Sustainable food and farming online classes

Registration for the winter term of online classes in Sustainable Food and Farming is now open. 

Winter classes are from December 26 - January 20!  Registration is open!

Here are the winter courses we are offering!

• STOCKSCH 100 – Botany for Gardeners (4cr)
• STOCKSCH 119 – Backyard Homesteading (3 cr)
• STOCSKSCH 190 M – Intro to Mushroom Culture (1 cr)
• STOCKSCH 297 FL – Intro to Food and Agricultural Law (3 cr)
• STOCKSCH 354 – Non-profit Management for Community Food Programs (3 cr)
• STOCKSCH 379 – Agricultural Systems Thinking  (requires either completion of STOCKSCH 265 or permission of the instructor - contact jgerber@umass.edu) (3 cr)
• STOCKSCH 397 PB – Pollinator Biology and Habitat (1 cr)

Classes are described here! 

(click above or cut and paste: https://sustfoodfarm.org/online-classes/)

"Eating Animals" - a lecture and panel discussion

Farmer Friday: The Trudeau Family Farm

Wednesdays are dedicated family time for the Trudeaus. And a tour around the one hundred plus acre property, tucked away in Edwards, NY, explains why. free time is not something Bobbie Trudeau finds herself having much of. Just five minutes into a conversation about the family farm, it becomes apparent that Bobbie doesn’t like to sit down.

The Trudeau's manage a vegetable garden, raise chickens along with turkeys for meat and eggs, breed rams, ewes, and lambs, and have three dogs to protect the animals. Like many farmers, Bobbie finds gardening therapeutic. Unable to recount the moment she decided to pursue farming, especially since she grew up within a family dairy farm, she recounts fond memories of summer days spent helping her grandmother in the garden. The enjoyment of being outside and accomplishment from filling her refrigerator with food that the Trudeau's are responsible for producing, serve as motivation to continue farming.

The sheep, rams, and ewes came to graze. The land is fenced and divided to allow the animals to feed. Once a year someone comes to sheer their wool, many are for sale and leave the farm, some they are butchered for meat, and many are chosen to continue cross breeding. But for the Tudeau's, farming is a family affair. Many of the animals names are chosen by Bobbie’s daughters. They are consistent with themes; many are given character names from a favorite movie. Snow White, Smokey, Bandit, and Pablo are just a sample of the many.

Vegetables growing on the property

There seems to be a constant stream of project ideas going on in the mind of Bobbie Trudeau. “Every year we expand a little more”, she says. They most recently have been building a greenhouse and installing a walk in cooler for the vegetables that quickly become abundant with produce the day before the Canton Farmers Market. Next year she plans to expand and spread out the vegetable garden, plant blueberry bushes, and hopes to begin building a barn.

Whenever Bobbie does find “free time”, she puts her effort into creating wooden signs sold through her Pretty & Prim Etsy account. The summer, busy as it is, allows Bobbie to slow down. Both her and her husband have full time jobs and farm on the side. In the fall Bobbie has to balance farmwork with teaching and coaching cross country. She calls it “organized chaos”.

The Trudeau Family Farm sell their products at the Canton Farmers Market along with a roadside stand at Bob’s Market.

Farmer Friday: Fobare's Fruits

The Farm Market of Fobare's Fruits

On a dead end road within Rensselaer Falls you will find a playground, corn maze, pumpkin patch, farm market, raspberry field, and apple orchard. These are only some of the attractions offered by Steve and Gayle Fobare, of Fobare’s Fruits. Their family friendly, safe, affordable, and local oriented property allows families, birthday parties, schools, and businesses, the opportunity to pick apples and raspberries straight from the fields and connect with their environment.

Even in the off season, on a warm August day, it is apparent how much time is dedicated to this interactive and inclusive property. With fifteen acres dedicated to apples, four and a half for the corn maze, and one for raspberries, combined with the diversity of attractions within the playground, and the variety of products sold and baked within the farm market, you wonder what it is that keeps the Fobares motivated.

