Spring2006

April 10, 2006 SMALL FARM QUARTERLY Page 3

By Anu Rangarajan

I used to look forward to winter as a time toslow down, take stock and recharge for thespring. Here at the Cornell Small FarmsProgram, however, this winter has beenone of our busiest yet. New projects, newstaff, and lots of new ideas!

SUPPORTING BEGINNING FARMERTRAINING All around the Northeast, extension educa-tors and other farm organizations conductworkshops focused on beginning farmers.These farmers can include those who arejust starting to explore farming, those whorecently started farming, or those who arebeen farming for some time but want to trysome different enterprise.

Erica Frenay has joined the Program to fig-ure out how we can best support thesetraining efforts. A team of extension educa-

tors is working with Erica to review avail-able beginning farmer materials, collectcurriculum, develop a central on-lineresource library, and prepare new materialsto fill in gaps. To start, Erica has developeda new section of our website devoted toBeginning Farmer Resources (www.small-farms.cornell.edu/pages/resources/begin-ning/index.cfm) and another section devot-ed to Farmer Profiles extracted from pastissues of SFQ (www.smallfarms.cornell.edu/pages/resources/index.cfm). Checkthem out! This Beginning Farmer effortwas funded by the NY State Department ofAgriculture and Markets and the USDARisk Management Agency.

ORGANIC AND SMALL DAIRY VIABILITY We also welcome Fay Benson, our newOrganic and Small Dairy Educator. Prior tostarting in extension, Fay operated a smalldairy that transitioned to organic produc-tion. Now, he works as a grazing educator

at Cortland County CCE. This winter, wereceived several grants from the New YorkFarm Viability Institute to enhance organicand small dairy viability. We are pleasedthat this funding will now allow Fay todevote time to statewide small and organicdairy issues, in collaboration with the SmallFarm Program.

Fay will help lead the new NY OrganicDairy Ag Innovation Center. Over the nexttwo years, the Center will bring together agroup of farmers, processors, handlers andcertifiers to consider strategies to increaseorganic milk production in the state. This‘Task Force’ will also help focus futureresearch, education, and investment tosupport organic dairy producers. Fay andJacob Schuelke (farm business manage-ment educator in Cortland County) will alsodevelop a series of workshops on farmbusiness management specific to organicdairy. These workshops will be hosted inthree different areas of NY, for farmers con-sidering organic and those already transi-tioned.

Organic dairy is just one of several optionsfarmers may consider to increase the prof-itability of their small dairies. Otherapproaches, such as grazing or on-farmprocessing, also have appeal. There aresome dairy farmer discussion groupsaround the state that can help producersconsider these options, but not everyonehas access to a local discussion group. Wewant to know if distance learning technolo-gies can help create ‘virtual’ discussiongroups focused on value-added or farmmanagement innovations. The advantagewould be bringing together a ‘learning com-munity’ without having to travel a long dis-tance. Fay will be working with farmergroups around the state to develop a seriesof video-linked presentations and discus-sions.

RISK MANAGEMENT EDUCATIONBehind the scenes and some of the SFQarticles you have been reading lurks CraigCramer, another new contributor to theSmall Farm Program. Craig has worked in

the Department of Horticulture at Cornellfor several years, supporting networkingand outreach. In a past life, he served asan editor and writer for New Farm Maga-zine, published by Rodale Press. Craig iscoordinating a series of articles on riskmanagement for SFQ and helping us devel-op our own editing and writing skills (spon-sored by the NY State Department of Agri-culture and Markets and the USDA RiskManagement Agency). Welcome Craig!

THANKS TO SFP PARTNERSNone of these projects would be possiblewithout the close partnerships we enjoywith CCE Educators, farmers, Cornell col-leagues, nonprofit organizations, and otheragricultural service providers. It is thesepartnerships that help us realize our Mis-sion, to celebrate and promote thrivingsmall farms. Thank you!

Please feel free to contact Erica Frenayabout our beginning farmer project([email protected]), Fay Benson([email protected]) about our small andorganic dairy grants, or Anu Rangarajan([email protected]) on any and all of ourefforts.

ProgressIn 2003 Small Farm Quarterly started as anidea. Initially it faced what seemed someinsurmountable odds. The fact that it cametogether so quickly and fit so well is testa-ment to being in the right place at the righttime. However, there was much more to itthan that. A group of good people agreedto take on even more responsibilities andwe had help from places many weren’teven aware of.

SFQ relies on the contributions of peoplewho are all busy with other responsibilitiesas well. The magazine has been fortunateto receive articles from farmers, 4-H youth,Extension Educators, as well as USDAfolks, and other contributors. No one getspaid to write. The help from Country Folks

in publishing and distribution is appreciatedwith every issue; and with every issue wetry to progress. Ultimately, YOU, the read-ers, determine SFQ’s success.

In 2001 another publication, Farming Maga-zine, started up in Mt. Hope, Ohio. It toofaced what seemed insurmountable oddsand has survived and grown. Today its cir-culation encompasses much of the UnitedStates. David Kline and his wife Elsie,along with friends and family, edit FarmingMagazine.

With this issue of SFQ we welcome a newregular contributor - David Kline. Many ofyou might already be familiar with David’sbooks: Great Possessions, and Scratchingthe Woodchuck, along with many articles inmany publications over the years. From hiswritings you might conclude his full-time

past-time is the observation of nature.However, his passions are many, not theleast of which are his faith, his family, hisfriends, and his farm.

David operates an organic dairy, which hefarms with horses. About 40 Jerseys makeup the milking herd. He is a strong advo-cate of management intensive grazing butalso loves to plow. David strives to managehis farm in a way that optimizes the rela-tionships of wild creations in an environ-ment influenced by man.

We are very pleased to offer in this issuethe first of David Kline’s contributions toSmall Farm Quarterly, entitled “Fringe Ben-efits.” Anyone appreciating farming, natureand the great outdoors is in for a treat.

We are also delighted to present anothernew feature with this issue: the first of a

series of photo essays by Berkshire Coun-ty, MA photographer Jason Houston. Jasonis an independent documentary photogra-pher with over 15 years experience with awide range of subjects. His most recentproject on local and sustainable agriculturehas included over 25 feature stories in pub-lications including The New York TimesMagazine, TIME, Orion Magazine, The WallStreet Journal, New York Magazine, New-Farm.org, Organic Gardener, Berkshire Liv-ing, and many others.

We are grateful to David Kline and JasonHouston, and to each and every contributorand reader, for helping to make Small FarmQuarterly such an inspiring, and rewardingproject. Thank you.

Bill Henning and Joanna Green SFQ Editorial Team members

FROM THE EDITORS

How can I get Small Farm Quarterly?Country Folks subscribers automatically receive SFQ four times a year at

no extra cost. Country Folks is delivered weekly for $35 per year.

SFQ-only subscribers receive just the 4 issues of Country Folks that contain the SFQ insert for only $5 a year.

Cooperative Extension Associations and other organizations can offer their members a subscription to SFQ as a member benefit! Your organization collects the names, forwards them to Country Folks Subscriptions, and pays Country Folks just $2.50 for each subscriber.

Country Folks mails out the copies.

Bulk orders: You can order multiple copies of any issue for just 10¢ a copy! Minimum order is 50. Orders must be placed at least 4 weeks before the publication date - Summer 2006 copies need to be ordered by June 10.

To find out more, contact:Tracy Crouse

Country Folks SubscriptionsP.O. Box 121, Palatine Bridge, NY 13428

1-888-596-5329 email: [email protected]

CORNELL SMALL FARMS PROGRAM UPDATE

New Projects, New Staff, andNew Ideas

In last fall’s issue of Small Farm Quarterlywe sent out Reader Feedback cards to cer-tain areas of our circulation. Many thanksto the more than 500 readers who returnedcards. As promised, we will be sending an“I Love Small Farms” T-shirt to the lucky tenwhose cards were drawn at random. Thewinners are:• Mr. John Moyer, Middletown Spring, VT

• Thomas Worobey, Herkimer County, NY• Rebecca Schuelke, Chenango County, NY• Tom Holl, Chenango County, NY• Keith Kraatz, Genesee County, NY• Nelson Tillson, Winham County, VT• Maurice D. Ouimet, Addison County, VT• David Hume, Windsor County, VT• Lawrence Murch, Cumberland County, ME• J. Purdy, Greene County, NY

SFQ T-Shirt Winners!

By Celeste Carmichael

“Have a future not a past, safety first -- nev-er last.” This, I’ve learned, is the mantra offolks who work in the field of agriculturalsafety. It is kind of a catchy little slogan,and I have caught myself repeating it morethan once since I heard it not long ago.

THE GRIM STATISTICSWe all probably know that, across theboard – regardless of where you live orwhat you do, injuries are the leading causeof death and disability from 1 year of ageuntil 21 years of age. And, many of us –unfortunately – have personal stories thatvalidate that statistic.

The seriousness of this concern is ampli-fied for farm families - not because anyoneis less cautious, but because the opportuni-ty for risk is greater when there are machin-ery and animals around. In fact, it is esti-mated that 23,500 children are injuredannually on the farm. As you might expect,fatal and nonfatal injuries to children onfarms often involve tractors and other farmmachinery, livestock, building structuresand falls.

Similar statistics also plague the adults infarm families. A 2001 study out of Col-orado State University found that the pres-sure of time and economy sometimescause people to make riskier choices. Thestudy acknowledged that farm families are“cautiously careless,” often because of timeconstraints or experience (I’ve done that so

many times and it was okay). Unfortunatelyone untimely accident can impact lives for-ever.

A PERSONAL STORYWhile looking for someone to interviewabout this topic, I started talking withMichelle Thonesen, a student who is work-ing with me this year as a program assis-tant. Michelle is a sophomore at Cornellwho is studying Applied Economics andManagement with a focus in Ag Business.She comes from Reedley, California – aplace she describes as the fruit basket ofthe world. (Incidentally, I Googled Reed-ley…and sure enough, in case you werewondering, it IS the fruit basket of theworld!)

Michelle’s grandfather, uncles, and cousinsall either own or manage farms – growingpeaches, nectarines, plums, pluots (a crossbetween plums and apricots), wine grapesand oranges. Knowing of her farm back-ground, I asked Michelle if her family tookspecial precautions to help her live andwork safely around the farm. It was thenthat she told me that this is an issue ofgreat importance to her and her family, asher father died in a farm accident when shewas five.

Her story is a powerful one. Writing thispiece has certainly made me think (andcry)…and I hope that reading it helps toinfluence the safety decisions that youmake. Lives are precious…safety first!

Q. What happened to your father?

A. I had to ask my brotherbecause I never really knew whathappened exactly. This is what hetold me:

“Dad built a trailer that had twotandem axles and made it largeenough to fit many tractors oreven a large tractor with a sprayeron it. He would have to load thetractors one after another in orderto get them all on to the trailerbecause it was a tilting trailer. Thetilt action allowed the trailer to tiltback to make it easy to load andunload. When loading many smalltractors he would have to start them all in-line and drive the back one to push all ofthem on so that the trailer would not tilt upafter the first and not allow the others to beput on.

“When he was loading a fork-lift and twotractors, the fork-lift tire got stuck and thetractor ran up the back of the fork-lift andflipped. The cause of death was eitherasphyxiation or a broken neck. The steeringwheel caught him at the neck. I know that itwas quick and painless.”

See, my dad was not just managing hisfarms but he was also managing farms forother people as well, so he had to movelots of equipment at one time. Our familywas on vacation at the coast when it hap-pened. My grandpa (my dad’s dad) had tocall my mom and tell her what happened.

Q. Did this affect your education decisionsand career thoughts?

A. This has definitely affected our careerchoices (me and my brothers). My brotherNeil (the oldest) is a very hands-on personand I could see him as a farmer and possi-bly taking over our farm if our dad were stillalive. But because of what has happenedhe chose a different career.

I know my career interests have definitelybeen affected. I love agriculture and I prob-ably would have ended up in it some howbut now I have this purpose to continuethrough all adversity. I also feel the need toexplain to people the importance of farmingbecause otherwise it seems like my daddied for no reason. He died not only doingsomething that he loved, but doing some-thing that would benefit other people. Ithink that is an important thing for people toknow. Farming is more than a job, it is away of life and it is vital to our survival.

Page 4 SMALL FARM QUARTERLY April 10, 2006

HOME AND FAMILY

On Raising Rural Kids Safety First, Never Last

Cornell student Michelle Thonesen as a baby, with herfather and big brother Neil. Her dad was killed in a trac-tor accident when she was five years old.

READERS WRITE

Raw Milk RevisitedEditor’s note: We received lots of com-ments about Fay Benson’s article “ThinkingAbout Selling Raw Milk?” in the Winter2006 issue of SFQ. We’ll let Fay have thelast word first:

I received many responses to the articleand although it was nice to hear commentsof support, I learned the most from thecomments of Dr. Kathryn Boor with theFood Science Department at Cornell. Pro-fessor Boor grew up on a dairy farm in NY,so was familiar with drinking raw milk. Shecommented on the recent out break of E.coli sickness in the state of Washingtonwhere raw milk sickened at least 18 peoplewith E. coli O157:H7. Two children nearlydied. Milk and environmental swabs takenfrom the milking area of the farm in ques-tion tested positive for E. coli O157:H7 --the same strain found in the human illnesscase samples.

Parents of the children who will now needto have dialysis treatment for the rest oftheir lives are suing the farm owners. Thisis an unfortunate event and definitely notthe norm. It is important to note that theFDA and the National Academies of Sci-ence recommend avoiding consumption ofraw milk as both agencies have determinedthat the risks are greater than any possiblebenefits. We, and our customers, need toweigh the risks carefully. Are we riskingjust a painful stomach bug or are we riskingthe life long health of our children?

Fay BensonCornell Cooperative Extension of CortlandCounty

Joanna,

SFQ is sure a welcome addition to ourCountry Folks subscription. We just got theWinter issue and I think it's the best oneyet. I can get through most newspapers ina single meal. But with so many interestingarticles, each Small Farm Quarterly defi-nitely lasts for several meals! I thought theraw milk article was excellent. It provideduseful information where there is a gap. Itdidn't necessarily provide “the other side”but that side is always presented. Point-Counter point is not always necessary…Kudos for pushing the envelope.

Michael GlosKingbird Farm, Berkshire, NY

Hello Fay,

Wanted to let you know that the Raw Milkarticle was great! This is the kind of infothat small farms need to receive and to beencouraged to try. It would be great for thefarmer to have added income and alsogreat for the consumer to get “really goodmilk,” not milk that has been taken apartand put back together.

Pat KaneShamrock Hill Farm, Port Crane, NY

Dear Fay,

I read with great interest your article on rawmilk in the recent Small Farm Quarterlypublication. I am currently with the Universi-ty of KY (Department of Animal and FoodSciences) but actually my interest in thearticle comes from a personal perspective. Igrew up on one of the last dairy farms inSuffolk County, Long Island. We had tried

to sell raw milk many years ago but withoutgoing into a long story at this point, it wassomething we wanted to do, but were pre-vented.

The article gives me hope that small scaledairying and direct consumer sales have afuture in NY (and LI). Since our farm wasrecently preserved through the sale ofdevelopment rights, re-starting a dairyoperation is something I am investigatingfor myself… Thanks for taking the time towrite an informative story.

Herb StrobelUniversity of Kentucky Department of Animal and Food Sciences

Finally, from Steve Smith, one of the farm-ers featured in Fay’s article:

Howdy Fay,

Found out your article appeared in theSmall Farm Quarterly this past Saturday aswe were loading a cow into the trailer and itwas starting to snow and this couple pulledup on the road and asked if this was thefarm that had been described in the Quar-terly. We showed them around and the manasked if we knew anyone that had had theirlactose intolerance cured by drinking rawmilk. We know folks whose stomach prob-lems disappeared with raw milk but have nofirsthand knowledge of lactose intolerance.The couple has a bred heifer so they willdiscover for themselves if raw milk helps.Then today, a Delhi farmer called andtalked to Barb at length about starting anorganic dairy and selling some raw milk. Hehad moved here from PA and been told byeveryone that raw milk could not be sold inNY. Your article opened his eyes.

While in Wisconsin we visited a raw milkdairy selling roughly 500 gals at $4.50/gal aweek on a cow share program to folks fromMadison, Rockford, Chicago and Milwau-kee. They have 29 cows and a bull in thebarn this winter. The customers comeweekly and on the same day each week sothe dairy persons can manage the supply.To work with the State they have put in 2bulk tanks. The customers own the part ofthe herd that supplies their milk, and thefarmers lease the cows back from them.The milk from the rest of the herd is put inthe other tank and picked up by OrganicValley. If you do the math you can see whythey are looking at cheese making for utiliz-ing the surplus milk.

Steve SmithMeadowsweet Farm, Lodi, NY

About SFQ readersIn last fall’s issue of Small Farm Quar-terly we sent out Reader Feedbackcards to certain areas of our circula-tion. Many thanks to the more than500 readers who returned cards.

According to responses:• 57% of SFQ readers are members

of their local Cooperative Extension Association

• 57% grow field crops or forages• 45% are involved in dairy • 41% raise beef• 41% have woodlot, forestry, or maple • 22% raise sheep or goats• 24% raise poultry• 19% do some direct marketing• 13% practice organic agriculture• 11% are involved in horticulture• 5% have a greenhouse or high tunnel• 3% do processing• 4 % do not farm

Continued on next page


By Bernadette Logozar

This month I’d like to feature the last of thethree farms I visited when I was in NorthCarolina last October. Sunshine LavenderFarm, in Hurdle Mill, is the only lavenderfarm in North Carolina. This farm is ownedand managed by Annie Baggett and herfamily.

