Spring2007

Feature ArticlesGrow With Agritourism . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 5

Big Bucks from Small Spaces . . . . . . .Page 11

Graze or Die . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 15

Youth Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 20-21

SMALL FARM QUARTERLYGood Living and Good Farming – Connecting People, Land, and Communities

Supplement to Country Folks

SPRING 2007

Photo by John Thurgood

April 9, 2007 SMALL FARM QUARTERLY Page 3

NY BEGINNING FARMER PROJECTAWARDED TWO GRANTSThe Small Farms Program, along with a Lead-ership Team of ten Cornell Cooperative Exten-sion Educators, has been awarded a NY FarmViability Grant to develop resources and net-works to help aspiring farmers anywhere in NYget the assistance they need for start-up andlong-term success. This includes creating anew website with downloadable informationand structured learning modules, an educator-led online course, collaboration on regionaltrainings, packages of recommended curriculaand training templates for Ag Educators, andone-on-one business planning assistance forserious new farmers. Please contact Erica Fre-nay at [email protected] or 607-255-9911 ifyou have questions or would like to beinvolved in any way in this project.

CORNELL STUDENTS EXPLORE THESMALL FARM DREAMThis spring the Small Farms Program is offer-ing, for the second time, a one-credit coursefor Cornell students called “Exploring theSmall Farm Dream.” We have an enthusiasticgroup of nineteen students, up from 12 lastyear, who meet weekly to hear from farmersand other resource people about the opportu-nities and challenges of starting a small farmbusiness. We’re really pleased with the highlevel of student interest, and have made thedecision to continue offering the class on ayearly basis. We are also looking into the pos-sibility of additional small-farm-focused classesthat might be offered in the future.

NY WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE NETWORK LAUNCHEDOn Jan. 13, a group of interested women metin Geneva, NY to discuss the formation of aWomen in Agriculture network for NY. Fueledby inspiration from other Women in Ag net-works in PA, ME, and VT, these women dis-cussed the benefits they hoped to achieve:inspiration, mentoring, learning in a comfort-able environment, friendships, and information

sharing. The women at this meeting expressedstrong interest in seeing local chapters form inregions all over the state, wherever there areclusters of interested women.

The group has a new email listserv to stay intouch statewide and share information aboutevents, resources, challenges, and successes.To join the list, please visithttp://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/NYag-women and click on the button that says “Jointhis Group.” You may need to acquire a freeyahoo ID in order to join. If you are interestedin being part of a women’s network in yourarea, or in hosting or organizing a workshop orfarm tour for women, please Susan Neal [email protected] or 607-535-2135.

SFP’s JOANNA GREEN JOINS THE RANKSOF BEGINNING FARMERSWell, do two heifer calves and a lot of bigideas make a farmer? Whatever your definitionof farmer, Joanna is proud to announce thearrival of Betty and Margrethe and the comple-tion of their plastic high tunnel “barn” in earlyMarch. Margrethe is a Dexter, while Betty is aRandall, a breed on the “critical” list of theAmerican Livestock Breeds Conservancy.Joanna’s plans include value-added dairyproducts – on an extremely small scale!

TWO NEW PUBLICATIONS In preparation for our Small Farms Summit inNovember of 2006, we compiled a booklet list-ing dozens of Cornell Small Farms Researchand Education Resources, highlighting someof the many programs and research projectsconducted by Cornell and Cornell CooperativeExtension for the benefit of small farms in NewYork State. The booklet includes brief descrip-tions and contact information for projects rang-ing from horticulture, livestock and dairy toagroforestry, business management and mar-keting. There is a section devoted to organicagriculture and another for Integrated PestManagement research and extension.

Small Farms Program 2000-2006 Report:Enhancing Research, Extension & Leadershipin Support of NY’s Smaller Farms. If you’veever wondered about the scope of what theSmall Farms Program actually does, this briefbut information-packed report details ouraccomplishments since the program was start-ed six years ago. Learn more about how theSmall Farms Program got started, our out-reach efforts and publications, and ourresearch and extension projects.

