Posts by Kacey Deamer
In the latest episode of “Extension Out Loud,” a podcast by Cornell Cooperative Extension, the Cornell Small Farms Program’s director, Anu Rangarajan, shared her approach to extension work and her vision for the future of New York farm and food systems. This episode was the third of the podcast’s latest series, “Leading Through Extension,” which…
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For NYS farmers seeking to regain some control over butchering their animals, there is a middle option between being at the whim of slaughterhouse schedules and opening your own slaughterhouse. That middle ground involves taking control of the cutting and packaging of your meat in a commercial kitchen. If done properly, with access to USDA…
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Recently, our director Anu Rangarajan moderated a conversation between Natalie Baszile, filmmaker and author of the novel, Queen Sugar, and Karen Washington, co-founder of Black Urban Growers (BUGS), for a Rural Humanities webinar. In the half-century following the American Civil War, Black farmers amassed approximately 15 million acres of land. By the end of the…
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Are you actively farming in NYS and trying to improve your farm’s bottom line? We are designing a brand-new peer-learning opportunity to address small farmers’ financial planning skills and needs. What we envision is that groups of farmers would meet, either in person or virtually, on a regular basis with a trained facilitator and would…
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The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t stopped farmers from farming, nor has it stopped the work of our Farm Ops project to support veterans interested in agriculture. Last year we started offering virtual workshops, and we are continuing these offerings through 2021. Our Farm Ops project’s “Veteran Learning Cohorts” bring together a group of veterans interested…
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Our current season of online courses is underway, and the last block of courses will start live content at the end of February. With courses on business, grazing management, soil health, and mushroom production, this is a great opportunity to learn before the growing season begins. Our suite of online courses is offered on a…
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Throughout the pandemic, the Institute for Food Safety at Cornell University (IFS) has answered questions around the risks associated with food production with useful links to expert resources to ensure that a safe and robust food supply is maintained. Recent installments of their Virtual Office Hours have focused on the COVID-19 vaccine. During this week’s…
Read MoreWe are excited to announce an expansion of our team with three new additions: Jamie, Molly and Nina. Each has been involved in our program’s work in some way over the years, and we are glad to now have them as formal members of our team. Jamie Johnson will be the first dedicated multimedia assistant on…
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Beginning on January 11, 2021, New York State has entered Phase 1b of its phased distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. As was the case with Phase 1a, the list of eligible New Yorkers in Phase 1b will be expanded further over time. The state’s supply of vaccine is limited to what the federal government provides,…
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This week New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the latest prioritization for New Yorkers eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The state is currently in Phase 1a. “While we’re trying to control COVID with one hand, we’re trying to defeat it with the other and the vaccine is the weapon that will win this…
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