Annie Baggett comes to farming from theworld of marketing and advertising, so shehas an edge over most farmers when itcomes to promoting her products and herfarm. There are tips from Annie that I thinkwould be useful for any farmer who isbranching out and seeking to connectdirectly with their customers.

Prior to moving to the farm, Annie had adream that her front field was full of purpleblooms. That dream is now a reality whereAnnie, her husband Dale and daughtersAbigail and Sylvie have lived and tendedthe farm for five years.

On land formerly cultivated by neighboringLatta Dairy Farm, over 17 varieties oflavender now grow and bloom in that fieldof dreams. With support from family, friendsand the local community, Sunshine Laven-der Farm and its line of natural products forbody, gifts, and weddings continue to growand flourish. Sunshine Lavender Farm usesorganic practices and innovation to ensurethe survival of lavender in the North Caroli-na climate.

SAVVY MARKETINGBefore starting her farm, Annie Baggettcarefully planned her marketing strategy.She knew where she would be marketingher products, how she would connect withher customers, the details of the packagingand promotion. For example, Annie usesthe color lavender to help her ‘stand out’ inthe crowd. “When we go to the farmers’markets we have a lavender pop-up. Weare the ONLY purple tent in the sea ofwhite and blues. So we are easy to spot,”Annie told the group.

The biggest investment she made was for awell-designed and eye-appealing sign totake with her to markets and craft shows.“It has been worth every penny,” commentsAnnie. Of course, with her background inmarketing and promotion, Annie not onlyhas the expertise herself, she also has con-nections to resources most small farmsdon’t have.

Sunshine Lavender Farm has logo that isclean, simple and easily transferable. Andtheir website is up and running www.sun-shinelavender.com. A quick visit will giveyou a definite sense of how Annie useslavender (both the color and the herb) topromote her farm.

CONNECTING WITH CUSTOMERSThis is critical for any business—your cus-tomer base. Annie has a number of waysthat she connects with her customers. Sheproduces a regular email newsletter thatkeeps her customers updated about hap-penings on the farm, events that SunshineLavender Farm will be attending, and prod-uct availability.

In addition to direct sales at area farmers’markets, Annie sells wholesale to a numberof retail stores. She has carefully solicitedthese outlets and she does not undercuttheir prices. Rather she encourages cus-tomers from those communities to pur-chase her products from the local retail dis-tributor. This ensures a local connection forthe customer as well as providing a pur-chase at those locations.

Sunshine Lavender Farm participates inlocal events and is not open to the publicother than once a year. In June, they holda by-invitation-only Lavender Harvest Cele-bration, just before the lavender is harvest-ed, as a customer appreciation event. Onlythose who are on Annie’s e-newsletter listare included in the invitation. This eventbrings some 5000 customers to the farm inone weekend!

Annie also invites area artists to come tothe farm and be inspired. The creationsthat come out of these art retreats can befound on Sunshine Lavender Farm websiteand are definitely worth a look.

LESSONS TO TAKE HOMEOne lesson that can be taken from Sun-shine Lavender Farm is to take the time toknow your product features well, and usethese features to help promote your prod-uct and reach your customers.

Second, if you have product that is veryunique and new to your area, a lot of yourtime will be spent on educating your cus-tomers about the features of your productand how they can use this in their lives.Educating your customer should be part ofyour marketing plan; use this to youradvantage. Each time you provide informa-tion on your product and your farm you areconnecting with a potential customer. Thisis an opportunity to show how to use, inte-grate or combine what you are selling intoyour customers’ life.

Before visiting Sunshine Lavender Farm Ididn’t even think that lavender could beused in cookies, ice tea or lemonade.Although I knew lavender was a member of

the rosemary family, I didn’t make the con-nection to culinary uses since for me laven-der has such a strong connection to healthand beauty uses. So I can admit I learnedsomething new on my visit to SunshineLavender Farm.

Third, if you are selling both retail andwholesale, don’t try and do both in thesame community. Let your distributorswork for you in some locations. This willfree up more of your time as well asstrengthen your relationship with yourwholesale distributors. In the end, it willpay off for you, your wholesale account andyour retail consumer.

Finally, remember to keep revisiting youroverall goal for your family, farm and busi-ness, so you can stay true to what youhope to achieve and the lifestyle you wantfor yourself, your family and your communi-ty. Remember it’s ok to dream. After all,look where Annie Baggett’s dream hasbrought her in a few short years.

Bernadette Logozar is Rural and AgEconomic Development Specialist withCornell Cooperative Extension ofFranklin County. She can be reached at518-483-7403 or [email protected].

MARKETING

Lessons from North CarolinaSunshine Lavender Farm

Lavender Fields grace the hillside in front of Annie Baggett's house. Annie mulches the lavenderplants with shells to help retain moisture and reflect the North Carolina sun. Photographer: Bernadette Logozar

Q. This is such a powerful story Michelle,but I imagine it might be hard to share. Doyou talk with others about what happened?

A. When I tell people about my dad, I’m alittle apprehensive. I know I said that this isa big reason for what I am doing in myfuture career and how I feel about agricul-ture, but when I tell people what happenedthey always look a little guilty or sad forasking. Yes, my dad died. Yes, I miss himand sometimes wish it didn’t happen andhe was still here. But it did, and I am who Iam because of it.

Part of being a part of a farming or ruralcommunity is that you are never left alone.So even though I lost my real dad, I gainedso many dads that I can’t even count. So Iguess what I tell people is this: Because ofwhat my dad did in the community and whohe was as a person, our family has beenable to recover and continue his legacy inour own ways.

Q. How did this shape your approach tofarm safety and policy?

A. This accident could have been prevent-ed. There is a roll bar on back of eachtractor but because it didn’t fit down therow of trees my dad took it off. If the roll

bar were in place there is a possibility hecould have survived. Because of this fact Ibelieve that no matter what your skill level orexperience is with the equipment you shouldtake every possible precaution to be safe.

Q. What special farm safety learning opportu-nities did you take part in while growing up?

A. I personally wasn’t around any equip-ment when I was growing up. About twoyears after my dad died my mom sold thefarms that we owned because we couldn’tfind someone to manage them. I havelearned some farm safety through FFA, butmostly related to animals. I am more cau-tious about driving, especially down mydriveway, which is lined by orchards. Also,when I went to my grandpa’s shed or thepackinghouse I watched, and I kind of justpicked up what to do and not do aroundequipment.

Q. If you were to give other rural familiesone helping of advice, what would it be?

A. Your actions affect more people than justyou. Next time you are about to hop on atractor or are around equipment think aboutwhat your family would do if somethinghappened to you. As much as we like tothink it, we are not invincible. And becauseof that fact we need to think about the pos-sible consequences of not taking that extraeffort to be a little safer.

Many thanks, Michelle, for agreeing to be apart of this column. Your story is sad, butyour outlook and message are so inspiring.May all of us take the time to slow downand consider the ramifications of ouractions – especially on our loved ones.

A FEW FINAL THOUGHTS:• Most accidents do not just happen; theyare the result of an error in judgment.Because the ability to perceive danger andreact safely is a learned behavior, childrenneed regular and consistent training andappropriate examples to follow.• Although formal safety training is excel-lent, leading by example may, according toresearch, be even more persuasive.• Educate children, friends and co-workersabout safety precautions -- never assumethat others understand safety rules.• Information about tractor certificationcourses scheduled in NYS can be found at:http://nys4h.cce.cornell.edu/program/pro-gram.php.

If you would like to nominate a friend (oryourself!) for an interview in this columncontact me, Celeste Carmichael, State 4-H Program Specialist, at: 607-255-4799or [email protected]. Any topic relatedto rural youth will be considered.

Rural KidsContinued from prev. page Your actions affect more

people than just you.Next time you are aboutto hop on a tractor thinkabout what your familywould do if something

happened to you.

Resource SpotlightRural YouthResources

Want to know more about farm safetyor rural youth? Here are a couple ofwebsites to get you started:

Safer Farm Environments for Children,from Cornell’s Ag Health and SafetyProgram:www.diaglab.vet.cornell.edu/aghealth/publics/SAFER FARM ENVIRN-MENTS.pdf.

USDA Rural Information Center siteabout rural youth:www.nal.usda.gov/ric/ricpubs/youth.html

Issues Facing Rural Youth: A Com-pendium of Research, Reports, andPublic Opinion Polls. www.national4-hheadquarters.gov/library/ruralre-search.pdf.

By David Hoover and Bill Henning

On January 26 and 27, some New Yorkersattended the annual North Central OhioDairy Grazing Conference in Wooster,Ohio. This two-day conference, the largestof its kind in the US, drew 375 participantsfrom across the east. It turned out to be avery rewarding trip. There was, as usual, alot of technical information shared by farm-ers and university people. But what folksfound most striking was one panel discus-sion by a group of farmers. In this little arti-cle we will attempt to relay the essence ofthat discussion.

The panel discussion centered on the deci-sion making process on small grazingfarms. None of the farms was larger than130 acres. No farm milked more than 45cows. The farms had been in operation forbetween 15 and 30 years.

The questioning beganwith: Why do you farm theway you do?

All four panelists told usthey prefer a lifestyle that

involves the whole family working together.And, the importance of working together isits benefits for the children.

Q: What is the primary concern in yourdecision making process?

While money is an important considerationit is secondary to factors that might affectthe family-friendly lifestyle.

Q: Who is involved in the decision makingprocess?

One farmer said they hold a regular familyconference and anyone in the family fromschool age and older can contribute todecision-making. Another farmer onlyinvolves children in decisions that directlyaffect them. Another said that involving thefamily in decision-making had not createdany conflicts.

Q: How do you decide what new technolo-gies to adopt?

One farmer explained why hekept his new parlor to sixswing units even though hehas room for eight. He doesnot want to milk too fastbecause this is valuable timespent with his children. Heknows more about what theirlives are all about. The chil-dren look forward to milking.They are all closer and happi-er.

Another said that if a newtechnology might detract fromthe enjoyment of farming it isnot adopted. For similar rea-sons, yet another farmer willnot use automatic takeoffs.One of the panelists prefers toput up loose hay because helikes doing it and the wholefamily participates in a groupsetting. They all agreed thechildren need these responsi-bilities.

In related comments, one couple agreedthe boys should do a little more house work

By Mike Hunter

Spring planting is just around the cornerand farmers have been busily preparing forthe upcoming growing season, getting farmequipment ready for spring’s work andordering the seeds that they plan on grow-ing. This is also the time of year they areplanning on what herbicides and fertilizersto use on the farm. They’re busy gettingcrop input prices, talking with their fertilizerdealers and placing early orders.

Farmers that have talked to their fertilizersuppliers have already found out and thosethat haven’t will notice a significantincrease in fertilizer prices. The biggestincrease has been in nitrogen fertilizers.Skyrocketing natural gas prices have drivennitrogen fertilizer prices higher than lastyear’s prices. Farmers should expect topay more for their nitrogen fertilizer thisseason. We can’t blame our local suppliersfor high fertilizer prices; it is not their fault.Local fertilizer suppliers may absorb someof the increased costs and make less mon-ey on each ton of nitrogen fertilizer. Highernatural gas prices are to blame for thesedrastic increases.

How does rising gas prices affect nitrogenfertilizer prices? Natural gas is the primaryfeedstock in the production of most com-mercial nitrogen fertilizers. Natural gasaccounts for about 85% of the cost to makeanhydrous ammonia. Anhydrous ammoniais used to produce other nitrogen contain-ing fertilizers such as urea, ammoniumnitrate, urea-ammonium nitrate, diammoni-um phosphate (DAP) and monoammoniumphosphate (MAP). With the exception ofammonium nitrate, all the fertilizers listedare commonly used on our local farms inJefferson County, NY.

The real question is, “How do we deal withhigher fertilizer prices?” For the dairyfarmer it means accounting for as muchnitrogen that is already on the farm as pos-sible. You should take full advantage ofcow manure's potential to supply the nutri-ents to the crops. Don’t forget to consider

all of the nitrogen that is produced from aplowed down hayfield. You should also beusing the pre sidedress nitrate test to deter-mine if additional nitrogen is needed foryour corn crop.

Manure has the potential to supply many ofthe nutrients needed to grow a good cropof corn. Nutrient values in manure canvary between farms and even on the samefarm, especially when handling, feeding orbedding changes occur. It is recommendedthat you have dairy manure analyzed fornutrients. It is worth the money to sampleand send their dairy manure to a lab to getan idea of the fertilizer value that it con-tains. If you don't have it tested you’ll needto use “book” or average values for manure.

Not all of the nitrogen in manure is madeavailable to the crop. Manure will supplyboth organic and inorganic forms of nitro-gen. The organic N is slowly made avail-able to the crop. About 35% of the organicN is available to the crop the first year. Forexample, if you were to apply 15 tons of“average” manure per acre it will supplyabout 100 total pounds of organic N.Assuming only 35% of this is available tothe plants the first year, the 15 tons ofmanure will supply 35 pounds of organic Nto the crop. Manure applications from pre-vious years should also be accounted for.There is residual organic N left in the soil

from previous manure applications.

The inorganic nitrogen in manure is in theform of ammonium nitrogen and functionsmuch like the commercial fertilizer sourcesfarmers buy. If you don't capture it the firstcrop year, the inorganic N will disappearinto thin air. Incorporating manure or inject-ing it into the soil is the best way to capturethe ammonium N. If incorporation ofmanure is delayed 15 days you may havelost nearly all of the ammonium N suppliedby the manure. Using the previous manureapplication example, a 15 ton per acremanure rate will give you 60 lbs of ammoni-um N. If that manure application wereincorporated immediately you could savenearly 65% of the ammonium N for the crop.

You should not overlook any nitrogen cred-its that you get from plowed down hayfields.The amount of organic N supplied by theplowed down sod depends on the amountof legume in the stand. The more alfalfa orclover in the stand the more nitrogen sup-plied. The organic N from sods is availablemuch like the organic N in manure. Therule of thumb has always been that 55% ofthe N is available the 1st year. Let's saythat the plowed down grass hayfield sup-plies 100 lbs of organic N per acre. Thefirst year there will be 55 pounds nitrogenavailable to the crop that will be planted inthat same field.

A pre sidedress nitrate test (PSNT) is auseful diagnostic tool used to determinewhether there is enough nitrogen in the soilto carry the corn crop through the season.PSNT's are only useful if organic materialsuch as manure or plowed down sod wasused in the field. A soil sample is takenwhen the corn is between 6 and 12 inchestall. The sample is dried and tested. Thetest will determine the nitrate content of thesoil. If there is an adequate amount ofnitrate in the soil, then sidedressing orapplying additional nitrogen fertilizer is notrecommended. If the soil has a low nitratereading, you should consider sidedressingthe corn crop.

Maximizing your manure usage and takinga close look at all nitrogen credits canreduce your nitrogen fertilizer bill. Theseare things that we should be looking atevery year. Sometimes it takes high fertiliz-er prices to remind us to look at things wecan be doing better on our farms. For moreinformation on PSNT's contact the CornellCooperative Extension, your crop consult-ant, or your local crop supplier.

Mike Hunter is Agronomy and FieldCrops Educator and Agriculture Pro-gram Leader with Cornell CooperativeExtension of Jefferson County. This arti-cle is updated from one originally pub-lished in Jefferson County's ExtensionConnection newsletter, May-June 2003.


COWS AND CROPS

Dealing With High Fertilizer Prices

Liquid manure being applied to orchardgrass at Doubledale Farms in Ellisburg, NY.

Sidedressing nitrogen fertilizer on corn cropin Adams, New York.

HOME AND FAMILY

Not all Returns onInvestment are $$$$



By Dave Forgey

Editor’s note: Dave Forgey is well knownto graziers across the US. We greatlyappreciate his contribution of this article toSFQ.

Keep It Simple. This is a concept that worksvery well with rotational grazing. In factsome graziers call it the KISS (keep it sim-ple stupid) system. It all involves doingthings which don’t cost much money ortake much time but which increase your netreturns.

This has been one of my greatest chal-lenges. I have always been a gadget per-son. I would always go for any idea whichwould cut the time or labor involved and Ialways fell for the sales pitch that all thesegadgets increased my profit by reducinglabor or expense. In fact over the years I’veprobably bought enough gadgets to reducemy labor and expense by over 200%, butmy expense just went up and I was stillworking as hard as ever.

I think most of us fall into the same trapand we just have to do more to pay for thelabor saving devices. Even after changingto our low cost system I have to watchmyself or I spend money for things I don’tneed. The first fencing salesman I talked totold me I needed a reel to roll up poly-wireon at $40. I bought one. Since then I havebeen buying extension cord reels at the

local hardware for less than $5. Even myfirst fences had more wires than wereneeded. I’ve found that after proper train-ing, one wire interior and two wire perime-ter fences do quite well for controlling mostcattle.

The same goes for the plants we grow forpasture. Many times you can pay four orfive times as much for extravagant seedswhich don’t produce any more feed than asimple orchard grass-clover pasture. Don’tget me wrong, an additional seed expenseof $15 to $20 dollars per acre can easily berecovered if the dry matter yield onlyincreases by a few hundred pounds peryear. But many times this doesn’t happenunless we change our management or fer-tility system, and this increases our cost ofproduction.