Mining Attraction and the Orchard

“When a kid is crying because they have to leave you know you did good” explains Gayle Fobare. The most rewarding aspect of their job is being able to watch children and families experience local food. Both Steve and Gayle explain their joy in the ability to help a child eat an apple straight from the tree, and watch children connect their food directly to the source. Fobare’s allows visitors and North Country residents the opportunity to limit the miles it takes to bring fresh fruit to your home, and for many children it is the first time they understand and experience where it is their food comes from.
Like all farmers, the Fobares depend on the weather to create produce. “There aren’t many orchards up here and there’s a good reason for it. We are too far north. But there are orchards in Canada that are further north yet, so we were hoping that if we picked the right variety we could make it work” explains Steve. Gayle also elaborates on this reliance with our natural world, “You’re playing with Mother Nature. She controls everything. You don’t control her, she controls you”.

Some of the goodies inside the Market

From exploring the property and knowing the success that the Fobare's have had in a still relatively new business, you can see that weather is not a limiting obstacle and they have created an equally beneficial and respectful relationship with their land.
The orchard began in 2009 and now houses at least five apple varieties and has expanded to consist of almost seven thousand trees. This amount of apples would be an endless task to allocate if it was not for the help of u-pick visitors in the fall. The help allows Steve and Gayle to work on the other attractions around Fobare’s property. Gayle spends most of her days inside the Farm Market store, baking everything from cinnamon rolls, baked donuts, pies, apple crisp, and homemade bread that can be bought directly, while Steve constantly assists with the crowd and activities outside. They also have hosted a Princess Tea Party, Super Hero Event, and are currently planning a Cancer Walk for August 12^th.

Although the fall is notably the busiest time on the farm, Fobare’s is open from Wednesday to Sunday and is a great and easy place to sit and enjoy "A Taste Of Country". For more information visit, https://www.fobaresfruits.com/ .

Webinars for farmers

Three new webinars coming up soon. All of them are free and open to the public, and advance registration is required. They all take place at 2:00 PM.


March 30, 2017: Using Biofungicides, Biostimulants and Biofertilizers to Boost Crop Productivity and help Manage Vegetable Diseases<http://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6332950960916838915>

Effectively managing diseases is one of the biggest challenges facing organic vegetable growers. A wide range of biologically based products are now available on the market that claim to boost crop growth and help plants withstand many plant diseases. However, there are few independent, scientifically-based studies to validate the efficacy of some of these products, and instructions detailing how and when to apply these products to achieve the best results are unclear. In this webinar, participants will describe the different types of products available in the marketplace today, provide an overview of recent studies evaluating their efficacy, and discuss strategies for identifying the most effective products and application practices. Presenters: Giuseppe Colla of Tuscia University in Viterbo Italy, MariaTeresa Cardarelli at the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in Rome, Italy, and Dan Egel and Lori Hoagland of Purdue University. Register<https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6332950960916838915>


April 6, 2017: Taking Stock of Organic Research Investments<http://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6702579283953605122>

This webinar will present the findings from the report by the Organic Farming Research Foundation:Taking Stock: Analyzing and Reporting Organic Research Investments: 2002-2014<http://ofrf.org/sites/ofrf.org/files/staff/WholeTakingStockReport_V5.11_Web.pdf>. This report provides information on the progress USDA funded organic research projects have made in addressing critical research needs. We will describe the types, locations, and impacts of USDA funded research, as well as research gaps and topics that require greater attention. The webinar will conclude with a set of recommendations for strengthening organic research in the US to best support the needs of organic farmers. Presenters are Diana Jerkins, Joanna Ory and Mark Schonbeck. Register<https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6702579283953605122>


April 11, 2017: Use of High Glucosinolate Mustard as an Organic Biofumigant in Vegetable Crops<http://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8878799766349704962>

Brassica plants, including mustards, contain glucosinolates that, when broken down, produce compounds that can reduce weed pressure, insect pests, populations of parasitic nematodes, and soil-borne pathogens such as Pythium, Rhizoctonia, Sclerotinia, Verticillium, and Phytophthora. In this webinar, we’ll address the use of mustard cover crops that have been bred specifically to have high glucosinolate concentrations and act as a biofumigant in crops like potatoes, peppers, carrots, black beans, and strawberries.Webinar presenters include Heather Darby and Abha Gupta, University of Vermont Extension; and Katie Campbell-Nelson, University of Massachusetts. Register<https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8878799766349704962>
Find all upcoming and archived eOrganic webinars at http://articles.extension.org/pages/25242/webinars-by-eorganic

