The New York State Agriculture Society's 172nd Agricultural Forum
"Telling our story - Excellence in New York Agriculture", Syracuse, NY
Registration will be on the Ag Society's web site at www.nysagsociety.org. For more information, call 518-584-4129

Following the NxLevel Materials and the “Tilling the Soil of Opportunity” curriculum, this course is designed to guide Agricultural Entrepreneurs in developing a business plan for a new business or strengthening an existing operation.

Class Dates : 9am-3pm on Fridays, January 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th and February 6th, 2004
Class Location : Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County

The class is for all interested in developing a business plan for a new or existing agricultural business.

Collaborators of this project include Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga, Onondaga and Tompkins Counties.

This course uses the NxLevel curriculum and combines class teaching with external speakers to share experiences of how to progress and plan for a new or expanding business. Topics include:
- Understanding your resources
- Business Planning and Research
- Tax and Legal Structure
- Market Analysis
- Insurance issues
- Marketing Strategies and Implementation
- Accounting Overview
- Budgeting
- Financing your Business
- Record-keeping and cash flow
- The Future and implementation

For more information, please call Jude Barry or Nancy Ansteth (CCE of Cayuga County; 315-255-1183), Ed Staehr (CCE of Onondaga County; 315-424-9485) or Monika Roth (CCE of Tompkins County 607-272-2292)

Farmers from 10 states and provinces are expected to attend "Organic Vegetable Farming for a Living: A Workshop Exploring All Facets of Growing" sponsored by the Regional Farm & Food Project. This January 9 - 11, 2004 program will feature the wisdom and experience of farmers of Chip Planck from Virginia, Chris and Kim Blanchard from Minnesota, and Polly and Mike Hutchison from Rhode Island. Each of these farm families earns their living raising vegetables using organic principles.

The workshop starts Friday morning, Jan. 9 and runs through Sunday afternoon, Jan. 11 and takes place in Ballston Spa, NY (between Albany and Saratoga Springs). The fee for the three-day program starts at $150 and includes 5 delicious catered meals and a workshop binder. As space is limited, early registration is strongly advised; advance registration is required.

As part of the popular annual Farmer-to-Farmer Winter Workshop Series, now in its seventh year, this workshop is designed as continuing education for people who are actively farming on a commercial basis. Please contact the Regional Farm & Food Project (http://www.capital.net/~farmfood/) at 518/271-0744 or farmfood@capital.net for more information and to receive a workshop brochure.

The first workshop will be Jan 14th 11:00 am at the Dryden Fire Hall, Rt. 13 Dryden NY; featuring Klaas Martens, an organic crop farmer from Penn Yan. He and his wife Mary-Howell farm 1300 acres of organic- corn, soybean, small grain and processing vegetables. They also own and operate Lakeview Organic Grain. Klaas tells that when he was transitioning to an organic cropping system, he relearned German so that he could study works written in Germany before WW II, before agricultural chemicals became widely used. On the 14th he will share some of his philosophy on setting up a holistic farming system.

The other workshops will be Feb. 18th. March and April dates are yet to be set. April will feature Jerry Brunetti, managing director of Agri-Dynamics, a firm specializing in the formulation and production of products for farm livestock. The cost for the workshop series is $45, $20 for additional people from the same farm. An option to attend individual sessions is also available. Pre-register for the January 14th workshop by calling Sharon VanDeuson at 607-753-5078 or shv7@cornell.edu. Contact Fay Benson CCE Cortland at (607) 753-5213 with questions or for more information.

Presenting Your Farm Workshop
Binghamton, NY January 17th
Owego, NY January 20th

Most farm owners have found that the hardest part of running a business is marketing their products. This workshop will help you determine the best way to promote your farm and your farm products to the consumer. Workshop participants will be given the tools and materials to create or enhance their own promotional display. The workshop will be run twice: at the Binghamton Cooperative Extension office on January 17, 1-3 pm and at the Cornell Cooperative Extension office in Tioga County on January 20, 2-4 pm.

Experienced marketers will explain the variety of options for promotion and give examples of successful materials. Presenters include Joy Johnson from Apple Hills Farm, Bonnie Johnson from Iron Kettle Farm, Martha Goodsell from Fallow Hollow Deer Farm, Jon Wright- Toastmaster speech winner and owner of a DJ business, as well as CCE educators Monika Roth, Krys Cail and Janet Allard. Not all speakers will be at both workshops.

The Broome County Cooperative Extension office is located at 840 Upper Front Street. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tioga County is located at 56 Main Street, Owego.

This workshop and materials are funded by a grant from the Cornell Small Farms program. The workshop is a cooperative effort between Cornell Cooperative Extension and Farm Bureau of Broome and Tioga Counties. For more information or to register for a workshop please call Gia Kirby at CCE of Broome County (607-772-8954 ext. 150).