If we’re going to be early adopters of thesegrazing ideas we have to do the researchto document our cost savings on eachchange. Otherwise we only know at theend of the year if we have more income,but we don’t know where it came from.Sooner or later the research facilities willcatch up with us and start doing economicanalysis on many of these grazing ideas.Then we can use their research to fine tuneour operations.

It’s a good idea to walk all your paddocksevery 10 days, so you keep track of what isgrowing. If you think of a scale from 1-10,

with 1 being bare ground, and 10 beinggrass 10" tall, you can begin to keep trackof the amount of grass that is on your farm.You need to keep the grass in the vegeta-tive stage so don't let any grass head out.Try to pasture when the grass is 6"-8" tall.

If you get too many paddocks at that heightall at once it's time to make some hay on afew of them to keep them in the right stageof growth for the next round. Rememberthe grass will slow down as moisture getsshort, or heat units build up. If you’re say-ing, "hey this is getting complicated,"remember it's only brain power, and notcostly horsepower you’re using.

Since you’re walking your paddocks every10 days and keeping a log of the amount ofgrass in each, you should have a lot ofnumbers from 1-10. Average the number ineach paddock at the end of each walk tosee what the average number is for thewhole farm. Is it higher or lower than thelast walk? If it's getting high make morehay, if it's getting low, slow down your rota-tion and feed a little hay out in the paddock.Scatter the bales along the fence or under abreakwire so they don't make a mess of it.

If it sounds like a lot of walking, it is, butyou’re always close to the livestock so youcan be observing cow behavior, or check-ing heats, and becoming a good stockman.

This past winter I heard a University econo-mist talk about his prediction for the futureof the dairy business in this country. He feltthat a confinement dairy to be economicallyviable needed to milk between 500 and

1000 cows. They would need 60% equitygoing into the operation. Then they wouldhire labor for $6-$8 per hour and at the endof the year net $300 per cow. If you don’tcompare that to anything it sounds like agood annual profit, but I have talked tomany graziers who keep it simple who arenetting nearly $1000 per cow on moderatesized farms without the hassle of managinglarge numbers of employees or cows.

It’s a well known fact that our prices formilk, meat or grain haven’t risen much inthe last ten years, but services and equip-ment we purchase to raise these productshave gone up dramatically. Getting biggerand thus more efficient only goes so far inspreading the costs over more units of pro-duction and we usually have to work harderto earn the same or less return.

If that mega-dairy is the future dairy indus-try then there is little chance for the youngpeople of this country to ever be anythingbut an employee on such an operation. Idon’t believe this is the only option foryoung people. I believe with the rightopportunity a young person who can opentheir mind to the new concepts behind rota-tional grazing and seasonal dairying couldbe operating on their own within 5 to 10years after starting in this system. Justkeep it simple.

Dave & Helen Forgey are partners inRiver View Farm, Inc, of Logansport, IN.Dave has grazed for many years, writtenmany articles, and has spoke on numer-ous occasions here in New York. Hisweb site is www.forgraze.com.

GRAZING

Keep It Simple Avoiding unnecessary costs can make your smallgrazing dairy more profitable

Good grazing management may save you more money than the latest gadget. Photographer: Fay Benson

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and the girls should do a little more farmwork. It was also mentioned that as farmsbecame more technical, children seemmore likely to leave the farm. The organicmovement was deemed as one of the lightsat the end of the tunnel, and when farmsturn organic children are more likely tokeep farming.

Q: Why don’t you milk more cows?

The first response was “Why add morecows?” Another said he’d keep moreheifers to help his sons start their ownfarms. It was suggested that a farm shouldnot milk more cows than it can feed, andthat increasing herd size is not a family-friendly experience.

Diversification was also mentioned as ameans of expanding income. Vegetableproduction was immediately mentioned.One farmer operates a wood shop whileanother is even raising camels.

Takeaway message: There can be a lotmore to farming than making money. Thesefour panelists exploited their own imagina-tions in the pursuit of the better life – forthemselves and their families.

Bill Henning and his wife Kathleen oper-ate a grass-based beef and sheep farmin the Finger Lakes region of New York.He is also the Small Farms Specialistwith PRO-DAIRY/CCE-NWNY Dairy, Live-stock, and Field Crops Team. DavidHoover farms with his family in YatesCounty, NY.

InvestmentContinued from prev. page

By Joan Sinclair Petzen

Editor’s note: This article is part of aseries focusing on risk management fundedby the New York Crop Insurance EducationProgram under the Risk ManagementAgency (USDA) and the NYS Departmentof Agriculture & Markets.

Stewart & Deb Ritchie started Native Offer-ings Farm with an eye toward minimizingrisks right from the beginning. By “boot-strapping,” as they call it, they were able toget into the business with limited capitaland financial risk. And to minimize bothfinancial and market risks, the couple usedthe Community Supported Agriculture(CSA) model. They sell “shares” to cus-tomers before the season even begins, andthen deliver fresh produce to them weeklyduring (and even after) the growing season.

The Ritchies run their farm pro-actively,making decisions that reduce risks andincrease their chances of success with aclearly articulated goal in mind: “We strivefor super high-quality produce and to con-nect people with seasonal eating based onthe local climate.”

After managing a 7-acre vegetable opera-tion on the Arden Farm in East Aurora, NYfor a year, the Ritchies decided to rent thefarm. The farm had a long history of provid-ing vegetables to the community through aself-service farm stand and sales at aweekly farmers market. Those marketingties provided a strong platform for theRitchies to launch their CSA business in1997.

They printed informational brochures andused the Arden Farm customer list torecruit 60 to 70 members their first season.The up-front payment by CSA members fora season’s worth of produce allowed theRitchies to finance their first crop withoutthe risk of borrowing for operating expens-es. The second risk-reducing advantage ofthe CSA approach is that the Ritchie’s cropis marketed before it’s planted.

The Arden Farm had a greatlocation for selling, but it wasnot ideal for growing. The lim-ited acreage was dominatedby heavy clay soils with a hardpan. The Ritchies tried toimprove the soil and reducethe crusting that hindered cropemergence by switching fromthe previous owner’s rotarytillage to deep-chiseling, andleaving rough seedbeds withplenty of litter and compost.But as their business began togrow, the farm’s shortcomingsbecame more apparent. SoStew and Deb began to searchfor a farm of their own.

The couple wanted to stayclose to their established EastAurora market, but they knewthat one way to reduce produc-tion risks was to find a farmwith soils that were better suit-ed for vegetable production.So they mapped out all of theareas in Erie County with

sandy loam soils, and began and begantheir search. Five years later, they settledon a 180-acre farm near Scotts Corners inneighboring Cattaraugus County. It mettheir soil criteria and was still a reasonabledrive from their established markets.

MANY MEMBER OPTIONSEven before the move, the Ritchies focusedtheir attention on improving their marketingand meeting their members’ needs. Some-times potential CSA customers don’t joinbecause they don’t want produce throughthe entire season. To reduce this potentialmarketing risk, the Ritchies offer severaloptions to their membership.

Regular summer shares start in June andrun for 22 weeks through October. Early inthe season, deliveries consist mostly of awide variety of greens, with warmer-seasoncrops added as they ripen. But for theirmembers who aren’t wild about greens theRitchies offer a July-start share.

The Ritchies also offer an 18-delivery win-ter share that runs from November throughMarch. It typically includes root crops,potatoes, apples, onions, garlic, and wintersquash, as well as greenhouse-growngreens when available, such as kale, col-lards, mustard, cabbage, and brusselsspouts. The Ritchies also make kimchi,sauerkraut and other fermented vegetablesfor the winter share.

Eighty percent of the CSA members pur-chase a 20-week fruit share that is assem-bled with tree-ripened fruit and berries fromseveral local farms. The season starts inJune with strawberries. Members enjoyberries, cherries, peaches, plums and nec-tarines through summer and wind up withapples and pears in fall.

Eye appeal is important with fruit crops.The Ritchies learned that many of theircustomers prefer clearly labeled low-sprayto organic fruit if blemishes are an issue.By cooperating with specific regional fruitgrowers, Native Offerings Farm is able tocapture more of the market with the sale ofa fruit share.

Some CSA customers fret that they getmore produce than they could possibly use.So the Ritchies offer both small shares(ideal for two to four people) and largeshares (that provide enough produce for afamily of four to six). Customers can learnmore about the farm’s products and prac-tices by visiting the web site at: www.native-offerings.com.

STEADY SALESSECURE LOANStew and Deb useorganic productionmethods, but theyare not certifiedthrough the USDA’sorganic certification

program. Instead, they’ve chosen to certifytheir crops through Certified NaturallyGrown™, a non-profit alternative eco-label-ing program. The program focuses primari-ly on certifying local direct marketers andrequires far less recordkeeping than USDA.The Ritchies feel that it’s a more practicalalternative for a highly diversified operationlike theirs that relies almost exclusively onbuilding trust with customers through face-to-face interactions. (See: www.naturally-grown.org.)

Reducing financial risks has driven many ofthe decisions that Stew and Deb havemade in their farming career. Using theCSA model has helped them to finish eachyear within a few hundred dollars of theirbudget. Strong cash flow from CSA salesenabled them to borrow the capital theyneeded to purchase the farm.

This was particularly important in their firstyear at the new farm. They knew from theirbudgets that they needed to double theirincome in the first year following their movein order to afford the mortgage payments,which they have since privatized at a fixedinterest rate. To limit machinery and equip-ment investment, the Ritchies hire a neigh-bor to moldboard plow and make hay.

DIVERSE CROPS REDUCE RISKSOne way the Ritchies reduce productionrisks from insects, disease and weather isby planting 240 different vegetable vari-eties. They choose their varieties for insectand disease resistance, as well as for yield,culinary appeal and appearance. As ahedge against production risks, the


MANAGING RISK

For CSA, Managing Risks isJust Good BusinessAt Native Offerings Farm, committed customers share risks and reap benefits.

To reduce weatherrisks and extend theseason at both ends,Stew and Deb Ritchiegrow their tomatoesplanted directly in thesoil of their earth-floored greenhouse.Photo by Desiree'Ottley

What you can learnfrom the RitchiesHere are a dozen ways the Ritchiesreduce risks on their CSA farm:

1. Match crops to your farm’s climateand resources.

2. Use members’ up front share pay-ments to cover operating expenses.

3. Offer members share options thatmeet their needs.

4. Remember: Stable income helpswhen securing loans.

5. Avoid equipment investments whenyou can hire neighbors.

6. Choose diverse varieties that areinsect- and disease- resistant…

7. …and that your customers like to eat.8. Cooperate with other farmers so each

can focus on what they do best.9. Find alternative markets to sell sur-

plus crops.10. Consider migrant workers to help

with labor crunch.11. Integrate livestock to increase

marketing and rotation options.12. Strive for year-round sales.

By Frans Vokey

Hoard’s Dairyman recently ran an articleentitled, “They’re Sold on Composting Bed-ded Pack Barns,” which caught the atten-tion of many local producers here in LewisCounty, NY. Since then I have received anumber of questions from people consider-ing this type of housing for their dairy herd.While I continue to educate myself on thepotential merits and drawbacks of this typeof housing, the following are some thoughtsto consider.

BACKGROUNDComposting Bedded Pack (CBP) barns –several of which are found in Minnesota –are described in a series of papers by theUniversity of Minnesota. They are consid-ered to be “an economically feasible alter-native type of dairy housing facility for pro-ducers wanting to upgrade or modernizetheir milking herd facilities.”

The basic layout includes a clay-basedloose-housing area bedded with dry saw-dust and a concrete feed alley which isseparated from the pack by a 4-ft high con-crete wall. The three concrete walls sur-rounding the pack are also 4-ft high to con-tain the pack as it gets higher. Not unlikeany dairy housing system, excellent man-agement and a commitment to maintaininga dry, well-ventilated environment areessential to the success of a CBP barn.

Management: Key word is “Composting”CBP’s differ from traditional bedded packs -they must be actively composting. Com-posting is a biological process in whichoxygen-loving microorganisms break downorganic matter into a soil-like material. Themicrobes need a carbon (contained in thebedding) to nitrogen (contained in themanure) ratio of 30:1 for the compostingprocess to be effective. In the process,heat, water and carbon dioxide are pro-duced.

When a composting system is workingproperly, temperature of the pack shouldstay between 120 and 140 degrees F. To

manage this process, the pack has to betilled or stirred twice daily to mix manureand bedding and to keep oxygen in thesystem. Excellent ventilation is required tokeep the surface dry. Managers must alsoresist the temptation to overcrowd the packwith animals or to skimp on bedding. Atleast 80 square feet of pack space per cowis needed for Holstein cows.

COMPARISONS TO A THREE-ROWFREE-STALL BARNThe typical dimensions of a CBP barn aresimilar to that of a 3-row free-stall. Also,according to the Hoard’s article, cow com-fort in a well-managed CBP might be simi-lar to that of a properly designed and man-aged sand-bedded free-stall. Therefore pro-ducers considering building a CBP barnshould use a 3-row, sand-bedded free-stallas a comparison barn.

SPACE REQUIREMENTS HIGHERAt first it seems like the CBP barn shouldbe less expensive to build than a 3-rowfree-stall barn since the pack area can beclay based, lacks stall components andrequires less concrete. However, consider aCBP barn designed for 50 cows. At 80 sqft per cow, the pack area must be 4,000 sqft. This same area, if converted to threerows of 46-in.-wide free-stalls would allowfor 80 stalls, or 88 cows at 110% stockingdensity.

While there is a cost savings in stalls, keepin mind that the CBP barns have a 4-ft highconcrete wall on all sides of the pack. If thebarn is used for summer housing, produc-ers suggest a 16-ft sidewall instead of 14 ftto ensure ventilation because the concretewall blocks airflow. The structural designfor a 16-ft high barn requires larger structuralmembers and more bracing than a 14-ft highbarn, resulting in an increased initial cost.

BEDDING REQUIREMENTSAccording to the information from the Min-nesota producers, the cost of good qualitysawdust bedding is $750 - $800 per load,which translates into $0.35 to $0.60 percow per day.

Quality sand bedding here in Lewis County,at $7 per ton, translates into $0.10 to $0.16per cow per day, assuming daily sand useof 40 to 50 lbs. per stall. Use of sand bed-ding can result in additional cost associatedwith its removal from the barn, conveyanceto storage, land application, and lost cropyields due to increased soil compaction.The price of sawdust has increased inrecent years and could be expected toincrease further. Increasing fossil fuelprices have resulted in more sawdust andshaving byproducts being used as sourcesfor wood pellets.

LABOR SAVINGS?One University of Minnesota Extensionpaper suggests that there should be somelabor savings on manure handling. But becareful about budgeting for this. The samepaper says that the pack should be tilled orstirred twice daily with an attachment on askid loader, which takes up to 10 minutes.The feed alley then needs to be scraped aswell (presumably after switching skid loaderattachments) into a manure storage ordirectly to a spreader. By comparison, thefree-stall would have two alleys to scrapeand should not take any more time.

MANURE CONSIDERATIONSOnce manure leaves the barn, the varietyof options for handling it makes a compari-son difficult. Producers with CBP’s say thatfall is the best time to remove the pack sothat it can be spread on corn ground. Sincethis might conflict with corn harvest activi-ties, one producer suggests removing thepack daily over several weeks.

It is important that the CBP product be landapplied in according with the farm’s Com-prehensive Nutrient Management Plan(CNMP). The loss of nitrogen during thecomposting process will result in an evenmore out-of-balance material, with muchhigher Phosphorus than Nitrogen. If theCNMP requires manure application on aPhosphorus basis, the same land require-ments are needed with the CBP as withfree-stall barn manure.

An advantage of the CBP, compared tostored slurry manure, is control of odor dur-ing storage and also when it is landapplied. While there may still be somestored manure from the scrape alley, itmight be possible to apply it to fields where


COWS AND CROPS

Composting Bedded PackBarns Get Attention

Cows enjoying the comfort of sawdust bedding. Photographer: Fay Benson

Ritchies overplant some crops. And theyavoid planting some crops at times whenthey are vulnerable to infestation, for exam-ple Brassicas when they are likely to beattacked by flea beetles. Row covers pro-tect some crops from pests.

The couple sometimes works cooperativelywith other CSAs, trading surplus crops forones they can’t grow as well. This allowseach farm to reduce risks by growing cropsthat are best suited to their resources andskills. It’s one of the ways the couple triesto build community among growers as wellas among their members.

Tomatoes are an important crop for theRitchies. But the weather at their sitemakes field-grown tomatoes a risky propo-sition. To reduce that risk and extend theseason at both ends, they now grow theirtomatoes planted in the soil of their earth-floored greenhouse. This gives themgreater control over growing conditions andinsures the consistent, high-quality toma-toes their customers seek.When Stew drops members’ shares at theCSA’s three distribution points, he makes

each mile count. On those days, he alsodelivers to wholesale customers or sells ata farmers market. Because the CSA is thecouple’s core business – accounting for 90percent of the farm’s income – they onlysell surplus product through these addition-al markets. But it helps them turn bumpercrops into extra income.

Finding reliable help can be a big challengeon a labor-intensive farm like the Ritchies’.When they first moved to the new farm, noone answered their ads for part- or full-timefarm work. But the Ritchie’s feel they’ve allbut eliminated the risk of labor shortagessince they began hiring migrant workersthrough a labor contractor. The contractorinsures that enough qualified people areavailable when they are needed.