Farm to Food Bank Legislation

A broad coalition of New York legislators, farmers, anti-hunger and environmental advocates asked Governor Cuomo to step up to the dinner plate and fund the Farm to Food Bank bill (S.1606/A.6192) in the final New York State budget. The group held a joint press conference on the bill at the Capitol in Albany.The bipartisan legislation, which has tremendous support in the legislature, would provide a refundable tax credit to farmers of 25% of the wholesale value of donated food up to $5,000 annually. The money would partially offset the costs of labor, packaging and transportation needed to get fresh food from the fields to regional food banks and pantries across the state to benefit New Yorkers in need.

Read more 

Shiitake mushroom workshop coming up

The Cornell Small Farms Program is offering a one-day workshop on Sunday, January 29 titled, "Log-Grown Shiitake: Viability for Small Farms" at the Paul Smith's College VIC in Paul Smiths, NY, co-sponsored by Franklin County Cooperative Extension.

The cultivation of shiitake offers farmers and woodlot owners a good opportunity to utilize their forested lands while turning a profit.

Anyone who a resident of New York State and growing commercially, starting up, or considering commercial production is welcome to attend. The workshop content will cover post-production aspects including safety, sanitation, marketing, and regulations.

NOTE: Participants should be versed in the basics of how to produce log-grown shiitake mushrooms prior to attending the workshop. Take a class, or view our free online resources.

On the day following the workshop, current and prospective farmers can schedule FREE one-on-one consultations with extension educators to review their farm goals, resources, and discuss challenges and opportunities for their own production.

 To see the Schedule and Register: visit www.cornellmushrooms.org/viability

Cost: $30/person

Funding for this project is provided by the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant  and administered through the New York Farm Viability Institute.

Upcoming webinars on IPM in Greenhouse/High Tunnel

Save the Dates!

We will be holding a series of short webinars on Greenhouse/High Tunnel Vegetable IPM on Thursdays from 12-1 in February and March.  The intent is for each topic to be briefly covered and then followed by discussion:

Feb 2                  Introduction to the project
Feb 9 & Feb 16    Basics of light, water fertility, media as they relate to pest management
Feb 23                Vegetable crop production in gh/ht
Mar 2                  Disease management in gh/ht
Mar 9                  Insect management in gh/ht
Mar 16                Weed management in gh/ht (lamb)  especially in winter production
Mar 23                How to write/use an IPM plan

Zoom information for each webinar will be coming soon.   All webinars will be recorded in case you can’t attend in person.

During the week of April 24 there will be a training session in Geneva to follow up on these webinars. More information to follow on that, too.

Contact Cornell Cooperative Extension for more information.

Two online sustainable food and farming classes this winter

The UMass Amherst Sustainable Food and Farming program is offering two online classes during January.  Both are relevant to anyone interested in sustainable food systems.  They are: 

• STOCKSCH 297 L – Intro to Food and Agricultural Law
• STOCKSCH 354 – Non-profit Management for Community Food Programs

These classes cost $472 per credit and they are 3 credit classes that will transfer to other universities.  Classes officially start on December 27 but if you are registered, you will get access to the class materials next Tuesday (12/20) to check out the class and decide if you want to take it.  

Here are the instructions on how to enroll:

https://sustfoodfarm.org/online-classes/how-to-enroll/

NY farmers donate 11.4 million pounds of food

In what has been a difficult growing season, New York’s farmers have still come through in a big way with food donations across the state. New York Farm Bureau members along with the Food Bank Association of New York State announced today that nearly 11.4 million pounds of fresh food and farm products have been donated by farmers this year through the month of November. That translates to nearly 10 million meals being provided to New Yorkers in need. And with a month to go in the donation effort, the large number is expected to climb. In addition, the New York Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee gave a $200 contribution today to the Food Bank Association of New York State.

