Posted January 4, 2008
The 2007 NY Small Farms Summit took place on November 29th with over 120 participants at four videoconference sites.
Hosted by Cornell’s Small Farms Program, the Summit featured a question and answer session with Patrick Hooker, Commissioner of NYS Agriculture & Markets and Mark Kenville, NYS Center for Dairy Excellence. Topics ranged from plans for a wholesale farmers’ market in New York City to regulations on the sale of raw milk. Hooker responded appreciatively to the audience for opening a dialogue with him and invited farmers to collaborate with his executive staff to work toward solutions.
“Farmers know what challenges they face better than anyone. Our office listens carefully to farmers’ needs and strives to be open-minded, creative and service-oriented”, said Hooker.
The Commissioner responded to multiple requests for less cumbersome dairy and meat-processing regulations. He stressed that Ag and Markets has the dual responsibility of supporting agriculture in the state and ensuring consumer safety. “At the end of the day,” he said, “the most important factor is the health and safety of people in NYS.” But he expressed optimism about finding solutions that will work for small farms. “Maybe our regulations need to be re-examined.” He called for farmers to work together with food safety and other agencies to develop safe processing methods and appropriate regulations.
In his closing remarks, Commissioner Hooker encouraged small farmers to continue to send concerns and input to his office in the way of letters and emphasized the importance of attending meetings or sending extension representatives. “The world is run by those who show up. Small farmers should not take “NO” for an answer when it comes to technological needs and appropriate regulations”, said Hooker.
For a full transcript of the morning Q&A session, see below.
Mark Kenville also requested more grassroots input and welcomed small dairy farmers to participate on the newly formed New York Dairy Industry Task Force.
In the afternoon program, attendees divided into groups to offer feedback to several new state-wide small farm “Work Teams.” The work teams were organized by the Cornell Small Farms Program in response to priorities identified in the 2006 Small Farms Summit: Livestock Processing, Grasslands Utilization, Local Markets, and Beginning Farmers. Three of these work-teams received a “Small Farms Grant” of $5,000 in October to pursue a statewide strategy in their respective issue area. A fourth - the NY Beginning Farmer Project – had already been organized and funded through other sources.
A loud chatter filled the rooms as groups tossed out answers to work-team leader’s questions: “What has been your experience with livestock processing regulations?” “How can we obtain additional land for utilization by farmers for grazing or forage production?” “What barriers need to be overcome in order to increase local and regional marketing of small farm products?” A summary of the discussion will be available for download from the Small Farms Website in late January.
The Summit closed with comments from Cornell administrators, Jan Nyrop, Senior Associate Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Science, Mike Hoffmann, Director of the Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station and Chris Watkins, Associate Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension. The administrators thanked the group for informing them and encouraged continued communication.
The Cornell Small Farms Program thanks all who offered input on this collaborative effort to advance opportunities for New York’s small farms. The Program especially applauds Commissioner Patrick Hooker for his willingness to engage directly with farmers in a public dialogue, and for his openness to new ideas and new collaborations.
Posted January 9, 2008
The 2007 Summit took place on November 29th in 300 Rice Hall on the Cornell Campus, as well as at sites in Belmont, Malone, and Voorheesville, NY. Farmers at any of the four videoconference sites voiced questions, suggestions and concerns directly to Commissioner Hooker to hear his thinking on important small farm issues and opportunities. The full transcript is below.
Malone:
Q: Kirby Selkirk (NY Farm Bureau) There is a shortage of state-inspected meat-processing facilities. What is being done to create more state-inspected slaughterhouses and is there any progress in regulations on the interstate shipment of meat?
A: Patrick Hooker. Is anxious to pursue problem. Suny Cobleskill tackled it 2 years ago, but failed at making any progress. There is currently a compromise being considered in the farm bill whereby current state-inspected meat-processing facilities could do inter-state sales, but not future ones. Hooker hasn’t been following the details closely.
Q: John Kiechle (Kiechle Farm). What is Agriculture and Markets doing to actively facilitate on farm slaughter and processing?
A: Patrick Hooker. Didn’t realize there was a demand. Is that what farmers want? It’s not being actively worked on at this time.
Kiechle. On farm processing helps reduce animal stress which causes shrinkage. On farm-slaughter creates a better product which has higher quality taste and tenderness.
