Information on High Tunnels

Need some information about high tunnels and how they can work on the farm?

Go to http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/national/programs/financial/eqip/?cid=stelprdb1046250 and check out the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service information initiative on high tunnels.

'Day on the Farm' Event Saturday Outside Baldwinsville

From the Onondaga County Soil and Water Conservation District:

All day Saturday, Aug. 8 is Onondaga County "Day on the Farm" at Abbott Farms on Route 370 outside Baldwinsville.

The event is put on by the county's Soil and Water Conservation District and highlights conservation practices used by farms in the county to keep the water and air clean.

The event will include fresh fruits, local foods, farm tours and kids' activities. The event is open rain or shine.

Obama Signs Farm Bill

Well, this long drawn-out saga is over.

The nation finally has a Farm Bill.

Here is what some groups are saying:

President Obama's signature on the Farm Bill ushers in a new sense of security for New York's diverse agricultural community," said Dean Norton, president of New York Farm Bureau. "New York Farm Bureau is not setting its sights on working with the USDA on the implementation of the Farm Bill. We look to assure farmers that the programs in this legislation are properly carried out in the way they were intended.

"We also find the President's 'Made in Rural America' announcement today (Friday, Feb. 7) regarding efforts to boost agricultural exports promising for New York business," Norton said. "This initiative recognizes that farming is important to rural economies of this country, providing jobs along with the food and fiber that are in demand around the globe."

The National Corn Growers Association thanked President Obama for signing the Agricultural Act of 2014 today. The Farm Bill passed the House Jan. 29 and the Senate Feb. 4.

"This new five-year farm bill means certainty and stability for farmers. It means food on the table of hungry families. And it means taxpayers will save money," said association President Martin Barbre.

If you want a full look at the Farm Bill and the journey to get it passed, go to http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/f/farm_bill_us/ this link at the New York Times. Then click on the story to read, including a timeline of what has happened and the story from the Associated Press called "What Is the Farm Bill?"

Crops and Soil Health Meeting Feb. 18 in Auburn

A meeting concerning cover crops and soil health is scheduled for 10 a.m. Feb. 18 at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County in Auburn.

The meeting is being held so the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service can kick off a National Soil Health Initiative. The National Conference on Cover Crops & Soil Health in Omaha, Nebraska kicks off this major effort.

The NY USDA-NRCS State Conservationist Don Pettit will start the meeting and then there will be a live broadcast by webinar concerning the soil and crop initiative.

Howard G. Buffett, an Illinois farmer, conservatonist and philanthropist, and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will lead the webinar by discussing: The Big Picture: Conservation, Cover Crops and Soil Health.

Vilsack Talks About Farm Bill and Conservation

Ag Secretary Thomas Vilsack's weekly column:

America’s farmers, ranchers and landowners have led the way in recent years to conserve and protect our soil, water and wildlife habitat.

With the help of Farm Bill programs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has worked with a record number of producers since 2009 – more than 500,000 of them – to get this important work done.

Ever since the Dust Bowl, we’ve known that investments in conservation on working lands and other wild areas is important. And this week, a new report amplified our understanding for the critical importance of the Farm Bill in protecting natural resources in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

The report showed that over the past seven years, conservation efforts have reduced the amount of nitrogen leaving fields by 48.6 million pounds each year – about 26 percent – and reducing phosphorus by 7.1 million pounds, or 46 percent.

These conservation practices are also preventing soil erosion, helping to ensure that our farm fields across the Chesapeake Bay Watershed remain vibrant and productive in the years to come. Conservation practices have lowered the estimated amount of eroded soil by about 15.1 million tons every year, or 60 percent. Put another way, that’s enough soil to fill about 150,000 railcars.

In addition to ensuring healthy cropland and clean water, these programs strengthen wildlife habitat that boosts outdoor recreation. From hunting and fishing, to camping and hiking, outdoor recreation adds more than $640 billion in benefits to our economy each year.

The Chesapeake Bay watershed initiative is just one of many landscape-scale initiatives undertaken by USDA in recent years. From the Mississippi River Basin to the Ogallala Aquifer, USDA has worked with producers to enroll millions of acres in targeted landscape initiatives – and today’s report once again highlights the positive impact this work can have across the nation.

From clean soil to healthier water, the benefits of conservation impact every American – and they’re one reason why USDA is pressing Congress this fall to provide a comprehensive, multiyear Food, Farm and Jobs Bill that continues our record conservation efforts.

A new Farm Bill would continue targeted conservation efforts on working lands that ensure soil quality, water quality, erosion control, forest restoration, and wildlife habitat.

It would continue major working land programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and Conservation Stewardship Program, through which USDA has provided more than 190,000 landowner contracts since 2009, as well as the Conservation Reserve Program under which we have held a signup each year during this Administration. A new Farm Bill would also ensure that tens of millions of acres remain in conservation practices by linking crop insurance compliance to conservation program participation.

Across the nation, our farmers, ranchers and landowners are stepping up to protect our natural resources. They deserve our support – and the most important thing that can happen today is for Congress to achieve passage of a new Food, Farm and Jobs Bill that stands by producers and continues our long legacy of conservation.