Read more

Grants for farmers

NYS Empire State Development 2016 New Farmers Grant Fund http://esd.ny.gov/BusinessPrograms/NewFarmersGrantFund.html 

The New York State New Farmers Grant Fund will help farmers improve farm profitability through one or both of the following goals: 1) expanding agricultural production, diversifying agricultural production and/or extending the agricultural season; and/or 2) advancing innovative agricultural techniques that increase sustainable practices such as organic farming, food safety, reduction of farm waste and/or water use. Grants may provide a minimum of $15,000 and a maximum of $50,000 for up to 50% of total project costs. The remaining 50% must be matched by the recipient. Eligible sources of recipient match are limited to cash, lines of credit and loans. Other grant funds may not be used as matching funds. For any award the total project cost must be at least twice the grant award request. Eligibility (all criteria below must be met): a farm operation located wholly within New York State which produces an agricultural product as defined by the Guidelines; the farm operation must have a minimum of $10,000 in farm income from sales of products grown or raised on the applicant's farm operation as reflected in either personal or business 2015 tax returns; all owners must be New York State Residents of at least 18 years of age; as of April 1, 2016, all owners must be in the first ten years of having an ownership interest in any farm operation; all owners must materially and substantially participate in the day-to-day production of an agricultural product grown or raised on the farm operation. Eligible Expenditures: Eligible costs include the purchase of new or used machinery and equipment, supplies, and/or construction or improvement of physical structures used exclusively for agricultural purposes. Deadline: January 27, 2017

Farm Credit East Grant Writing Services for Farms & Agribusiness

Farm Credit East offers grant writing services to help farms and agribusinesses grow, change or expand their enterprises. For more information and for a summary of potential federal and regional grants and other incentives available to help Northeast producers, go here.

CCE Grower's Academy

Growers’ Academy: Market Readiness Training Series  Begins November 15 in Jefferson County Begins November 16 in St. Lawrence County Fee:  Sessions 1-3 $25 each, Session 4 $50 or Entire Series $100 Join CCE for this great opportunity to learn how to prepare your produce and market to larger businesses! Session 1: Becoming an Institutional Market-Ready Producer Part 1 Session 2: Becoming an Institutional Market-Ready Producer Part Session 3: Marketing and Developing a Business Plan Session 4 (two-day training): Understanding GAPs and FSMA Certification Session 5: Market Panel (Free to participants of past sessions) Click Here for More Information

Grants available to support new farmers

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced $1 million in funding is available to assist new and early-stage farmers through the New York State New Farmers Grant Fund. Now in its third year, the program builds upon the success of 2015 when more than $743,000 was awarded to 25 early-stage farms across the state to support the continued growth of New York’s agriculture industry. To date, nearly $1.4 million has been provided to 41 farms throughout New York State to expand their operations and improve their profitability.

The $1 million New Farmers Grant Fund will provide grants of up to $50,000 to assist with up to 50 percent of eligible project costs, with the remaining 50 percent being matched by the recipient. All owners of eligible farms must be within the first ten years of ownership and the farm must have a minimum of $10,000 in income from sales of products grown or raised on the farm. Eligible project costs include the purchase of farm machinery, supplies and equipment, and construction or improvement of farm structures. Empire State Development, in consultation with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, administers the fund.

This year, the program has eliminated the 150 acres or less requirement and is now accepting farm applicants of all sizes. The application and guidelines for the New York State New Farmers Grant Fund are available online. The deadline for submission is January 27, 2017.

Livestock conference in two weeks

Thoughts from a local farmer

A guest blog entry today, from Dan Kent of Kent Family Growers, with some thoughts on farming...

"Words are perceived to be stolen sometimes. Some small farmers feel that 'Organic' has been purloined by certified mega-farms who have perverted the word to meet their evil corporate needs. I don’t feel this way, but discussions around this issue have posited a thought-worthy idea, where small, 'real' organic farmers abandon 'organic' and adopt a more meaningful word. 

"'Durable' was suggested. Though you’re not going to catch me saying, 'Me? I’m a durable farmer' or 'Yup, all our produce is certified durable,' I find the word to be packed with layers of meaning worth digging into. A close cousin to another word that gets tossed around in our world, 'sustainable,' durable connotes something about the people involved in keeping a small farm going through the years. Two stories have developed here this year that highlight this.