Wednesdays, January 14, 21, and 28, 2004, 11:00 A.M. to 2:30 PM, Rural Urban Center, 208 Broadway, Montour Falls, NY, Cost: $25.00 for the first person from a farm; $15.00 for a second person. Pre-registration is needed by January 9, 2004 Contact Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schuyler County at (607) 535-7161 to register or for more information. Instructors from Cornell Cooperative Extension and First Pioneer Farm Credit

Class 1 of 3
January 14, 2004 11 AM - 2:30 P.M.
Introduction to the balance sheet, income statements, depreciation, net farm income, farm business charts, goal setting, profitability and cash flow

Class 2 of 3
January 21, 2004 11 AM - 2:30 P.M.
Cash flow statement, managing cash flow, understanding your balance sheet, deferred taxes, calculating key financial ratios, and establishing benchmarks.

Class 3 of 3
January 28, 2004 11 AM - 2:30 P.M.
Northeast farm summary, spreadsheet programs, partial budgets, crop budgets, whole farm analysis, and Schedule F comparisons.

Presenters and topics this year include:
Harold Van Es, Cornell Extension Faculty in Soils & Tillage will present information from long-term research trials for Managing Soil Health: Tillage, Compaction & Soil Testing.
Elson Shields, Cornell Extension Faculty in Entomology will present, Pest Control Options for Corn in the coming season.
Russ Hahn, Cornell Extension Faculty in Weed Science, will give an update on new weed control products and strategies for controlling some familiar and persistent weeds.
Karl Czymmek, Pro-Dairy, will give a glimpse of what is on the horizon in the environmental arena with a discussion of newly released EPA regulations for Concentrate Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO’s).

DEC and CCA credits have been applied for. 2 or more DEC recertification credit are anticipated, but not yet confirmed. The cost is $20, which includes a hot lunch. Pre-registration is requested by Jan 16. Please call Janice Degni, Area Field Crops Specialist with questions or Sharon VanDeuson, Ag Administrative Assistant to register at 753-5077.

Northeast Organic Farming Association / Massachusetts Chapter 17th Annual Winter Conference, http://www.nofamass.org/conferences , Quabbin Regional High School in Barre, Massachusetts.

The keynote speaker will be Percy Schmeiser, a farmer from Bruno, Saskatchewan Canada whose canola fields were contaminated with Monsanto's Round-Up Ready Canola. Monsanto's position is that it doesn't matter whether Schmeiser knew or not that his canola field was contaminated with the Roundup Ready gene and that he must pay their Technology Fee. Percy is fighting back. The Supreme Court of Canada will hear the case of Percy Schmeiser on January 20th, just four days before Percy will be speaking with us. This decision is a victory for farmers who currently stand liable for the accidental contamination of their fields, and a battle won in a larger war against the patenting of GE seeds. For more information about Percy's case, visit: http://www.percyschmeiser.com There will be a GE foods track offered throughout the conference, which is co-sponsored by the Center for Food Safety, the Council for Responsible Genetics and Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA). Over 40 workshops will be offered covering a broad diversity of topics. These will be posted on the website by the end of November. For more information, contact Kate Harris, the NOFA/Mass Winter Conference coordinator at <kate@earthlovers.org>, (413) 586-5516 and visit the conference website at: http://www.nofamass.org/conferences (online registration will be available) If you're interested in exhibiting or donating a raffle item, contact Dawn Pavone, Winter Conference Exhibit Coordinator <pavonegang@NET1Plus.com> (978) 632-1554.

NYS Farmer’s Direct Marketing Conference, Best Western Regency Hotelhamton, Binghamton, NY
A joint conference with NYS Farmer’s Direct Marketing Association, Farmer’s Market Federation of NY, NYS Small Scale Food Processors Association and Cornell Cooperative Extension. For more information contact Diane Eggert at 315-475-1101 or diane99@dreamscape.com
DMA Winter Bus Tour Web SIte: www.cce.cornell.edu/scnyag/vegfruit/dmabustour.htm

Mid-Atlantic Fruit & Vegetable Conference, Hershey, PA
Contact Bill Troxell at 717-694-3596 or e-mail wt.pvga@tricountyi.net for more information and registration.

Over 80% of farmland in the U.S. is managed by farmers whose operations fall between small-scale direct markets and large, consolidated firms. These farmers are increasingly left out of our food system. If present trends continue, these farms, together with the social and environmental benefits they provide, will likely disappear in the next decade or two. The "public good" that these farms have provided in the form of land stewardship and community social capital will disappear with them.

On January 28 the Community, Food, and Agriculture Program at Cornell, together with the Small Farms Program, will host a public seminar with Fred Kirschenmann, leader of a new national initiative designed to renew Americas Agriculture of the Middle. Agriculture of the Middle refers to the disappearing sector of mid-scale farms and related agricultural and food enterprises that are too small to compete in the globalized, bulk agricultural commodities markets and too big to rely on direct marketing to consumers.

The public is invited to participate in this seminar, which will take place Wednesday January 28 from 4 5:30 PM in Room 401 Warren Hall on the Cornell Campus. Fred Kirschenmann is a farmer, Professor of Religion and Philosophy, Director of Iowas Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, and an inspiring speaker. He will describe the background, components and current status of the Agriculture of the Middle project, which is funded by the WK Kellogg Foundation and the USDAs SARE program. He will be joined by Dr. Thomas Lyson, Director of the Community, Food and Agriculture Program and a collaborator on the Agriculture of the Middle project.

