Onondaga County Maple Producer Wins State Fair Competition

Dutch Hill Maple in Tully, Onondaga County, again was named grand champion in the maple competition at the New York State Fair.

And they have won now for the second year in a row.

Onondaga County's OnFarmFest Set for Sept. 9

By DEBRA J. GROOM
dgroom@wdt.net
 

Onondaga County is planning its second annual OnFarmFest Sept. 9.
 
Area residents will have the chance to travel around the county and visit seven farms to see what the farmers do and how their food and fiber are grown. 

Included are two dairy farms, a vegetable farm, a grain and vegetable farm, a brewery and hops farm, a beef farm, an orchard and an inner city farm.

Farms are open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sept. 9.

Farms participating are:
 
** Brady Farm
150 Ford Ave.
Syracuse

** Fawn Crossing Hops Farm and Local 315 Brewing Co.
3160 Warners Road
Warners
 
** Emmi & Sons, Inc.
1482 W. Genesee Road (Route 370)
Lysander
 
** Paladino and Carley Farms
3149 Sweet Road
Pompey
 
** Silver Spring Farm
4461 W. Seneca Turnpike
Onondaga
 
** Navarino Orchard
3655 Route 20
Navarino
 
** Lucky 13 All Natural Red Angus Beef
790 Markham Hollow
Tully
 
** River Ridge Dairy
7197 River Road
Memphis

** Greenwood Winery
6475 Collamer Road
East Syracuse

3 Onondaga County Farms Receive Climate Grant Money

From Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office

Three farms in Onondaga County will benefit from more than $151,000 awarded through round two of the Climate Resilient Farming Grant Program. 

Launched in 2015, the program help farms reduce their operational impact on the environment and better prepare for and recover after extreme weather events.
 
As part of this second round of funding, County Soil and Water Conservation Districts in six regions across the state were awarded a total of more than $1.5 million in grants on behalf of farmers in one of the following project categories: agricultural waste storage cover and flare, on-farm water management, and soil health systems.
 
Projects awarded in the Central New York region include:  
 
Onondaga County Soil and Water Conservation District

• $112,577 – The district will work with two farms (Fesko Farms in Spafford and Elmer Richards and Sons farm in Marcellus) to install ponds to increase water capacity and improve the farms’ resiliency in future drought conditions. The ponds will also help farmers avoid hauling water to remote locations and provide fire protection and stormwater management for rural communities.
• $39,381 – The district will work with one farm (Kinsale Beef Farm in Pompey) to implement a 75-acre prescribed grazing system to increase soil health and reduce farm-based greenhouse gas emissions.

Awarded projects focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and promoting energy savings and soil health. 

One project awarded also focuses on water management to mitigate the effects of periods of drought on crops and livestock following last summer’s severe dry conditions.
 
The Climate Resilient Farming Grant Program is funded through the state’s Environmental Protection Fund. During Earth Week in April 2015, $1.4 million in awards were announced through the first round of the program to support 11 projects on farms across five regions. 

All 11 projects are currently underway to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate water and soil quality concerns.

"This funding will help protect and preserve New York's natural resources by supporting farms and addressing the unpredictable conditions and challenges of climate change," said Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

"As New York continues to lead the nation in environmental protection, these grants not only build on our efforts to create a cleaner, greener, more resilient state – they address the priorities of Central New York and the region’s Upstate Revitalization Initiative blueprint to grow the agricultural industry and boost the economy," he said.
 
"This past summer, New York farms saw unprecedented drought conditions, with many suffering crop loss and increased costs," said Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Richard Ball. "This program will help farmers better manage for droughts and floods that are becoming more common, while reducing their environmental footprint and protecting our surrounding natural resources."
 
"The drought of 2016 was the second major drought in our area in four years. Not only will these two new sources of water keep farms and livestock hydrated, they will benefit fish and other aquatic life by not removing water from streams," said Mark Burger, executive director of the Onondaga County Soil and Water Conservation District. 

"This will allow for the stream levels to be as deep as possible and for the water temperatures to ultimately be colder for aquatic life. These two new farm ponds will also provide additional water for fire protection in their rural communities," Burger said.

Funding also was provided to some Southern Tier farms. Read that story at https://www.morningagclips.com/funding-for-southern-tier-farms/?utm_content=articles&utm_campaign=NLCampaign&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_term=newsletteredition&utm_medium=email this link.

In Western New York, the following projects were funded:

Projects awarded in the Finger Lakes region include:

Wayne County Soil and Water Conservation District

• $145,981 – The district will work with three farms to install water and sediment control basins and associated practices to direct, slow, and diffuse concentrated water flows. This will also reduce all forms of erosion and reduce soil loss, sediment delivery, and nutrient and pathogen runoff to nearby waterways.

• $226,500 – The district will work with one farm to install a sustainable irrigation system to help the farm be more resilient in overcoming drought conditions on 500 acres of the farm’s most vulnerable soils. This will allow the farm to improve crop cover and density, which are key components to building carbon rich healthy soils.

• $32,010 – The district will work with one farm to implement a pond expansion to improve resiliency during drought conditions and ensure the farm has a continuous supply of water in the future. It will also prevent the need to truck supplemental water to the farm and hold higher rates of runoff water that would otherwise impact downstream communities.

Ontario County Soil and Water Conservation District

$44,790 – The District will work with three farms to implement soil health practice systems, including implementing 500 acres of cover crops to build healthy soils and improve soil carbon sequestration. As a result, the projects will also reduce farm-based greenhouse gas emissions and improve resiliency to the farm during periods of flood and drought. 

