Farm briefs: Jan. 22, 2012

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January 22, 2012

Anonymous Press-Republican The Press Republican Sun Jan 22, 2012, 02:28 AM EST

Spring 2012 online courses offered for farmers

PLATTSBURGH — Online courses are being offered to help with planning for a small farm's future or to make an existing farm business even more successful.

They include a new Machinery and Equipment course. They are taught by experienced Cooperative Extension educators, farmers and other specialists. Courses run 5-8 weeks, cost $175 and include both real-time meetings (online webinars) and on-your-own reading and activities. No academic credit is offered, but those who successfully complete a course will receive a certificate and are also eligible for Farm Service Agency (FSA) borrower training credit, which can improve eligibility to receive a low-interest FSA loan.

The courses are as follows:

BF 103: Taking Care of Business — Understanding the Business, Regulatory and Tax Implications of Your Farm (designed to follow BF 101): This is an intro-level course for aspiring or beginning farmers living and/or farming in New York State and seeking to learn about the commercial, legal and tax implications of farming. It starts March 2.

BF 105: Machinery and Equipment — Evaluating What's Right for Your Operation: Many a farm operation has been sunk by "shiny equipment syndrome," in other words, purchasing too much brand-new equipment. On the other end of the scale, many new farmers have burned out their bodies by not adequately powering their farms with machinery. This course will help strike a balance, evaluating what equipment is really needed for a scale of operation, whether to buy or make other arrangements, and how to keep equipment running smoothly if you do purchase it. It starts March 5.

BF 122: Berry Production — Getting Started with Growing and Marketing: This course explores the idea of adding berries and bramble fruits to a farm. It will help analyze all the aspects of this decision, from varieties and site selection all the way through profit potential and marketing. It starts Feb. 28.

To learn more about each course, visit http://nebegin ningfarmers.org/online-courses. From this site, visit the Annual Course Calendar, learn more about the instructors, see answers to frequently asked questions, read details for each course and visit a sample online course.

Beginning organic farmers offered support

ALBANY — The Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York Inc. (NOFA-NY) will be accepting applications from qualified new farmers to participate in its two-year support program, known as the NOFA-NY Journeyperson Program.

It is modeled from a program piloted by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. NOFA-NY, along with NOFA chapters in five other states running similar programs, is able to provide two years of educational and business-planning stipends, support of a paid farmer mentor, educational and networking opportunities and a specific commitment ensuring that this small group of farmers is able to find sure footing in their first few years of farming independently.

Download the program from www.nofany.org/jp. The application deadline is Feb. 8 with notification regarding the next step of the process occurring on or around Feb. 24. Interviews will be requested and an orientation and kick-off will occur later in the spring. The New York Journeyperson farmers will be invited to meet their counterparts from other Northeast states at the annual NOFA Summer Conference in Amherst, Mass., in August.

The program is supported by the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

'Buy local' efforts supported by state funds

ALBANY — A total of $200,000 in funds to support new and existing regional "buy local" food and agricultural campaigns throughout the state is available.

This program is funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant and will be conducted in coordination with the state's Pride of New York Program.

The goal of the Regional "Buy Local" Campaign Development Program is to increase consumer awareness, increase recognition in the marketplace and increase sales of locally produced foods and agricultural products in 11 defined agricultural regions.

Eligible proposals must reflect each region's geography, agricultural production, local cultural identity and other unique attributes or specialties. They must help promote a broad range of specialty crops, and they must also work synergistically with other regional "buy local" campaigns in the state, as well as the Pride of New York Program.

Each region is eligible to receive $18,550, of which $2,800 is allocated to create a regional brand, and up to $2,750 for the development of a marketing/media plan.

Government entities, not-for-profits, tourism boards and Industrial Development Authorities are all eligible to apply. Applications are available online at www.agriculture.ny.gov or by calling 457-7229. Applications are due by Feb. 23.

Vegetable specialist to speak in Plattsburgh

PLATTSBURGH — Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) is bringing Cornell University Horticulture Professor Dr. Stephen Reiners to Northern New York for a workshop for commercial vegetable growers, both organic and conventional.

Reiners will present a workshop from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at CCE Clinton County, 6064 Route 22, Plattsburgh. Growers must register by Feb. 6 at 561-7450. The $25 fee includes lunch and a resource packet.

In the morning session, Reiners will cover the fundamentals of soil fertility and irrigation. In the afternoon, workshop participants will apply those principles to real-life case studies from actual Northern New York vegetable farms.

Workshops organizer Amy Ivy, executive director of CCE Clinton County and a horticultural specialist, said the short growing season in northern New York makes it especially important for growers to keep their crops growing at full capacity all season long for maximum yield and income.

Reiners, an associate professor with the Cornell Department of Horticultural Sciences at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, said understanding soil fertility and how to maintain it can make a huge difference.

"Some growers apply too much fertilizer, some not enough," he said.

Reiners will talk about pH and proper application of nutrients. Organic growers who rely on fertilizers such as fish emulsion need to be especially mindful of application rates to be sure crops receive adequate nutrition. Fertigation — combining fertilizer and irrigation — is one technique that will be discussed.

Field crop specialists to speak at seminar

CHAZY —Dr. Paul Peterson of the University of Minnesota and a team of Northern New York, Cornell University and W.H. Miner Institute field crops educators will share their experience and knowledge at the Northern New York Crops Management School set for weekly sessions in Chazy and Malone.

Peterson is an associate professor and extension agronomist with an interest in forage management utilization. He has published research on using perennial warm-season grasses and kura clover as part of a cool-season grass pasture-management system.

Presenters also include Field Crops Educators Mike Hunter with Cornell Cooperative Extension, Jefferson County; Joe Lawrence with CCE Lewis County; Cornell E.V. Baker Agricultural Research Farm Manager Michael Davis; and W.H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute Agronomist Eric Young.

Week 1 of the school will focus on Nutrient Management; Week 2, Forage Management; Week 3, Soil Management and Equipment; Week 4, Row Crop (corn and soybeans) Management; and Weeks 5 and 6, Pest Management.

Registration options include all six weeks for $100 or $30 per week for the two weeks of pest management training (Weeks 5 and 6) that count toward New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Pesticide Credits and Certified Crop Advisor credits (3 credits per week are pending approval).

The classes will be held as follows: Chazy: Tuesdays, Jan. 31 to March 6, W.H. Miner Institute; register with Cornell Cooperative Extension, 962-4810.

Malone: Wednesdays, Feb. 1 to March 7, Mo's Pub & Grill; register with CCE, (315) 483-7403.

Beef Day to be held in Malone Feb. 11

MALONE — The 2012 regional Northern New York Beef 101 Day will be Saturday, Feb. 11, in Malone at the 911 Building. This 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. one-day program is for beginning beef producers from across the six northernmost counties of New York State (Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence).

Instructors will cover the basics of production, herd and health management, feeding programs and marketing.

Chateaugay veterinarian Dr. Bill Pfaff will discuss the basics of vaccinating cattle and working with a veterinarian. Rick Jackson from Merck Animal Health will cover deworming strategies. Adirondack Beef Company owner Steve Ledoux of Croghan will talk about marketing your farm and your beef products.

The program is free with lunch provided by Merck Animal Health, but participants must preregister by Feb. 8 with their local Cornell Cooperative Extension office: Clinton County, 561-7450; Essex County, 962-4810; and Franklin County, 483-7403.