Posts by Claire Cekander
July 16, 2016, 11:00 am-3:00 pm 3336 Podunk Road, Trumansburg, NY 14886 Managing orchard fertility is about more than just fertilizer. The fact is your orchard soil is a giant digestive engine, chewing up carbon, nitrogen, and minerals to feed not only your trees but the soil food web. In this workshop, we’ll discuss the…
Read MoreNYSERDA offers financial assistance to identify electric and natural gas energy efficiency measures for eligible farms and on-farm producers, including but not limited to: dairies, orchards, greenhouses, vegetables, vineyards, grain dryers, and poultry/egg. NYSERDA will assign Flexible Technical Assistance (FlexTech) Program Consultants to perform free energy audits to eligible farms and on-farm producers. This program offers…
Read MoreLocal farmers plan to continue the legacy of environmental conservation left by Christine Kaiser in Stowe, Vermont. by Brenna Toman Conservation Success Begins Locally Cradled by the looming curves of the Green Mountains to the west and the rocky spine of the Worcester Range to the east, Stowe is a thriving community patchwork of small…
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by Brian Caldwell Blue Heron Farm uses grass strips and cover crops to improve soils, increase productivity The arrangement of vegetable fields into a bed layout with permanent growing areas and separate wheeltracks (alleys) has several advantages. In contrast to systems in which beds are re-formed every year, compaction from tractor tires is confined to…
Read Moreby Alice Varon Certified Naturally Grown (CNG), a grassroots organization that offers peer-review certification fordirect-market farmers and beekeepers, is launching a Mushroom certification program in May 2016.Nearly 800 farmers and beekeepers throughout the United States are CNG certified, mostly for produce,but also for their livestock, apiary, and aquaponics operations. In recent years, CNG staff noticed…
Read Moreby Jo E. Prout Pig production runs the gamut Greene County farmer Bitta Albright is entering her fourth season in pig production, after starting with only two to raise for herself. “They’re very addictive. You can’t just have one pig,” she said. “We enjoy it. Oh, my gosh! I started with two for meat for…
Read MoreEvery spring, all farmers struggle with frost and jump through hoops trying to keep their farm safe; and that’s exactly what this small, family run produce farm in New Jersey did. by Lianna Bonacorsi Just about eight years ago, my family had outgrown our tiny house in Trenton, New Jersey with the birth of my…
Read Moreby R.J. Anderson In Penn Yan, NY, commercial vegetable grower Nelson Hoover does not own a car, a computer or a PhD. In fact, as a member of the Groffdale Conference Mennonites, Hoover’s formal schooling ended after eighth grade. But, for over a decade, the 28-year-old has been at the forefront of vegetable growing innovation…
Read MoreHow is the Changing Climate Affecting Your Farm? by Jonathan Lambert As many are certainly aware, the earth’s climate and weather are always in flux. However, the rate of change in climate conditions and severe weather events we are seeing today is far beyond what previous generations have had to face, and is having a noticeable…
Read Moreby Thomas Bjorkman Cover-crop radishes have become a real hit with many Northeast growers to help improve their soil health. This article will cover some ideas on using radishes and some related crucifer cover crops to help growers fine-tune their practices so that they get more value out of this cover crop. My group has done…
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