"I sold our draft horses earlier this year. After several years where I was using our horse team less and less for farm work, allowing tractors to replace them, I managed to find a young, idealistic vegetable farmer to buy them and put their unique skills to use on a farm in the Rochester area. Great, until an e-mail arrives after only three months where the fellow says, 'I’m selling the horses, the equipment and getting out of farming, do you want them back?' (after answering no, he then finds another young, idealist to take them). On the heels of this exchange comes a call from the family to whom we sold our previous farm in Depeyster, NY. This family bought our old farm six years ago with a great deal of back-to-the-land fervor motivating them. Our organic certification, our use of horses, the orchard we had planted, all gave them the idea that they could step in and carry on what we had begun and realize their dream of being self-sufficient rural folk. After a bit of perfunctory small talk, the caller says, “We’re selling the farm. Do you know anyone who wants to buy it?”. The difficulties associated with heating with wood, weeding a home garden, snow removal, etc. had worn them out in 6 years and they were hoping to flee to the Albany area before snowfly.

"I would love to see some numbers on how many small farm enterprises begin, versus how many last for more than a few years. It likely compares well to the rate at which many types of rural enterprises succeed and fail. However, I feel that there is something different with the would-be farmers where their bright, shining idea of agriculture runs into the hard realities of actually doing it. To put it as simply as possible, I think it's the way their ideals overpower the need for a business plan. Idealism is a powerful force in America. We celebrate many great advances in our society borne of those with with high ideals. Less acknowledged are the many ideals that lie dead or dying along the trail to a more perfect union. Let’s give these folks a hand for trying though. I think they serve us all by keeping a general spirit of advancement alive and end up giving real support to those of us who do manage to be durable."

Tax credits for farmers who donate proposed

144 supporters of the ‘Farm to Food Bank’ tax credit bill released a letter late last week urging Governor Cuomo to sign it into law. A statewide coalition of New York’s agriculture sector, anti- hunger community, and environmental advocates have united in support of bill S.7833 (sponsored by Senator Funke)/A.10584 (sponsored by Assemblymember Moya), which represents a win-win-win for New York’s farming families, the environment, and the hungry men, women, and children who rely on emergency food agencies in every county of the state. After the bill was vetoed last year, the Legislature worked to address the administration’s concerns and it was passed unanimously by both houses in June 2016.

Bill S.7833/A.10584 would permit eligible farmers to claim a refundable tax credit equal to 25% of the wholesale cost of their qualified donations to food banks or other public, charitable, or non-profit emergency food programs, up to $5,000 per year. The current federal tax deduction does little to incentivize the large number of New York farmers who earn minimal or no farm income to make such donations. A state tax credit to offset the out-of-pocket costs of harvesting, processing, and transporting food that might otherwise go unharvested or undelivered would encourage New York farmers to give more generously than they already do.

“More than 2.6 million New Yorkers go hungry every day, almost a million of whom are children. Additionally, the lack of healthy fruit and vegetables in the diets of those who are food-insecure leads to a myriad of health issues, including diabetes. There is a widespread need for healthy produce in New York’s emergency food system,” stated Susan Zimet, Executive Director of Hunger Action Network of NYS. “This legislation will help meet that need by bringing healthy, nutritious produce to those that need it the most.”

Fresh fruits and vegetables left unharvested or dumped in landfills due to imperfect aesthetics, market fluctuations, or other economic considerations contribute to food waste and greenhouse gas emissions. They are also a monumental waste of resources such as water, labor, energy, land, and fertilizer. Food scraps that wind up in landfills rot, producing methane gas, which is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide in driving global warming. The Farm to Food Bank bill would reduce food waste and mitigate New York’s contribution to greenhouse gases while providing fresh, nutritious food to the hungry in the process.

A farmer who receives the maximum $5,000 tax credit would have actually donated $20,000 worth of fresh food to an emergency food program. For food-insecure households, such donations have the potential to positively impact their health outcomes in the long-term and meet their immediate food needs in the short-term. Fresh, locally grown food that might otherwise go to waste could instead be distributed to New York’s neediest populations via the emergency food programs that serve them.