Harvest NY Program Expanding to Northern New York

From the office of State Sen. Patty Ritchie:

Cornell Cooperative Extension's “Harvest NY,” a program that works to strengthen the agriculture industry by supporting farmers in the areas of dairy processing, food safety, local food distribution, marketing, dairy modernization and profitability, is being expanded to Northern New York.

Established in 2012 and serving 16 counties in Western New York, the expansion was made possible through money in the state budget.

“Harvest NY is an innovative extension initiative, the first of its kind in the country," said Kathryn Boor, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University. 

"By maximizing the connections that farmers and producers have to the research and resources of Cornell University and Cornell Cooperative Extension, Cornell is providing unparalleled leadership in economic development in New York’s food and agricultural sectors which has become a model for other states.”

As a result of the expansion, Harvest NY specialists in the following areas will be based in the North Country:

**  Dairy Value Added Processing and Marketing;

**  Agricultural Business Development and Marketing; and

**  Livestock Processing and Marketing

Experts in these positions will work closely with Cornell faculty members, as well as local and regional Extension Staff to bring new information and agricultural resources to the region. 

New Yorker Awarded Prestigious Honor at World Dairy Expo

Great story from Hoard's Dairyman about a New Yorker done good.

Go to http://www.hoards.com/HAE_15-MacKenzie to check it out.

New York to Get Federal Money for Chesapeake Bay Watershed Conservation Work

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Thursday (Oct. 1) announced it will commit $4 million in a first round of funding to help state in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

The money will go to New York, Delaware, Virginia and West Virginia to help agricultural landowners with accelerating stream and riverbank tree plantings that can reduce soil sedimentation, field and animal waste runoff, improving water quality.


Each state has been approved for an additional $1 million under the USDA Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program to increase or maintain acres enrolled in Chesapeake Bay Riparian Forest Buffer conservation. 

USDA challenged the states to craft a proposal during a Chesapeake Bay summit in Washington, D.C. last summer. In addition to the increased incentives for landowners, Farm Service Agency offices in Maryland and Pennsylvania will receive support to partner with stakeholders for improved outreach and technical assistance.

Grand Opening for St. Lawrence County Wine Trail Set for Oct. 8

The St. Lawrence County Wine Trail is ready to officially open.

Go to http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/news05/new-directional-signs-mark-st-lawrence-countys-new-wine-trail-grand-opening-celebration-set-for-oct-8-20150930 this story to check it out.

Results of Northern New York Beef Survey Unveiled

From the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program:

Results of a beef industry survey in Northern New York have been released.


To assess the current state of the Northern New York beef industry, the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program funded a regional survey of cow-calf farmers in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties. 

The results of the survey will help guide regional beef industry educational programming and Northern New York Agricultural Development Program-funded research projects for the next five years.


Results are posted in the Livestock section at www.nnyagdev.org. 


A snapshot of survey results shows:
 
** 96 percent of the NNY beef producers surveyed plan to expand or maintain their current size
** The predominant breed of beef cattle raised in Northern New York is Angus
** 52 percent of those surveyed sell direct to consumers by freezer trade
** 48 percent of those surveyed sell direct to a cattle buyer
** 8 percent of those surveyed sell breeding stock
** Increasing numbers of beef farmers are developing relationships with a veterinarian to help maintain herd health and quality beef production.


Cow-calf farmers in NNY maintain the permanent breeding herds that are the foundation of the beef industry. Cow-calf operations supply 500 pound to 800 pound calves to feedlots that grow them out for beef processors, sell breeding stock to other producers, and package beef for direct sale to local consumers and food buyers.

Beef producers in Northern New York are increasingly interested in research and educational opportunities to help them improve herd management, farm efficiency and profitability. 

Agricultural educators locally and at Cornell University are using the survey input to guide their extension and outreach efforts, says Northern New York Regional Livestock Team Leader Betsy Hodge, a livestock specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County.

Funding from the farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program has provided regional farmers with access to the expertise of Cornell University Beef Extension Specialist Mike Baker. 

His recent efforts helped NNY producers develop better consistency in the cattle they raise and secured U.S. Department of Agriculture funding to help regional beef producers pool cattle to better meet buyer demand for supply and quality. 

The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is a farmer-driven research and technical assistance program serving Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties. 

Funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is supported by the state Senate and administered through the state Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Funding Available to Help School Districts Put Local Food in School Cafeterias

A new funding opportunity has been announced to help school districts across New York state connect to local growers and producers to increase the use of locally grown specialty crops. 

Through the Farm to School program, $350,000 in grants is now available for projects that will help pre-K through grade 12 schools procure and serve healthy, locally grown foods on school menus.

The deadline to apply is 4:30 p.m. Oct. 19. Awards will be made in November 2015.

The Farm to School program is aimed at developing and strengthening connections between farms and schools to help grow the agricultural economy and increase the amount and variety of specialty crops procured by schools for healthier meal options. 

New York state produces a wide range of specialty crops, such as fruits and vegetables, dried fruits, herbs and spices, which rank highly in the nation in terms of both production and economic value.

Applicants for the program can include Pre-K through 12 school food authorities, charter schools, not-for-profit schools, and other entities participating in the National School Lunch or Breakfast Programs and/or operating Summer Food Service Programs.
Projects eligible for grant funding across New York’s school districts may include:

** Employing of a local or regional farm to school coordinator.
** Training programs for food service staff to increase knowledge of local procurement and preparation of locally produced specialty crops.
** Purchase of equipment needed to increase capacity of school kitchen and food service staff to prepare and serve locally produced specialty crops.
** Capital improvements to support the transport and/or storage of locally produced specialty crops.
The commissioners from the state Departments of Agriculture and Markets, Health and the Office of General Services joined leaders from the New York Apple Association, Farm Fresh First, Empire Potato Growers and New York State Vegetable Growers Association, Brockport School District and the New York City School Support Services, to discuss increasing the procurement of New York state food products in New York’s more than 700 schools. 

The discussion centered on the growers’ delivery system and the school districts’ needs and purchasing process, and how to make it easier to bring the two together.

For more information on the Farm to School Grant program, click on this link -- http://www.agriculture.ny.gov/RFPS.html .

All applicants must register and apply through the Grants Gateway portal at this link https://grantsgateway.ny.gov/IntelliGrants_NYSGG/module/nysgg/goportal.aspx and use the Program Identifier "FTSCG."

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.