Posts by Sarah Diana Nechamen

Farming the Woods

By Sarah Diana Nechamen / January 12, 2015

New Book for Enthusiasts of Agroforestry, Forest Gardening, and Specialty Crops In 2009, co-authors Ken Mudge and Steve Gabriel met in the MacDaniels Nut Grove, Steve a student in Ken’s Practicum in Forest Farming class at Cornell University. As they began to work together, the two found that at the intersection of forest farming and…

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Grounded: Military Veterans Turn to Farming

By Sarah Diana Nechamen / January 12, 2015

Organizations in New York State and beyond are building capacity to help military veterans put their skills to work growing and producing food. By Sarah Nechamen Tom Bryant grew up visiting his grandparents’ farm every weekend, taking care of the chickens as a part time job. After serving four years in the United States Air…

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Turning Milk to Gold (Butter)

By Sarah Diana Nechamen / January 12, 2015

Wholesale Marketing Helps Danforth Jersey Farm Expand its Product Offerings and Reach New Markets. By Abigail Woughter Since 1817, Shannon Mason’s family has operated Danforth Jersey Farm in the Catskills region of upstate NY. Mason, the sixth generation to grow up on the farm, returned to the family business in 2006 and launched Cowbella yogurt and…

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Solar Powering Your Farm Just Became Easier

By Sarah Diana Nechamen / January 12, 2015

Off-the-grid farming can be very affordable thanks to federal and state tax credits and incentives. By Edward DuQuette If you have ever considered solar powering your farm and home, now is the perfect time to do it. Between federal tax incentives, state and town credits, federal grants, and the decreasing cost of solar equipment, you could…

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Considerations for Winter Grazing Your Sheep

By Sarah Diana Nechamen / January 12, 2015

By Ulf Kintzel Winter is here once again. In this article I would like to share what I have learned over the years when it comes to grazing in cold and freezing conditions and with snow on the ground. Snow on the ground does not necessarily mean that the grazing season ends. Sheep have the ability…

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Less Waste in the Landfills, More Food on People’s Plates

By Sarah Diana Nechamen / January 12, 2015

Farmers in Vermont incorporate food rescue and composting to benefit their community and farm viability. By Rachel Carter Vermont is taking recycling and waste reduction to a whole new level with the Universal Recycling Law, passed unanimously by the legislature in 2012. Universal Recycling bans disposal of recyclables (metal, glass, plastics #1 & #2, and…

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From Vacant Spaces to Vibrant Places

By Sarah Diana Nechamen / January 12, 2015

By Sean Cummings The Binghamton Urban Farm is a small market garden located on the east side of Binghamton’s downtown, managed by Volunteers Improving Neighborhood Environments (VINES) a small not-for-profit in the City of Binghamton. Our goal at the urban farm has always been to create access to fresh affordable food where there once was none.…

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Grant Funds Available to Support the Newest Farmers in New York State

By Sarah Diana Nechamen / January 12, 2015

By Daniel Rivera The world needs more small farms and farmers, and I’m happy to say that New York State is investing in the future of local and regional agriculture. New York State’s Empire States Development (ESD) President, CEO & Commissioner Kenneth Adams said, “The New York State New Farmers Grant Fund was created to invest…

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Intensive Farm Business Planning Course

By Sarah Diana Nechamen / January 9, 2015

This Groundswell Center for Local Food and Farming class in Ithaca, NY covers all major aspects of the farm business start-up process, including assessing your resources; legal and regulatory issues; production planning; marketing; financial feasibility, budgets and record keeping; and more. It is also appropriate for established farmers who want to improve their business planning…

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Grassfed Beef Financial Calculators Available Online

By Sarah Diana Nechamen / January 8, 2015

The Pasture Project of the Wallace Center has posted two financial calculators. The Grassfed Beef Decision Calculator is a comprehensive, interactive Excel spreadsheet that allows users to examine the costs of various beef cattle enterprises. Another spreadsheet, Comparison of Rental Rates for Landowners, lets landowners compare rents from leasing to grass-fed beef operations versus corn…

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