Our current projects engage farmers at the front-end of challenges, and introduce new and emerging opportunities.
The Cornell Small Farms Program is housed at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at Cornell University. By working collaboratively with a network of CALS faculty and staff, Cornell Cooperative Extension educators, and other small farm advocates throughout New York, we have generated innovative research and extension initiatives that enhance small farm viability.
Whether you are a beginning farmer just starting your business, or an experienced farmer looking to expand, one of our projects may be suited to your needs. Also, consider taking an online course.
There are also some emerging projects that our program is developing with our partners. Upcoming projects include: controlled environment agriculture, digital agriculture, and social sustainability for farmers. If you are interested in these emerging projects, contact us to learn more.
The following list includes all of our active projects, as well as past projects. For a tailored list of projects based on your needs, click the relevant button below.
Current Projects
Past Projects
In the last couple years, we’ve hosted various projects that produced useful resources. Although the projects below aren’t currently being offered, we wanted to make sure they remained accessible
Baskets to Pallets
Preparing Farmers for Wholesale Project
This project provided educational resources and trainings to prepare farmers to enter new scale-appropriate wholesale markets such as food hubs, groceries, schools and cooperatives.Read More
Be Well Farming
Creating Spaces for Farmer Well-Being
This project created spaces for farmers to connect meaningfully and explore holistic strategies for health and renewal. It developed into the Growing Together project. Read More
Profit Teams
Advanced Beginning Farmer Profit Team Project
This project provided 40 advanced beginning farmers with intensive support from a “New Farmer Profit Team” of advisers. Read More
Reconnecting with Purpose
A Renewal Experience for NY Farm and Food System Educators and Change Makers
This project created space for farm and food system educators to explore challenges, to re-engage with personal strengths and capacities to address them, and to renew a sense of inspiration and purpose in their work and lives. It developed into the Growing Together project. Read More
Reduced Tillage in Vegetables
Tillage can be a valuable management tool on a vegetable farm but intensive and repeated tillage is hard on soils. We support small to mid-scale vegetable farmers, many using organic practices, in adopting reduced tillage practices on their farm. These practices can take many different forms. Our goal is to integrate reduced tillage with other soil building practices, to foster the growth and viability of vegetable farming in New York and the Northeast. Read More
Trainers Toolbox
Resources for Service Providers
Since 2009 the Beginning Farmer Learning Network met once a year to share ideas and improve the support we collectively provide to beginning farmers. The Trainers Toolbox is the repository of presentations, documents, and webinars shared by members of this network. Read More
Sustainable Farm Energy
Education on energy efficiency and renewable energy is an important part of farm sustainability, as often simple and inexpensive measures can save farmers money while reducing the environmental footprint of the farm. NE SARE offered sustainable farm energy programs from 2014 to 2017. Read More
Small Farm Grants Program
In 2012, the Cornell Small Farms Program awarded $3,000 to $5,000 grants to organizations in NY that presented compelling projects serving and supporting small farms. Four proposals were selected. An additional project to support a small dairy field day series in the summer of 2012 was also funded. Read More
Telling Better Stories
In 2013, the Cornell Small Farms Program hosted a training for farmers and ag educators seeking to become better story tellers, providing professional journalism instruction on how to develop engaging narratives. Access resources from the workshop and visit the Story Share page for articles and photos submitted by attendees. Read More
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