Both publications are available online atwww.smallfarms.cornell.edu, or call for a printcopy, 607-255-9227.

WORKSHOPS We’ve organized and/or co-sponsored lots ofevents this winter, including:• The Food Less Traveled Conference in

Owego• The Family Farming Conference in Geneva• The NYS Organic Dairy Task Force meeting

in Syracuse• The NY Women in Agriculture organizing

meeting in Geneva• Managing for Success for Organic Dairies

workshops in Oneonta• Joel Salatin seminar at Cornell University• Cultivating the Next Generation of Dairy Farmers in Dryden

• Graze-a-Palooza Grazing Extravaganza inHamilton

WANT MORE INFO?For more information about Cornell’s SmallFarms Program and lots of other small farmtopics, visit our website atwww.smallfarms.cornell.edu. You can also signup to receive our monthly email newsletter,Small Farms Update, by sending an email toLaura Harthan at [email protected]. Pleaseprovide your name, farm name, postaladdress, and county.

GET YOUR SMALL FARMS T-SHIRTPerfect for gifts, perfect for you! Beige organiccotton t-shirts with colorful graphic, shownhere, on front. Adult S,M,L, XL are $15; kids’size L available for $12. To order contact Joan-na Green at 607-255-9227 [email protected].

Cornell Small Farms Program Update

by Craig Cramer

With record warm temperatures last December– and spring-like weather lingering into earlyJanuary – many people have started thinkingabout how global warming will affect theirfarms.

“In the future, chances are good we will seemore warm winters like this one,” says DavidWolfe, a scientist in Cornell University’s

Department of Horticulture. Wolfe is studyinghow climate change, caused in part byincreasing carbon dioxide levels in the atmos-phere, is affecting agriculture in the Northeast.

“We may still have some very cold winters,”says Wolfe. “But all the climate models pointto a warming trend, and nature is alreadyresponding to the warmer conditions.”

In the Northeast, lilacs are blooming four days

earlier on average than they did in the 1960s,Wolfe points out. Warmer temperatures arealso affecting cultivated crops like grapes(blooming six days earlier) and apples (bloom-ing eight days earlier). These examples arejust the tip of the iceberg in the mounting evi-dence that the climate is warming.

Studying long-term climate trends can’t pin-point what the weather will be like next week ornext winter. But Wolfe details what farmersand gardeners can expect as the Northeast cli-mate warms over the long haul:

Warmer winters may allow you to grow somecrops or varieties that before could only growin milder climes. The upstate New York winegrape industry, which relies on varieties thatare only marginally cold-hardy in that region,may benefit from warmer winters.

On the other hand, aggressive weeds andinvasive plants will also move north as the cli-mate warms. Studies show those species arebetter equipped than crops to take advantageof the increasing carbon dioxide levels in theatmosphere that are driving warming, notesWolfe.

Pests and diseases that were held in check bythe cold may become more of a problem. Life-cycles of beneficial insects may get out ofsynch with the pests they help control.

Natural ecosystems will shift north, with oak-pine forests replacing maple-beech-birchforests in some places, for example.

Less reliable winter snow cover may hurt over-wintering of some perennial crops.

Hotter summers may cause heat stress even inwarm-season crops such as tomatoes.

It’s uncertain if weather variability will increasealong with temperatures. But most modelspredict fewer but more concentrated precipita-tion events, causing more flooding anddrought.

Adapting to a changing climate may meanchoosing better-adapted varieties or shiftingplanting dates. But some changes may be moreinvolved, such as installing irrigation or drainagesystems. “Everyone is going to have to investsome to respond to climate changes,” says Wolfe.

What should you do? Wolfe suggests startingwith some win-win strategies that benefit bothfarmers and the environment:

Conserve energy and reduce greenhouse gasemissions. Lower energy costs can lead tohigher profits while you minimize your owncontributions to global warming.

