Peoples' Produce Project Takes Off in Oswego County

Submitted by Oswego County



The Peoples’ Produce Project is a volunteer project that was launched last year by Oswego County Department of Social Services staff members.
 
Building on a successful first season, the initiative continues to help local residents supplement their pantries with fresh local produce.
 
“We began this project last year with four raised garden beds that held over a dozen vegetables and herbs,” said Elaine Samson, a Department of Social Services community service worker and project coordinator. 

“It yielded more than 200 servings of vegetables and served approximately 100 families. This year, the garden has doubled in size and offers more produce to visitors at the county offices in Mexico,” Samson said.
 
The People’s Produce Project now has eight garden beds which include eggplant, acorn squash, Swiss chard, green leaf lettuce, yellow beans and dill and the staple items that were offered last year.
 
Samson and her team of volunteers received donations and support from many individuals and organizations.
 
“We were so happy with last season’s results that we wanted to expand the garden and plant an even bigger variety of vegetables this year,” said Samson. “We couldn’t have done this without the community’s support. Many people and businesses have made generous contributions and volunteered their time to help build and maintain the gardens.”
 
This year’s volunteers include: John and Brennan Samson, Adriana Ketchum, Marcia Birdsell, Lela Fuller, Heather Ladd, Jill Wood, Catherine Livoti-Rice and Bob Ireland, a caseworker at DSS, who built a farm market stand to display the garden’s harvest.
 
Michelle Lawson of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oswego County helped with the design and placement of the beds and provided guidance on their content. 

Other supporters include Caster’s Sawmill in Sandy Creek; Fowler’s Greenhouse in Hannibal; Ontario Orchards in Oswego; and Oliver Paine Greenhouses in Fulton. Many staff members contributed to the project through monthly fund-raising luncheons. 
 
For more information about the project, or to make a contribution or volunteer, call 963-5463.

It's National Onion Rings Day!!

OK, I'm including this special day for all those onion farmers in Oswego and Madison counties.

According to the National Day Calendar website, today is National Onion Rings Day.

Here is what the website says about the day: 

"Dipped in a batter or in bread crumbs and deep fried, tasty onion rings are a popular hors d’oeuvre or side dish all across the United States and are celebrated each year on June 22 for National Onion Rings Day.

Also found in Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and some parts of Asia, onion rings exact origin is unknown.

• A recipe called “Fried Onions with Parmesan Cheese” is included in John Mollard’s 1802 cookbook “The Art of Cookery Made Easy and Refined.” Within the recipe, it suggests cutting onions into 1/2 inch rings, dipping them into a batter made of flour, cream, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese then deep frying them in “boiling” lard. It is suggested that they are served with a sauce made of  melted butter and mustard.
• Some believe that a recipe  for French Fried Onions (not claiming to be the originator of the recipe) appeared in the Middletown, NY Daily Times on January 13, 1910.
• The Pig Stand restaurant chain, founded in Oak Cliff, Texas in the early 1920′s is one of the claimants to the onion rings invention.
• A recipe for deep-fried onion rings that are dipped in milk then dredged in flour appeared in a 1933 Crisco advertisement in The New York Times Magazine.  
• In the 1960′s, the A&W restaurant is credited with popularizing the onion rings in fast food restaurants.

To celebrate National Onion Rings Day, head to your favorite “onion ring” serving restaurant and place your order."

Ritchie, Oswego County Farmers Talk about Food Hubs

From state Sen. Patricia Ritchie:

Ritchie

More than 20 Oswego County farmers and agriculture professionals met with state Sen. Patty Ritchie Wednesday for a forum to discuss the establishment of a “food hub” to link Upstate farmers with larger metro markets across New York state.

“Despite a growing demand for local foods, Upstate farmers are still facing challenges when it comes to getting their foods to large metro areas — however, a ‘food hub’ could help connect our farmers with new, larger markets across the state,” said Ritchie, who serves as chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

“I’ve had the opportunity to hear from dozens of farmers and agribusiness owners in recent months about how we can make our “food hub” venture a success and I’m looking forward to using this most recent feedback as we continue to work to expand business for our farmers and make fresh foods more accessible to people throughout our state.”

At Wednesday’s meeting in Mexico, Ritchie and other agriculture leaders, including members of the Senator’s Agriculture Advisory Council, discussed how to best utilize more than $1 million in the 2015-2016 state budget to establish food hubs.

These hubs will give farmers and agribusiness owners an opportunity to bring products to a central location where they can then be transported to major cities throughout our state, including New York City.  

This was the third forum hosted by Ritchie to discuss the establishment of ‘food hubs.’ Other forums took place in Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties.

