Posts by Krishna Ramanujan
The pandemic has hindered farm visits and peer-to-peer learning between farmers, which were already difficult to arrange. A new Virtual Reality urban farm tour aims to change that. One way farmers learn best practices is through their peers, but the pandemic has limited in-person meetings. And when it comes to urban farming, a growing practice…
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The Cornell Maple Program has opened an advanced, New York state-funded maple research laboratory, an upgrade that will enable research on how to produce the highest-quality syrup, develop new maple products and improve existing ones – all at commercial scales. The Cornell Maple Program has opened an advanced, New York state-funded maple research laboratory, an…
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Cornell engineers and plant scientists have teamed up to develop a low-cost system that allows grape growers to predict their yields much earlier in the season and more accurately than costly traditional methods. The new method allows a grower to use a smartphone to video grape vines while driving a tractor or walking through the…
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New York agriculture has the capacity to mitigate its own greenhouse gas emissions, two Cornell researchers say in a state-funded report commissioned by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. The 65-page report “New York Agriculture and Climate Change: Key Opportunities for Mitigation, Resilience, and Adaptation” provides a scientific assessment of opportunities and…
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A new Cornell study finds that when small-scale farmers are trained in food safety protocols and develop a farm food safety plan, their access to new markets leads to gains in revenue. The costs of implementing food safety practices to prevent foodborne illnesses have been viewed as a threat to the financial well-being of fruit…
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In 2013, Nfamara Badjie and his wife, Dawn Hoyte, bought a 6-acre farm in Ulster Park, New York, in the Hudson Valley. They soon realized the fields were muddy – almost wetlands – but Badjie didn’t mind. “I said, ‘That’s the one I’m looking for, the wetland is good for the rice,’” Badjie said, flashing an easy smile. “Dawn said, ‘No, you can’t…
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