“Migrant farm workers are professionalfarmers who see their job on my farm as acareer,” says Stew. “We have the sameguys wanting to come back each year, andthat’s nice.” Native Offerings Farm alsotrades shares for work. Each of their distri-bution sites is managed by a workingshareholder and a limited number of folkswork one day per week on the farm har-vesting, sorting, and packing in exchangefor their share.

MEAT EXPANDS PRODUCT LINEThe Ritchies recently started selling meatto their members – pork in halves andwholes and beef in quarters and halves.This not only adds another income source,but also helps them make better use of therest of their farm that they were renting toneighbors.

The new enterprises help spread out theirlabor, too. Growing more vegetables wouldhave meant focusing on harvest an addi-tional day each week, detracting from thecouple’s efforts to maintain superior quality.That was a risk the Ritchies were unwillingto take.

The Ritchie’s beef cattle graze on inten-sively rotated pastures. They raise theirhogs in deep-bedded pens, and plan tomove them onto pasture as well oncefences and suitable shelters are completed.The livestock also provide an on-farmsource of manure to compost for the veg-etable operation.

With the addition of the livestock, NaturalOfferings’ members can get a high percent-age of the food they need from the CSAnearly year-round. The livestock also fitright in with the Ritchie’s five-year crop

rotation. They grow three years of vegeta-bles, followed by a year each of rye andhay. The rye is used mainly as a greenmanure and mulch, while the hay provideswinter feed for the cattle. The rotation alsohelps maintain soil productivity, and reducerisks from weed, disease, and insect infes-tations that can plague fields in continuousvegetable production.

Future plans include adding chickens to themix, first a laying flock and then perhapsbroilers down the road. Growth in the live-stock enterprises will soon justify hiring afull-time person to manage the animals.This will allow Stew to maintain focus onhis role as the general manager. By keep-ing his eye on the big picture, he can con-tinue to reduce risks by finding synergiesthat are generated when all of the pieces fittogether. The Ritchies have mastered thisskill, and it is one of the keys to their suc-cessful business.

Joan Sinclair Petzen is an ExtensionIssue Leader at Cornell CooperativeExtension, Allegany/Cattaraugus Coun-ties.

CSAContinued from previous page

Continued on page 15


From Field To PlatePhoto Essay

by Jason Houston

Six years ago I moved to the Berkshires inWestern Massachusetts. The next springmy family joined Indian Line Farm, Ameri-ca’s first and longest running CSA, and oneof our great local farms. That same summerI began photographing the small farms inmy community as a personal project moti-vated by my love of good, healthy food anda growing sense that what we eat, where itcomes from, and how it’s grown is one ofthe most important—and certainly one ofthe most universally relevant—issues weface today.

Berkshire County is home to nearly 400farms and over ten percent of the state’sfarmland. There is strong support in therestaurants and markets to source foodlocally, and it is possible, with some effort,to eat an almost completely local menuyear round.

My project so far has included over 50farms, farm stands, and farmers’ marketsfeaturing products ranging from flowers toheritage breed animals, raw milk, mush-rooms, and, of course, fruits and vegeta-bles. Through editorial work, exhibitions,and public presentations it is my goal tohave this work help inspire conversationson the issue of local and sustainable agri-culture and to keep those talks intimate,alive, and invigorated.

Jason Houston is an independent docu-mentary photographer with over 15years experience with a wide range ofsubjects. His most recent project onlocal and sustainable agriculture hasincluded over 25 feature stories in publi-cations including The New York TimesMagazine, TIME, Orion Magazine, TheWall Street Journal, New York Magazine,NewFarm.org, Organic Gardener, Berk-shire Living, and many others. An exhi-bition of his work will be travelingthroughout 2006 including stops at YaleUniversity in April and Spike Gallery inNYC in June/July. For more informationplease visit www.jasonhouston.com.

Indian Line Farm

Dominic Palumbo, Moon In The Pond Farm,Sheffield, MA

Sean Stanton, North Plain Farm, Great Barrington, MA

Elizabeth Keen with newborn Colin in tow, Indian Line Farm, Egremont, MA. Emma Houston, Thompson-Finch Farm, Ancram, NY

Holcomb Farm, West Granby, CT

North Plain Farm, Great Barrington, MA

Chase Farm, Victor, NY

Moon In The Pond Farm

High Lawn Farm, Lenox, MA


By Elizabeth Henderson

Just before leaving for Chile in earlyNovember 2005, I read a message fromDuncan Hilchey of Cornell’s Community,Food and Agriculture Program, invitingfarmers in the Northeast to join his SARE-funded project to explore the potential forcooperative farm stores. Andrea Tuczek,a Chilean organic farmer and organizer ofan annual symposium and expo, had invit-ed me to Santiago to give a talk on Com-munity Supported Agriculture. Shearranged to meet me at Tierra Viva, whichturns out to be a farmer cooperative store.This is an account of what I observed dur-ing my all too short trip.

WELCOME TO SANTIAGOThe taxi driver who met me at the airport

drove me to meet up with Andrea at TierraViva. We went for several miles alongAvenue Alameda, Santiago’s main drag,past the central bus terminal, the elegantold train station, the University of Santia-go. A central strip, a band of trees andgrass with a winding bicycle path, dividesthe 4 lanes of Alameda. From there weturned off into residential streets, rows ofattractive single family homes with metalor wooden fences around them that couldbe locked.

TWENTY FARMS – ONE STORE Andrea was waiting at Tierra Viva, a coop-erative store owned by 20 farms. A solidlybuilt woman with startlingly bright blueeyes and blond hair, Andrea is Chilean-German, an organic farmer and a recentwidow. Her husband and farm partnerdied a year ago, leaving Andrea with three

children and a 10-hectare vegetable farm.With the help of four hired workers, Andreais keeping the farm going.

She gave me a tour of the store, a formerresidence. There are two rooms withbenches full of produce along the walls, aroom with shelves of value added products- jams, jellies, juices, packaged grains andbeans, dried fruit - and a small dining roomwhere patrons were being served lunch.Andrea and her friend Katerina supply mostof the produce. Other coop members bringmilk and other dairy products, and eggs.There is even a baker who supplies heartywhole wheat breads.

The store kitchen prepares simple lunch-eons using the farmers’ products. Each ofthe farmers spends a day a week helpingto staff the store along with two employees.Besides running her own farm, Andreadoes most of the book keeping for TierraViva. While it is breaking even financially,the store is not a big enough market foreverything Andrea could produce on herfarm. She talked of plans to start an organ-ic farmers’ market in Santiago. The city of8 million people has an extensive publicmarket, but no farmers’ markets.

ORGANIC STANDARDS IN CHILEThe farmer members have a certificationcommittee that manages their own organicguarantee based on standards of the Inter-national Federation of Organic AgricultureMovements. New farmers must answer aseries of questions about their practicesand agree to a farm visit by the other farm-ers. At the store, they get to know oneanother and their customers.

I asked Andrea if they had ever had a viola-tion of their standards. She said they havehad to drop two farms from their group: onebecause the farmer left and his wife beganto use unacceptable wormers on their live-stock, and a second farmer because he

reduced his organic acreage in favor ofmore conventional production. Andrea saidthe group lost confidence in him. The newChilean national organic law recognizesparticipatory guarantees like that practicedby the Tierra Viva farmers.

THE FARMING LANDSCAPEAfter a tasty meal of salad, bread and amound of millet surrounded by vegetablestew, Andrea drove me the 80 kilometersnorth to her farm. Along the highway, wesaw extensive vineyards, and hillsides cov-ered with new plantings of avocado trees,an ecological disaster in the making,according to Andrea who decries the elimi-nation of all native vegetation.

Across the border in Argentina we couldsee Aconcagua, at 22,184 feet, the highestpeak in South America. Outside of her vil-lage looms a huge copper processingplant. A narrow winding road took usthrough a small village towards a ring ofsnow-capped mountains. Andrea’s farmnestles in the flatlands at the base of thefoothills surrounded by magnificent vistas.Her conventional farming neighbors growgrapes, fruit trees and grains.

Andrea’s farm is quite diverse with a smallorchard, a flock of chickens, strawberriesjust coming into bloom, greenhouses withtomatoes already ripening, and fifteen or soother vegetable crops. She manages thefarm business, handles marketing anddeliveries to Tierra Viva, and does a hefty

share of the picking and packing. She alsoprocesses some of the berries into jams andbeverages, and cans and dries tomatoes.

Miguel, her “right and left hand man,” drivesthe tractor and works with the horses. Theycombine machine and animal traction - thetractor does the heavy plowing and brushhogging, and the horse pulls a blade thatmakes narrow beds which alternate withfurrows for the irrigation water, and a culti-vator to fight the weeds.

LEARNING FROM EACH OTHERWalking around Andrea’s farm, I noticedthat the garlic plants still had their scapes.At the store, the garlic bulbs on sale wererather small. I asked if she intended to cutthe scapes off. She was not aware thatremoving them would make the plant put itsenergy into larger bulbs. I explained thatyou can also sell the scapes as an “orientaldelicacy,” excellent for making pesto. Wetried some out for dinner, blending thescapes with parsley and nuts from Andrea’swalnut trees.

The next morning, Andrea drove me backto Santiago to the Organic Symposium atthe Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO) headquarters. Tierra Viva was oneof the sponsors. I was one of 8 speakers.Paul Hepperly from Rodale described theinstitute’s long-term comparative study oforganic and conventional field crops. Therewere two Chilean speakers on aspects ofbiodiversity. Gabriela Soto, from CostaRica, gave an excellent holistic presenta-

tion on soilhealth.ManuelAmador, alsoof CostaRica, present-ed an analy-sis of localmarketing,and RenePiamontegave an intro-duction toBiodynamics.

ON THE CAMPUSAt lunch, I got into a lively conversation witha group of eight ag students from theCatholic University. After the Symposium,they took me to visit their organic gardenon the campus. They have a tiny space inthe nursery where the campus lawns andgrounds staff start rose bushes and shrubs.Altogether, the students may have a total of48 square feet, which they have planted ingarlic, onions, cilantro, and other herbs.They proudly showed me their little flock ofchickens and cages of rabbits. On a cam-pus with extensive lawns and playing fields,you would think a few more square meterscould be found for the use of these organicenthusiasts.

The students delivered me to La Isla, just intime for an elegant meal of local and organ-ic foods and wines with the other sympo-sium participants. Our hostess, IreneAcevedo, owns the restaurant as well as anorganic farm a few hours drive from Santia-go. Irene tries to use as much organic foodas she can in her menu. At the fair the nextday, she served as the mistress of cere-monies for a series of talks on nutrition andenvironmental issues. She is clearly anauthority on nutrition herself. She told methat her goal for her farm is to create aCSA, the first in Chile.

Developing local markets for organic prod-ucts is clearly a challenge in Chile. TheTierra Viva group opened a second store inan upscale neighborhood, but closed itafter two years because business was soslow. Larger organic farms are concentrat-ing on export markets for high value crops,such as asparagus. The certification pro-gram run by Virgina Zenteno focuses onexports. Tierra Viva is economically viable,but just barely. There are many useful les-sons in their experience for farmers else-where who might think of opening their ownstores.

Elizabeth Henderson operates Peace-work Farm, an organic vegetable opera-tion in Newark, NY.

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Chilean organic farmer Andrea Tuczek, one of 20 farmer-owners of the cooperative farm storeTierra Viva in Santiago, Chile.

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Weighing food for a customer.The store sells fresh produce, dairy, grains, beans, value addeditems – and lunch.

By Martha Goodsell

Editor’s note: This article is part of aseries focusing on risk management fundedby the New York Crop Insurance EducationProgram under the Risk ManagementAgency (USDA) and the NYS Departmentof Agriculture & Markets.

Managing risks is one of the keys to build-ing a sustainable farm business. That’swhat Tom and Denise Warren are findingon their grass-based, value-added livestockoperation in East Meredith, N.Y. They’realso finding that having multiple enterpris-es, as well as diversified products and mar-kets, is a good way to reduce their produc-tion and marketing risks.

The couple, along with their children Reily,Katey and Shane, raises cattle, hogs,sheep, goats, chickens and turkeys on theirfarm nestled in the Catskill Mountains.They sell meadow-raised meat under theirStone and Thistle Farm label, and they alsooperate Kortright Creek Creamery, whichprocesses and sells milk, artisan cheeseand yogurt from their dairy goats.

Sunday afternoon tours and twice-a-yearseminars attract more than 1,000 visitorsannually to the farm, where they can shopat the Warren’s on-farm store for wool andwool products, maple syrup, honey, jamsand crafts in addition to their meat, eggs,and dairy products.

HERITAGE HOGS, ITALIAN DOGSHaving a wide range of products increasesmarket reach and overall sales. But theWarrens’ extensive diversification effortsreduce their production risks, as well.Should disease or some other trouble hitone group of livestock, the other enterpris-es can continue producing income.

Predators, such as coyotes, are one of thebiggest production risks faced by small-ruminant and poultry producers like theWarrens. In addition to investing in high-quality electric fence, the Warrens protecttheir sheep and goats with Maremmas –guard dogs that can approach 100 poundsthat were originally bred to defend flocks ofsheep in Italy. Occasionally these dogs dodouble-duty guarding poultry. Border colliesare used to herd and move the livestock.

Drought is another potentially devastatingproduction risk for grass-based livestockproducers. Instead of investing in anexpensive irrigation system, the Warrensuse low-cost portable fencing to move theiranimals from field to field on acreage theyrent from nearby landowners when mois-ture is scarce and grass is in short supply.

Keeping the animals moving is actually agood preventive health practice. It helpsreduce parasite loads and eliminate theneed for routine antibiotics. The Warrensuse an accurate identification system andextensive recordkeeping to track the genet-ics of their livestock to make sure they arewell-adapted to grazing with minimal grainfeeding.

They raise Tamworth hogs and ScottishHighland cattle, both heritage breeds thatproduce lean, flavorful meat and thrive onpasture in cool climates. In addition to pro-viding healthful milk and lean meat, theWarrens’ goats are also good at riddingpastures of thistles, burdocks, multiflorarose and other weeds and shrubs leftbehind by the other livestock.

MANY WAYS TO MARKETAs the animals head to market, they areprocessed several ways. Cattle, hogs,

sheep and goats are slaughtered at a localUSDA slaughterhouse. The Warrensprocess the chicken and turkeys on-farm.And the goat milk, cheese and yogurt areprocessed and bottled on site. Exercisingsome control over processing has helpedreduce the risks of being dependent on asingle processor.

The Warrens reduce market risks by sellingthe numerous Stone and Thistle and Kor-tright Creek Creamery products throughseveral different market outlets. Locally,they sell at the Oneonta farmer’s market.They have worked with local retailers, andtheir own on-farm store is now open sevendays a week, year round. A distributorpicks up bottled goat milk destined for theNew York City and Boston markets.

The Warrens’ solid reputation for qualityand reliability has reduced the need forextensive advertising campaigns. They postprices and details about their products andpractices on the farm’s website(www.stoneandthistlefarm.com), but cur-rently don’t take online orders or ship retailproducts. In spring 2005, Stone and ThistleFarm was recognized by National Geo-graphic in an Appalachian eco-tourism fea-ture. (Seewww.nationalgeographic.com/Appalachia.)

Stone and Thistle Farm was a foundingmember of the Meadow Raised Meats


MANAGING RISK

Diverse Livestock,Multiple Markets Stone and Thistle farm grows a sustainable busi-ness by not putting all its eggs in one basket.

The Warrens’ goats supply their Kortright Creek Creamery, which processes and sells milk, arti-san cheese and yogurt.

What you can learnfrom the WarrensHere are 10 ways the Warrens reducerisks on their livestock farm:

1. Reduce production risks by raising avariety of livestock.

2. Process a variety of products in avariety of ways.

3. Market through multiple channels.4. Use fencing and guard dogs to pro-

tect livestock from predators.5. Rent neighboring fields when pasture

forage is short due to drought.6. Use breeds that thrive on pastures

and are well-adapted to cold.7. Work cooperatively with other pro-

ducers.8. Read and network to keep up with

market trends.9. Purchase general liability, product lia-

bility, and special event insurance asneeded.

10. Prepare to deal with worst-casescenarios.


By Bill Van Loo

Klearview Farm, operated by Don and Sharon Recore, hasbeen in Sharon’s family for more than 100 years. The couplebought the Franklin County, NY farm from Sharon’s parentsin 1973.

After 24 years of doing it all – growing and harvesting crops,milking cows and raising replacements – the Recores madea huge change. In 1997, the couple was experiencing diffi-culty cash flowing all the equipment and labor that went intotheir dairy operation. They felt there had to be a better sys-tem for their Klearview Farm, so Don and Sharon sold theircropping equipment to concentrate on milking cows.

Working closely with an accountant and Cornell CooperativeExtension, the Recores created a business plan. That planpaved the way for their decision to downsize their operationto something more manageable. The couple sold all theirfield crop equipment as they transitioned to paying a customharvester for their hay and purchasing all of their cornsilage. They also hired a custom grower to raise theirheifers.

COWS AND CROPS

Klearview FarmDairy: DownsizingAnd Specializing



By Bill Henning

The number of opportunities that keepappearing for small farms is just amazing.I was struck by this fact again recently,while preparing a presentation for theCrops Congress in Yates County.

Many small farms produce livestock for anumber of reasons. These can include timeallocation, labor resources, land availability,personal preferences, or a host of otherreasons. When land is a limiting factor andan individual is seeking an economicreturn, frustration often ensues from anextensive operation where the resourcescall for a more intensive operation.

