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On November 10th, Cornell University was awarded the C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship Award for its ongoing work with farmworkers in New York State. This award, complete with a $20,000 grant, was delivered at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities’ (APLU) annual meeting in San Diego. President Martha Pollack accepted the award, highlighting the…
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The craft beverage industry is a regionally important economic driver in New York State. The 400 craft brewers in the state had an overall impact of $5.4 billion in 2018, with those numbers expected to continue increasing in the future. To support this growing industry, Cornell University has opened the Cornell Craft Beverage Institute in…
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Managing people is a skill that can be learned, much like operating equipment or growing crops. Do you expect yourself, or your employees, to learn those other skills on your own? Most people are not born with people management skills and benefit from coaching. Labor is one of your farm’s biggest expenses — how well…
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In honor of Veteran’s Day, Cornell Cooperative Extension’s (CCE) podcast Extension Out Loud sat down with our own Dean Koyanagi to discuss the myriad programs and resources available to veterans interested in agriculture. A Marine Corps Veteran himself, Koyanagi joined the Cornell Small Farms Program to lead the Farm Ops project and support fellow veterans. …
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As the year comes to an end, there is still time to join one more installment of our Specialty Mushroom project’s free monthly webinar series. On Tuesday, November 19, the topic of financial planning for mushroom enterprises will be covered with our mushroom project specialist, Steve Gabriel, and Faith Gilbert of Letterbox Farm Collective. You…
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Connecting growers to new markets is a key part of the Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) mission to bring economic vitality and social well being to New York State. One of these markets is the Taste New York program, which features locally grown and made products including everything from maple syrup and fresh apples to local…
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In the minutes before a Baskets to Pallets farmer training begins, I stand at the front of the room, scanning tables of chattering people and taking in the many different faces. These trainings are geared toward farmers and producers who are experienced in direct-marketing, but who are considering expanding into wholesale markets. And yet, we…
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You’ve heard of crowdfunding, but have you heard of crowdfarming? The sheer amount of capital needed to purchase and operate a farm can be a limiting factor for farmers of all sizes. Small farms are especially at a disadvantage for funding as they are usually unable to access the subsidized loans provided by the U.S.…
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It makes sense that dying trees have terminal bud scars. Sounds like an awful condition – my condolences. But the healthiest trees have them, too (terminal scars, not condolences). It’s a good thing, since terminal bud (aka bud-scale) scars provide an excellent way to leaf through a tree’s health records going back 5 to 10…
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A changing climate is expected to change the seasonality of crops, largely affecting farmers’ production patterns and yearly cycles. This impact on crops also includes maple syrup production, according to a new study from Dartmouth College. Maple syrup production is especially dependent on temperature, and even in the best conditions has a very short seasonal…
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