Posts by Claire Morrow
Interest in specialty mushroom production, or production of any mushroom other than the typical button, crimini, portabella, has grown enormously in recent years, as social and cultural influences have caused many consumers to become interested in paying for high quality mushrooms and mushroom products. With amounts of protein comparable to livestock and animal products, as…
Read MoreThe Cornell Small Farms Program’s specialty mushroom project provides educational programming and resources to those interested in cultivating specialty mushrooms. From handbooks and supplier lists, and online classes and hands-on workshops, the mushroom project works to support those already growing mushrooms, teach beginners how to get started, and even eventually train other educators to help…
Read MoreSpecialty mushrooms are easy to grow and maintain, making them a lucrative product for beginning and experienced growers alike. These mushrooms often require little start-up costs, and may even only require materials you already have on hand. On Wednesday July 17, the Cornell Small Farms Program’s specialty mushroom project is partnering with Cornell Cooperative Extension,…
Read MoreThe addition of alfalfa to dairy forage can support healthy milk production. However, because alfalfa relies on temperature to grow rather than day length like grass, it can be challenging to know what varieties to plant in our region that will translate into the perfect mix of forage for New York dairy cows. The Northern…
Read MoreIn the spring 2019 edition of their magazine In Good Tilth, organic farming nonprofit Oregon Tilth published an article on the importance of worker development in agriculture featuring the Cornell Small Farms Program and our own Nicole Waters. The article discusses the challenges of getting farmers to invest in worker development — the biggest factor…
Read MoreThe Groundswell Center for Local Food & Farming and the Cornell Small Farms Program have teamed up to create a new column called Lessons from the Land, which first appeared in the Fall 2016 issue of the Small Farm Quarterly. Lessons from the Land captures and shares the stories of and lessons learned from farmers, homesteaders…
Read MoreI just got back from San Diego, California. Now, let me tell you how I got there. I live on an organic dairy farm with my family in a small town in Northern New York. I have been in the 4-H horticulture program for 8 years now. The first year I did the horticulture ID…
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