunday, September 9.
Posted October 6th
The Cornell Small Farms Program is pleased to announce its 2007-8 grant awards for innovative small farm education. 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.
Launched in 2000, the mini-grants program was designed to encourage Extension educators to reach out more actively to small farms. “We think the program has had a pretty big impact,” says Joanna Green, Extension Associate with the Cornell Small Farms Program. “It’s helped connect small farm operators with their local Extension resources, and it’s helped to demonstrate that Cornell and Extension really appreciate the importance of small farms in New York.” Many of the funded projects have attracted farmers who never, or rarely, used Extension in the past.
Farmer-to-farmer learning
Since 2000 the mini-grants program has supported almost a hundred projects across
the state. Farmer-to-farmer learning is a key feature of many funded projects,
including the thirty local farmer discussion groups that have been established
or supported with mini-grant funding. Experienced farmers serve as teachers
and mentors to other farmers in many other projects as well.
Farmers also participate in planning and evaluating projects. “Increasingly, farmers themselves are initiating grant projects,” says Green. “They’ll come up with the idea for a discussion group or some other educational program and ask their Extension partners to put in a proposal to get it going.”
This year the Cornell Small Farms Program received twenty proposals seeking a total of $83,715. Two teams from the Cornell Small Farm Task Group, including five small farm operators, reviewed the proposals. Eleven projects were funded for a total of $30,000. Funds for this program are provided by Helene Dillard, the Associate Dean for Extension at Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Posted October 27
The 2007 Cornell Strategic Marketing Conference will be held on November 5th and 6 th, 2007 at the Henry A Wallace Visitor and Education Center at the FDR Presidential Library and Home, Hyde Park, NY. The theme of the conference is The Northeast Competitive Advantage: Increasing Producer Access to Markets and is sponsored by the Agricultural Marketing and Management Program Work Team and Department of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University. Determining how to better integrate existing and new farm products into emerging markets is often a challenge faced by many local and regional agricultural producers. Do you go it alone? Do you cooperate and combine activities with area producers? Do you contract with national and/or regional distributors? At this year’s conference, producers, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers will share their insights on distribution, selling techniques, accessing markets, and expanding market opportunities and ways producers can capitalize on them. William Welker, Sales Manager from Railex USA, will open this year’s conference to discuss their business approach linking the needs of growers, shippers, and manufacturers with retail and food service distribution, as well as current and planned distribution opportunities for Northeast producers interested in increasing access to large, distant consumer markets. To close the conference, Liz Thorpe, Managing Director from Murray’s Cheese will share success stories from the retail food industry on innovative approaches to reach consumers and how to create and learn to sell your products.
Posted November 15th
Thanks to funding from the Cornell Small Farms Program, New York now has a statewide Work Team on Livestock Processing Issues. The goal of this team for 2008 is to come up with a plan of action to improve processing infrastructures and regulations for NY livestock farmers. The LPI Work Team includes farmers, Cornell Extension faculty, NGO and agency representatives.
As a first step, team members have created a list serve, LivestockProcessing-L, for communication amongst interested livestock farmers, small scale processors, extension staff, and agency representatives in New York and bordering states. LivestockProcessing-L will serve as a forum for 1) sharing processing resources, (2) discussing barriers to effective processing and potential solutions, 3) publicizing regional efforts to improve or expand slaughter and processing facilities, and 4) sharing news and Action Alerts pertaining to livestock slaughter and small scale processing of animal products. The list is open to members of bordering states in part to find out how they deal with similar issues and situations within their respective states. If you are interested in keeping abreast of slaughter and processing issues and want a chance to share your own views, we urge you to join LivestockProcessing-L.
To join this list, contact the list moderators, Tatiana Stanton at TLS7@cornell.edu or Martha Goodsell at deerfarm6@frontiernet.net, asking to be put on the list and indicating the email address you want to send and receive list messages from. Another option is to send an email to LivestockProcessing-L-request@cornell.edu leaving the subject line blank. The body of the message should be a single word: Join. Send this message in plain text - no formatting or fonts - and remember to send it from the e-mail address where you want to receive and send messages posted to the e-list.
Green County farmer Maria Alvarez is urging New York’s small and immigrant farmers to make their numbers known in the upcoming 2008 Census of Agriculture. “It is important for small farmers like me to be counted,” she says.
She should know. Alvarez serves on the steering committee for the National Immigrant Farming Initiative which reports soaring numbers of immigrant and refugee beginning farmers. According to the Census of Agriculture, Latinos constitute the fastest growing sector of farmers in the United States, increasing by 50% between 1997 and 2002.
Alvarez says, “A better count in the 2007 Census of Agriculture will show public officials the important contributions we make. We need more programs directed toward beginning and immigrant farmers”.
Many farmers hesitate to report data to the Census of Agriculture because of concerns over confidentiality, but lack of reporting results in misinformation about national trends. The Census data helps direct national policy and funding decisions toward agricultural sectors demonstrating growing need. The Census of Agriculture website assures survey responses are “absolutely confidential” and used only for statistical purposes. The records are also protected from disclosure through the Freedom of Information Act.
“I’ve met many leaders of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, the agency responsible for the agricultural census. I believe they are sincere and honest about confidentiality and the privacy of every farmer’s individual report”, says Alvarez.
The Census of Agriculture is mailed to reach households around January 1st, 2008 and is required to be completed and returned by February 4, 2008. If you don’t get one in the mail, you can call for one at the New York State Field Office of NASS at 800-821-1276. They will have Spanish language forms on hand and will also have Spanish speaking persons available to help complete census forms if needed.
The Census of Agriculture is taken every five years and is a complete count of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. “I encourage all New York small farmers of any ethnic group or race to fill out a 2007 Census of Agriculture report,” Alvarez stressed. The USDA website states, “For America’s farmers and ranchers, the Census of Agriculture is their voice, their future and their responsibility”.
For more information about the National Immigrant Farming Initiative, visit the website at www.immigrantfarming.org or contact them at 607-865-8747.