To learn more about the Agriculture of the Middleeffort, visit: www.agofthemiddle.org. To learn more about the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture visit: www.leopold.iastate.edu. For more information on a variety of small farm topics visit www.smallfarms.cornell.edu.

NYSERDA'S 5th Annual Innovations in Agriculture, Syracuse, NY
Empire Room, New York State Fair Grounds. Topics include:
- Manure management service-providers panel
- Anaerobic digester owner/operator panel
- Compost/bedding production, use, and marketing
- Generation and efficient use of energy
- Food waste sources and processing
- Funding opportunities
Contact Agriculture@nyserda.org or call 1-866-NYSERDA for more information

CSA Grower’s School – Friday, Jan. 30, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. More than 40 cumulative years of CSA experience is shared among the 4 instructors who will be providing an intensive training in Community Supported Agriculture. These growers each have a distinctive and successful operation and have tutored others over the years. Workshop attendees are asked to fill out a questionnaire describing their interest and current level of expertise. Detailed bio’s, a detailed outline of the materials to be covered during the training, attendee questionnaire can be accessed on our website or call to have a packet mailed. Combining this intensive training with the many CSA workshops being on dozens of relevant CSA and production topics being offered on Saturday and Sunday, will get prospective CSA growers off on the right foot. Grower’s School trainers: Janet Britt, Buttermilk Falls Organic Farm LLC, Schaghticoke, NY, Scott Chaskey, Quail Hill Farm, Amagansett, NY, David Hambleton, Sisters Hill Farm, Stanfordville, NY, Shane LaBrake, Ecosystem Farm, Accokeek, MD

Saturday & Sunday CSA Workshops Topics by CSA Growers:
A Big Garden or a Small CSA – Growing for 40 families & folding in other employment.
College-based CSAs – Two Approaches.
Building Community Spirit Among CSA Members.
CSA’s for Low Income People.
Starting a CSA from Scratch with no Farmer in Sight.
Meeting Skills for the CSA – Improving Everyone’s Experience.
Obtaining Farm Land – Possible Ownership Structures & Funding Strategies.
Teikie, the Original Japanese Version of CSA.
Labor on the CSA.
Restaurant-Supported Agriculture.
Organizations Helping to Build CSAs.
Vegetable Rotation Planning Tools.

Crop Improvement Through On-Farm Seed Saving, Selection, and Breeding, Syracuse, NY
Friday January 30th, 2003 (9:00am 5:00 pm)
How can you make your vegetable varieties perform better for you on your farm? Are you not quite satisfied with your current varieties? Do wish that some of your greens were more frost hardy? Have you ever noticed one amazing squash plant out of a hundred and wish you could reproduce it? Through seed saving, selection, and straightforward breeding techniques you can improve your own varieties. You can become part of Northeast gardeners and farmers who are working to make our regions agricultural production more viable.

Come hear and interact with fellow farmers, gardeners, researchers, and those from the seed industry. This practical and hands-on workshop will be geared to farmers and gardeners of all levels and skills but there will be separate sessions for those with advanced knowledge of breeding. Our hope is that participants will walk away with tools that will enable them to improve their farm or garden.

Preconference fee (includes lunch) $35.00. To register, use the NOFA-NY Annual Conference and Pre-conference registration form http://www.nofany.org/ For additional information, contact Michael Glos,NOFA-NYs Public Seed Initiative Coordinator at
michaelglos@nofany.org or (607) 657-2860

Goat Winter Management Workshop, NYS Grange, Cortland, NY
For more info contact Sharon VanDeuson at 607-753-5078
Agenda (.doc)

Winter Woodland Owner's Seminar
Saturday, February 7, 2004 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Spencer-Van Etten High School , Spencer, NY
Please pre-register by calling NYFOA member Ernie VonBorstel at (607) 589-4372. In case of weather changes, we want to inform participants.
No fee for the seminar; refreshments available

Join local forest owners at a special seminar for woodland owners interested in working with their woodland to attract wildlife, control invasive plants, and manage recreational liability. Regional experts will discuss "Invasive Plant Management in the Albany Pine Bush" and "Forest Owner Liability."

Noted author and educator Dr. Steven Kress, from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, will describe how woodland owners can improve their property for bird habitats. Dr. Kress is author of "The Audubon Society Bird Garden, The Audubon Society Birder's Handbook" and many other publications. The 2004 Woodland Owner's Winter Meeting is hosted by the New York Forest Owners Association - Southern Finger Lakes Chapter and the Cornell Cooperative Extension SCNY Agriculture Team.

