Reflections from Previous Participants
“This is a really important program for helping our food system stay sustainable because so many educators and farmers are just so burned out and it’s because of more than all the work we got to do. A lot of times it’s because we have forgotten to keep the things that give us life in…
Read MoreThe Ag Census Counts
No other agricultural data series is quite like the Census of Agriculture. Every five years, American producers share information about themselves and their operations, contributing to a historical legacy that engages us whether we are looking backward or forward. The Census of Agriculture is a complete count of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who…
Read MoreBe Well July Letter: The Role of Listening Communication on the Farm
Dear farming and earth-tending friends, We are thinking of you during these hot and humid July days. Hope you are finding some moments for rest, especially in the cool evening breeze. Our theme this month is “Communication on the Farm”. We offered several workshops on this topic over the winter and spaces filled early, which…
Read MoreShiitake Mushroom Logs Headed to NYC via the Schooner Apollonia Sailboat
For thousands of years, mushrooms have been grown on hardwood logs from sustainably managed forest lands. Their origins trace to parts of China, Korea, and Japan. Shiitake cultivation on logs is one of the oldest known forms of agriculture. Today, log cultivation is increasingly rare, replaced by technology and now many shiitake in the US…
Read MoreBlueberries and Bees
Army Veteran turned blueberry farmer and beekeeping mentor to other veterans My wife and I started our farm in 2010 by planting 600 blueberry bushes. I had done a lot of research on blueberries during my deployment overseas the previous year, or a least I thought I did. The plan was to become more self-sufficient…
Read More“The Organic Seed Grower,” a Comprehensive Manual for the Seasoned or Novice seed Saver
John Navazio’s new book provides a detailed, step-by-step guide to saving seed on a commercial scale. One of the first points that John Navazio lays out in his recently released book on seed saving,”The Organic Seed Grower,” is an often overlooked one: “Until very recently, the growing of seed was an integral part of all…
Read MoreNews from the Cornell Small Farms Program, Summer 2021
New Report Summarizes NYS Meat Processor Needs and Perspectives Building a resilient local food system requires sufficient meat processing capacity. The COVID pandemic revealed that NYS did not have the ability to absorb shocks, including increased consumer meat demand, leaving farmers and consumers frustrated and meat processors overwhelmed. In Fall 2020, a team of Cornell…
Read MoreEditor’s Letter – Summer 2021
As the summer weather has begun in upstate New York, our team has been spending even more time tending to our farms and gardens. From herbs grown on a window ledge to sheep in the pasture, we’re all watching things grow. There’s even been some nosy neighborhood chickens trying to join our team Zoom meetings.…
Read MorePasture Soil Compaction: A Slow, but Stealthy Thief of Pasture Productivity
Soil compaction by grazing animals leads to loss of pore space, which can have tangible impacts on pasture productivity. I had a pasture soil compaction epiphany while working in a St. Lawrence County pasture on a NE SARE-supported project. The project was to plant radishes and other brassicas into established pasture swards. The goal was…
Read MoreRed Meat Processing in NYS: Bottleneck in the Local Food Economy
By Dr. Mike Baker, Dana Havas, Nancy Glazier, Lynn Bliven, Dr. tatiana Stanton, Erica Frenay A team of Cornell faculty and Cooperative Extension educators interviewed meat processors in NYS during the COVID pandemic to better understand where there are opportunities to increase capacity and improve the resilience of our local meat industry. Executive Summary The…
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