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Cover Crop Challenge Lets Students Compete and Grow
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Cornell AES manages farms and greenhouses that support research but are also unique teaching resources for over 40 courses. This is the sixth story in a series about on-farm teaching; in Cover Crops in Agroecosystems, students explore the uses of cover crops and assess their benefits. How better to learn with classmates than to soil…
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Farmers and Researchers Tackle Manure Management Together
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These collaborations help use understand how manure application affects yield and soil health over time. The Nutrient Management Spear Program (NMSP) team conducts on-farm research to help farmers optimize their manure management and improve their soil health. They want to identify exactly what each farmer’s manure adds to the soil — from key nutrients to organic matter,…
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Should I Fertilize My Beef Pastures?
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In part 17 of our “What’s Your Beef?” series on raising cattle on small farms, we discuss grazing conditions for beef cattle and other classes of grazing livestock. My motivation in writing this article is due to the many atrocious grazing conditions that I find beef cattle and other classes of livestock grazing in…
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Breaking Ground with Dynamic Accumulators
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New research helps to support the popular permaculture practice. Since the term was first introduced in the 1980s, the use of dynamic accumulators on the permaculture homestead has become a common practice. Across all climates and regions of the world, permaculture practitioners have been sharing their successes using a wide range of plants to…
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In the News: Deep Dive into Compost
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Reduced tillage practices and weed suppression management are common goals of small-scale organic farmers. A lesser-known method is deep-composting, which was presented by the Reduced Tillage Project and a team of Cornell University researchers at the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) Winter Conference as a solution to weed suppression in a reduced tillage system. …
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In the News: How We Help NYS Farmers Implement Reduced Tillage Systems
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Sweeping problems under the rug usually leads to larger problems in the future, unless of course, the problem is weeds and the rug is tarps. Tarping fields as a weed management strategy is an integral part of many organic and reduced tillage operations. Cornell Small Farms Program director, Anu Rangarajan, and Reduced Tillage project coordinator,…
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Invasive Worms Threaten Forest Health
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A new and significant threat to forests, Asian earthworms, have cleverly disguised themselves — as earthworms. If you’re tired of hearing about new invasive forest pests, I’m with you. Seems they arrive at an ever-increasing pace, and the harm potential ratchets up with each newcomer. At this rate, maybe we’ll get a wood-boring beetle whose…
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Conference Spotlight: SFP Presenting in Early 2019
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The Cornell Small Farms Program will be attending several conferences in early 2019. From presentations of our research to special events, you can connect with the our team and fellow farmers at the conferences listed below. New York State Vegetable Growers Association 2019 Empire State Producer’s Expo Reduced Tillage Project: Ryan Maher, Brian Caldwell, &…
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Local Farms Trial Tarping for Reduced Tillage Research
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As the growing season winds down, Haley Rylander, a masters student working with the reduced tillage project of the Cornell Small Farms Program, has been visiting with farmers who have taken an active role in her research. Haley shares some of these farmers’ experiences and gives insight about using tarps to suppress weeds and reduce…
Soil Health
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