Posts by Carli Fraccarolli

Farm Work and Your Health

By Carli Fraccarolli / July 6, 2015

Summer on the farm a healthy place to be, but avoid pushing your body to the limit. by Marybeth Vargha I remember friends from Philadelphia coming up to visit our farm for the first time.  They eagerly wanted the work experience.  It didn’t take long during a weeding session for someone to say, “This is…

Read More

Making Hay While the Sun Shines

By Carli Fraccarolli / July 6, 2015

So you want to make hay, eh? In this fourth installment on farm machinery, I present information for the new, small, or beginning farmer about the equipment, steps, and skills needed to make dry hay. There are many good reasons as to why you should not try to make hay for your farm. First, the…

Read More

Farming with an Old Technology that Copies Nature’s Basic Formula

By Carli Fraccarolli / July 6, 2015

by Edward DuQuette I’ve written and taught on the subject of farming and alterative growing techniques for quite a few years now. Aquaponics has always been my favorite subject to elaborate on. Aquaponics, and its close cousin Hydroponics, both have endured a wave of criticism and praise. But when it’s all said and done, both…

Read More

Part Time Farmer, Full Time Mom

By Carli Fraccarolli / July 6, 2015

Farming with a toddler gives “family farm” a new meaning by Sara Edelman It is 5:50am.  My alarm is going off, but I have already been awake for nearly 20 minutes, desperately trying to go back to sleep.  Thank you, toddler of mine, for being so keen on routine.  I hit snooze with the hopes…

Read More

New Report: Exploring Economic and Health Impacts of Local Food Procurement

By Carli Fraccarolli / July 6, 2015

The Illinois Public Health Institute and Crossroads Resource Center have released new report – Exploring Economic and Health Impacts of Local Food Procurement – to assist communities in enhancing the health and economic impacts of local food procurement initiatives. The report highlights strategies for communities to add locally sourced food to their institutional food systems, recommends ways to conceptualize…

Read More

October is BQA Month – hosting sites sought

By Carli Fraccarolli / July 2, 2015

October is BQA month! In 2014 the New York Beef Quality Assurance Committee offered 13 BQA trainings across the state resulting in 71 producers completing Level I certification and 69 completing Level II Certification. This year we hope to improve on this success. To do that we need locations across NY to reach as wide…

Read More

Grants Support Organic Dairy Farm Succession Initiative

By Carli Fraccarolli / June 29, 2015

Organic farm succession may be key to future of dairy farms The transfer of working organic dairy farms to next generation farmers is one way to secure the viability and production of New England’s dairy farms. Grants from two organic food and farming supporters have helped to spur an initiative aimed at successfully transferring working organic dairy farms to the…

Read More

Updated Chart Helps Growers Choose Cover Crops

By Carli Fraccarolli / June 25, 2015

USDA Agricultural Research Service scientists at the Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory have recently updated their interactive, downloadable Cover Crop Chart to include 58 species. The chart gives growers a broad spectrum of potential options that could benefit their operations. It includes information on crop species that may be planted individually or in mixtures and gives specifics…

Read More

New USDA Portal Enables Farmers and Ranchers to Request Conservation Assistance Online

By Carli Fraccarolli / June 22, 2015

Individual landowners and land users now have the secure ability to request conservation technical and financial assistance from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Through the USDA’s Conservation Client Gateway, you can now request help solving a natural resource issue or request a conservation plan on your property, apply for financial assistance, and track documents and payments…

Read More

2015 Hops Production in the Lake Erie Region Conference

By Carli Fraccarolli / June 18, 2015

From 9AM-4PM on June 26th and 27th, Lake Erie Regional Grape Program (LERGP) will be holding a hops production conference at the Cornell Lake Erie Research and Extension Center Meeting Room and Hop Yards, 6592 West Main Road, Portland, NY. Friday June 26th: Focus on Getting Into Hops Production – Classroom and in-field opportunities to…

Read More