Posts by Tara Hammonds
Taking Care of Business (BF 103) Understanding the Business, Tax, and Regulatory Implications of Your Farm an online course through the Northeast Beginning Farmer Project Mon. March 7 – April 11, 2016, with webinars every Monday evening from 7:00-8:30pm. http://www.nebeginningfarmers.org/online-courses/all-courses/bf-103-business-side-of-farming/ This course is designed to help aspiring or beginning farmers better assess and manage a…
Read MoreGreetings! Winter is a wonderful time to refine your farm plans, expand your skills and meet other farmers in your area. We at the Small Farm Program have several projects and opportunities to help farmers gear up for future seasons. Please do visit our webpage and sign up for our Small Farms Update to get…
Read MorePlanning to Stay in Business (BF 202) Writing Your Business Plan an online course through the Northeast Beginning Farmer Project Thurs. February 4 – March 10, 2016, with webinars every Thursday evening from 6:00-7:30pm. http://www.nebeginningfarmers.org/online-courses/all-courses/bf-202-planning-for-sustainability/ Whether you intend to borrow money or not, heading into a farm venture without a business plan is like setting…
Read MoreA Vermont farm stay promotes economic viability at Liberty Hill Farm and agricultural literacy from the community to abroad. by Rachel Carter Tucked delightfully in the foothills of the Green Mountains along scenic Rte. 100 in Rochester, Vermont, sits Liberty Hill Farm—a working dairy farm defined by the 1890’s red barn with cupola—one of the…
Read MoreCommunities across the United States are establishing food forests, also known as forest gardens, to ecologically grow perennial and annual foods, herbs and medicinals for free public harvesting. by Catherine Bukowski Community food forests serve multiple educational roles such as introducing people to alternative agriculture, forest ecology, food security issues, social justice, and food literacy.…
Read Moreby Michael Farrell Most people are familiar with maple syrup production- it is a time honored tradition throughout eastern North America and has seen a resurgence in popularity over the past decade. Though it is not well known, all species of walnut (Juglans spp.) also produce a sweet sap that can be boiled down into…
Read MoreGood to Go is a small grocery store/deli/bakery located in the heart of Downtown Trumansburg, New York. The store is quaint, with a small but dynamic offering of goods. I had the chance to sit down with Nana Monaco, one of the owners, and speak with her about how Good to Go works with local…
Read MoreThe use of pigs in silvopasture deserves some words of caution; rooting is not the same as masting. by Joseph Orefice The practice of silvopasture has gained interest in recent years in the Northeastern United States. This practice, which integrates the sustainable production of livestock, forage, and trees on the same unit of land, has the potential to…
Read Moreby Rich Taber “The plow is the symbol of labor and tillage of the soil’, and is an often recited line from the opening ceremony of the FFA (Future Farmers of America). Throughout mankind’s history, people slowly transformed from hunting cultures, then to hunting-gathering, and then to farming. Since the dawn of the age of…
Read Moreby Rich Taber The year of 2015 was certainly a roller coaster year as far as weather patterns went. The springtime started out a little dry, and then was followed by a torrentially wet early summer. The incessant rains made getting crops planted and hay harvested in a timely manner all but impossible. Then we…
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