Sheep on the Loose in Onondaga

Watch out! Sheep on the loose.

See the story http://cnycentral.com/news/local/alert-seven-sheep-are-on-the-loose-in-the-town-of-onondaga at this link.

Indoor Farm in Onondaga County? Perhaps

A company has proposed opening an indoor farm in the northern suburbs of Syracuse.

Go to http://www.ceacapitalholdings.com/ to read more about the company.

Buy Local Onondaga Grown Campaign Kicks Off

Onondaga County Legislature chair Ryan McMahon and Legislator David Knapp kick off the Buy Local Onondaga Grown campaign at Reeves Farm Wednesday morning.

The Onondaga County Agriculture Council kicked off the county's "Buy Local. Buy Onondaga Grown" campaign Wednesday morning at Reeves Farm in Lysander.

The campaign will help educate the public on all that Onondaga County has to offer through its agriculture industry. 

The county's more than 700 farms each year pumps about $152 million into the local economy, preserves pristine farmland for all the enjoy and provides consumers with the freshest vegetables, fruits, dairy products, meats, poultry and eggs, honey, maple, flowers and Christmas trees than they can find anywhere.

"What sets this campaign apart is that it provides a direct link between what the community will hear on local media and what they will see at retailers across Onondaga County," said county Legislator David Knapp, who also is co-chair of the Agriculture Council. 

The campaign includes billboards, radio spots, a blog on I Heart Radio stations (http://www.b1047.net/features/onondaga-grown-837/) and stickers boasting the Buy Local. Buy Onondaga Grown. on produce and products at area grocery stores. 

Since now is the middle of strawberry season, the kickoff event includes Reeves Farm strawberries served over Byrne Dairy ice cream.

To keep engaged with the Buy Local. Buy Onondaga Grown. campaign, go to Twitter at twitter.com/OnondagaGrown, Facebook at facebook.com/OnondagaGrown or to the website at wsyr.com/features/onondaga-grown-837/ 

Stewart's coming to Onondaga County

Stewart's Shops, a Saratoga-based company that sells its own milk, ice cream and other dairy products, is coming to Onondaga County.

The company is hiring how for a store to open at the corner of Buckley Road and Morgan Road in Liverpool this fall. 

Stewart's is well known in the North Country and eastern New York. The closest shops to Syracuse are Minetto and Oswego in Oswego County and Camden, Boonville, north of Rome, Clinton, Waterville and Barneveld in Oneida County and Adams in Jefferson County.

Stewart's works closely with 30 local dairy farms for its milk for its products.  

Fabius Dairy Farm Named Conservation Farm of the Year in Onondaga County; Baker High Grad Wins Scholarship

Tre-G Farms, a dairy farm in Fabius, was named the Conservation Farm of the Year for 2013 in Onondaga County.

Farm owners Jim and Sue Smith received the award during the annual Conservation Day put on Saturday Aug. 3 by the Onondaga County Soil and Water Conservation District. The event was held at Silver Spring Farm in the town of Onondaga.

A Jersey at Silver Spring Farm on Conservation Day

Also receiving an honor was Matthew J. Purdy, a 2013 grad of Baker High in Baldwinsville, who won the Al Sweetland Memorial Scholarship. Purdy will attend SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry for environmental science.

During Conservation Day, attendees were able to tour Silver Spring Farm, take wagon rides, eat delicious dairy treats like ice cream, cheese and milk and learn about the conservation efforts of local farms.

Tre-G Farms is a fourth generation dairy farm established in 1919 by Joseph Baumgartner. Today, the farm stands in its original location along the Route 20.

The farm's unique name comes from the German translation of Baumgartner, which is "tree gardener." The farm owners decided Tre-G, pronounced Tree-G, would stand the test of time no matter what surnames come about from marriages in the family.

Donny Jones, 3, Syracuse, enjoys milk at Conservation Day

Tre-G was honored for its conservation efforts to maintain the cleanliness of the Oneida Lake Watershed. The farm sits near the West Branch of Limestone Creek in the watershed and the Smiths have worked with the Soil and Water Conservation Service since the 1970s to maintain the watershed.

Some of their efforts include installing a milkhouse wastewater treatment system and barnyard runoff management system. They also have been involved in a heifer barn manure loading pushoff and rotational grazing system. 

The Smiths also have built and improved their earthen manure storage; stream crossings; crop rotations; tile drainage and some deep ripping to reduce compaction and have planted cover crops.

Here is some history of the farm from a brochure:

James Hudson, 2, Camillus, eats ice cream at the event

What started as a barnyard and a small herd of animals is now an operational dairy farm, working more than 500 acres of farmland and milking more than 150 Holstein cows. Recognized as a Dairy of Distinction, Tre-G Farms’ primary purpose is that of a full-service functional dairy farm.

With a milking herd of Holstein cows, the world’s highest producing dairy animal, the farm operates a mechanical milking parlor to cycle the herd through twice a day for production.

After a near-century in the agricultural business, Tre-G Farms has evolved into a central New York functional attractive agritourism site. We have expanded and grown with every passing year. Under the current operating generation, owners Jim and Sue have directed the development of a seasonal fruit and produce farm stand.

A Jersey calf looking cute

In 1996, Tre-G Farms introduced strawberries and in 1997 raspberries was grown. Current produce available includes asparagus, rhubarb, sugar-snap and shell peas.