Western New York Collaborative Farming: A Workshop
Event Details
Date
March 5, 2022
Time
10am - 2pm
Location
Zoom or In-person at Aurora Senior Citizen Center
In-person at 101 King Street
Aurora, NY 14052
Host
CCE Erie County
Jolie Hibit
716-652-5400 ext 176
email Jolie Hibit
Buffalo Go Green (BGG) and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Erie County (CCE Erie) are hosting a workshop to explore the potential of collaborative farming in Western New York. The workshop will be held on March 5, 2022 from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm. Participants can attend via Zoom or in-person at the Aurora Senior Citizens Center (101 King Street, East Aurora, NY, 14052).
Farm operators, Greg and Elisabeth Putney of Rise'N'Swine Farm and Michael and Stephanie Parkot of Always Something Farm, will discuss their production models. These two families have entered a collaboration that will strengthen each farm's bottom line. Andrew Delmonte of Cooperation Buffalo will give an overview of worker-owned cooperatives. Ian McSweeny of Agrarian Trust will explain Agrarian Commons, a community-based approach to land ownership and stewardship.
After the presentations, attendees are invited to stay for a light lunch and a more in-depth conversation about how these replicable models could be implemented in Western New York to continue building a farming and food system that boosts community, equity, prosperity, and quality of life. Whether expanding on existing efforts, or creating new ventures, attendees can expect a conversation about how collaborative and inclusive approaches can help farm families improve their ability to make a decent living while contributing to a healthy and vibrant food system for Western New York.
Farmers of all ages, aspiring farmers, and all people interested in supporting a local, resilient, equitable, and ecologically sound food system are invited to participate in this workshop. Participants may come for all or part of the workshop. There is no cost to participate. Registration is required.
Register online or contact Jolie Hibit (716) 652-5400 ext 176 / jah663@cornell.edu. For persons with disabilities requiring accommodations, please contact Jolie five days prior to the event.
The number of people who can attend in-person will be limited to comply with CCE Erie's COVID-19 Reopening Safety Plan. Registration for in-person attendance will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please note that we will follow the CDC and Erie County health and safety guidance that is in effect on the day of the event.
About the Speakers
Andrew Delmonte (they/them) is an organizer, facilitator, and business developer who believes in the power of communities and workplaces to govern themselves. Andrew serves as Executive Director of Cooperation Buffalo, which mobilizes workers to achieve economic security through cooperative business ownership in Buffalo's marginalized communities. Cooperation Buffalo is a member of Seed Commons, a national network of locally-rooted, non-extractive loan funds that brings the power of big finance under community control. A lifelong resident of Buffalo's West Side, Andrew has 10+ years' experience assisting cooperatives, social enterprises, independent small business owners, and frontline community organizations with planning and management decisions, financial strategy, governance, group dynamics, and conflict resolution.
Ian McSweeney is Organization Director at Agrarian Trust, a national land trust that seeks to develop and innovate new and holistic models to address the challenges of farmland access, tenure, and transition for next generation farmers. His life's work is focused on the human connection to soil and food. Ian began his career as a social worker focused on developing outdoor experience based education programs and went on to found a real estate brokerage and consulting company that prioritized conservation, agriculture, and community within typical land development. Before joining Agrarian Trust and founding Agrarian Commons, Ian directed a private foundation that assists landowners and farmers through customized approaches to farmland ownership, conservation, management, and stewardship.
Michael and Stephanie Parkot operate Always Something Farm in Corfu, New York. They started farming after (almost accidentally) recognizing the value of raising their own food. Michael and Stephanie soon found themselves wanting to share this with others and have fine-tuned a production and marketing model that works for them. They currently focus on raising pastured pigs such as Mangalitsa and other heritage breeds. They believe that the market for food raised ecologically and with attention to soil and community health is unlimited. They are happy to share what they have learned in their journey growing food and community.
Greg and Elisabeth Putney operate Rise'N'Swine Farm in Holland, New York. They started farming and growing a family about ten years ago. Along the way Greg and Elisabeth have developed a highly diversified operation "in which each animal has a purpose which makes them happy and results in a superior quality product." An important component of their success has been bringing the marketing and now the processing of their animals to the farm, further strengthening their capacity to make a living farming.
This event is part of BBG's and CCE Erie's work as Regional Navigators in the Farmland for a New Generation program (FNG-NY). The focal point of the FNG-NY program is the New York Farmland Finder (https://nyfarmlandfinder.org), a website that helps link farmers seeking land and landowners who want to keep their land in farming. Website users can post a farmer or farm profile, search for farmers or farmland, learn about upcoming events and browse resources. FNG-NY program is coordinated by American Farmland Trust in partnership with the State of New York.
About Buffalo Go Green
Buffalo Go Green, Inc. is an urban agriculture organization, we are growers and distributors of healthy food options however, our overarching mission is wellness and nutrition education in underserved communities. Our goal is to provide services and training to underserved populations throughout Western New York while helping to develop young minds to become leaders in Green Industries and Agriculture. We fight food injustice and work to make the food system a more equitable place for all.