EMPIRE STATE FRUIT & VEGETABLE EXPO (formerly the NYS Vegetable Conference & Tree Fruit & Berry Meetings), Rochester Convention Center and the Clarion Hotel.
Vegetable and Fruit Growers in New York State will have the opportunity to learn about the latest advances in all aspects of their businesses at the newly combined Empire State Fruit and Vegetable Expo (formerly the New York State Vegetable Conference) to be held at the Rochester Clarion Hotel and the Riverside Convention Center in Rochester, New York. The annual Becker Forum starts off the event on Monday, February 9. This exciting new show will bring together the New York State Vegetable Growers Association, Inc., The Empire State Potato Growers, The New York State Berry Growers Association, The New York State Horticultural Society and Cornell Cooperative Extension in one location to provide a large, exciting and informative conference and trade show covering many aspects of the horticultural industry in New York State. Sessions covering production, promotion and new techniques on growing apples, cabbage, potatoes, sweet corn, stone fruit, pumpkins and berries, to name a few, will be held. Also, information on bedding plants, greenhouse production and women in agriculture will be available in sessions throughout the conference.
Web Site: www.nysaes.cornell.edu/hort/04expo/

This workshop offered by the South Central NY (TCT) Dairy & Field Crops Program will explore:

Putting the pencil to:
- 40 Day Dry Periods
- 4x Milking for 21 Days…2x thereafter (or 6x/3x)
- Targeted Growth (Heifer) Systems

Registration begins at 10:30 am and the workshop will conclude at 2:30 pm.
Approach: These management systems may be more easily adapted in tie-stall barns, but certainly not limited to barn type. We will look at many angles including:
- Type I vs. Type II errors in the decision making process
- Rationale behind, research to-date and implementation strategies for:
- 40 day centered dry periods
- 4x milking for 21 days and 2x thereafter
- Targeted growth systems for heifers
- Financial tools for evaluation from partial budgets through dynamic enterprise analysis, and early measures of success, breakeven or losses post-implementation. A charge of $15 includes meals.

Please pre-register by contacting Sharon VanDeuson, Cornell Cooperative Extension at (607) 753-5078.

Speaker: Dwight J. Hoffman, DVM, New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Veterinarian Division of Animal Industry

Sample of Topics to be discussed:
Pro's and Con's of Calving Inside vs. Outside
Calving Kit = What to have on hand during calving season
What to do if experiencing difficult calving
Proper way of administering tube feeding
Calf health vaccinations
Questions and Answers are always welcomed to further discussion in calving!!

No Charge for this workshop and pre-registration is appreciated. For more information and to pre-register contact Sharon VanDeuson at 607-753-5078.

Have your pastures lost their vigor? Is it from incorrect management? Or do they need reseeding or frost seeding? These are some of the questions that we will be addressing on the 12th. Fay Benson, Graze NY Associate, will tell how management can affect pasture performance and how to measure when a pasture needs to be reseeded. Janice Degni, Field Crops Specialist with the Central NY Dairy and Field Crops Team, will offer tips on use of different reseeding options. The No-Till Drill and 4-Wheeler Seeder from Tompkins County Soil and Water Conservation District will be on display. There will also be a farmer panel to share their experience with pastures and reseeding. The South Central NY Dairy and Field Crops Team and GRAZE NY sponsor this workshop. To pre-register contact Sharon VanDeuson at 753-5078 or shv7@cornell.edu.

In response to this request, the Community Food and Agriculture Program and ACED PWT invite you to Cornell on Wednesday, February 18, 2004 for a "NYS Regional Processing / Distribution Initiatives Show and Tell". The workshop will run from 10 am to 4 pm in Room 401, Warren Hall, on the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, NY.

Come share the projects you are involved in, learn about those being pursued in other parts of the state, and help identify ways these efforts can be supported both locally and on a regional or statewide basis. Representatives from NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets and USDA Rural Development will also be there to showcase resources currently available in support of these initiatives.

With support from the ACED-PWT, lunch will be provided at a cost of $5.00/participant. To register to attend this event, contact Gretchen Gilbert at 607-255-9832 or gcg4@cornell.edu by Friday, January 30, 2003. Questions about the meeting should be directed to Heidi Mouillesseaux-Kunzman at hmm1@cornell.edu or 607-255-0417. For information on a variety of small farm topics, visit www.smallfarms.cornell.edu.

Increasing Sales at Your Farm Market
1-4 PM, CCE Tompkins County, 615 Willow Ave. Ithaca (off Route 13 at Dey St.)

Want to sell more at your market? Want more customers? Here is an opportunity to learn about ways you can increase traffic and raise sales at your farm market. Topics to be covered include: assessing where you are now, evaluating your product mix, how to make your market more inviting, attracting more customers, increasing sales. Fee: $5 includes refreshments and handouts. Call 607-272-2292 to register.

To register or for more information, contact Sharon VanDeuson, Cornell Cooperative Extension, South Central NY (TCT) Dairy & Field Crops Program at (607) 753-5078.

Hosting visitors at your farm is one way you can increase traffic, but there are downsides.
They have expectations that you need to be ready to meet. Learn about ways to attract and host visitors for events and tours. Insurance issues will be discussed along with developing attractions or events, hosting tours, and promoting your efforts. This will be a fun workshop to explore opportunities to develop on your farm. Fee: $5 includes refreshments and handouts. Call 607-272-2292 to register.

Topics:
* BSE disease information and link to human disease
* History of disease in EU and US
* WA state outbreak investigation
* USDA change in regulations and effects at producer level
* Complying with feedban
* Euthanasia/composting
* Marketing cull animals
* Other beef safety issues:

Enteric pathogens
Antibiotic residues
Humane animal handling
Injection site lesions

No fees associated with this meeting. While walk-ins are welcome, a head count for lunch would be highly desirable. Please contact Sharon VanDeuson at
(607) 753-5078 or shv7@cornell.edu.