Earlier this week, Ritchie unveiled “Planting Seeds,” a new plan to support New York’s agriculture industry by restoring budget cuts and increasing funding for key agriculture programs in the areas of research, education and marketing, providing new tax and regulatory relief for farmers, supporting initiatives that promote food safety and creating new opportunities for veterans, as well as young people in the agriculture industry, among others. 

Dunsmoor Onion Farm Fire Still Smoldering Sunday Jan. 10

Firefighters fight onion farm fire. Drone photo by Shawn Cathcart

Update on Dunsmoor onion farm fire:

Oswego Town Fire Department Chief Greg Herrmann said the fire scene on Route 104 at the Dunsmoor onion farm still was smoldering Jan. 10 when fire officials went back to the scene.

A total of 20 fire departments and 39 pieces of fire apparatus fought the Jan. 2 blaze. Area residents reported hearing explosions just before seeing flames bellowing up from the Dunsmoor onion farm.

Onions piled in front of the collapsed Dunsmoor building Jan. 2. Drone photo by Shawn Cathcart

Herrmann said 46,000 square feet of processing area and storage area were destroyed.

Herrmann didn't know exactly how many onions were lost, but said "it was a hair less" than the amount lost by Sorbello and Son Farms in a December 2013 fire at that Granby farm. A packing, sorting, grading and storage facility and about 115,000 50-pound units of onions were lost in the Sorbello fire. 

Herrmann said a processing facility and a connected storage building were destroyed in the Dunsmoor fire. He said it was difficult to fight and to put out all smoldering areas because the onions were tightly packed in wooden crates and the building was steel with a steel roof. He said the only way to get to all the burning areas would be to cut through all that steel.

Herrmann said the fire began in a truck that was parked outside the facility at the loading dock. But officials have not yet determined what happened to the truck to start the fire. 

Fire Reported at Dunsmoor Onion Farm in Oswego

NewsChannel 9 was reporting late Saturday night that a large barn at the Dunsmoor onion farm in Oswego was on fire.

Go to http://www.localsyr.com/news/local-news/massive-barn-fire-in-oswego-county-explosions-heard to see what was being reported at that time.

Oswego County Harvest Dinner Oct. 2

Always a great event. Get your reservations in now!

Onion Production Forecast Down Slightly from 2014

New York state's onion production is estimated to be down slightly from last year, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The National Agricultural Statistics Services estimates New York will see an onion crop of 2.31 million hundredweight (100 pounds), down 2 percent from the 2.36 million hundredweight in 2014.

Harvested acreage also is down, but yield per acre is projected to be up to an average of 335 hundredweight per acre from the 295 hundredweight per acre in 2014.

Nationally, 92,650 acres of onions are being harvested in 2015, compared to 93,200 in 2014.

Onions are primarily grown on muck soils found in Oswego, Orange, Orleans, Genesee, Madison, Wayne, Yates and Steuben counties. 

"The crop in general looked great so we should be on target for yields comparable to last year," said Jonathan J. Schell, agriculture team coordinator with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oswego County.

Oswego County Onion Growers Meeting June 25

Oswego County Onion Growers Twilight Meeting

Wednesday, June 25, 2014 — 5 to 7 pm 

John Dunsmoor Farm, 777½ County Route 53, Oswego, NY 13126

Presented by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oswego County with generous support from: Seedway,   Synagri, Crop Production Service, Stokes Seeds, and Bejo Seed.

This two-hour on-farm meeting will provide crucial, in season research to aid the onion growers of Oswego County in their management decisions to keep them profitable.  The twilight meeting will emphasize strategies to prevent economic loss from problem weeds and bacterial rot damage.

“Strategies to Control Problem Weeds in Onions” Christine Hoepting, Vegetable Specialist - Onions, Cabbage Cornell Vegetable Program will discuss her field experiences utilizing different practices to control problematic weeds in onions, and provide recommendations on integrated pest management strategies for their control.

“Understanding What is Causing Onion Bacterial Rot ” Dr. Steven Beer Cornell University will discuss some of his latest research on onion bacterial rot pathogens and agriculture growing practices that growers can utilize to reduce center rot and sour skin in onions, an expensive issue for growers.

Two New York State Recertification Credits have been approved in categories 1a, 10 & 23, bring your pesticide ID card.  The cost of the program is $10 and dinner will follow.  

Pre-registration is required.  Please return registration form or call in reservation by Friday, June 20, 2014.  If you have questions or if you have any special needs, please call Cornell Cooperative Extension at 315-963-7286. 

The Northern New York Gardener

Very nice blog. This comes from just outside Mexico, NY.

Check it out http://suelink.blogspot.com/2014/01/our-ever-changing-cultural-landscape.html?spref=fb at this link.