Double cropping can offer the potential ofsignificantly intensifying farming where land

is the primary limiting factor. The doublecropping addressed here involves BrownMid Rib sorghum sudan (BMRss) and win-ter triticale planted to be harvested as a for-age crop.

WHY THIS DOUBLE CROP? This particular double-crop system offers anumber of advantages. In a nutshell:• Wide planting window• Wide harvesting window• Builds soil organic matter and structure• Erosion control on highly erodible soils• Aids in nutrient management• Greater production than traditional crops• Reduced likelihood of crop failure• Consistent high forage quality• Increases potential for high animal

production • Both crops are relatively drought tolerant

WIDE PLANTING & HARVESTING WINDOW Winter triticale can be planted in late sum-mer up to the middle of October in NewYork. In the system presented here itwould be planted soon after the previouscrop, BMRss, is harvested the last time–about mid September. BMRss can beplanted about the beginning of June, imme-diately following the triticale harvest in thelast week of May.

Obviously, seasons vary year to year. Twoand sometimes three cuttings of BMRsscan be taken through the summer and intofall. In most years expect two BMRss cut-tings. In many instances these windows donot significantly compete with other crop-ping demands.

BUILDS SOIL ORGANIC MATTER ANDSTRUCTURE WHILE REDUCING EROSIONSince neither of these plants is a row crop,they provide fairly complete ground coverand an extensive root system. With non-inverting tillage, or no-till seeding, thisresidual plant material contributes to organ-ic matter, and in turn, soil structure. Thereare close to eleven months of crops insome stage of growth. In April and May,when ground for row crops is often mostvulnerable, we have an actively growingplant holding soil in place.

AIDS IN NUTRIENT MANAGEMENTBoth triticale and BMRss have superiorability, when compared to most traditionalcrops, to take up nitrogen and phosphorus

COWS AND CROPS

Double Cropping – Potential for Intensive Animal Production

Cooperative. Cooperatives, both formaland informal, allow risk and rewards to bespread over the membership. They canalso help reduce costs and enhance prices,and provide access to new markets orimprove bargaining strength. The coopera-tive gathered orders and shipped product.Today the Warrens cooperate with otherfarmers and local artisans to expand prod-uct offerings and draw more customers totheir on-farm store.

Keeping abreast of consumer demand andmarket trends also helps to reduce marketrisks. Tom and Denise read extensively,attend meetings and network with otherfarmers. They even traveled abroad to theTerra Madre forum in Turin, Italy, a globalgathering of “Slow Food” advocates, amovement that recognizes that the enjoy-ment of wholesome food is essential to thepursuit of happiness. (See www.slow-foodusa.org.) Even their children networkat monthly 4-H meetings.

WORST-CASE SCENARIOSmall farms are particularly vulnerable topeople risks because they usually rely on a

very limited labor pool, in thiscase immediate family mem-bers. Like many family farms,the Warrens strive to main-tain a safe work environmentand to maintain strong familyties. They have invested inhealth and disability insur-ance – as well as in friend-ships and good neighbors inthe event they need help dueto some catastrophic event.

The Warrens face a myriad oflegal risks, from the possibili-ty of a visitor getting hurtwhile on the farm to a cus-tomer getting sick from afood product. They use goodmanagement practices andtake necessary precautionsto reduce the chances ofanything going wrong, andare covered by both generalliability and product liabilitypolicies. They also purchasespecial event insurance as

needed, but they purchase nocrop insurance.

One of the biggest risks for theWarrens is uninvited visitors.“People think our farm is a pet-ting zoo and they can stop theircar and get out and wanderaround,” sighs Denise. “I haveto pursue them and tell themthat they are welcome to comeback on Sundays at 1 p.m.when we conduct our tours. Iexplain to them that farms pres-ent real dangers for people,such as electric fences andguard dogs. These risks aretaken care of when we openthe doors on Sundays.”

Like many farmers who are expanding anddiversifying, Stone and Thistle farm doesnot have a formal risk management plan.Because there are so many other thingsthat need to be done and the circum-stances are always changing, a written planis not yet a high priority. However, the War-rens have thought about worst-case sce-narios.

“Losing electricity would be the worst thingthat could happen to us,” admits Denise.“We use electric fencing, so we would loseall of our animals. We would lose our freshmilk in the tank and the meat in the freez-ers. We don’t have a generator at this time.”

When asked if they had a contingency planfor this catastrophe, Denise responded,“No, but we are definitely buying a genera-tor this fall.”

For the Warrens, risk management meansmaintaining diverse enterprises and mar-kets, using good management practices,producing quality products, developing anexcellent reputation, using precautionsespecially when expecting visitors, insuringagainst the most threatening risks, andconsidering how to avoid the worst possiblesituation.

These are all action steps you can take,too.

Martha Goodsell raises 1,700 deer andother livestock with the help of her hus-band and four children on a 425-acre,grass-based farm in Candor, N.Y. She isalso the Executive Director of NYFarms!, a statewide coalition of organi-zations, individuals, businesses, agen-cies and institutions committed to thefuture of New York's farms and families.

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Multiple enterprises and diversified products and marketsreduce production and marketing risks for Tom and DeniseWarren, and their children Katey, Shane, and Reily, Photoscourtesy Stone & Thistle Farm.

DiverseContinued from prev. page

To downsize, the Recores didn’treduce the number of cows theymilked but outsourced certain aspectsof their dairy operation. The coupledecided that they didn’t want to man-age the crops, youngstock and dairy.Rather, they wanted to just concen-trate on what makes them the mostmoney — the milking herd.

The transition accomplished severalthings for the Recores:• It reduced the number of employeesdown to two.• The Recores’ milk production dou-bled after they made the transitionand concentrated solely on their milk-ing herd. Today, the couple milks 140cows with a rolling herd average of21,600 pounds, 3.8% butterfat and3.2% protein.

• Cash flow improved immediately.• Because the Recores’ business planmade forecasts for retirement and theneed to invest some money off thefarm as well, they took steps to followthrough on that.

During the transition, the Recoresadmit they had some doubts. Butimmediate improvements in cash flowhelped ease their concerns. Therewere some bumpy times trying to findmilkers for their dairy operation, butotherwise the transition was smooth,they say. The couple agrees that it wasa good move for their dairy.

The Recores use a computerizedaccounting system and monthly cash-flow budgets to track their progress.They are looking forward to retiring infive years and moving to Florida.

The Recores say they wouldn’tchange anything about their decisionto outsource crops production andheifer raising – other than they shouldhave done it sooner. Their advice toothers considering a change on theirfarm: Make sure the changes youwant to make fit your particular opera-tion and interests.

Bill Van Loo is an agriculture andrural economic vitality educatorwith Cornell Cooperative Extensionof St. Lawrence County. This articleone of a series of Profiles of Suc-cessful Strategies for Small FarmDairies, produced by NY FarmNet/NY FarmLink with a grant from TheNorthern NY Agricultural Develop-ment Program. Other small dairysuccess strategy profiles are avail-able online at www.nnyagdev.org.

Sharon and Don Recore have maintained the 100-plus-year-oldfarming tradition at their Franklin County dairy by makingfarming more manageable. They contract for custom harvest-ing and heifer raising so they can concentrate on milk produc-tion. Photo by Mathew G. Cooper

KlearviewContinued from prev. page

Continued on page 18

By Kathleen Harris

More and more consumers aretaking charge of their food.Not by growing it themselves,but by connecting personallywith the farmers who are.

This is evidenced by the ever-growing popularity of farmersmarkets and on-farm standswhere people can get goodwholesome food. Where theycan discuss its virtues face-to-face with the very farmer who produced it.Where they can have confidence in thefood they are buying, and can contributeback to the farmers who have toiled so longand hard to produce it. It’s a relationshipthat is gratifying and fulfilling to both par-ties.

Problem: The meat processing bottleneckIn the case of marketing meats, however,there is one factor that continues to thwartthe otherwise harmonious flow of goodsfrom farmer to appreciative consumer. Andthat is the availability of USDA-inspectedmeat processing facilities.

According to the American Association ofMeat Processors, 22% of USDA-inspectedmeat processing plants have closed in thelast 5 years. Says Jim Hayes, a diversifiedlivestock farmer in Schoharie County, NY,“We have carved out a direct marketingniche for our grassfed livestock, but withoutreliable meat processing that opportunitydoesn’t exist for many producers.”

Response: The “service company” conceptFor the last four years, the Resource Con-servation and Development Council of theHudson-Mohawk Region (RC&D) hasspearheaded one effort to address the pro-cessing problem. With assistance from theNYS Senate Majority, NYS Department ofAgriculture and Markets, David RockefellerFoundation, and Heifer Project Internation-al, their work began with producer/proces-sor meetings and workshops, which yieldeda feasibility study and ultimately a businessplan prepared by a consulting firm.

A core group of producers served as thesteering committee throughout the planningphase, and later became the Board ofDirectors for the Northeast Livestock Pro-cessing Service Company, LLC. They aredairy and livestock farmers with back-grounds from many fields including bank-ing, law and academia. They are dedicatedto working with existing processors for theultimate purpose of sustaining agriculture inthe region.

Their vision is clear and it has been cap-tured in the NELPSC’s mission statement:“To create a more profitable environmentfor farmers and livestock processors bydeveloping a more efficient system whichwill offer better scheduling, act as a com-munication link between farmers andprocessors and help resolve quality controlissues.”

ADDRESSING PRODUCER ANDPROCESSOR CONCERNSAfter legally incorporating in 2005, thegroup hired a Processing Coordinator,Kathleen Harris, to carry out the business

plan of the newly formed company. Startingwith research and development, the com-pany chose to address the major issuesthat had been revealed in the early founda-tion meetings and workshops. Producershad expressed concerns about dealing withprocessors with regard to low animalstress, accurate animal tracking proceduressuch that they can be assured of gettingmeat returned from their animal, realisticpercentage returns of useable meat, con-sistent quality processing, and access tocertified organic processing.

Processors, on the other hand, hadexpressed frustration about what theybelieve is over-regulation by USDA, andthey are now seeking regulations morespecific to small processors. They alsoneed a more balanced, year-round work-load. They are overburdened in the fall andearly winter months when all the grass-based farmers want to market their live-stock to avoid wintering over when thegrass is gone. This pressure on their serv-ices is compounded by the influx of deer tobe processed under custom-exempt, nor-mally during off hours.

In developing the NELPSC program, all ofthese concerns are being addressed. Atthis time, the processors have been visitedand agreements are in the making. Mosthave been very receptive to the NELPSCconcept and their response has been favor-able. In the meantime, the company isready to start signing on producers.

NELPSC SERVICESThe Processing Coordinator will act as anadvocate for participating farmers, negotiat-ing for the best quality processing, process-ing discounts, and scheduling preference.She will communicate cutting instructions toprocessors, and will provide personal serv-ice and technical assistance to farmersregarding: gaining greater consistency inpercent return of usable meat; quality con-trol; humane animal handling; retail cutsand packaging; live animal readiness forprocessing; transport options; product stor-age for held inventory; and production rec-ommendations for “sliding” livestock into off-season processing periods.

The NELPSC’s services are available to allred meat and poultry farmers as well asthose raising farm-raised venison and

exotics. Livestock producers willpay a per-head fee, which willbe offset in part by the discountNELPSC has negotiated with

processors. “With the discount, livestockproducers won’t be paying that much morethan they are now and with the oversight inquality, assistance in working with proces-sors and technical assistance, this will turnout to be a valuable service,” says SeymourVander Veen, president of the NELPSCboard.

This service also benefits meat processorswho will be in contact with one processingcoordinator for scheduling and cuttinginstructions rather than several farmers. Itwill also provide processors with morework, especially off-season as a result ofthe technical assistance to producers about

“sliding” livestock into off-season process-ing periods.

FOR MORE INFO…If you would like more information about theNortheast Livestock Processing ServiceCompany please contact Processing Coor-dinator Kathleen Harris at (518) 673-5193or by email at [email protected]. You mayalso contact any of the Board of Directors:Seymour Vander Veen, President (518)875-6687, John Walston, Vice-President(518) 851-2000 Edmund Armstrong, 2ndVice-President (518) 622-9412, Jim Hayes,Secretary (518) 234-2105, Jim Sullivan,Treasurer (518) 573-0955.

Kathleen Harris is Processing Coordina-tor for the Northeast Livestock Process-ing Service Company.


NON-DAIRY LIVESTOCK

Breaking Through the Bottleneck in Marketing Meats

Small-scale producers of beef, poultry, lamb, pigs, venison and exotic livestock cannow get help with processing. Sap Bush Hollow Farm, Warnersville, NY. Photos byKarin Edmondson.

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Access to USDA-inspected slaughter facilities is a major problem forlivestock producers in the region. A new producer-controlled companyis taking an innovative approach to the problem: Rather than building anew facility, the company will coordinate scheduling, quality control,and communications between producers and existing processors.


By Fay Benson

Since the Mid 1990’s, certified organicdairy has been the fastest growing valueadded market for northeast dairy farmers.Consumers created this market bydemanding dairy products that were pro-duced without the use of antibiotics, hor-mones, and pesticides, and where animalwelfare is a priority. Dairy farmers haveresponded to this demand by committing tothe long and risky transition to certifiedorganic dairy production.

In New York State alone there are approxi-mately 150 certified dairy farms and 50more in transition. The consumer’s demandfor the products still out paces the supply oforganic milk. Organic dairy handlers agreethat there is a shortage in the range of 4 to5 tractor-trailer loads per day. At present

this shortage is being bought into the statefrom large organic dairies in the west.

Organic dairy farmers, handlers, and stateleaders across the Northeast would preferto see this milk being produced by north-east farms. In response to this new marketthere are three new initiatives to help cre-ate a viable organic dairy industry in ourregion.

NY ORGANIC DAIRY AG INNOVATIONCENTERThe new Organic Dairy Agricultural Innova-tion Center (AIC) was proposed last fall bythe Small Farms Program at Cornell, and inJanuary of 2006 was awarded funding fromthe New York Farm Viability Institute. Withpartners in Cornell Cooperative Extension,the Small Farms Program will extend theresources of this AIC throughout the state.

The objectives of the Organ-ic Dairy AIC are to:1. Establish a NY Organic

Dairy Viability Task Forceto address long-termissues facing the industry;

2. Develop and deliver newfarm business planningtools, adapted for organicdairy, to producers aroundNYS; and

3. Help organic dairy farm-ers develop a “WholeFarm” decision-makingformat to use on theirfarms.

I am pleased to be servingas the project manager forthe Organic Dairy AIC,under the auspices of Cor-nell’s Small Farms Program.I’ve been involved withorganic dairy issues andprogramming for manyyears, first as an organicdairy farmer myself, and inmy current position as SmallFarm Educator with Cort-land County CCE.

ALFRED STATE’S NEWCENTENNIAL FARMAlfred State College is seek-ing to “help shape the futureof family farming locally,

regionally, nationally, and globally” withdevelopment of its new Centennial Farm. Amulti-million dollar “Smart Farm” businessplan, formulated by Cornell CooperativeExtension educators James Grace andJoan Petzen and approved by PresidentGupta and her Cabinet, incorporates andexpands on recommendations put forwardlast fall by an Alfred State College FarmTask Force.

The Centennial Farm will feature organicdairy, and sustainable agriculture educa-tion. The new dairy herd will consist of 140milking age animals plus replacements,split into two parallel herds. One herd willbe managed in accordance with FederalOrganic Standards, and the other will bemanaged conventionally. A portion of theCentennial Farm will be certified organic.

The addition of a complementary organicherd and adoption of grazing will open upopportunities for faculty-student researchstudies and permit agriculture and veteri-nary technology students to investigatecomparable care and treatment of animals.

UNH’S ORGANIC DAIRY The University of New Hampshire will soonestablish an organic dairy farm forresearch, education, and outreach, makingit the nation's first land-grant university withan organic dairy.

Stonyfield Farm, the yogurt manufacturer ofLondonderry, NH, has made a $200,000leadership gift to the project, which carriesan estimated price tag of $1.5 million. Thenew research dairy farm, located on a 200-acre parcel of certified-organic land at the

university's Burley-Demeritt Farm in Lee,NH, will begin operation with the acquisitionof 50 to 60 Jersey heifers. Construction of acomposting-bedded pack barn and milkingcenter, as well as acquisition of equipmentand installation of fencing will occur in sum-mer 2006.

Organic hay and baleage were already har-vested for this winter's feed. This ambitioustimeline allows for certified organic milkproduction to begin in December 2006. Thefarm will serve as both an applied researchcenter for integrated organic production andmanagement and an education center fororganic dairy farmers, farmers undergoingor considering transition to organic, andstudents of sustainable agriculture.

A HEALTHY MARKET TAKES COOPERATIONThese three initiatives are an indication ofthe market swing that is happening withconsumers, as they make their vote withfood dollars as to how they want their foodproduced. As with any successful marketchange, it takes the cooperation of theretailers who recognize the demand, thefarmers who experiment how to meet thedemand, and the Land Grant Universitieswho assist with research and extensioneducation. In the organic dairy marketthese three entities are cooperating andworking together to benefit everyone.

Fay Benson is Small Farm Educator withCornell Cooperative Extension of Cort-land County, and Project Manager forthe New York Organic Dairy Ag Innova-tion Center. He can be reached throughthe Small Farms Program at 607-255-9227.

