Editor’s Letter Winter 2026

Dear farmers and friends,

We are excited to close out our first year of producing our podcast, Small Farms Radio.

For more than two decades, the Cornell Small Farms Program has supported small farms across New York State and beyond. We have seen how farmers work tirelessly to keep their farms viable in a system that was not built for them. We have seen an increasingly diverse group of people who dream of farming try to navigate land access. There are so many stories scattered across our state, just waiting to be told. Through our Small Farms Radio, we share the stories our farmers: why they do this work, what they struggle with, and their visions for the future.

Small Farms Radio serves as a hub of conversation for New York farmers, providing a window into the state’s small-scale agricultural world for the broader public. We center stories of the diversity, hope, and resilience of our farmers and food system.

Our podcast episodes convene farmers, ag educators, and others in the food system to share their thoughts about where they think the future of agriculture should be heading and what they’re doing to move it in the right direction.

Our first episode asked the question “Who Is A Farmer?” to a panel of farmers, service providers, and other agriculturalists. Subsequent episodes have featured the innovative land tenure model of West Branch Commons and the story of two farmers from two different generations coming together to keep farmland in agricultural production, as well as what farm transitions have looked like for Northland Sheep Dairy.

We have shared two episodes about mushrooms in New York City moving from the farm to your plate, and back again. We highlighted one farmer’s unique approach to agriculture as healing, and have more stories to come in the New Year.

You can subscribe on your preferred podcast platform to stay connected to Small Farms Radio.

Small Farms Radio is produced by the Cornell Small Farms Program, with contributions from farmers, educators within Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE), faculty and researchers with the Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), and other service providers across the Northeast. The podcast is supported by a Rural Humanities Grant, which focuses on learning from rural New York’s histories, cultures, challenges, and futures.

We welcome anyone who has a story to share.

The Cornell Small Farms Program Team