Crop Congress to be held at Miner

CHAZY — A Crop Congress will be held on Feb. 22 at Miner Center Auditorium, 586 Ridge Road, in Chazy.

Recertification credits for certified pesticide applicators and CCA credits will be available.

The schedule is as follows:

9:30 a.m. — Registration and industry exhibits.

10 a.m. — Welcoming remarks and research update by Eric Young of Miner Institute.

10:15 a.m. — Update on weed control in corn from Russ Hahn of Cornell University.

11:15 a.m. — Alfalfa-grass management by Paul Peterson, University of Minnesota.

12:15 p.m. — Hot lunch available for $5 and door prizes courtesy of vendors.

1:15 p.m. — Weather and crop production, speaker TBA, Northeast Regional Climate.

2:15 p.m. — Record keeping on farms, Anita Deming, Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Admission is free. The event is organized in collaboration with Cornell Cooperative Extension. For more information, contact Young at 846-7121, Ext. 113, or young@whminer.com.

Sign-up begins for USDA crop programs

PLATTSBURGH — According to U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Executive Director Jennifer Bosley, sign-up for the Direct and Counter-cyclical Program (DCP) and Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) begins now through June 1.

Farmers in Clinton, Essex and Franklin counties who are interested in enrolling in these programs should contact their local FSA county office to set up an appointment to complete the signup process. Contracts need to be signed each year to receive program benefits. All signatures of producers receiving a share in DCP and ACRE payments are required by June 1.

The Clinton-Essex FSA Office is located at 6064 Route 22 in Plattsburgh or by phone at 561-4616, option 2. The Franklin County Farm Service Agency is located at 151 Finney Blvd., Malone, and can be reached by calling 483-2850 and selecting option 2. Information about DCP, ACRE and other FSA programs is also available at www.fsa.usda.gov/NY.

State gets emergency conservation funds

PLATTSBURGH — Starting immediately, New York Farm Service Agency will begin allocations for $3,931,000 in Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) funding to 25 counties within New York to help farmers rehabilitate land damaged by Tropical Storms Irene and Lee, according to James Barber, executive director for FSA's agency in New York.

"This funding will allow farmers to remove debris from farmland, repair the severe damage to land, restore fences and repair conservation systems damaged by last year's flooding," Barber said.

For land to be eligible, the natural disaster must create new conservation problems that would impair or endanger the land, affect the land's productive capacity, represent unusual damage that — except for wind erosion — is not of the type likely to recur frequently in the same area, and would be so costly to repair that federal assistance is required to return the land to agricultural use.

FSA county committees determine land eligibility based on on-site inspections.

The ECP Signup for this funding is Feb. 1 through March 1 for anyone who has not already signed an application with their local FSA office. If you have already reported damage since the storm, you should still contact the office to ensure that your application is complete prior to March 1.

Producers in Clinton & Essex counties interested in filing an application should contact the FSA Office in Plattsburgh at 561-4616, option 2. More information on ECP and other disaster-assistance programs is also available at www.fsa.usda.gov.

Deadline nears for conservation programs

PLATTSBURGH — Each year, more than 1,000 farmers or landowners work with the Natural Resource Conservation Service to ensure cleaner water, productive soils and improved grasslands.

Farmers and landowners have until Feb. 17 to apply for 2012 conservation program funding. The programs falling within this deadline include the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Agricultural Management Assistance Program (AMA). Applications are competitive and ranked based on national, state and locally identified resource priorities, and their overall benefit to the environment.

"We are pleased to offer New York farmers and landowners voluntary opportunities to address concerns related to soil, energy, water, air, plants and animals through a variety of Farm Bill conservation programs," said NRCS Assistant State Conservationist for Programs Tammy Willis.

Those interested in applying may visit the USDA/NRCS office at 6064 State Route 22, Suite 1, in Plattsburgh.

The (EQIP) program offers financial assistance in the form of engineered structures, such as manure-handling facilities, and conservation practices such as grassed waterways. Focus areas within the EQIP program include livestock waste, cropland and grazing.

The AMA program focuses on improving irrigation efficiency through micro-irrigation. A primary goal is to assist agricultural producers in mitigating risk through production diversification.