Farm Bureau Hosts Talk on Oswego County Muck Farms

From Oswego County Farm Bureau:

The Oswego County Farm Bureau will be hosting a series of Coffeecake Meetings on the first Monday of the winter months at 1 p.m. at the Mexico branch of the Oswego County Federal Credit Union on Route 3 (5828 Scenic Avenue). 

The first will take place at 1 p.m. Jan. 6 with special guest speaker, Jim Farfaglia, author of “Of the Earth -- Stories from Oswego County Muck Farms."     

Farfaglia also has agreed to do a book signing and will have books available for purchase. 

These meetings are free and will be open to the public as well as Farm Bureau members. As the name implies, light refreshments will be served. 

Future meeting speakers will include Josh Hornesky, a resource conservationist for the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service.   

Get Out Now For Christmas Trees

Justin Brady, and his son Liam, 2, of West Monroe, pull their Christmas tree out of the woods at Granger's Christmas tree farm in Mexico Saturday Nov. 30. It was the Bradys first time at Grangers. Randy Granger said the farm sells about 150 trees a day when it's busy like it was on Saturday. The farm has been growing trees for 28 years and selling for 17.

Only a couple of days left to get a fresh wonderful Christmas tree grown in Oswego County.

Here is a story I wrote a couple of weeks ago:

The holiday season is here and it’s time to get out to buy a fresh Oswego County-grown Christmas tree.
Buying local not only supports Oswego County farms, but it also assures the freshest tree possible. Fresh cut trees smell better and keep their needles longer.

“If purchased locally, and displayed properly with plenty of water, most real Christmas trees have excellent needle retention,” said Faye Beckwith, of Beckwith Family Christmas Tree Station in Hannibal and former president of the Christmas Tree Farmers of New York State.

“Many of our customers report few or no needles on the floor after several weeks in their homes. While most people enjoy the aroma of our farm fresh trees, we also grow a fragrance-free variety that is a favorite with people with sensitive noses,” she said.

“Real Christmas trees are the best choice for both the environment and the economy,” Beckwith said. “Real Christmas trees are a renewable and recyclable resource. They are grown as a crop, by local farmers who provide jobs for others.

“Trees are harvested and replenished annually. As they grow, real trees absorb harmful carbons and produce fresh oxygen,” she said.

Beckwith added “the experience of going to the farm to choose the perfect tree fosters family traditions and creates memories that last a lifetime.”

Cooperative Extnesion supplied this list of Oswego County tree farmers:

Austin Tree Farm – 221 Baldwin Road, Volney
Beckwith Family Christmas Tree Station – 189 Mill St., Hannibal
Bis-Mar Farms – County Route, West Monroe
Chengerian’s Tree Land – Merritt Road,  Lysander
Darling’s Christmas Tree Farm – 280 Blythe Road, Hannibal
Emerald Mist Christmas Tree Farm – 1484 Rathburn Road, Oswego
Finnerty Hill Tree Farm – 3750 County Route, Williamstown
Goodman’s Christmas Tree Farm – 460 Gilbert Mills Road, Phoenix
Grace Farms – 78 Gunther Road, Central Square
Granger’s Christmas Tree Farm – 380 Tubbs Road, Mexico
H & H Trees – 1430 Co Rte 28, Tinker Tavern Road, Pulaski
Hemlock Haven Tree Farm – 460 County Route 22A (Ellisburg Street), Sandy Creek
Leonard’s Evergreens – 70 Dunham Road, Hannibal
Spring Pond Farm – 3439 U.S. Route 11, Mexico
Three Season Farm – 429 Drybridge Road, Mexico
Trust Nursery & Florist – 4347 U.S. Route 11, Pulaski
Whitetail Acres Christmas Tree Farm – 1685 State Route 264, Phoenix

Sorbello Farms Loses Most of this Season's Onion Crop in Fire

A huge fire in Granby has destroyed a packing, sorting, grading and storage building at the Sorbello and Sons onion farm.

Morris Sorbello said he was called at about 4:45 p.m. Tuesday about the fire. Sorbello is an Oswego County legislator representing the Granby area and had been in Oswego for a legislature committee meeting.

"The most important thing is no one was hurt," he said Wednesday morning.

Sorbello said he lost most of this year's onion crop that was being stored in the building -- about 115,000 50-pound units. The building, which is actually three buildings hooked together by tunnels, also is a loss.

He said firefighters still are at the scene Wednesday morning and the fire is still smoldering.

He also lost equipment in the building used for the sorting and grading of onions. He is insured.

An exact cause of the fire has not been determined, but Sorbello said it may have been electrical. He said his son had been in the building at about 4 p.m. and had hooked up an electrical charger to a machine and that may have malfunctioned.

Book Published on Muck Farms of Oswego County

Earl Sheldon, harvesting onions on his Route 176 farm, circa early 1940s. The

Sheldon family is part of the recently-published book on the muck farms of Oswego County.

