Posts by Claire Cekander

Lessons from the Land: Water Woes and Triumphs

By Claire Cekander / October 3, 2016

by Groundswell Center for Local Food & Farming The 2016 growing season has been abnormally dry in the Northeast and farmers are feeling the heat.  Contrastingly, June 2015 was one of the wettest on record. Here is a small selection of farmer stories dealing with too much or too little water, and the ways they’ve…

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Profit Teams Help Farmers Improve Practices and Bottom Line

By Claire Cekander / October 3, 2016

by Claire Cekander As beginning farmers developing their businesses beyond the first three years, each begins to evolve a slightly different method of farming. Whether the difference lies in the animals raised, vegetables grown, or interactions with the community, every farmer has a unique approach to earning a living from the land. Farmers at this stage arrive at successful practices through trial and…

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The 2017 Northeast Organic Seed Conference: Owning Our Seed

By Claire Cekander / October 3, 2016

by Heron Breen & Petra Page-Mann We are thrilled to announce the Northeast Organic Seed Conference! It will be held Friday through Sunday, January 20-22 2017 in Saratoga Springs, in tandem with the NOFA-NY Winter Conference. The theme “Owning Our Seed” expresses our passion to become better stewards of our seed, both in the field…

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Do You Want to Make Your Hoppy Hobby Your New Job?

By Claire Cekander / October 3, 2016

by Lindsey Pashow & Jesse Strzok Are you ready to turn your brewing passion into a business? With New York’s different alcohol licenses, it is more affordable than ever to get started. The farm brewing law, passed in 2012, has hard rules for production, serving, selling, and sampling of product. Some of those rules include: production of up to 75,000 barrels of New York State labeled beer and/or cider annually; beer sold by…

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Cleaning Out the Chicken Pen

By Claire Cekander / October 3, 2016

by Elaine J. Kennedy “I won’t! I won’t! I won’t clean out another chicken pen,” I promised myself. Desiring life on a small farm bored into our hearts and souls.  As we considered retiring from life and work in Asia and knew that we would inherit a small farm of 50-acres, we researched small farms…

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Farmers Sign on to the Agricultural Justice Project

By Claire Cekander / October 3, 2016

by Elizabeth Henderson “As my workers and I learned together about AJP’s social justice standards, I became even surer that I had made the right decision for my farm and the people who work alongside me and my family here,” said Farmer Jordan Brown. “We’re taking a big step together, being the first farm in…

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Take the Time to Operate Your Chainsaw Safely

By Claire Cekander / October 3, 2016

by Erika Scott Though the sun is out and summer is in full swing, the thought of the next heating season is never far off.  Many of us use firewood to heat our home, and plenty of folks fell trees and split their own firewood.  If you cut your own firewood for personal use or…

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Cornell Small Farms Program Update

By Claire Cekander / October 3, 2016

From the Editor After a long dry season, many farmers will relish the cooler and (hopefully) wetter weeks ahead. Even through we are still in a drought, I can’t help but feel some relief seeing dew on the pasture grasses and fog rising from the fields each morning. It’s a start. The 2016 growing season…

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“Sharp” Students Improving Farm Safety

By Claire Cekander / October 3, 2016

by Amy Weakly The Veterinary Practices program, Occupational Health, and Safety SkillsUSA Team consisting of Seniors Morgan Hastwell, (Adirondack Central School), Kayla Weakley, (Adirondack Central School) and Destiny Mooney, (South Lewis Central School) are striving to improve farm safety.  SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers, and industry, working together to ensure America has a…

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Harvest NY Beef Seminar Cuts to the Chase

By Claire Cekander / October 3, 2016

by R.J. Anderson Raising 20 to 30 pigs and four beef cattle a year, Jefferson County’s Mike Hubbard has become a trusted beef and pork source for his hyperlocal clientele. Looking to one day grow his operation and possibly add a meat-cutting component, this spring Hubbard traveled to Cobleskill, New York to attend the Beef Cutting Seminar co-hosted by SUNY…

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