Have your pastures lost their vigor? Is it from incorrect management, or do they need reseeding or frost seeding? These are some of the questions that we will be addressing on the 6th. Fay Benson, Graze NY Associate, will tell how management can affect pasture performance and how to measure when a pasture needs to be reseeded. Janice Degni, Field Crops Specialist with the Central NY Dairy and Field Crops Team, will offer tips on use of different reseeding options. The No-Till Drill and 4-Wheeler Seeder from Chemung County Soil and Water Conservation District will be on display. The South Central NY Dairy and Field Crops Team and SARE sponsor this workshop.

To pre-register contact Sharon VanDeuson at 753-5078 or shv7@cornell.edu.

March 6, 2004
10am-12 noon
Cornell Beef Teaching and Research Center
Harford, NY

Participants will learn how to visually determine when a steer is properly finished for harvest. The skills to estimate quality grade, yield grade and dressing percent will be taught. An ultrasound demonstration will conclude the morning presentation. Instructors will be university and industry personnel.

March 13, 2004
10am-2pm
Cornell Meats Lab, Morrison Hall
Cornell University Campus
Ithaca, NY

Cattle that were visually evaluated for proper finish the previous week will be evaluated on the rail. A video of the live cattle will be available for those unable to attend live evaluation on March 6. Hands on activities include taking carcass measurements, learning the retail cuts of meat, and discovery of carcass defects that affect consumer acceptance.

Fee: If registered by February 20, $25 ($15 2nd person from same farm/family) covers both workshops, and includes instruction, handouts, coffee, donuts and lunch on 3/16. Children under 12 years, $5. Fee, after February 20, $30. To register, send name, address, phone number, number attending and fee to Michelle Cole, Administrative Assistant, Cornell Beef Extension, 130 Morrison Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, email: mlc44@cornell.edu, or call 607-255-7712.

This course was developed at the request of grazers and organic dairy farmers, but will be of interest to anyone who raises crops to feed humans or animals. The goal is to introduce the participants to the pieces that make up the whole in a soil to food system. We will look at the similarities in the biological dynamics that are happening on the farm, whether it’s in the rhizosphere of the plant, the rumen of the cow or the return of the nutrients to the soil through organic waste digestion, and how a change in one of the pieces affects the whole system.

Principles of Soil Ecology with Janice Thies, Professor of Soil Biology, Cornell University. The influence of soil management on soil microbial activity and abundance, nutrient cycles and organic matter pools and soil ecosystem structure and function will be discussed. Understand the soil ecosystems, explore the diversity of organisms in soil and appreciate how critical soil biological processes are in ag production and environmental protection.

Please pre-register by calling Sharon VanDeuson ( 607) 753-5078 or shv7@cornell.edu. Contact Fay Benson 753-5213 with questions.

Join us for the NYS Dry Bean Meeting March 11th at DiPacific’s Restaurant, Farmington, at the intersection of Rts. 332 and 96, just south of Thruway Exit 44. Pesticide recertification credits and Certified Crop Advisor credits will be available. Any cancellation due to weather will be on WHAM 1180 AM radio. Register at the door. Lunch and registration are $20. If you have questions or if you’d like to be a sponsor contact Carol MacNeil at 585-394-3977 ext. 33 or crm6@cornell.edu, or Arlie McFaul at 585-461-1000 ext. 241 or acm29@cornell.edu.

Creating linkages throughout the value chain from grower to consumer is the focus of the 2004 Produce Marketing Conference to be held on March 11 and 12 at the Hilton Inn, Grand Rapids, Michigan. The theme of this year's conference is Connections.

Keynoting the conference will be Jeff Oberman, Vice President of Trade Relations for the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association. Founded in 1904, United is celebrating its 100th year anniversary. At the 2004 Produce Marketing Conference, he will present information about United's networking and educational programs, in addition to legislative efforts that ultimately increase fruit & vegetable consumption and strengthen relations between growers, packers, shippers and their customer partners at retail, wholesale and foodservice.

Those interested in obtaining more information about the conference should contact Tom Kalchik, MSU Extension and Associate Director of the MSU Product Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources, by telephone at (517) 432-8752 or e-mail at kalchikt@msue.msu.edu, or Wen-fei Uva, Senior Extension Associate of the Cornell University Department of Applied Economics and Management, by telephone at (607) 255-3688 or by e-mail at WL32@cornell.edu. Registration for the two day conference is $50.00 for the first person from a business and $20.00 for each additional person. Lodging is available at the Hilton Inn in Grand Rapids.

Financing your Retirement, Owego, NY
Do you have a strategy in place for financing your retirement? The workshop, Financing a Comfortable Retirement will provide a foundation to get your plan off the ground. Cornell Cooperative Extension will host Grace Roosien, Financial Planning and Education Specialist with O’Connor Investments on March 13 from 10 am to 3 pm at the Tioga County Office Building.

The goal of this workshop is to present a framework for retirement planning, and to encourage participants to maximize opportunities with a sound financial plan.

Topics to be addressed include: Designing a Financial Plan, Preparing Financial Statements, Estimating the Amount of Money needed for Retirement, an Overview of Investments and Investment Strategies as well as Taxable and Tax-Deferred Portfolios.