Increase soil organic matter. This improvessoil health and productivity, helping plants copewith drought, floods and other stresses.Organic matter is mostly carbon converted byplants from carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.So you’re reducing greenhouse gases whileyou improve your soil.

Use nitrogen fertilizer more efficiently. Syn-thetic nitrogen fertilizers are energy-intensiveto produce, transport and apply. The morenitrogen fertilizer you apply, the more nitrousoxide (a greenhouse gas) your soil emits.

Sell energy to the expanding renewable ener-gy market. Consider using marginal land togrow biomass fuels or generate electricity fromthe wind.

For more information, visit: www.climateand-farming.org.

Craig Cramer is Communications Specialistwith Cornell’s Department of Horticulture.

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STEWARDSHIP & NATURE

Global WarmingIt’s happening. How will it affect the way you farm?

Signs of warming in the Northeast: Fruittrees like these tart cherries are flowering ear-lier in spring. Compared with the 1960’s,apples are flowering eight days earlier andgrapes six days earlier.

Page 4 SMALL FARM QUARTERLY April 09, 2007

By Molly Ames

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

Managing risk is especially important ifyou’re starting a new venture on your farm,investing in changes so that your childrencan farm, or taking the plunge and startinga new farm of your own from scratch.

I’ve been fortunate to work with many farm-ers who have successfully started new ven-tures – some from the ground up. We canlearn a lot from folks who have survivedthose first few tough years. Here’s somesound advice from those who have beenthere and lived to tell about it. (Look formore in Part 2 of this article in the Summer2007 issue of Small Farm Quarterly.)

CLARIFY YOUR MOTIVESVery few people buy a farm, purchaseequipment and/or livestock and begin therough-and-tumble job of agriculture with theintention of losing money on the endeavor.Farming is hard work, and no one wants towork that hard just to lose money.

But farming is about more than money, andyou need to examine your other motives sothey don’t cloud your decisions. “Decidewhy you are doing it. Is it so you can justifydoing what you love to do?” asks NanceyBrackett, who started her own equine busi-ness in Canton, N.Y., that offers boarding,riding lessons and a tack store.

If you are interested in getting into theequine business, Nancey suggests askingyourself, “Are you doing it just to have peo-ple to ride with? Or is this a career and youexpect an income?” How you answer isimportant to your planning process.Nancey’s story is pretty typical. She startedwith a few horses and added more. Thenshe found she needed to invest in anindoor arena in order to charge more forboarding. The years went by and she foundshe had a full-time job on her hands.

Nancey was able to make the business payfor itself, but her family lived on non-farmincome. She managed to break even doingsomething she loved. But if she had beendepending on the equine business to payfor family expenses, she would have had toplan and grow the business differently to besuccessful.

There can be – and often are – motives forgoing into a farm business other than profit.But it’s important to be clear and intentional

about your reasons before you start. Justlike investing in mutual funds or the stockmarket, you and your family need to knowhow much you can afford to risk, andunderstand how risk-averse you are. Thiswill help guide your decision-making.

BE PREPAREDOnce you are into farming or a new ven-ture, you will find yourself dealing withthings that you never dreamed you’d haveto deal with. But you can keep the surpris-es manageable by doing research ahead oftime. Talk to people who have launchedsimilar ventures and develop a support net-work of people you can turn to for advice.

Attend seminars and conferences for boththe formal and informal learning opportuni-ties they afford. Take lots of road trips toattend field days and visit similar opera-tions. You will get ideas and make contactsthat will prove to be invaluable once you getstarted. You won’t eliminate the rough spotsto come. But you’ll know better what you’regetting into and have people you can turnto when you need help.

And it’s not just about production. Some-times you need to seek out learning oppor-tunities that are out of the ordinary. For PatKilcoyne, who raises Black Angus and runsKilcoyne Farms from a 200-acre farmsteadnear Brasher Falls, N.Y., that meant attend-ing a meat-cutters’ workshop so that hecould talk knowledgeably with chefs abouthis direct-marketed beef.

