Farm briefs: Jan. 8, 2012

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January 8, 2012

Anonymous Press-Republican The Press Republican Sun Jan 08, 2012, 02:28 AM EST

Social media courses for farmers offered

MALONE — Electronic word of mouth is an exciting new way to promote agricultural businesses.

Northern New York farmers interested in learning how such social media as blogs, Facebook, Twitter and RSS work can attend a workshop set for the region in January.

Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop computer. The registration deadline is Jan. 17.

A workshop will be held in Plattsburgh from 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17, at Plattsburgh State, Yokum Hall, Room 100A. Computers are provided, but space is limited. A $15 fee includes dinner. Bring thumb drives with photos, if desired. Register with Laurie Davis at lsd22@cornell.edu or call 962-4810, Ext. 0.

A workshop in Malone will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21, at OneWorkSource, 158 Finney Blvd., Malone. The cost is $20 per person with limited seating. Register with Bernadette Logozar at bel7@cornell.edu or call 483-7403.

Mobile slaughter unit meetings set

MALONE — The North Country Economic Development Project includes a provision for developing a mobile USDA-approved slaughter unit.

The North Country Pastured Poultry Group has organized a series of meetings to talk about the possibilities for this unit. North Country Pastured LLC, managed by Renee Smith of Sugar Hill Farm in DeKalb, has purchased such a unit for poultry and custom work with third-party certification for organic, humanely treated and animal-welfare approved status.

The group is inviting producers of chickens, ducks, turkeys, pheasants and other livestock producers, including those who raise rabbits, to attend.

The meeting will be at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 12, at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Conference Room, 355 West Main St., Malone.

Pre-registration is not required.

Proposals sought for small-farms program

PLATTSBURGH — The Cornell Small Farms Program is requesting proposals for projects that address specific priorities for small farms in New York as identified at the 2010 statewide Small Farms Summit.

The summit was a statewide gathering of 120 farmers, educators and farmer advocates invested in the continued growth and success of small farms in New York. During the daylong meeting, participants prioritized specific and pressing new projects that within two years could provide useful outcomes to New York's small farms.

The projects identified originate from three main focus areas: Livestock Processing Issues, Local Market Access and Growth, and Grasslands Use/Grazing.

For a list of eligible projects, download the full RFP at www.smallfarms.cornell.edu. The application deadline is Jan. 13.

Farmers, agriculture educators and service providers, community-development groups, agricultural nonprofit organizations, and community members in New York State are all eligible to apply. Project teams of four or more collaborators are required and participation from a cross section of the farm sector is encouraged.

Each proposal must have an individual project leader who is able to accept responsibility for the grant on behalf of the project team and be in a position to manage the grant, submit interim and final reports, and respond to any inquiries.

For accounting purposes, each project team must include at least one Cornell Cooperative Extension Agent or Cornell faculty/staff as a co-leader to manage the allocation of the funding for the project expenses.

Each project selected will receive a Small Farms Grant of $4,000 in federal Smith Lever funds. The project's duration is Feb. 30 to Sept. 30.

Organic Farming, Gardening Conference set

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Northeast Organic Farming Association Of New York (NOFA-NY) is hosting its 30th annual Organic Farming and Gardening Conference and its first-ever Organic Research Symposium this January in Saratoga Springs.

More than 1,200 farmers, gardeners, food professionals and interested consumers will join together for four days of education, inspiration and delicious organic meals.

The theme for this year's conference is The Cooperative Economy, and the more than 80 technical workshops will showcase the spirit of cooperative work while educating attendees on a broad range of organic production topics.

This year's keynote speakers include John Ikerd, a professor emeritus of Agricultural Economics at the University of Missouri; Kathlyn Terry, executive director of Appalachian Sustainable Development; and the 2012 NOFA-NY Farmers of the Year Paul and Maureen Knapp.

NOFA-NY's first ever Organic Research Symposium precedes the conference on Jan. 19 and 20. The symposium is an opportunity to learn about cutting-edge organic agricultural research from some of the country's leading academic and farmer researchers. Attendees will have the chance to engage in in-depth discussions with researchers and practitioners exploring the latest techniques for a successful organic farm.

To register, contact the registration coordinator at (585) 271-1979, Ext. 512, or at katie@nofany.org. You can also register online at https://nofanyconference.org.

New York egg production up 4 percent

ALBANY — Egg production on New York farms totaled 107 million eggs in November 2011, up 4 percent from last year, according to King Whetstone, director of USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service, New York Field Office.

The number of hens and pullets of laying age, at 4.41 million, increased 4 percent from November 2010, but the rate of lay decreased slightly to 2,426 eggs per 100 layers.

United States egg production totaled 7.61 billion during November 2011, up 1 percent from last year. Production included 6.62 billion table eggs and 999 million hatching eggs, of which 932 million were broiler-type and 67 million were egg-type. The total number of layers during November 2011 averaged 338 million, down slightly from last year. November egg production per 100 layers was 2,253 eggs, up 1 percent from November 2010.

USDA to measure well-being of farms

ALBANY — The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will spend the next several months contacting farmers and ranchers across the nation to conduct the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS).

The results of this survey will serve as a baseline for numerous federal policies and programs that affect U.S. farms and farm families.

"ARMS is our primary tool for gauging the financial condition and production practices on American farms and ranches," said King Whetstone, director of the NASS New York Field Office. "By participating in this survey, New York farmers directly impact the decisions that affect them, their families and their operations."

NASS conducts ARMS jointly with USDA's Economic Research Service. In an effort to obtain the most accurate data, the federal agencies will reach out to nearly 35,000 producers nationwide, including 245 in New York, between Jan. 23 and April 6. The survey asks the producers to provide data on their operating expenditures, production costs and household characteristics.

"Decision makers from all facets of U.S. agriculture will use the collective information from ARMS to answer questions and make important decisions concerning the economic viability of American agriculture, the rural economy and other emerging issues," Whetstone said. "That's why it is imperative for all farmers contacted by NASS to provide responses and help shape the future of U.S. agriculture."

Information provided by respondents is confidential by law. The economic data gathered will be published in the annual Farm Production Expenditures report on Aug. 2. All NASS reports are available online at www.nass.usda.gov.

December milk prices down for month

ALBANY — Prices received by New York producers for milk sold during December were down from a month earlier, according to King Whetstone, director of USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service, New York Field Office.

The price of hay and apples decreased also. Potato prices increased.

Many previous month prices were revised due to more complete sales information.

Dairy farmers in the Empire State received an average of $21 per hundredweight of milk sold during December, down 60 cents from November but $2.70 more than December a year ago.

Hay averaged $96 per ton, down $2 from November and $6 lower than prices received in December 2010.

Potatoes averaged $14.50 per cwt., up 20 cents from November and $2.30 from last year.

Apples, at $35.70 per cwt., were down 90 cents from last month but up $1.01 from last December.

The preliminary All Farm Products Index of Prices Received by Farmers in December, at 176 percent, decreased 8 points (4.3 percent) from November.

The Crop Index is down 15 points (7.3 percent), but the Livestock Index increased 1 point (0.6 percent).

Producers received lower prices for corn, soybeans, wheat and lettuce and higher prices for eggs, broilers, cattle and broccoli.

In addition to prices, the overall index is also affected by the seasonal change based on a three-year average mix of commodities producers sell.

Increased monthly movement of wheat, milk, broilers and hay offset the decreased marketing of corn, soybeans, cattle and grapes.

The preliminary All Farm Products Index is up 23 points (15 percent) from December 2010. The Food Commodities Index, at 168, decreased 4 points (2.3 percent) from last month but increased 20 points (14 percent) from December 2010.