Patrick Hooker. Understands that there is a loss in quality through transport. Ag & Mkts is also the state’s Food Safety Agency and performs inspections on all food processing wholesale and retail operations. Hooker needs input developing protocols so that on-farm processing can be performed in a safe and consistent manner.
Belmont:
Q: Matt Harbur (Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Alfred State). What plans does the state have to support development of upstate/downstate transport systems?
A: Patrick Hooker. The NYC wholesale market at Hunt’s Point has become a designated area for food distribution, including fish and ethnic foods, oriented mainly toward people in the restaurant trade. All of us realize that most of the agricultural production is north and west of the Catskills. As there is a huge demand for more NYS product in NYC, we need to have better distribution systems. We need to understand what infrastructure and storage is necessary and what alternative markets are available to supply goods. Also, we need to work out a way to get product to food banks if it doesn’t sell. Railex, a project of the previous administration, was designed to bring product from west to east, but perhaps could be used as a resource in planning a more local system. It will be necessary to launch some pilot systems.
Q: Janice Brown (Dairy farmer). What plan do you have to address barriers to small dairies?
A: Mark Kenville. The Center of Dairy Excellence allocates funding to the New York Dairy Industry Task Force to implement strategies to eliminate barriers. Anyone with an idea or project should present it to Mark and he will forward it to the Task Force. The NYDITF is new, but has plans to begin addressing problems in 2008.
Voorheesville:
Q: Morgan Hartman (Black Queen Angus Farm). Could you address profitability versus productivity for small farms?
A: Patrick Hooker: For years, NYS tried to be the low cost producer, but today we find value in farms being part of communities, adding to the quality of soils and water and producing healthy food. New York can find an edge in quality, marketing and innovation. What public policy/budget changes do we need to make that happen? What are the possibilities of Farm to School and Institutional buying? 2-3 million acres are underutilized and could be brought back in to production for grazing, forages, and biofuels.
Q: Mark Ridell. 80-90% of biofuel grasses are imported for biofuel production and more plants are being planned. What is NYS Ag & Mkts’ plan to spearhead wood, grain and fiber production for biofuels?
A: Patrick Hooker: Ag & Mkts has a renewable energy taskforce which set a goal of using 15% renewable energy by 2015. Pat would like to see more research in cellulosic ethanol. Cellulosic ethanol is a type of biofuel produced from lignocellulose rather than grain such as corn. If orchestrated correctly, cellulosic ethanol could be good for the environment and the Susquehanna basin. Over-reliance on corn for ethanol production could be devastating.
Ithaca:
Q: Troy Bishop (Bishopp Family Farm). Attended a budget meeting recently which included 80 people, but he was the only farmer. NYS is importing 75% of our food. There are 3 millions acres of underutilized grasslands in NY. Starting out in conventional farming requires high capita, whereas grazing does not. Why isn’t there more research and development in grazing and in creating small-scale technology that is appropriate and affordable to the small farmer?
A: Patrick Hooker: Pat believes that growing demand from farmers is going to drive technological innovation and product development for small scale farm equipment. NYS has an abundance of soils and slopes best used for grazing, but there needs to be more farmer advocacy and representation at meetings to get the word out about farmer needs. It can’t be just Troy Bishopp.
A: Mark Kernville: The CDE is currently developing a Best Practices Manual for Grazing.
Q: Pegi Ficken (Snowy Fields Farm) Consumers want access to small-scale, locally made dairy products, but the Ag & Mkts regulations make it very difficult to obtain certification. Is Ag & Mkts going to address how to alter the regulations to make it easier for farmers to start out in value-added dairy production?
A: Patrick Hooker: Maybe the current regulations are outdated and need to be re-examined. Where do environmental stewardship, agriculture economic development and food safety meet? What kinds of protocols and equipment are needed? At the end of the day, the most important factor is the health and safety of people in NYS. Pat needs farmers to collaborate with food safety offices and farmer agencies to work together to create a safe but accessible method of producing value-added dairy.
Questions from Malone:
Q: Jo Ellen Saumier (Chateaugay Farmers Market Manager.) Reported that it took until August, the end of the Farmers Market season, for a home kitchen inspector to grant a certificate to the farmers market’s baked good vendor. Also, lamb producers report an inability to get their meat processed in slaughterhouses due to high demand for deer processing during hunting season. Can we hire more inspectors?
A: Patrick Hooker: Thanks Jo Ellen for bringing the inspector shortage to his attention. He will look into this.