ORGANIC FARMING

Three New Organic Dairy Initiatives Underway In the Northeast Colleges and universities take note of major market opportunity for region’s farmers

University of New Hampshire will soon establish a certified organic Jersey herd for research andteaching. Cornell University and Alfred State College are also launching organic dairy initia-tives.Photographer: Bill Henning

odor is less of a concern. Also, thecovered CBP does not collect rain-water and results in less material tospread, and lighter loads, comparedto outside-stored liquid manure.

COW HEALTH AND PRODUCTIONExcellent cow health and high pro-duction can be achieved with a well-managed sand-bedded free-stall andthe same has been claimed for theCBP’s. Both provide a comfortablelying surface, confident footing andno restrictions to rising or lying down.Sand, an inorganic material, doesnot support bacterial growth when it

is kept clean and dry. Daily removal ofmanure and weekly addition of freshsand will take care of this.

In a CBP, heat from the active com-posting should reduce pathogen level,while excellent ventilation, ample bed-ding, twice-daily stirring, and sufficientspace per cow are all needed to keepthe surface dry. Damaged teats aremore likely in a CBP than a free-stallbarn.

SUMMARYBe sure to look at all the angles as youconsider various alternatives for hous-ing your dairy herd. The initial cost ofthe barn is one factor in an economiccomparison of different options; howev-

er, the more important factors in thelong term include labor costs, beddingcosts, and cow health and productivity.The latter of these will be governedmainly by management. If you areconsidering new dairy housing, feelfree to contact me to discuss layoutand management options, or visitwww.ansci.cornell.edu/prodairy/facilities.

Frans Vokey is Dairy Educator withCornell Cooperative Extension ofLewis County. He can be reached at315-376-5270 or [email protected] article first appeared in SouthCentral NY Dairy Digest, January2006.

CompostingContinued from page 9

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By Catherine Anderson, Age 17, OrangeCounty Hair Raisers 4-H Club

When I tell people that I raise rabbits theirfirst response is usually something along thelines of "What!? Rabbits!?" Most people haveno idea what raising and showing rabbitsentails. It is a fun hobby that I really enjoy.

I have run into many challenges while raisingrabbits in an urban area. The first was hous-ing. Since there is limited space outside ofour house, we house our animals indoors.This alone creates a problem. Proper ventila-tion is very important in the care of rabbits.If the ammonia in the air isn’t circulated itcould lead to many diseases and problems inthe rabbitry. So, keeping up with cleaning ismuch more important when your rabbits arehoused inside.

At first, we also faced some challenges onhow to keep one of our animals in a cage.

Initially, my one rabbit lived in my room in aplastic storage bin. As my rabbit got olderhe soon learned how to jump out of the bin.He was such an escape artist, we named him“Houdini”. So, the next step was to build amesh top to the cage. We thought thiswould fix the problem but it did not, he wasstill escaping. So we put heavy books likethe dictionary and thesaurus on top. Notonly did he still get out, but if you wanted tolook up the word zebra it would be non-exis-tent (rabbits like to chew!). After I joined 4-H I learned that proper housing for a rabbitincludes a mesh bottom cage. The cageshould be one square foot per pound ofmature weight.

I have come across many advantages toraising rabbits indoors. Outside conditionscan be harsh both in the winter and summer.The basic care of rabbits is made easierindoors during extreme weather. In the sum-mer rabbits have to be kept cool and pro-

tected by the sun.A rabbit can getsunburned or sun-stroke if left toolong in the sun. Inthe winter therabbit must beprotected fromsnow and harshwinds.

I joined theOrange CountyHair Raisers 4-Hclub when I got my first rab-bit at the age of nine. I did so to learn howto take proper care of my new friend. I havealso learned how to care for different dis-eases and problems that come up while rais-ing rabbits. Not only does this informationhelp in caring for my own rabbits but it alsocomes in handy for the various knowledgecompetitions that my club participates in.My club participates in rabbit science com-petition on both the county and state levels.

We study hard and try our best.

Now when folks ask, “What? Rabbits?”…I say“Yes! Rabbits!”.

For more information about raising rabbitsvisit www.ansci.cornell.edu/4H/rabbits.html.

Catherine and Houdini...the "escape" bunny...

Report from New York District 7Sam Fessenden, District 7 President,Southern Cayuga Central School

This winter, thirty members of the NYS FFADistrict 7 attended a fun filled weekend atCamp Oswegatchie in the Adirondacks ofNew York. Camp Oswegatchie is an environ-mental education center owned by theNYSFFA Foundation. Members spent theweekend hiking, camping and recreating on

the camp’s 1,200 acres northeast ofLowville.

The NY FFA District 7 consists of chaptersin Cayuga, Onondaga, Oswego, Tompkins,Cortland and Tioga counties. FFA chaptersarrived Friday night and settled in for theweekend. Southern Cayuga FFA, CayugaOnondaga BOCES FFA and TST New VisionsEAS Ithaca FFA chapters attended. Sat-urday morning, we started off with a tour

of the camp for members who have notattended before. This session was followedby a mapping and compass workshop.

After the rain turned to snow around noon,many members went on a four-mile hikearound Long Pond, the main body of wateron the property. One of the highlights wascrossing a 100-foot suspension bridge overan inlet. All the members made it across,with the only other option being to walkthree miles back.

Saturday night, students went on a “nighthike” with Todd Lighthall, the Camp Direc-

tor. We went to two other ponds on theproperty. Members looked at the stars andlistened to the sounds of the woods. Laterthat night, a few members decided to campout in the woods for the night. After sleep-ing in a lean to, students made breakfastover a fire and enjoyed a crisp, clear morn-ing. The temperature went down to sevendegrees that night!

Sunday morning was for clean up and good-byes. All members involved can say thatthey had a good time.

Small Farm Quarterly

Youth Pages

FFFFA Winter WA Winter Weekeekendend

What? Rabbits?


By Catherine Anderson, Age 17, OrangeCounty Hair Raisers 4-H Club

When I tell people that I raise rabbits theirfirst response is usually something along thelines of "What!? Rabbits!?" Most people haveno idea what raising and showing rabbitsentails. It is a fun hobby that I really enjoy.

I have run into many challenges while raisingrabbits in an urban area. The first was hous-ing. Since there is limited space outside ofour house, we house our animals indoors.This alone creates a problem. Proper ventila-tion is very important in the care of rabbits.If the ammonia in the air isn’t circulated itcould lead to many diseases and problems inthe rabbitry. So, keeping up with cleaning ismuch more important when your rabbits arehoused inside.

At first, we also faced some challenges onhow to keep one of our animals in a cage.

Initially, my one rabbit lived in my room in aplastic storage bin. As my rabbit got olderhe soon learned how to jump out of the bin.He was such an escape artist, we named him“Houdini”. So, the next step was to build amesh top to the cage. We thought thiswould fix the problem but it did not, he wasstill escaping. So we put heavy books likethe dictionary and thesaurus on top. Notonly did he still get out, but if you wanted tolook up the word zebra it would be non-exis-tent (rabbits like to chew!). After I joined 4-H I learned that proper housing for a rabbitincludes a mesh bottom cage. The cageshould be one square foot per pound ofmature weight.

I have come across many advantages toraising rabbits indoors. Outside conditionscan be harsh both in the winter and summer.The basic care of rabbits is made easierindoors during extreme weather. In the sum-mer rabbits have to be kept cool and pro-

tected by the sun.A rabbit can getsunburned or sun-stroke if left toolong in the sun. Inthe winter therabbit must beprotected fromsnow and harshwinds.

I joined theOrange CountyHair Raisers 4-Hclub when I got my first rab-bit at the age of nine. I did so to learn howto take proper care of my new friend. I havealso learned how to care for different dis-eases and problems that come up while rais-ing rabbits. Not only does this informationhelp in caring for my own rabbits but it alsocomes in handy for the various knowledgecompetitions that my club participates in.My club participates in rabbit science com-petition on both the county and state levels.

We study hard and try our best.

Now when folks ask, “What? Rabbits?”…I say“Yes! Rabbits!”.

For more information about raising rabbitsvisit www.ansci.cornell.edu/4H/rabbits.html.

Catherine and Houdini...the "escape" bunny...

Report from New York District 7Sam Fessenden, District 7 President,Southern Cayuga Central School

This winter, thirty members of the NYS FFADistrict 7 attended a fun filled weekend atCamp Oswegatchie in the Adirondacks ofNew York. Camp Oswegatchie is an environ-mental education center owned by theNYSFFA Foundation. Members spent theweekend hiking, camping and recreating on

the camp’s 1,200 acres northeast ofLowville.

The NY FFA District 7 consists of chaptersin Cayuga, Onondaga, Oswego, Tompkins,Cortland and Tioga counties. FFA chaptersarrived Friday night and settled in for theweekend. Southern Cayuga FFA, CayugaOnondaga BOCES FFA and TST New VisionsEAS Ithaca FFA chapters attended. Sat-urday morning, we started off with a tour

of the camp for members who have notattended before. This session was followedby a mapping and compass workshop.

After the rain turned to snow around noon,many members went on a four-mile hikearound Long Pond, the main body of wateron the property. One of the highlights wascrossing a 100-foot suspension bridge overan inlet. All the members made it across,with the only other option being to walkthree miles back.

Saturday night, students went on a “nighthike” with Todd Lighthall, the Camp Direc-

tor. We went to two other ponds on theproperty. Members looked at the stars andlistened to the sounds of the woods. Laterthat night, a few members decided to campout in the woods for the night. After sleep-ing in a lean to, students made breakfastover a fire and enjoyed a crisp, clear morn-ing. The temperature went down to sevendegrees that night!

Sunday morning was for clean up and good-byes. All members involved can say thatthey had a good time.

Small Farm Quarterly

Youth Pages

FFFFA Winter WA Winter Weekeekendend

What? Rabbits?

By Crystal Williams, Age 14, Orange County 4-H

Although I do not own my own dairy farm, I raise heifers at abarn a mile down the road from me. I usually feed all the calvesat the barn 3-4 times a week and work with my heifers once aweek. Raising heifers pretty much takes up all of my sparetime, but I definitely wouldn’t rather spend my time anywhereelse.

Some of the chores I help out with at the barn include: feedingthe calves, cleaning out the stalls, sweeping up the silage tothe cows and I occasionally help out with milking. I have mademany memories while being at the barn, but the funniest one Ican remember would be a time when I was feeding the calves. Ihad stopped at the barn to quickly feed the calves before goingout to dinner with family. Because I was running behind, I wastrying my best to feed the calves as quickly as possible. I wentto fill up my last bottle with milk, but because I was in such a

rush I turned on the switch too fast and the milk came squirt-ing out everywhere. I was drenched! It was too funny to beupset, all I could do was laugh at myself, along with everyoneelse who had witnessed it.

I have been a member of the Orange County 4-H dairy programfor about two years. Some of the activities I participate inare: Dairy Bowl, Dairy Challenge, Dairy Judging, Dairy Level Day,Public Presentations and I also show Holsteins at the CountyFair as well as Sussex.

Through the dairy project I have learned so many new thingsincluding many facts about cows, and today’s dairy industry. Ihave also been on the Orange County Dairy Court serving as aDairy Ambassador for two years.

For more information about dairy projects visitwww.ansci.cornell.edu/4H/4hdairy.html.


By Allison Rhoads, Age 16, 4-H Club,Orange County

I have learned many things from takingcare of horses. For example, I have learnednot to procrastinate. At the barn thereare many chores that need to be done, sowhy not just do them and get it over with?I can apply this same principle to otherareas of my life, such as schoolwork.

Every Wednesday I go up to North WindHorse Farm and clean the barn. Thisincludes mucking stalls, getting clean shav-ings, dumping and filling water buckets, giv-ing the horses hay, and then feeding andbringing them inside for the night. It is agood way to teach me the value of hardwork, while I learn how to work around horses.

I also meet with my 4-H horse club twice amonth. I’ve learned a lot from this experi-ence, including leadership. The older mem-bers of our club teach the younger mem-

bers what is expected to keep a horse farmrunning. We learn how to safely handlehorses and manage their care. This way welearn leadership and make sure that thecircle is continued and there are alwayskids to lead and those to learn.

Working with horses has also taught mehow many career opportunities there are,and how knowledgeable you have to be. Bybeing around the farm, I see many of thediverse careers out there - from vets andfarriers all the way to horse massage ther-apists and even horse psychics. If you wantto work with horses, do not limit yourself;that’s my belief.

From riding to caring, health to science,friendship to sportsmanship…horses surecan teach us a lot.

For more information about raising hors-es visit www.ansci.cornell.edu/4H/horses.

Allison jumping her horse Teddy.

Crystal and her Holstein. Crystal works with a neighboring farmer toraise her animals.

Cassie and her first pony - Taffy..

By Cassie Stokes, Age 11, Country Kickers 4-HClub, Orange County

I love living in the country. I can keep my horsesin my back yard. It is always an adventure car-ing for my animals. Some people might com-plain about living in the country, but I neverwould - especially when I go outside to hear thebirds and see the stars at night.

I belong to the Country Kickers 4-H club. I havebeen a member for 4 years. This year, I am thetreasurer of the club. I am also a second-gen-eration 4-Her. My mom was also in 4-H whenshe was younger and is now one of our clubleaders. Our club has fun doing cooking proj-ects, working on scrapbooks, and making crafts.We also learn about planting vegetables andflowers. We’re always looking for new things todo, which makes it always fun.

We also do several community projects eachyear, as it’s good to help others and service isa part of 4-H. We have collected money andfood for the local animal shelter and takenvalentine cards to the local nursing home andalso raised money and walked in the JuvenileDiabetes Research Foundation walk-a-thon.That is very personal because two of our mem-bers are juvenile diabetic. We have had to learnwhat diabetics can and cannot eat, so wealways have something for our friends when wehave snacks after our monthly meetings.

I like that our club does many different things.My brother Eric loves to bake apple pies, Ashleyand Hunter are always winning the horticultureawards, Amber has a hundred rabbits sheshows, Steven restores tractors, and I lovehorses. We just got several new members thisyear and I am sure they will all have somethingthey like to do best too.

My favorite project is the horse program. Istarted the horse program when I was 8 withmy little white pony Taffy. By doing the horseknowledge levels each year and the riding levels,which test our riding ability, I learned a lot andhad fun at the same time. Taffy and I compet-ed at the 4-H horse shows for two years. Now Ihave a new Quarter Horse named Maverick.He’s a chestnut gelding who is very tall. Maver-ick and I just completed our Level II riding levelthis past November. I plan to show him thisspring and summer at the local and 4-H showsand hopefully complete another riding level.

4-H has helped me learn many things I may nothave had a chance to learn otherwise. The bestpart of it is that it’s always fun, even whenyou’re studying to pass a level test.

For more information about getting involved inyour community visithttp://nys4h.cce.cornell.edu.hoto.

The Youth Page is written by and for young people. Many thanks to 4-H teens from Orange County, NY, for most of the material in this issue’s Youth Page.We believe there’s a bright future for young farmers in the Northeast. Whether you live on a farm or only wish you did, we’d love to hear from you! Write to:

SFQ Youth Pages, c/o Celeste Carmichael, 4-H Youth Development Program Specialist, CCE State 4-H Youth Development Office, 340 Roberts Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, 607-255-4799 • [email protected]

Dairy Life

Country Living

Learning from Horses

By Heidi Mouillesseaux-Kunzmann

When I’m asked what the Community,Food, and Agriculture Program at Cornell isall about, I often wonder if my immediateresponse shouldn’t be “How much time doyou have?”

Helping people to understand the connec-tions between their food, the people andfarms that produce it, and the communitiesthey live in, requires more than a one-liner.I know I shouldn’t be surprised. With fewerfarms dotting the landscape, fewer peoplehave the opportunity to learn about farm-ing. And with more and more processedand prepared foods at the supermarket, it’spretty hard to imagine that dinner was oncewalking about, or caked with dirt after har-vest.

Reconnecting farmers with local consumersand communities is one of the challengesfaced by the folks that we work with. Knownas “Agriculture Development Specialists” or“Agriculture Economic Developers,” theseindividuals are trained in a variety of fieldsand are based in an equally diverse arrayof agencies and organizations. They areExtension educators, planners, economicdevelopers, Resource Conservation andDevelopment personnel, consultants, andstaff of NGO’s (non-governmental organiza-tions.) Some of them are farmers or otherconcerned citizens who have taken on aleadership role.

While these professionals and communityvolunteers may approach agriculture devel-opment from different angles, they all seethe link between the well being of theircommunity and that of its farms. Vibrantfarms -- and the independent agribusiness-es and food businesses that depend onthem -- make important contributions to the

local economy. The families and employeesthat run them also contribute to localaffairs, often serving in government andcivic organizations. Local farms ensure alocal source of healthy food, preserve openspace and wildlife habitat, and providerecreational opportunities. In doing so, theyhelp make rural areas the places that peo-ple want to stay in, move to, or visit.

Ag developers focus on bringing togetherfarmers, food entrepreneurs, agribusiness-es, consumers, and the community at largeto address the problems and opportunitiesfacing them in theircommunities. TheCommunity, Food,and Agriculture Pro-gram (CFAP) workswith them, providingresearch support,training programs,workshops, newsand information,organizing assis-tance, and network-ing support. Forexample, CFAP hasworked with agricul-ture developers indiverse communitiesto help them:• Incorporate agri-culture and food security concerns intolocal comprehensive community and eco-nomic development plans;• Develop farmers’ markets, shared-usekitchens, processing facilities, and otherinfrastructure;• Provide business management training,beginning farmer training, farm diversifica-tion training, and opportunities for farmers tolearn from and collaborate with each other;• Educate community members and lead-ers, including local legislators, about agri-

culture and its relevance to community andeconomic development;• Develop regional marketing initiatives thatlink rural and urban communities, tap ethnicand specialty markets, and connect farmsto schools and other institutions.• Create economic development and com-munity identity opportunities, such as agfestivals, farm-neighbor days, agritourisminitiatives; Buy-Local campaigns andregional identity programs.