“I had to do a lot of reading, and I had tolearn to talk with people who come fromdifferent backgrounds than mine,” recallsPat, a third-generation farmer. Learning

people skills has helped his direct-market-ing efforts. He feels he’s better prepared toread people and adjust his style according-ly. “You have to have thick skin and haveconfidence in yourself. Don’t give up whenyou are told no.”

HAVE A PLANStudies show that successful small business-es do more planning than failed ones. Butthere’s always a temptation to take shortcuts.

“If you have farmed before, you think youdon’t need to do the formal planning thatnewbies should do,” says Liz Bawden. Tenyears ago, she and Brian, her husband,decided to move to northern New York fromCanada, where they could not afford to buyquota for their dairy and were getting lessfor their milk than it cost them to produce it.Today they run a 50-cow certified organicdairy in Hammond, N.Y.

In Liz and Brian’s case, economic necessityfueled their move and new business start-up. They had to get out of the situation theywere in, and in order to do that they werewilling to move mountains.

Still, they were reluctant to do formal busi-ness planning. But they needed a plan tosecure bank loans. In addition to thebankers, they were faced with people intheir path who needed to understand theirintentions. They had to prove their commit-ment to the new business, and that meanta formal plan.

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTEDIf you’re getting into farming (or a new farmenterprise), you have to be willing to dealwith the unexpected. Equine business ownerNancey Brackett is only half joking when shesays she wants to write a book about herearly years. She has a veritable laundry listof “What do you do when ___?”

Some are laughable but all are very real:What do you do when a boarder’s horse getscolic on New Year’s Day and they are out oftown and you have to walk the horse forhours? What do you do when you are usingstraw for bedding and you have a boarder’shorse that loves to eat straw? Or what if youhave a boarder who wants to bring their kidsand their pets when they ride? Do you letthem introduce that liability risk to your farm?

Farm businesses can be fun when every-thing goes well. But success has much to dowith how you anticipate and deal with theunexpected.

LEARN FROM MISTAKESEverything that does go wrong in thecourse of business is a learning opportuni-ty. Risk is not something that is to be avoid-ed at all costs. Your planning processneeds to measure the potential impact ofrisk ahead of time and protect against thatrisk where possible. But when things don’tgo as planned, you need to reflect on whatactually happened, what went right, whatwent wrong, and why.

Pat Kilcoyne, who sells his grass-fed beefto chefs in the Lake Placid area, puts it likethis: “I am not afraid of making mistakes aslong as I learn from them. I figure it is thecost of my education. I just have to be sureI can afford the tuition.

“You have to be willing to make small-scalemistakes,” he adds. “Learn from them, re-look at them and ask ‘Why?’ I try to comeup with 3 main points as to why it did notwork and see if it can be tweaked.”

INVEST CAREFULLY“I subscribe to the ‘trickle up’ economic the-ory of investment,” is the way Rob Hastingsexplains his risk-averse philosophy abouttaking on financial risks. Rob sells fruits,vegetables, maple products, honey, wool,Christmas wreaths, and flowers locally fromhis Rivermede Farm, in Keene Valley, N.Y.

“We don’t invest in anything we can’t paycash for. If you don’t borrow, it is hard to getinto too much trouble. It may take longer togrow the business this way but it is safer.”

Beef producer Pat Kilcoyne takes a less-strict approach. When he decided that itwas time to borrow money to expand thebusiness, he formalized his business planto make sure that taking out a loan wouldn’tbe too risky. He enlisted the help of a con-sultant to help formulate the plan, whichevaluated three options in terms of profit,cash flow, risk and time to execute.

“I have always been a pencil pusher,”observes Pat. “But having a more formalplan done made us realize what we arespending, and what it would cost to makethe next move. It forced us to look at thewhole picture versus one transaction at atime. It educated me a lot on how plansare done and the value of them.”