Questions from Belmont:
Q: Jerry Snyder (Dairy Farmer.) There is a big demand for raw milk. If he can prove that his milk tests pathogen free, can he sell it in health food stores?
A: Patrick Hooker: Is studying the raw milk regulations, which were last revised in 1981, and has talked to farmers, the dairy division, quality milk services, and food safety at Cornell. Farmers and food safety personnel are at opposite sides of the issue. Pat intends to evaluate what other states are doing. He would like to review specifically raw milk regulations and create a task force to address it within the next few months.
Questions from Voorheesville:
Q. Dale Riggs (Farmer, The Berry Patch). Does the department have plans of increasing beginning farmer trainings?
A. Patrick Hooker: Pat is very concerned about beginning farmer training and supports the work of NY FarmNet/Farm Link who takes on connecting beginning with retiring farmers. The goal in 2008 will be to dramatically increase resources to Farm Link.
A: Mark Kenville: Wyoming County Dairy Institute is working to raise the awareness and interest of high school students in careers in agricultural science and business and investigate post-secondary academic programs in the field of agriculture. Also, Mark described the development of two pilot NY Profit teams, select groups of farmers, agribusiness representatives and extension workers that are working together to create a model of profitability for other New York farms. Mark hopes other NY profit teams will start up.
Questions from Ithaca:
Q: Anu Rangarajan: How many of the dairies participating in the profit teams are small?
A: Mark Kenville: The participating farms in the North Country are mostly small: 100 – 200 cows.
Q: Erick Smith (Farmer, Cayuga Pure Organics): Cost of land inhibits entry for new farmers in the market. Are there any measures the state is taking to make land more affordable to beginning farmers?
A. Patrick Hooker: More purchase of development rights and conservation easements are needed for farms to reduce the price of farmland. Pat’s office is about to announce millions of dollars going to PDR in a new grant. Also, about 1/3 of farmland is rented in NYS, but there is a tremendous opportunity for non-farm land-owners to connect with beginning farmers.
Closing Comments:
Patrick Hooker: The world is run by those who show up. Small farmers should not take “NO” for an answer when it comes to technological needs and appropriate regulations. But farmers are busy and don’t necessarily have the time to go to meetings. Pat encourages farmers to ask extension to represent them and advocate for them in terms of research, regulatory agencies, and companies.
Mark Kenville: Invites farmers to sit on the New York Dairy Industry Task Force. Meetings are open to everyone. Needs more input from the grassroots.
Posted January 16, 2008
Small farms can be viable in ways you probably never imagined. Some of this year’s topics include:
Yes, there’s even more. However these farmer speakers don’t provide write ups for proceedings so the only way to find out the details is to attend.
Where: Jordan Hall at the Geneva Experiment Station
When: February 2, 2008
Time: 8:30 to 3:00 – or longer if your still asking questions
Cost: $20/person, payable in advance or at the door
To receive a registration form and agenda contact Cornell Cooperative Extension of Seneca County at (315) 539 9251. A download of the agenda is also available here.
The Family Farming Conference is sponsored by Finger Lakes Graziers, Produce Growers of the Finger Lakes, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Seneca & Yates Counties, the Animal Welfare Institute and the Cornell Small Farms Program.
Posted January 22, 2008
"Fostering Food Processing on Farms and in Communities" is the title of the 2008 Annual NY Small-Scale Food Processors' Association (NYSSFPA) conference to be held Saturday, March 1 at the Hudson Valley Foodworks in Poughkeepsie.
This year’s major themes are:
• Meat and Poultry Processing, Marketing and Advocacy
• Successful Marketing Strategies
• Diverse Models of Community-Based Shared-Use Kitchen
Four livestock farmers will start off the day with a dialogue about meat-processing. Lorene Nans, co-owner of Spring Brook Farm, will share her successes with multi-species grazing and supplementing with organic feed grown right on the farm. Jim and Adele Hayes, owners of Sapbush Hollow Farm, will talk about their diverse livestock farm which has its own NYS certified cutting room. Jim is Professor Emeritus and former Chair of the Animal Science Dept. of SUNY Cobleskill, and Adele is former county Planning and Economic Development Director. Also joining the session is Jon Bermon of Aberdeen Hill farm, who is building a customer base through direct marketing on the internet and at farmers markets.