Pre-registration is requested for this workshop. The cost is $30 per person or $50 per couple, which includes meals and materials. Please call Sharon VanDeuson @ 753-5078 to pre-register.

Have you been putting off pruning that old apple tree because you aren’t sure how? Have you planted fruit trees around your house, but have yet to give them the proper pruning? The South Central New York Agriculture Program, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and the Cornell University Horticulture Department are sponsoring two pruning workshops to help home owners, small-scale orchardists, and professionals learn how to successfully prune fruit trees for improved fruit production and tree health.

Planting and Maintenance of a New Orchard
Join Rick Reisinger at his family farm, Reisinger’s Apple Country, to learn about pruning your fruit trees with a first-hand demonstration in an actual fruit tree orchard! Learn how to plant and maintain a variety of fruit trees including apple, peach, plums, cherries, and more. This workshop will be held on Saturday, March 13th, from 10:00 AM - Noon, at Reisinger’s Apple Country, 2750 Apple Lane, Watkins Glen, NY. A small fee of $5 will include workshop handouts and refreshments.

Big Tree Pruning
The Big Tree Pruning workshop will focus on pruning older overgrown fruit trees. Our regional tree fruit pruning expert, Rick Reisinger from Cornell Orchards and Reisinger’s Apple Country, will be getting out the saws to show participants how to prune overgrown trees first-hand. If you have out-of-control fruit trees, this class will show you how to bring them back into production. This workshop will be held on Saturday, March 20th, from 9:00 AM – Noon, at Bobby Wells Home Orchard, 1295 Marshland Road, Owego, NY. A small fee of $5 will include workshop handouts and refreshments.

Registration is limited to 50 participants for each workshop. The workshops will occur rain or shine, so dress accordingly. To registration and get directions to the orchards, contact Tina Murphy by phone at (607) 687-4020, or by email at tlm8@cornell.edu.

The Trade Show is being held on Monday, March 15, 10 am-3 pm, at the Holiday Inn in Waterloo located between the Thruway and Rt. 20 on Route 414. Food, farm and beverage producers will feature and sample their products from 10 to noon and again from 2 to 3 PM. At Noon the speaking program begins followed by a fabulous local foods luncheon that is prepared featuring products from Finger Lakes Producers. Chefs from popular Finger Lakes restaurants will be preparing luncheon entrees and area wines will be featured at lunch. Debra Whiting, chef at Red Newt Cellars Bistro and luncheon menu coordinator, says "featuring local foods make sense for our region giving visitors a unique food experience to complement wine tasting".

For an event program and advance registration call 607-272-2292 or email mr55@cornell.edu. The cost for the trade show, local foods lunch and program is $25 in advance, $30 at the door. Exhibitor space is available for $40/table. March 10 is the deadline for exhibitor registration.

Being accountable to small-scale farmers
At our March 16 meeting we'll review the education and research priorities identified by farmers in previous years and report on progress being made at Cornell and around the state in addressing those priorities. We'll also highlight three local Extension education programs that have resulted from our CCE Small Farms Education Grants program.

Listening to farmers
Then we'll listen to what farmers have to say about our efforts, and engage them inupdating our list of priorities for programming in 2003-4.

Responding to farmers
The Small Farms Program will use the input from this meeting to target our CCE Small Farms Education Grants, professional development efforts, website, and other programs. CCE educators and Cornell faculty can also benefit from this input as they develop local extension and/or research efforts.

Interesting in participating?
If you'd like to be part of this process, send an email to me, Joanna Green, at jg16@cornell.edu or call 607-255-9227. We are offering a $50 stipend for participating farmers.

Tell a farmer
If you know of a farmer who might like to participate, please pass along this information, or better yet, invite them to attend with you. Also, please provide their name, address (and email address?) to me, Joanna, and I will send them information.

New Farm Risk Management: Tools for Profitability - A seminar to improve your farm profits, N.Y. State Grange Building, 100 Grange Place, Cortland, N.Y.
9:30-3:00
Sponsored by Northeast Center for Risk Management Education. Dairy and livestock risk management professionals will give you new ideas and profit tools to improve your income.

For more information call: 800.221.1718 or 607.756.7553

SBIR and STTR are highly competitive federal programs that encourage small businesses to explore their technological potential and provide the incentive to profit from their commercialization.

Every year, a certain percentage of federal R&D funds ($2.3 billion in 2002) is set aside for the SBIR and STTR programs targeted for small businesses at their start-up and development stages. These programs enable small businesses to compete at the same level as large businesses, and encourage the commercialization of their technologies, products, and services, which in turn, stimulate the U.S. economy.

Since the enactment of the Small Business Innovation Development Act in 1982, these programs have helped thousands of small businesses. Their contributions have enhanced the nation's defense, protected the environment, advanced health care, and improved our ability to manage information and manipulate data.

Please join us and learn how to take advantage of these federal programs!