This year marks the 20th anniversary ofCFAP’s work to support these kinds of agri-culture development initiatives. In these twodecades, CFAP (and its predecessor theFarming Alternatives Program) has been at


COMMUNITY/WORLD

Reconnecting Farms,Food And CommunitiesCornell’s Community, Food, and Agriculture Program celebrates two decades of Ag Development innovation

CFAP researchers Duncan Hilchey and GilGillespie have been instrumental in the forma-tion of the Heritage Grape Belt, a Western NYag development initiative which will be fea-tured in the Summer issue.

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The tractor that started it all, is starting it allagain. The new Kubota Grand L30 Series is thefirst compact tractor to combine the intelligenceand simplicity of a computerized monitoringsystem with the power and productivity of ahigh performance 31 to 50 hp diesel engine.The result is the smartest, strongest, smoothest-running compact tractor on the market today.

and convert it to plant growth. Takinginto account the aforementionedorganic matter and soil structure attrib-utes, double cropping these plants cansignificantly contribute to improvedwater quality.

GREATER PRODUCTION THAN TRADITIONAL CROPSBMRss can yield as much as 5 tons ofdry matter over the course of its multi-ple cuttings. Winter triticale can pro-duce typical yields of about three tonsof dry matter per acre. Coupling the-ses two crops can result in an eight-ton dry matter yield. It would takeabout 24 tons of corn silage (as fed) toequal that.

But that’s not all. The triticale can begrazed in the fall – extending the graz-ing season. With proper management,this additional harvest will not impactthe next year’s yield. And one morepoint: These two crops can accom-plish high production on marginal soilswhere alfalfa or corn could not com-pete successfully.

CONSISTENT HIGH FORAGE QUALITYBoth of the crops, harvested as forage,will rival corn silage for energy. WhenBMRss’ digestibility is accounted for itwill actually top corn silage for animalproduction per acre. Each of thesecrops can produce protein levels inexcess of 15% when properly fertilized.Wide windows of opportunity in plant-ing and harvesting lend to the consis-tency. A combination of corn silageand alfalfa will be hard pressed tomatch both the energy and proteinyield of this double crop.

HIGH ANIMAL PRODUCTIONThis system can be excellent for sup-plementing the ‘summer slump’ in graz-ing operations. Both crops provideexcellent nutrition for sustained highproduction when animals are in con-finement. In dairy production they canreduce the grain portion of the ration,which can then raise milk componentswithout sacrificing herd average.These crops will do nicely to enhancebeef and sheep feeding, actually elimi-nating the need for grain in many cases.

DROUGHT TOLERANCE ANDREDUCED LIKELIHOOD OF A CROPFAILURE Both crops are drought tolerant. Giventhe radical climatic swings we have

seen in recent years this cropping sys-tem offers an additional hedge. If youhave droughty soils to begin with thesystem produces crops that can dowell while providing a means to buildyour ground’s water holding capacity.Combined with the multiple windows ofmanagement there is a greater chanceof successful harvests.

THERE IS NO FREE LUNCHThis doubling cropping system calls forintensive management, monitoring soilneeds, and high levels of fertility. Twoplantings per year and multiple har-vests have to be planned and labormust be available when it is needed.Suitable equipment, in good repair, isalso a necessity.

This is not everybody’s answer. But forthose who have the other resources, orcan find a way to provide them, itopens up an opportunity to turn frus-tration into reward.

Bill Henning and his wife Kathleenoperate a grass-based beef andsheep farm in the Finger Lakesregion of New York. He is also theSmall Farms Specialist with PRO-DAIRY/CCE-NWNY Dairy, Livestock,and Field Crops Team.

Double CroppingContinued from page 13



By Les Hulcoop

With energy costs on the increase, thealternative energy discussion has onceagain captured our attention. Sources otherthan fossil fuel, natural gas and coal havebeen around a while. Some longer thenothers. We all can name a few: solar, wind,water, geothermal, nuclear, hydrogen fuelcells, methane, plant biomass (wood orgrass), plant oil, recycle cooking oil...

All of these sources offer promise, and theyall have challenges associated with theirproduction and use. There are manyresource people, publications and compa-nies that focus on these different alternativeenergies. A search of the Internet offersthousands of sites with information on alter-natives.

Could local farms grow alternative energycrops? Lets for a moment focus on twoalternative fuel sources that could be grownon farmland here in the Northeast. Locallygrown grasses could be processed into sol-id fuel for heating. Oil crops, such as soy-beans or rapeseed could process into bio-diesel.

GRASS AS A HEAT SOURCEThe Northeast has a considerable acreageof unused and underutilized agriculturalland, much of which is reverting to shrubby

growth or woodlands. Select species ofgrasses, for example, switchgrass, could begrown on some of this land, processed andused for heat. Grass pellets have greatpotential as a low-tech, small-scale, envi-ronmentally friendly, renewable energy sys-tem that can be locally produced, locallyprocessed and locally consumed.

As we focuses on energy security, grassbio-energy is one of the ways that commu-nities can move towards energy security. Insome cases grass bio-energy can be pro-duced and used within a 20-mile radius of arural farming community. The worldwideenergy crunch is not going to disappear, aswe are reminded with the increases inenergy prices. Sooner or later we will beforced to invest in alternative fuel supplies.Progress towards self-sufficiency isprogress towards energy security.

An ideal biofuel source should have the fol-lowing traits: 1) Cost-effective renewableenergy supply. 2) An efficient conversionprocess. 3) High rural economic develop-ment potential. 4) High grower acceptance.5) Environmentally friendly. 6) A positiveimpact on greenhouse gas production.

Perennial grass has the potential to meetall of the above criteria. Any mixture ofgrasses can be cut in mid to late summer,left in the field to leach out minerals, then

baled and pelletized. Drying of the grassesis not required, making the cost of process-ing less than with wood pelleting. Grassesas an energy source may fit into a produc-tion plan of small farms. This “bio-grass”could offer another revenue steam for thefarmer.

PLANT OILS AS BIOFUELThe biofuel on many people’s mind is bio-diesel for use in trucks and buses. It canalso be used as a heating fuel blended withheating oil. The production of bio-diesel andother plant oils has been mainly in the Mid-west where large acreages of these cropsare grown. However, New York State willsoon have two production facilities on-line.Currently New York is using bio-diesel andethanol that is processed outside the NewYork.

Part of what makes bio-diesel so appealingand interesting is that it can be made fromnumerous natural sources. Although animalfat can be used, plant oil is the largestsource of bio-diesel. Scientists and engi-neers can use oils from familiar crops suchas soybean, rapeseed, canola, palm, cot-tonseed, sunflower, and peanut to producebio-diesel. Bio-diesel can even be madefrom recycled cooking oil!

Bio-diesel is a clean burning alternativefuel, produced from domestic, renewable

resources. Bio-diesel contains no petrole-um, but it can be blended at any level withpetroleum diesel to create a bio-dieselblend. It can be used in diesel engines withlittle or no modifications. Bio-diesel is sim-ple to use, biodegradable, non-toxic, andessentially free of sulfur and aromatics.

Most oil crops are grown on largeacreages, therefore may not be economicalfor small scale farm operations. Finding anoil crop that can be economical to grow onthese farms is evolving. Rapeseed, a coolweather oil crop is being explored as apotential “double crop” for small farms inNew York.

Mother Nature helped us reduce our ener-gy bills this last heating season with a mod-erate winter. But we must look to futurewinters; continue to think conservationtoday and alterative fuels for tomorrow.

Les Hulcoop is Agriculture, FarmlandProtection and Farm Marketing Special-ist with Cornell Cooperative Extensionof Dutchess County. He can be reachedat (845) 677-8223, ext.130 or [email protected].

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Agriculture Feeds Us - Could It Also Fuel Us?

the cutting edge of numerous ag develop-ment innovations that have helped to revi-talize agriculture in the region: farmingalternatives and diversification, agritourism,farm-neighbor relations, farmers’ markets,farm-to-school, value-adding, Buy-Local,regional identity, Community SupportedAgriculture, ethnic markets, specialtycheese, culinary tourism.

CFAP ROOTS: THE FARMING ALTERNATIVES PROGRAMThe evolutionary process started in 1986when, in response to one more economic

crisis among dairy farmers, CFAP waslaunched as the “Farming Alternatives Pro-gram.” At that time, the program focusedon research, training and outreach materi-als designed to help struggling dairy farm-ers transition into more diverse and hope-fully, more profitable agricultural enterpris-es. In 1998 FAP published Farming Alter-natives: A Guide to Evaluating the Feasibili-ty of New Farm-Based Enterprises, andaward winning publication that is still widelyused by farmers and educators.

While these efforts undoubtedly helpedmany farmers to stay in business and oth-ers to start successful businesses, it soon

became clear that even themost well-trained producerswouldn’t succeed without bet-ter developed markets. FAPbegan to focus on ways toconnect farmers and con-sumers. While this alsohelped, it soon became clearthat this was still not enough.There are additional, morecomplex problems that pro-ducers and consumers can’tovercome as individuals.Problems that require com-munities (as well as regions,states, the nation) to rethinkand reinvent their relation-ships with agriculture.

The Farming AlternativesProgram began to exploreand then to foster communi-ty-based initiatives to supportlocal agriculture. In 1995 FAP

published Community Agriculture Develop-ment: Profiles of 32 Initiatives in NYS. Thismarked the beginning of a growing aware-ness of agriculture’s potential to serve asan “engine” of economic and communitydevelopment. Within a few years “agricultur-al economic development” was being pro-moted by the NYS Department of Agricul-ture and Markets, policymakers, and agri-cultural economists at Cornell. AgricultureDevelopment Specialist were being hiredby counties across the state, and soon,across the nation.

FAP continued to play a leadership role inag development research, education andprofessional development, and in 2002changed its name to the Community, Food,and Agriculture Program. Now, twentyyears after its founding as the FarmingAlternatives Program, CFAP remains com-mitted to the mission of sustaining farmsand communities. Today, our work is basedon three premises:• Thriving farms produce not just food andfiber, but multiple public benefits: supportfor the local economy and civil society,open space, wildlife habitat, clean water(compared to residential and commercialland uses,) recreational opportunities, andthe “rural character” of communities andlandscapes.• To thrive, farms and related businessesrequire the active support of the communi-ties that they benefit.• Community members and developers, inturn, need to know how to support farmsand farm-related businesses, and how topartner with them in order to realize theirpotential public benefits.

True to Cornell’s Land Grant mission, CFAPis committed to understanding and actingon the needs of the people of New York.We work closely with our primary stake-holders, the agriculture development pro-fessionals described above, who are put-ting ag development concepts and princi-ples to work in communities across thestate. We also work with farmers, ag-relat-ed businesses, and their organizations.

CFAP maintains an active portfolio ofaction-research projects, identifying andanalyzing emerging ag development oppor-tunities in collaboration with partners in thefield and across campus. Our professionaldevelopment programs assist practitionersin gaining skills, knowledge and experi-ence. Public outreach includes educationalworkshops, seminars, presentations, andnumerous print and web-based publica-tions. (You can view these resources on-line at: www.CFAP.org).

Over the next several issues of Small FarmQuarterly, we will be following up on thisintroduction with a series on “ReconnectingFarms, Food and Communities: AgricultureDevelopment in the Northeast,” highlightingsome examples of CFAP’s recent work withag developers and their communities. Wehope you will find them inspiring andinformative.

Heidi Mouillesseaux-Kunzmann is theCoordinator of Cornell’s Community,Food, and Agriculture Program. She canbe reached at 607-255-9832 [email protected]. You can find outmore about CFAP at www.cfap.org.

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By Bill Henning

In the last issue of Small Farm Quarterly anarticle “So You Thought the Slow MovingVehicle Emblem was Adequate?” drew afair amount of feedback. This follow-up arti-cle might reveal some interesting aspectsof human nature that are both problemsand opportunities.

To begin a follow-up article, I interviewedSgt. Jeff Stall and Trooper Bill Mills of theCommercial Vehicle Enforcement Divisionof the New York State Police. They provid-ed a summary of the more important issuesfarmers need to be aware of (See “FarmVehicle Regulations” by Jennifer Beckman.)

BAD ATTITUDE?In that interview I also became aware of anattitude that pervades some rural road-ways. The officers told me that when theystop a farm vehicle relative to regulations itis not uncommon for the farmer to act in aconfrontational manner -- “I’ve done it thisway for thirty years and I’m not about tochange now!” “I don’t have time to do that!”“I won’t do it!”

But wait. Before you take personal offense,let me say that farmers are not the onlypeople displaying that attitude. Town roadsupervisors have even displayed it. Whilethis attitude is on the decline, it still exists.How do you suppose an officer is going torespond to that?

On the flip side of the coin, some farmersfeel that law enforcement thinks withoutthem we are incapable of being safe. The

farmer has done it thirty years and has nev-er had a problem. I must admit to fallinginto this category on more than one occa-sion, both as a truck driver and as a farmer.And, if we don’t control our emotions, weend up begrudging an officer for our ownoversight.

RISKING OTHER’S SAFETYFarmers are used to taking risks. We get introuble when we expect others to share inthose risks. The reality is, for example: Anunsecured load of round bales going downthe road at 40 MPH can quickly become ablast of projectiles on their collision coursewith an innocent bystander. And the inno-cent bystander is the third person in thispicture.

My family accuses me of eating, sleeping,walking, and talking farming. But even I getaggravated by a piece of farm machinerytaking up his half of the highway plus mine.Worse than that, are the multitudes of driv-ers exercising little or no common sense.Like it or not, it is our responsibility to allowfor them. If you don’t agree with that tryarguing your case in a court of law.

A CAUTIONARY TALEWhich brings us to the second interviewand the litigation factor. Rodney Brownfarms in Ontario County. Rodney is not thetype of person to shirk responsibility and heis also a very busy farmer. About 12 yearsago an employee was taking a full slurryspreader down the road at about 3 AM tospread in a nearby field. The flashers werenot working but the red light and the worklight on the tractor cab were clearly visible

from behind the spreader. It was rear-end-ed by a drunk who never even hit thebrakes.

Without even considering the dollar cost,the canceled insurance, and the emotionalwear and tear, Rodney lost the equivalentof an entire week of farm work. Rodney’sadvice based on his experience:• The Slow Moving Vehicle emblem meanslittle or nothing to most people;• Keep your flashers working and keepthem clean; and • Realize you’re in other people’s way.

We realize there are dangers involved infarming. With all the risks involved, why noteliminate the ones we can, especially thosethat are relatively easy to overcome? Ifonly we could walk in the other person’sshoes, we might come to realize that thetraffic citation we’ve just been issued isreally for our own benefit.

Bill Henning and his wife Kathleen oper-ate a grass-based beef and sheep farmin the Finger Lakes region of New York.He is also the Small Farms Specialistwith PRO-DAIRY/CCE-NWNY Dairy, Live-stock, and Field Crops Team.


MANAGING RISK

Farm Equipment on the HighwayIf Only We Could Walk in the Other Person’s Shoes

Accidents are unexpected, spontaneous, and often catastrophic. Photo by Bill Henning

By Jen Beckman

As we travel the roads with our farm equip-ment, it is important to keep in mind theregulations that have been made to keepourselves and our fellow travelers safe. Irecently spoke with the NYS DOT Trooperin charge of vehicle regulations for ourregion. He sent me a copy of the traffic lawthat pertains to farm equipment. In the arti-cle below, I’ve tried to interpret the law intoa more readable form.

REGULATIONS PERTAINING TO FARMEQUIPMENT1. At a minimum, all tractors and imple-ments must have a slow moving vehiclesign. These signs fade with time; it is rec-ommended to replace them every 2-3years. Reminder – Slow Moving Vehiclesigns are only for vehicles traveling under25 mph and are not meant for any otherpurpose (i.e. driveway or mailbox markers.)

2. If on a public highway after dark or whenvisibility is less than 1000 ft due to badweather, requirements include:• 2 white headlights on front of tractor• One red tail lamp at the farthest end

(tractor or implement) and as far to the leftas practical • 2 amber combined hazard warning and

turn signal lamps at least 42 inches high,visible from front and rear. If just a tractor,these lights can be on the cab. If travelingwith an implement, these lights need to bemounted at rear of implement.• 2 red reflectors at the rear of the imple-

ment

AN IMPORTANT EXCEPTION:If the width of tractor/implement combina-tion is between 12 and 17 feet, you cannottravel on public roads after dark. Whentraveling during daylight, red or orange fluo-rescent flags -- not smaller than 18 squareinches -- and reflectors need to be placedat extreme corners of the load. In addition,2 flashing amber lights or hazard lights visi-ble from the rear of the load must be flash-ing. If the vehicle or implement extendsbeyond the center line or is traveling duringinclement weather, the implement shouldbe preceded by an escort vehicle with awarning sign and flashing lights.