Read the full version in WORD
Dowload the Conference REGISTRATION
Posted 2/1/08
Are you a new or aspiring farmer in Central NY looking for assistance with business planning or getting your farm started? A new course is being offered this March by Cornell Cooperative Extension educators that will help you get started. Beginning on March 1, from 9:00am-12:30pm, and running every Saturday through March 22, this course will cover assessing and evaluating your physical resources, business planning legalities and logistics, how, when and where to market your products and many other essential topics. Each workshop will contain some voices of experience from local farmers, logistical considerations and hands on work to help you focus your interests. We will be culminating the series with practical consulting sessions based on your needs and interests. Location: Tully Town Hall, 5833 Meeting House Road, Tully, NY. Cost: $25/person for all 4 sessions; $40/couple. To register: contact Karen Baase at Madison County Cooperative Extension, 315-684-3001. Please plan to attend all four sessions of the training. This training is offered by the NY Beginning Farmer Project, which is made possible by funding from the NY Farm Viability Institute and Cornell Cooperative Extension. For more information on a variety of small farm topics visit www.smallfarms.cornell.edu
Posted 2/26/08
Northeast Grasstravaganza features Nebraska Beef Farmer and Grazing Advocate Kevin Fulton What does iron bending and phone book ripping have to do with grazing? Well, according to strongman/grazier Kevin Fulton of Nebraska, the strength he needs to compete or farm comes from grass-fed beef and raw milk from pastured cows. He needs this power being a one man "lean, mean, green frying pan rolling machine" grazing and haying 2800 acres and taking care of 1000 head of beef cattle. His status as 3 time IAWA champion and 2nd American to lift the legendary Dinnie Stones of Scotland lends credence to his love of grass farming and its importance on the health of a nation. His interest in the health benefits of grass-based meats and dairy can be contributed to a friendship with Loren Cordain PhD, author of the Paleo Diet, a book that studies what our stone-age ancestors ate. Cordain’s research inspired Fulton’s move towards providing raw milk to his family after consulting with a doctor about his children coming home sick many times from day care. "Since providing raw milk to my children they have not seen an antibiotic in 3 years. I'm a firm believer in Dr. Cordain's conclusions about what is best for American eaters, said Kevin.” Kevin will expound on how to stress the connections between healthy food and pastured animals in product marketing at the Grasstravaganza.
Posted 2/28/08
Aspiring, new and diversifying farmers now have the opportunity to receive farm enterprise start-up training online. The NY Beginning Farmer Project, a collaborative effort of the Cornell Small Farms Program and Cooperative Extension educators, has developed a 9-week online course. The course is designed to benefit participants from a diversity of backgrounds, from those just exploring a new idea to those seeking to diversify or expand existing farm operations.
Cornell Cooperative Extension offices have long offered high-quality courses for beginning farmers, designed to help participants build a foundation for their business plan. But many aspiring farmers live in urban areas or counties where demand isn’t high enough for such courses to be offered. Educators have observed that new farmers tend to be relatively internet-savvy, yet while they can easily google their way to mountains of farming information, few online sources exist to guide decision-making and new farm planning. The NY Beginning Farmer Project seized this opening to create a new learning opportunity for aspiring, new and diversifying farmers.
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Posted May 1, 2008
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New York’s small farmers are encouraged to participate in a collaborative economic summit hosted by Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Michael McNulty on May 9th in Cobleskill, NY. The 2008 Economic Summit: Greener Pastures for Upstate New York will bring together representatives from business, education, labor, local government, environmental protection advocacy groups, the media, and local communities to examine the state’s existing resources and develop effective, ecologically conscious, innovative ideas for economic growth. The cost to attend the lunch is $20.
Everyone wants to be a locavore – one who tries to eat only locally-produced food, but are there smart, sustainable solutions that can be readily implemented to make this possible? Upstate New York, with its optimal microclimates and established small farms, could help us rediscover the American table (and the American table wine) – and a focus on local farmlands means reduced oil dependency and cash for the community. Are there more ways to grow Upstate New York’s niche farms into profitable businesses? Is the “farm market” too limited a business model, or the key to future successes?
In addition to local food/farming issues, the Summit will highlight the evolution of biofuels; the importance of educational programs and true business development to the future of agriculture; the growth of niche farming and domestic viticulture; the potential economic boost of agro-tourism, equine breeding and studies, and the practical applications of aquaculture. The summit will help define the role of entrepreneurs and local businesses as agents for positive change, draw attention to the research potential of the region’s colleges and universities, and serve as a sounding board to collect community feedback.