When: March 18th, 2004 from 8:30am - 12:30pm
Where: Jordan Hall Auditorium; NYS Agricultural Experimental Station
630 W. North Street, Geneva
To register, please call or email Donna Chaudhuri at (607) 254-4877, dtk3@cornell.edu. Seats are limited, so please register by March 12th 2004.
SBIR WORKSHOP

Cornell Cooperative Extension is offering an informational meeting about Mad Cow Disease, the commonly used name for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). BSE is a slowly progressive, degenerative, fatal disease affecting the central nervous system of adult cattle. Specialists from the NYS Cattle Health Assurance Program will provide livestock owners with information on the current BSE situation, history of the disease, USDA regulation changes that will affect producers and many other related issues. These are very important meetings for beef and dairy cattle producers as new regulations will affect all livestock owners. This workshop will be repeated at the Civil Defense Center in Bath, NY on March 19, 2004.

To Participate: Please pre-register by phone at (607) 664-2300.

Fee: No fee; lunch provided by the NY Beef Industry Council

Maple Weekend, Various Locations
This family-oriented event gives you a chance to see how New York maple producers make some of the world's finest syrup and related products. March 20-21 from 10am - 4pm each day, about 75 of the finest maple producers throughout New York State, from Buffalo to Albany, Rochester to Binghamton, Jamestown to Plattsburgh, will open their sugarhouses to demonstrate the making of maple products "from the tree to the table." The event is free to the public. Maple Weekend started as Maple Sunday nine years ago as a handful of maple producers in Wyoming County organized a one-day event to promote maple products. The event became so successful and grew so quickly that it now includes producers throughout New York State.

On Maple Weekend people can see all aspects of maple making, from the tapping of the trees to get the sap, to the boiling of the sap into syrup. Some producers will also demonstrate the making of maple syrup into other products including maple cream, maple cotton candy and maple sugar. Most sugarhouses will allow people to sample the products.

Techniques of maple production vary from producer to producer. Some are state-of-the-art and some use traditional methods, so the public everyone is encouraged to visit several of the participating farms. In addition, many of the producers will have a variety of additional activities including horse and wagon rides, snowshoeing, guided walks in the woods and kids' corners.

In conjunction with Maple Weekend many all-you-can-eat pancake breakfasts featuring New York's finest maple syrup will help people satisfy their hunger and continue to promote syrup and other maple products.

So mark your calendars for March 20-21 and take the family to experience New York State maple! To find out what farms are open to the public go to www.mapleweekend.com

Registration at 10:30 am
Workshop 11 am – 3 pm
Cost: $20 includes lunch

Topics:
• Spraying Systems: nozzles, controllers, calibration
• Current Options for Weed Control Programs
• An explanation of products available
• Recommendations for helping herbicides successfully control weeds.
• Rates, timing, tillage, tank additives, blends…

Presenters:
Roy Bassett, Spraying Systems Inc.
Kate Wheeler, BASF
Robert Ward & Leo Brown, Dupont
Bob DeWaine & Greg Harding, Monsanto
Steve Dennis, Syngenta

Registration – 10:30 am - 3 recertification credits anticipated.
Please call Sharon VanDeuson to
Pre-register – (607) 753-5078

Public Issues and Conflict Management Workshop
Public issues education prepares citizens to engage in complex issues of widespread concern in ways that lead to better-informed decisions. NYS citizens often turn to Cornell Cooperative Extension for help in working through these issues, developing or rebuilding relationships, and creating sustainable solutions. In this module of the weeklong "Strengthening Core Competencies to Meet Today's Challenges" inservice, March 29 - April 2, at the Ramada Inn, Ithaca, "Public Issues and Conflict Management" will be offered by Lynne Hinkey of NOAA Coastal Services. If you would like to build your skills around public issues education and conflict management, plan to attend this module. The workshop will also provide knowledge and understanding of the anatomy of conflict, and the skills and processes needed to deal with it. Register now, as space is limited to 40 participants.

For more information, contact Rod Howe at rlh13@cornell.edu. To register for any or all of the modules, go to www.staff.cce.cornell.edu/conferences/springinservice/ or contact Joan Lewis at jl154@cornell.edu or 607-255-2118.

If yes, is the answer to any of the questions above then you will want to attend this workshop on March 31 at 6:30 9:30 pm at the CCE Cortland County Office Bldg in Cortland NY. The speaker will be Dwight J. Hoffman, DVM, NYS Dept. of Ag & Markets, Veterinarian Division of Animal Industry.

For more information and to pre-register call Sharon VanDeuson at 753-5078 at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cortland County. There is no fee, but pre-registration is greatly appreciated.

Cost for this program will be $12 and will include lunch. The South Central NY Dairy and Field Crops Team and Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education sponsor this workshop.

To register please call Sharon VanDeuson at 753-5078 or shv7@cornell.edu

The National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC) is hosting a meeting on "Concentration and Market Power in the Dairy Industry," to be held from 9:30 to 5 PM, April 1, 2004 at the Marx Hotel and Conference Center in Syracuse, NY. Confirmed participants include New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, Food Marketing Policy Center Director Dr. Ronald Cotterill from the University of Connecticut, Milkweed Editor Peter Hardin and others.

This is an open meeting to all who hold an interest in restoring competitive markets to the dairy industry. New York dairy farmer John Bunting coordinated this meeting with the Coalitions assistance. Organizers are hoping to foster discussion that will lead to action at the state and regional levels. Reducing the impact of concentration will not happen by chance.

