Year: 2017
Minority Landowner Magazine is a national publication that highlights the stories of minority, limited resource, and social disadvantaged farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners. The mission of the magazine is to support landowners to improve productivity, increase profitability, and maintain ownership of their land. The magazine was founded in 2005 by Victor Harris, a forester with…
Growing grapes in northeastern New York and Vermont requires a hardy vine and a committed hand. Researchers and extension educators from Cornell and the University of Vermont are offering wineries a helping hand with the agriculture, viticulture, and commercial challenges of growing grapes in a rugged climate. The green and red partnership was on display…
Veterans in New York participate in agricultural training opportunities across the state, growing skills and strengthening community connections. Walking into classroom 167 at SUNY Adirondack on July 31, the average person wouldn’t know from a quick visual observation that there were two unifying features of the 2017 Armed to Farm cohort. Twenty-five individuals from across…
Most farmers and rural landowners own chainsaws for a variety of purposes, the majority of which involve the cutting of trees and firewood. Chainsaws, in the hands of the untrained or those who do not follow common safety rules, are in danger of causing serious injury or death to themselves. This year alone, I have…
Focus on biology to build resilient soils that sustain production and deliver profitable yields with reduced inputs. Soil fertility in pastures goes well beyond a simple discussion of soil samples, fertilizers, and the nutrients needed to produce high yields. Rather, soil health is an ecosystem concept: it is holistic and complex, and involves regenerative,…
A primer for working with an impact investor focused on farmland access. Small farmers and small farm advocates have probably heard statistics about average farmer age (nearly 60 years according to the USDA) and young farmer land access issues (68% of farmers cite land access as the biggest obstacle for young and beginning farmers according…
I will continue in this part 2 of the article on individual supplies and tools you will need to get started with Sheep. See the Summer 2017 issue of the Small Farm Quarterly for Part 1. I leave it up to you to research where you get the best price or what combination of items…
One of the biggest drawbacks of making maple syrup for a back yarder or small maple producer is the time it takes to boil the sap into syrup. The idea of using a small reverse osmosis unit to assist with the syrup making is very interesting to many small maple producers. There are many little…
What is new? We have expanded our eligibility criteria to now include New York State dairy farms with up to 699 mature dairy cattle, as well as increasing the annual gross cash income to $349,999 for all farms. About the program: As the first program of its kind in New York State, this cost sharing…
