Farm briefs: Nov. 20, 2011

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November 20, 2011

Anonymous Press-Republican The Press Republican Sun Nov 20, 2011, 02:28 AM EST

Potato production decreases in state

ALBANY — Production of fall potatoes in New York in 2011 is estimated at 4.13 million hundredweight (cwt.), down 19 percent from a year ago, according to King Whetstone, director of USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service, New York Field Office. Yields are expected to average 255 cwt. per acre, down 65 cwt. from last year. Acreage for harvest is estimated at being up 1 percent from last year. U.S. production of fall potatoes for 2011 is forecast at 385 million cwt, up 5 percent from last year. Area harvested, at 938,500 acres, is slightly above the Sept. 1 forecast and 6 percent above the 2010 estimate. The average yield forecast, at 410 cwt. per acre, is down 6 cwt. per acre from last year's yield.

In Idaho, yields are good despite a cool, wet spring that delayed emergence. If realized, the yield will be the second highest on record. In Maine, growers were challenged by persistent wet conditions that delayed planting, washed out fields and delayed harvest. In Washington, harvesting conditions were favorable, however yields from early digs were lower than last year due to immaturity.

USDA to ease regulations on apple producers

WASHINGTON, D.C. — At the urging of U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) will ease insurance regulations on fresh-apple producers. The rule change will help New York apple producers cut costs and boost efficiency in the record-keeping of their production and distribution, allow them to receive the best possible crop insurance, and end discrimination against smaller apple producers.

"New York State is home to the world's best apples and the hardest working producers," Gillibrand said. "They shouldn't be held back by red tape and bureaucracy. I am pleased we could come to an agreement with the RMA to ease these burdens on our apple producers, helping them to cut costs, cover their crops with the insurance they need, reach new markets and grow their businesses."

Currently, apple producers are required to keep records of their fresh apple crop in "Sales By Unit" terms from the point of production through distribution and to later sales. This meant that once apples are delivered to a warehouse, the farmer is responsible to track all of the apples by unit — a highly bureaucratic, difficult and fiscally inefficient process for apple farmers across the state. Most apple producers were not eligible for fresh-apple crop insurance because they did not meet the necessary standards of record keeping.

Gillibrand's office worked closely with the RMA to change the regulation that was burdening producers. Under the new regulations, Approved Insurance Providers (AIPs) are allowed to consider records of total production rather than production by unit from the 2007 through 2010 crop years that reflect fresh-apple sales.

New York produces approximately 1.25 billion pounds of apples annually, generating nearly $236 million in revenue for the state.

Online courses for beginning farmers offered

PLATTSBURGH — Several online courses for beginning farmers are currently being offered by the Cornell Small Farms Program.

For those just exploring the feasibility of farming as a business, or who are committed to the idea but haven't yet determined how to proceed, then BF 102: Markets and Profits: Exploring the Feasibility of Your Farming Ideas will help course takers begin to think about markets and the potential to make money growing various crops.

Farmers seeking to grow their farm or inject some new life into their marketing will benefit from BF 201: Pricing, Positioning in the Market, and Guerrilla Marketing.

Those trying to determine if their farm business is profitable who need guidance setting up or organizing their financial record-keeping system may benefit from BF 104: Financial Records: Setting Up Systems to Track Your Profitability.

For vegetable farmers, BF 121: Veggie Farming: From Season-Long Care to Harvest is the second half of the popular Veggie Farming courses, but can be taken as a stand-alone course for those who missed BF 120. This course focuses on fertility, pest management, harvest, post-harvest handling and marketing.

For anyone thinking of growing berries, BF 122: Berry Production: Getting Started with Production and Marketing will get course takers started on the right foot with careful site selection and preparation, planning, marketing and production considerations for strawberries, blueberries, brambles and lesser-known berry crops.

Courses are taught by Cooperative Extension educators, farmers and other specialists. Courses are typically six weeks long, cost $175. Those who successfully complete a course will receive a certificate and may improve their eligibility to receive a low-interest Farm Service Agency (FSA) loan. To learn more about each course, visit http://nebeginningfarmers.org/online-courses.

Development of new online courses has been partially funded by the USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Program. Course coordination is provided by the Cornell Small Farms Program, http://www.smallfarms.cornell.edu.