EVERY ANIMAL DRAWN VEHICLE MUSTDISPLAY ON THE REAR:1. A Slow Moving Vehicle sign2. A lighted lantern with a red lens at least4 inches in diameter, mounted 42 inchesabove the ground, and at least 72 squareinches of high quality white or whitish-grayreflective tape.

To obtain copies of the regulations or forother questions regarding farm traffic rules,contact your local State Trooper Headquar-ters and ask for the Traffic Sergeant or Traf-fic Section. To find phone numbers for thetroop that covers your area, visit:www.troopers.state.ny.us/Contact%5FUs/Troop%5FInformation/.

Jennifer Beckman is Field Crops ExtensionEducator with Cornell Cooperative Exten-sion of Lewis County. She can be reachedat 315-376-5270, or [email protected].

MANAGING RISK

Farm Vehicle Regulations

THE LAND AND THE PEOPLEThe 1890’s historical novel, The Land and the People, is an

authentic look back into the annual round of farm work and homelife of a typical upstate, rural New York family. The story is set inthe uplands of the Town of Broome, Schoharie County. Meet HobieCox, the up-by-the bootstraps, well-to-do farmer, his wife Gertrude,suffering from cancer, their three grown children, Del, Katie andBen along with spouses and grandchildren. Truly drawn are thelocal minister, cattle dealer, storekeeper, neighbors, politicians andmany others.

In these times gone by the people lived close to the land. The handand animal powered mechanics of 1890’s and the beginning stepstoward mechanization of agriculture are described. The realities oflocal politics, the extremes of the weather, isolation, dread of fire,specter of the poor home, the importance of religion come alive inthe author’s portrayal of how the people lived in times gone by.Jack Gordon has successfully published two WWII historical nov-

els, Wings Over Burma and the Himalayas and His Majesty’sTraitor. Not only have his books circulated locally and nationallybut also in Canada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands,Germany, China and Japan.

The Land and the People:by John W. Gordon

-in hardcover $16.95 Nam

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The USDA Farm Service Agency is com-mitted to providing family farmers withloans to meet their farm financial needs.If you are having difficulty getting thefinancing you need for your farm, or reg-ularly borrow from FSA, direct and guar-anteed loans are available now. Applyingearly is important so that a loan can beprocessed and funded timely. Ask yourlender about an FSA loan guarantee ifyou have had a setback and your lenderis reluctant to extend or renew your loan.

Most of our loan programs have specialfunding available for minority, female and

beginning farmers. FSA employees willhelp you complete the necessary appli-cation and other forms, and help youunderstand what information is required,where to find it or who to contact to getit. To find out more about FSA loan pro-grams, contact the office serving thecounty where you live or visit our websiteat www.fsa.usda.gov.

Submitted by Christy A. Marshall,Farm Loan Chief with USDA Farm Ser-vice Agency in Syracuse, NY. Christycan be reached at 315-477-6341.

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By David Kline

Editor’s note: We are pleased – and hon-ored -- to welcome well-known Ohio farmerand author David Kline as a new regularcontributor to Small Farm Quarterly.

Last year our growing season started incool and dry. We turned the cows out ongrass in mid-April—beginning as we endedthe previous fall—on large paddocks. AsApril turns to May, the usual pattern is forthe paddock size to shrink as the pastureshead for their spring flush of growth.

A year ago that didn’t occur. It was almostJune and its warmer temperatures, beforemuch growth developed. The fences weremoved in, the meadowlarks and bobolinksbegan nest-building, and we settled in for asummer of good grazing.

Then temperatures hit 90 degrees and itquit raining. Or rather the rains retreated towidely scattered showers; showers thattended to move to the north and south ofus. But we managed to shift and rotate pas-tures and grazed some fields meant for hayand watched for rain-laden clouds.

By August the over-heated waters of theGulf of Mexico became calving grounds forhurricanes and, I know it sounds almostsinful, raised our hopes for rain. First Den-nis, but blocked by a high-pressure systemto the east, that storm fizzled and died insouthern Illinois and brought us no relief.Then Katrina rounded the tip of Florida asa Category 1 hurricane and quickly juicedup to a Category 5 and the rest is history.

Katrina provided us with four inches of gen-tle rain over 24 hours, plus some more fromRita, and we had the best fall pasturage inour three plus decades of dairying. When itwintered in at the end of November a lot offorage was left in the fields and thereonhangs this story—the meadow voles werein winter haven.

Following the first snowfall, red fox trackscrisscrossed the fields searching out themice and soon the first rough-legged hawksappeared from their Arctic summer homesand began to hunt the fields and feed onthe fat little rodents.

Every roughleg I see flying overhead hasthe distended crop of a well-fed hawk.A pair of roughlegs has stayed with us allwinter. I see them daily as they quarter andcourse the fields. The handsome raptorsfrom the Arctic have given us much pleas-ure. There is something about the rough-legged hawk that is so attractive.

Although similar to our local red-tailedhawk, which in winter looks almost purewhite from below, the roughleg is strikinglydifferent with its white underwings sharplyhighlighted by black elbows and wingtips. Italso sports a broad dark belly belt and

black tail band. When the roughleg wheelsand turns in flight its white rump is visible.Definitely a hawk in a tuxedo.

Yesterday, while I was spreading manure, Iwatched the two roughlegs and three red-tails hunting over the one six-acre field atthe same time. Against the blue mid-daysky and catching the reflection of the lightsnow on the ground, the contrast betweenthe species was remarkable.

There is a dark morph of the rough-leggedhawk, which occurs in about 10 percent ofthe population. It has no white rump patch,but does have beautiful silver underwings,although the black elbow is missing. Whenperched it is as black as a raven.

Many rough-legged hawks are wintering inthis community. They must have had anexcellent hatch last year. The number ofeggs laid by the rough-legged hawks, aswith the snowy owls, depends on their Arc-tic food supply. When the lemmings areabundant, larger clutches occur. Is the Arc-tic warming, along with the Gulf of Mexico,and providing a milder environment for thelemmings and the roughlegs? These arethoughts I ponder as I spread fertility on thefields and watch the dancing horned larks.

David and his wife Elsie, along with theirfamily, milk about 40 cows near Freder-icksburg, Ohio. David has authored twobooks: Great Possessions and Scratch-ing the Woodchuck. He also edits Farm-ing Magazine, published by Friends ofthe Agrarians. Sample copies are avail-able for $5. Subscriptions are $18/yearfor four issues, or $32 for two years.Write: P.O. Box 85, Mt. Hope, OH 44660;e-mail: [email protected].

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Check out theSmall Farms Web Site!

www.smallfarms.cornell.edu

We Want to Hear from You!We welcome letters to the editor -- Please write to us! Or send a question and we'll do our best to answer it.

We're also looking for beautiful, interesting, and/or funny small farm photos to print.

Write or email Joanna Green, Cornell Small Farms Program,

135C Plant Science Building, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, [email protected].

By John Wertis

Beech Hill, Beechmont Woods, ButternutGrove, Chestnut Ridge, Hickory Corners,Hickory Bush, Oak Orchard and more thana dozen other oak named municipalitiesthat are indexed in a current New YorkState Atlas and Gazetteer suggest howimportant nut trees were to the settlers andtheir descendants during the Golden Age ofHomespun in New York State.

During the mid-to-late 1800’s farmers andhorticulturists were “domesticating” the wildtrees, identifying, and propagating by graft-ing hundreds of named cultivars of the vari-ous species of our native nut trees. Theapplication of scientific principals of genet-ics to nut tree improvement acceleratedduring the 1900’s. Researchers, like L.H.MacDaniels at Cornell University, estab-lished experimental plantings and exploredthe viability of commercial nut orchard pro-duction. They knew that nuts are tasty andnutritious. Many of us agree and pursuetheir goals today…many of us are mem-bers of the New York State Nut GrowersAssociation.

NYNGA grew out of a meeting at AlfredState University in the spring of 2002. TomPotts, a grower and promoter of Filbert(Hazelnut) production, sent out the initialinvitations. He and several other membersof the long established Northeast NutGrowers Association saw the value of get-ting New York State nut growing enthusi-asts together for mutual support and explo-ration of these techniques. At a later meet-ing, the organization toured the Olsons’extensive nut tree plantings in the FindleyLakes area in the southwest corner of thestate.

At the same initial meeting, John Gordon,horticulturist and Hickory expert from theAmherst region of the state, also demon-strated some grafting techniques and spokeabout hybrid Chestnut cultivars. DonnCobb, “edible oak” expert and chair of theNNGA Oak Committee, donated variousseedling plants that were given to interest-ed attendees at that meeting. The followingsummer the newly formed association metat the Cobb’s home and nut tree plantingsat Waterloo.

As NYNGA has matured it has expandedits initial membership base from a merehandful to some 35 dues paying members.The beauty and the bedevilment of ourorganization is that these members arescattered broadly across New York State. Ithas exposed us to the amazing diversity ofthe Empire State; but it is always a longdrive for some members to attend meet-ings. Through the activities of our Treasurer,

Colleen Green of Perry, we are close toachieving not-for-profit status. We are at apoint where we can more actively supportthe interests of the nut growing hobbyistand those exploring the commercialaspects of nut growing in the state.

More recent meetings have taken us to theCornell Plantations at Ithaca, where Dr. KenMudge of the Ag College’s HorticultureDepartment introduced us to the Mac-Daniels’ nut tree plantings on the hillsideoverlooking Cascadilla Creek. He uses thissite as an outdoor classroom in his teach-ing of Agroforestry to undergraduates andis using the site for continuing nut treeresearch. Dr. Chris Cash and others atSUNY Cobleskill hosted a meeting there.We toured the facilities and did somehands-on-grafting. Tom Molnar, now on thestaff at Rutgers University, gave a talk onEastern Filbert Blight and described thatcollege’s on-going research in Filbert prop-agation and nut production. We enjoyed agreat meal there, topped off by WalnutBrownies prepared from a recipe developedby the School of Culinary Arts on the cam-pus.

In the Spring of 2005 we journeyed to theNYS Department of Environmental Conser-vation Tree Nursery at Saratoga Springs. Ameeting was held at Woodward’s WalnutWorld at Medina. To our knowledge, FrancisWoodward and family operate the only“commercially producing” Black Walnutorchard in New York State. Francis took usthrough the history of his nut grove anddemonstrated the many steps in preparingthe harvest for sale…tree shaking, nutgathering, dehulling, washing, drying andpackaging. He employs some expensivecommercial nut production equipment anda lot of ingenuity in his operation.

Other meetings have taken us to the Rock-efeller State Park nut plantings at Tarry-town, the St. Lawrence Nursery at Canton(cold-hardy North Country plants), theFahey’s orchards at Oxford, a meetingfocusing on land-owner issues at Pittsford,and last fall we returned to “FoundingFather” Tom Potts’ plantings on his propertyat Belmont. Networking has been a majorfocus. All the hosts at these various siteswelcome questions and visits from nutgrowing enthusiasts. NYNGA members willbe glad to field questions or connect youwith a known expert.

THE CARPATHIAN WALNUT PROJECTWe are in the midst of a major fund-raisingand on-going study project. The well-knownnurseryman, Ernest Grimo of Niagara-on-


FOREST AND WOODLOT

Are You Growing Nuts?Since 2002 the New York Nut Growers Associationhas been working hard to promote nut research,education, and conservation.

Malcolm Olsen “making a point” aboutorchard management.

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By Eric Toensmeier

Finding and procuring 4.1 acres of richfarmland just outside an urban center is nosmall feat. But Nuestras Raíces (NR), agrass-roots organization that promotes eco-nomic, human, and community develop-ment, did just that.

Based in Holyoke, Massachusetts, NR car-ries out their mission through projects relat-ed to food and agriculture. Fittingly calledTierra de Oportunidades (TDO) or Land ofOpportunities, their new farm is beingdeveloped as an incubator site for begin-ning farmer enterprises.

This prime property is located on the Con-necticut River, boasts world-class Hadleyloam, and is home to several at-risk andendangered species, including the baldeagle. Yet the Massachusetts Turnpike is ascant one mile away as is one of thelargest shopping malls in the northeast. Thestriking juxtaposition is poignant in an envi-ronmental sense, yet also provides easyaccess to the project.

A significant number of Holyoke residentsgrew up farming in Puerto Rico. Whilemany of them aspire to continue this tradi-tion, they are faced with substantial barri-ers, particularly the language gap andaccess to land and capital. TOD offers ameans of overcoming these hurdles.

Each prospective farmer takes part in abrief training course offered in Spanish.First we review the realities of farming inthe Northeast US, helping participantsmake the decision as to whether this pathis truly the right one for them. This “realitycheck” is followed by the development of aproduction, marketing, and financial plan. Acommittee of farmers, business experts,and community organizers then reviewseach plan; the most viable ones are select-ed for participation in the program. Afterthree years, a farmer is eligible to apply fora small business loan through Farm Ser-vice Agency.

The hands-on part of the project began infall 2004 with the rigorous task of reclaim-ing the land, which had not been cultivatedin twenty-five years. Luckily many of theTOD farmers were experienced with cuttingsugar cane and were already adept withthe machete. In the winter of 2004-5, TODheld its first training course, a prerequisitefor participating in the project. Many ofthese aspiring farmers were already mem-bers of Nuestras Raíces’ urban communitygardens. Now they can spread their wings,working on a larger scale that opens doorsto increasing profits.

In the spring of 2005, six farmers began towork the land, honoring their native landand tastes by raising specialty PuertoRican vegetables and herbs (e.g., cal-abaza, recao, ají dulce, cilantrillo,sorghum). Small livestock such as chick-ens, rabbits, goats, and pigs were also inte-grated into the system.Farmers currently pay$25 per month for aquarter-acre plot.

Marketing opportunitiesinclude the Holyokefarmers’ market andNuestras Raíces’ ownrestaurant, bakery, andshared-use commercialkitchen (for value-addingor sales to existing foodprocessing businesses).Advertising costs areminimal as both of theseorganizations alreadyhave communications inplace with the public.The outlook includesforging relationships withlocal restaurants, addingan on-site farm standwith a café, and devel-oping a women’s entre-preneur network and acooperative to provideflowers and food for weddings.

But Tierra de Oportunidadesis not just about raising pro-duce. It’s also about raisingawareness. To that end,there are farm tours, harvestfestivals, and other agricul-tural events. With a canoe

organization housed right next door, boat-ing (and fishing) is yet another option forvisitors. A common part of Puerto Ricanculture is to avoid cooking at home onweekends, choosing instead to attend a pigroast and bringing some of the food backhome. TDO has now made this possible intheir adopted city. Several pig roasts drewlarge crowds that also enjoyed Caballo

Paso Fino, a fanciful horse demonstration.Many visitors, moved by this lush refugeright in their city (on a busline!), have beenoverheard exclaiming, “I feel like I’m back inPuerto Rico!”

One of the most exciting beacons for thefuture is the addition of 25 acres of adja-

NEW FARMERS

Land of OpportunityImmigrant farmers put down roots in Holyoke, Massachusetts

Angel Galarza and Segundo Serrano show off their eggplants and peppers.

349 Roses BrookSouth Kortright, NY 13842

(607) 538-9464

See us for information on any of theabove company lines.

DairySanitations

the-Lake, Canada, has donated some5,000 Carpathian (think English orPersian) seed Walnuts to our associa-tion. John Gordon stratified them inwinter storage and some of these nutswere distributed to participants at theSaratoga Meeting last spring.

One thousand of these nuts wereplanted at Cornell University by NYN-GA volunteers. They were germinated(better than 50% growth) in the greenhouses there, summered outside, andare now in cold storage waiting aspring 2006 planting. These nuts(Pappe, Combe, G3 ISU H24, Lake,and Harrison) came from Lane Ontariotrees that we believe have cold hardi-ness, are late leafing, and may haveWalnut Blight resistance.

A number are for sale through theSchlabach’s Nursery, 2784 MurdockRoad, Medina, NY, 14103. Write tothem for a catalog listing these treesand their other orchard fruits and fruitgrowing products. A quantity of thesetrees will be planted at Cornell and atour Spring Meeting site at Trumans-burg, northwest of Ithaca.

Some Carpathian Walnut seedlingswill be available for distribution at thatmeeting. There will be a discussion ofEastern Filbert production, ButternutBlight studies, and the planting of ourNYNGA Carpathian WalnutOrchard…our on-going research proj-ect and commitment to the continua-tion and expansion of nut-growingactivities in New York State.

If you would like to know more aboutour organization, the Carpathian Pro-ject, or our May 6th meeting; contact

the NYNGA at BWW Farm, 8144Sears- burg Road, Trumansburg, NY14886, Phone 607-387-4331 or [email protected].

Jon Wertis is Vice President of NYNut Growers Association and aretired public school educator. Heand his partner Marian Pritchardrun a 90-acre Boer meat goat opera-tion in Trumansburg, NY.

Looking For English WalnutsIf you know of any “English Walnut”trees producing good tasting andgood-sized nuts in NYS, pleasecontact Jon Wertis at 607-387-4331. He is recording and mappingthe location of these sources ofquality genetic material.

Growing NutsContinued from prev. page

Segundo Serrano ties up a tomato plant onhis plot at Tierra de Oportunidades. Farmerscurrently pay $25 per month for a quarter-acre plot.

Participants also have the opportunity to raise small livestocksuch as chickens, rabbits, goats, and pigs. Here Fermin Galarza isshown with a favorite rooster.


Spring2006

Documents

small dairy educator

small dairies

new materialsto

new ideas

new projects

fay todevote time

beginning farmer effortwas

small farm quarterly