Many members within the dairy industry show interest in attending this meeting therefore space will be limited. The Coalition will be providing farmers with a reduced registration fee of $30 to encourage participation. Non-farmer registration is $50. To register contact Molly Spence at the National Family Farm Coalition, (202) 543-5675. Registration deadline is March 15. For more information on a variety of small farm topics, visit www.smallfarms.cornell.edu.

We hope you can join us for this annual event. It’s a great opportunity to meet individuals who work in a variety of settings in the farm and food industry from all over New York State. No other statewide organization includes farmers, consumers, environmental organizations, community food groups and businesses working together on behalf of farming. The strength of NY Farms! is the diversity of its members and we are inviting you to join us.

If you have not renewed your membership within the last year, please plan to do so at the meeting. A membership form is attached for your convenience. The Annual Meeting fee is $15 per person and lunch is included. A raffle will be held and donations will be accepted at the door. We look forward to seeing you in Cortland. Please RSVP to Martha Goodsell, executive director at 607-659-3710 or by email at nyfarms@baldcom.net.

Sponsored by the Community Food Security Coalition, Risk Management
Agency/USDA, Heifer International and the Northeast Pastured Poultry
Association.

Saturday, April 3rd 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Four Winds Farm
158 Marabac Road
Gardiner, NY 12525

Learn the history of heirloom vegetables, choosing varieties, seed
starting, planting and transplanting techniques, and the art of saving
seeds in this hands on workshop. $10 covers course, materials, and seed
samples.

Pre-registration requested. Call Four Winds Farm at (845) 255-3088.
In case of inclement weather, call the farm to confirm that the workshop
will occur.

Diane Wright Hirsch, RD, MPH, Extension Educator/Food Safety, and Patrice Sulik, RS, have been working with about a dozen New England farmstead cheese makers for several years to help them develop HACCP food safety plans tailored to the specific needs of their operations. (HACCP stands for Hazard Assessment of Critical Control Points.) These farmstead cheese enterprise HACCP plans will be used as models in this seminar.

The seminar fee is $20/farm or business (NYS Cheese Guild members) and $35/farm or business (non-Guild members). Written materials, lunch (for one), and coffee/tea are included. Open to cheese makers, cheese makers to be, and cheese-related businesses in New York and other states. After March 26, the workshop fee increases by $10.

Please register in advance, as we need a minimum of 15 farms/businesses registered by March 26 to run this workshop.

To register: Please send payment with name and contact info (farm name, mailing address, phone, and email) and the names/number of other people planning to attend from your farm to NYS Cheese Guild, c/o Regional Farm & Food Project, 295 Eighth St., Troy, NY 12180.

Questions? Contact Tracy Frisch, 518/271-0744 or farmfood@capital.net (subject: cheese food safety seminar).

HOLISTIC SOIL MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP
Healthy Soils – Healthy Animals: Making the Connections, Dryden Fire Hall, NY
10 am – 3:00 pm

This course was developed at the request of grazers and organic dairy farmers, but will be of interest to anyone who raises crops to feed humans or animals. The goal is to introduce the participants to the pieces that make up the whole in a soil to food system. We will look at the similarities in the biological dynamics that are happening on the farm, whether it’s in the rhizosphere of the plant, the rumen of the cow or the return of the nutrients to the soil through organic waste digestion, and how a change in one of the pieces affects the whole system.

Jerry Brunetti was chosen by the farmer focus group to be the capnote speaker of the “Healthy Soils – Healthy Animals” course because of his ability to connect what’s going on in soil to what’s going on with animals. Jerry is the managing director of Agri-Dynamics, a firm specializing in the formulation and production of products for farm livestock. He stresses the similarities in biological dynamics of the entire farm – whether in the rumen of the cow, the rhizosphere in the soil or in the digestion of organic waste. The purpose of this soils course was to introduce the participants to concepts that are involved in the holistic system that makes up their farms. We believe Mr. Brunetti will be able to answer any questions that remain.

Please pre-register by calling Sharon VanDeuson ( 607) 753-5078 or shv7@cornell.edu. Contact Fay Benson 753-5213 with questions.

Good Manufacturing Practices For The Production of Acid & Acidified (Pickled) Foods
Thursday, April 8

Both workshops will be held at the
Historic Salem Courthouse and the Battenkill Kitchen
58 East Broadway, Salem, NY 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.

These workshops will be hands-on practical training designed to provide current and future small processors with the basic elements needed to understand the main processing steps, critical control points and record keeping to safely manufacture specialty products for the marketplace. Participants will receive both technical information and practical training by the demonstration of producing fruit jam, low-sugar jelly, BBQ-type sauce, and pickled vegetables.

Farmers interested in value added processing, food manufacturers, small-scale processors of specialty foods, or any one interested in starting a small-scale food manufacturing business should attend the workshops.

Registration for each workshop is $50 and includes materials and lunch. Registration is limited to 25 people per class. Deadline to register is April 1.
The workshops are presented by the Northeast Center for Food Entrepreneurship from Cornell University and hosted by The Battenkill Kitchen, Inc. and Cornell Cooperative Extension. For more information about the workshops call 518-746-2560 or visit http://www.aedpws.org/ and click on upcoming programs to download a registration form.