The format of the summit will combine presentations by experts, panel sessions, and an interactive technology called eFORUM designed to collect instant feedback from summit participants and identify action steps and plans. Following the summit, a report will be published on-line to encourage and facilitate future action on the priorities agreed upon at the summit.
The Cornell Small Farms Program is pleased to be co-sponsoring the summit. Representatives from the Small Farms Program state-wide work-teams will share information about advances in the Beginning Farmer Project, Livestock Processing Issues, Grasslands Utilization and Local Markets. The Work-Teams were established in response to priorities identified by participants at the Small Farms Summit hosted by the Small Farms program in November, 2006.
The 2008 Economic Summit: Greener Pastures for Upstate New York is coordinated by the Public Forum Institute, an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that has considerable experience with similar efforts. To view the agenda, visit: http://www.publicforuminstitute.org/activities/2008/ny/finalagenda.asp. For more information or to register, contact Erin Wiley at 202-374-0840 or at erin@pfidc.org.
Posted May 28, 2008
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The Cornell Small Farms Work Team on Local Markets is pleased to co-sponsor an exciting conference on building a local food economy in New York State titled “Making Food Deserts Bloom in NY, A Community Food Security Agenda for NYS”. The conference, hosted by the Hunger Action Network of New York State, will take place on Friday, June 6, in the Senate Minority Conference Room #315 in the State Capitol in Albany.
The conference ties into the work of the Governor’s Food Policy Council, which was
established last year to better coordinate work among state agencies to increase access to affordable, nutritional food for all New Yorkers while supporting a sustainable agriculture system for our state (e.g., issues such as food processing, transportation, support for family farms).
The Commissioner of the New York State Department of Agriculture, Patrick Hooker, is
Chair of the Food Policy Council. He will participate in a roundtable discussion at the
conference along with Julie Suarez, Director of Public Policy, NY Farm Bureau; Fern Gale Estrow, a nutritionist who is chair of the Food Systems Network NYC; and, Professor Tom Forster, a policy advisor to the national Community Food Security Coalition.
The conference will also feature workshops on innovative approaches to bringing fruits and vegetables into low-income communities and strategies to improve the nutritional impact of federal nutrition programs.
Many state agencies and advocacy organizations are interested in how we can bring more supermarkets and other sources of fruits and vegetables into low-income communities. Too often such neighborhoods only have fast food outlets, forcing residents to travel long distances to obtain more nutritious food.
The conference is free but there is limited space, so pre-registration is encouraged. Contact Mark Dunlea at Hunger Action Network of NYS at 518 434-7371 x1, or info@hungeractionnys.org. More information about the conference is available at the Hunger Action Network’s website: http://www.hungeractionnys.org/.
To learn more about the Cornell Small Farms Local Markets Work Team, visit: www.smallfarms.cornell.edu/pages/projects/localfoodworkteam.cfm. The conference is also co-sponsored by Just Food, NYS Assembly Task Force on Food Farm and Nutrition Policy, Food Systems Network NYC, Honest Weight Food Co-op, United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 1500.
Posted July 7, 2008
Sponsored by the Organic Dairy Initiative and NOFA NY. These field days are also supported by the Small Farms Program, Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) and the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI).
July 14 (Monday): Outwit weeds! Grain crop edition with Klass Martens, 4-7 pm, Cornell’s Musgrave Farm, 1256 Poplar Ridge Rd, Aurora, NY (Cayuga Co.). Sharpen your weed management skills through hands-on exercises, demos, and discussions based on the Organic Cropping Systems Project’s long-term grain crop experiment. Learn to identify weeds at the seedling stage (and take home a free, 21-page, color weed guide), time cultivations and adjust cultivation equipment to maximize weed control. Estimate weed density and its impact on crop performance. A variety of tine weeders will be demonstrated. Best practices for integrated weed management will also be discussed. For further information, contact Elizabeth Dyck (607-895-6913). Free.
July 29 (Tuesday): Organic Crops and Dairy Field Day, Bawden Family Farm, Hammond, NY (St. Lawrence Co.) 10am-1pm. Mark your calendar for this North Country field day about small grain production for an organic dairy farm. Brian and Elizabeth Bawden will share their experiences from years of grain production in less than ideal conditions. They will discuss combinations of grains and planting dates. They grow and process oats, peas, beans, spring wheat, Japanese millet, triticale and more for on-farm grain supply. Bring the family and enjoy the St. Lawrence River area after the field day! This workshop is co-sponsored by the NOFA-NY Organic Dairy Transitions Project. $5 NOFA Members, $10 non-members.