 

A book about the importance of muck farming in Oswego County has been published and will be discussed by its writer at 3 p.m. Nov. 10 at Springside at Seneca Hill in Minetto.

Also during his program, writer Jim Farfaglia will include a slideshow with photos used in the book, an overview of why muck farming has been so important to Oswego County and stories told to Farfaglia by local muck farmers.

“The idea for this book started with an event at the Fulton Public Library in March 2012,” Farfaglia explained. “I was conducting a reading from my book of poems, Country Boy, which is about growing up in rural Central New York and working on my uncles’ muck farms. Members of several muck-farm families attended and, after my reading, these farmers started telling stories and comparing experiences from the mucks.

"I saw people nodding in agreement with each anecdote and noticed how one story built upon another. As I listened to the emotion underlying each farmer’s recollections, I knew I wanted to capture their memories,” he said.

Farfaglia proceeded to interview muck farmers, their family members, neighbors, workers and
agricultural specialists. Using the interviews, photographs and maps, he created the book.

“I like to say that I compiled and edited the book instead of saying I wrote it,” Farfaglia said. “About 90 percent of the book is the story of the mucks in the interviewees’ own words. After all, the people who lived and worked the mucks should be the ones to tell their story.”

Following the Nov. 10 program, a complimentary copy of the book will be given to each farm family he interviewed. He also will introduce the farmers to the audience and take questions about the book. Refreshments will be served.

Because of limited seating, reservations to attend the event are required. Please contact Farfaglia at 402-2297 or sjimf903@twcny.rr.com to register.

Oswego County Harvest Dinner Oct. 18

There is one great way each year to savor all of the agriculture in Oswego County.

That's the Oswego County Harvest Dinner, this year set for 6:15 p.m. Oct. 18 at the American Foundry in Oswego. The event features local chefs using vegetables like onions, fruits like apples, various cuts of meat and other foods grown right in Oswego County to make delectable dishes.

This year boasts the fourth annual Harvest Dinner and believe me, the event has grown in popularity each and every year. Tickets sell out fast.

Tickets for the event are $35 for one or $65 for two and must be purchased ahead of time. Prepaid reservations can be made sending payment to Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oswego County, Harvest Dinner, 3288 Main St., Mexico, NY 13114. No tickets will be sold at the door.

I went to this dinner last year and believe me, it is worth the price. The food is excellent and it really is thrilling to hear about the foods grown in Oswego County and the hard-working farmers behind them.

The evening begins with a social hour, including a sampling of Oswego County beverages. Guests will be served a six-course meal showcasing the scrumptious and diverse agricultural products grown and made in Oswego County.

Guest speaker for the evening will be Chris Fesko, an award-winning agricultural educator who runs her On the Farm Discovery Center in Spafford, Onondaga County, where she takes in school group tours throughout the spring.

She also is the creator and producer of the "On the Farm" video series that helps children and adults understand farming, the work that is done on the farm and how all of that work is responsible for the food we eat each day. Her videos have won four Telly Awards, three Parents' Choice awards and many other honors. She won the Ag Promotion Award this year from the New York State Agricultural Society.

There also will be raffle baskets featuring Oswego County’s finest agricultural products and more.

For more information on the Oswego County Harvest Dinner please call 315-963-7286 or e-mail lkw39@cornell.edu.

Pesticide Sprayer Calibration Workshop Set for Aug. 15 in Oswego County

Photo from New York Apple Association

A program to help farmers use the correct amount of pesticides on their crops is coming up Aug. 15 in Granby.

The Oswego County Growers Sprayer Calibration Meeting will be from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Sorbello & Sons Packing House, 630 County Route 8, Granby. Pre-registration is required by Aug. 13. Send in a registration form to Cooperative Extension of Oswego County in Mexico or call in a registration at 963-7286.

According to Cooperative Extension, inaccurate pesticide application rates, spray patterns and droplet size can lead to pesticide runoff, reducing the effectiveness of the pesticide and raising crop input costs. A recent study in Nebraska revealed that two-thirds of the applicators were applying pesticides improperly (application rate errors greater than 5 percent).

A similar study conducted in North Dakota indicated that 60 percent of tested sprayers had calibration errors greater than 10 percent. Although inaccurate tank mixing causes some of these errors, a majority of the problems result from improper spray equipment calibration and worn nozzles.

Runoff of pesticides also can be harmful to the environment. Agriculture is under intense economic and environmental pressure today. The high cost of pesticides and the need to protect the environment are incentives for applicators to do their very best in handling and applying pesticides.

This meeting will provide producers with information to learn how to calibrate sprayers in order to apply the necessary amount of pesticide where they want without undue harm to the environment.