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July 17 - July 18, 2024 : North American Manure Expo
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Professionalism in Nutrient Management - www.manureexpo.com
Sundaes on the Farm
July 21, 2024
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Learn about Tioga County Agriculture! IFree Admission! Enjoy Ice Cream, Animals and Farm Tours, Kid's Activities, Food, Live Music, and Farm Vendors.
Announcements
Farm Participants Needed for Bale Grazing Grant!
Information on the Project:- Approximately 10 acres total needed to bale graze two different bale densities
- "Core" farms will graze two winters, "Demo" farms will graze one winter.
- Payments for both "Core" farms and "Demo" farms
- Baseline soil sampling by bale grazing team
- Forage measurements in early season by bale grazing team
- Late season clipping if residual not trampled down by farm
Cornell Cow Convos - New Podcast
On-going podcast, New episodes released on the last Thursday of the month.Guest speakers, CCE Dairy Specialists.
Housed on Soundcloud Channel is CCE Dairy Educators
- Preventative healthcare for cows
- The trend of beef on dairy
- What to look forward to in the new year for dairy
- Socially grouping or pair-housing calves
Dairy Acceleration Program Funds Available
- organization of financial records/benchmarking up to $1,000
- continued business planning (for farms awarded in a previous year) up to $2,500
- business planning up to $5,000
2018 Drug Residue Prevention Manual
For more than 30 years, the U.S. dairy industry has focused educational efforts on the judicious use of antibiotics through the annual publication of a Best Practices Manual. The 2018 edition of the National Dairy FARM Program: Farmers Assuring Responsible Management? Milk and Dairy Beef Drug Residue Prevention Manual is the primary educational tool for dairy farm managers throughout the country on the judicious and responsible use of antibiotics, including avoidance of drug residues in milk and meat.The manual is a quick resource to review those antibiotics approved for dairy animals and can also be used as an educational tool and resource for farm managers as they develop on-farm best management practices necessary to avoid milk and meat residues. Visit the Manual and Form Library to download copies of this important tool!
Follow us on Facebook
The team updates our facebook page frequently - follow us to be updated on our events, see some fun videos and get local area updates!facebook.com/SCNYDairyandFieldCropsTeam
ProDairy Forage Management
Are you prepared to change your routine this spring?While spring tasks vary by farm, there are many "rites of spring," and they are often completed in a fairly rigid sequence. Depending on the farm, these often include fixing fence, spreading manure, planting new seedings, planting corn and harvesting first cutting, and are often performed in this order.
We are optimistic that the upcoming turn in weather will allow these task to be accomplished in a timely manner, but at this point it is time to ask yourself: Are you willing to change your spring routine?
In addition to adverse weather it is no secret that everyone is facing extremely tight economic times, and dealing with forage inventories of poor digestibility forages from 2017. This combination of factors makes it more critical than ever to be ready to tackle the task that will have the most impact on your business at the proper time.
Recent reference articles on dealing with tough times:
• Key Opportunities to Optimize 2018 Crop Production Efficiency
• Resources for Dealing with Spring Weather Delays
First Cutting
The number one focus should be on timely harvest of first cutting.
• Park the corn planter when a field of first cutting is ready for harvest.
o Monitoring 1st cut harvest timing
• Approach harvest by the acre, not by the field. Be ready to skip over a field that has passed its optimum harvest stage.
o Dynamic Harvest Schedules
• Strategically plan feed storage to best utilize forage inventories for the right group of animals.
o Strategic Forage Storage Planning
o When More is Better
Corn Planting
The window for planting for silage is generally wider than for grain, which is why first cutting can and should take priority over corn planting. However, in the event of extreme delays in planting corn, performance will diminish with late plantings. If corn planting progresses into late May or early June, begin to consider alternative options for those acres. Previous research from Cornell and Penn State suggest a 0.5 to 1 ton/acre per week decline in silage yield for planting after mid to late May.
Multi-Tasking
First and foremost during a time of year that can be very busy and stressful, taking every precaution to keep your team safe is critical.
The idea of fitting all of this work into a condensed time period, and still getting key tasks completed before critical deadlines can seem impossible, but year after year many find unique ways to get it all done. Consider working with neighbors, custom operators or renting equipment to accomplish these key tasks on time.
If you currently utilize custom operators, now is a good time to set up a time to meet with them and make sure you are on the same page to get tasks accomplished in the time-frame needed. Make sure that your expectations and goals are clearly defined. They will also be under stress to fit their work into a condensed period and meet their customers' expectations, so defining expectations and pre-planning how to most efficiently get the work accomplished when the custom operator arrives can go a long way to increase the chances for success.
NYSERDA Agriculture Energy Audit Program
NYSERDA offers energy audits to help eligible farms and on-farm producers identify ways to save energy and money on utility bills. Reports include recommendations for energy efficiency measures.For more information and the NYSERDA Agriculture Energy Audit Program Application click here