August 21 (Thursday): Organic Crops and Dairy Field Day, Sto-Ridge Farm, Cazenovia, NY (Madison Co.) 10am-1pm. Join us as pioneer organic farmers Hank and John Stoker share their farm and crop experiences with very special guest, Jerry Brunetti. The Stokers produce grain crops for their dairy, while developing a whole farm system incorporating composting, alternative fuel, and intensive grazing. This rare opportunity to learn from Jerry Brunetti will be a highlight of the summer and not to be missed! This workshop is co-sponsored by the NOFA-NY Organic Dairy Transitions Project.
August 22 (Friday): Organic Dairy Field Day, Swendsen Family Farm, Akron, NY (Genesee Co.) 9am-3pm (lunch provided). Both transitional and certified organic dairies are welcome to this field day with Jerry Brunetti and other guest speakers. In the morning Jerry will discuss soil health and quality forages. In the afternoon you will explore topics such as pasture management, herd health, soil, and quality milk in small groups for in-depth discussions. This workshop is co-sponsored by Organic Valley/CROPP Cooperative, GLCI, and the NOFA-NY Organic Dairy Transitions Project. Free.
September 2 (Tuesday): Organic Dairy and Field Corn Trial, Twin Oaks Dairy, LLC, Truxton, NY (Cortland Co.) 11am-3pm. Together, Rick and Kathie Arnold and Bob Arnold run Twin Oaks Dairy, LLC and have been certified organic since 1998. Their high level of management allows them to achieve an average of 20,000 lbs of milk/yr with 130 cows. They grow 100% of their forage and about 50% of their grain needs on their combination of river bottom and side hill land. You will learn about their successful organic system as well as a SARE research project the Arnolds are working on with CCE to reduce the cultivation needs of organic field corn by using narrow rows and planting cover crops between the rows. This workshop is co-sponsored by the NOFA-NY Organic Dairy Transitions Project. $5 NOFA Members, $10 non-members.
September 9 (Tuesday): Organic Dairy Field Day, Willow Creek Farm, Belmont, NY (Allegany Co.) 10am-1pm. Looking for answers about your pasture and forage-based dairy production challenges? Join Chuck Deichmann at his organic dairy farm to discuss high quality forage production, forage testing, determining rations, and pasture on a progressive grasslands farm. An additional treat will be a discussion of the robotic milking system used on Chucks rotational grazing dairy and how it has eased farm time and labor resources. This workshop is co-sponsored by the NOFA-NY Organic Dairy Transitions Project. $5 NOFA Members, $10 non-members
Posted July 16th, 2008
“What are my marketing options?” “How can I finance my farm start-up?” “What should I grow on my land?”
If you have questions about starting a farm or are considering diversifying your farm enterprises, the new NY Beginning Farmers Resource Center at http://beginningfarmers.cce.cornell.edu can offer you information and inspiration to help you begin. This interactive website offers a forum where new farmers can swap ideas and stories and ask specific questions. It also contains lessons that walk new farmers through the steps of starting a farm business, including setting goals, evaluating land, and learning about markets and regulations. Online worksheets embedded in the farm planning lessons allow new farmers to respond to questions and apply what they learn to their own situation, then download their completed worksheets for later use in a business plan if desired.
The Frequently Asked Questions section is a treasure trove of information on the farm-start-up process, with responses to the most commonly-asked questions like “Where can I find a grant to start my farm?” and “What regulations apply to me?” Visitors can also peruse the events calendar, get connected with agencies that can provide personalized assistance, download the Guide to Farming in NY, and find production information on our sister site at the Cornell Small Farms Program.
Visitors seeking advice and inspiration will find it in the Voice of Experience section, which contains articles by and about successful farmers in NY. The site was developed by the NY Beginning Farmer Project, which is working to build the Grow Local movement to support the Buy Local movement. The NY BFP is funded by the NY Farm Viability Institute and Cornell Cooperative Extension and is a project of the Cornell Small Farms Program. Please visit the NY Beginning Farmer Resource Center online at http://beginningfarmers.cce.cornell.edu.