Virtually all of the farmers I’ve worked withdeveloping new farm businesses expectthat their investments of time, money andenergy will return something to their check-books. But they also realize that it takestime to see profits from their investments.All have specific criteria and priorities forwhere they want to invest their money.

Pat bases his decisions heavily on what willreduce labor. “Everything I do now aroundhere I do with the idea that I am losing mylabor force,” he explains. “Any investmenthas to make life easier for me and my fami-ly. And then I ask ‘will it make me money.’”

In Part 2 in the next issue, we’ll look atmore risk-reducing strategies for new ven-tures.

Molly Ames is an Extension Resource Edu-cator for Cornell Cooperative Extension ofJefferson County, and Co-Director of NewStrategies: Enhancing Profitability on NorthCountry Farms, a project of New York FarmViability Institute.

MANAGING RISK

Make New Ventures Less Risky- Part 1Whether starting from scratch or just starting a new enterprise,it pays to reduce risks.

At Rivermede Farm, Rob Hastings avoidsfinancial risk by avoiding debt. “We don’tinvest in anything we can’t pay cash for, saysHastings. “If you don’t borrow, it is hard toget into too much trouble.”

Photo by Molly Ames

Nancey Brackett turned her love of horses into her own equine business.Photo courtesy Nancey Brackett

“If you have farmed before, you think you don’tned to do the formal planning that newbiesshould do,” says Liz Bawden (right). But a formal plan helped her and her husband Brianshow bankers and others that they were committed to organic dairying.


By Monika Roth


Agritourism is a direct marketing techniquethat offers additional income opportunitiesbeyond farm products. In fact, your farmbecomes the ‘product’ that you sell to cus-tomers – or at least you use the farm expe-rience to bring in customers and increasesales.

The variety of attractions you can use todraw in, entertain and educate visitors islimited only by your imagination and cre-ativity. They range from simple pick-your-own activities to full-fledged harvest festi-vals. (See sidebar, “Agritourism Ideas.”)

These activities can help you reduce marketing and financial risks by increasingyour customer base and income. But theyare not without risks themselves. You needto carefully assess these risks and thepotential benefits before you jump in.

WHAT MAKES YOU SPECIAL?Start by evaluating your farm’s assets. Doyou have anything unique that providescustomers with a reason to visit? A historicbarn? A herd of Scottish Highland cattle?An organic dairy? An orchard or othercrops that could be turned into a pick-your-own (PYO) enterprise?

Are there other ways you might modify yourexisting enterprises or facilities to makethem interesting to visitors? Could you turnyour barn into an agricultural history muse-um? Spruce up the farmstead and offereducational tours? Make cheese from yourdairy’s milk? Offer hayrides through theorchard?

List all the opportunities, and then assesseach one. A key consideration is howmuch you are willing to invest in developingan agritourism activity. Weigh the potentialcosts and returns, and consider startingwith those that present the least financialrisk. A business plan is a good tool to helpyou to analyze the market and projectreturns.

Also consider how well your personal pref-erences and skills match the enterprise. Isthis something you will enjoy doing? Howwill you feel about having visitors at yourfarm? Will it fit in with your family’s routine?If having visitors around all the time is anissue, consider limiting yourself to weekendand/or seasonal agritourism activities.

Time is another major factor to consider.When assessing the opportunities, evaluatehow much time each will take, and whetherthis fits with the existing demands of thefarm. Who has the time to develop andimplement the project? Identify a point per-son in your family who will follow through.It takes time to develop an agritourismenterprise, promote it and operate it. If youspend all your time dealing with visitors,who will actually do the farming?

In addition to time, you need to be seriouslycommitted to developing the agritourismactivity. Lack of commitment is a commonreason for failure. Being committed meansbeing fully invested in making your projectsucceed and that involves hard work. It

may take several years to build your cus-tomer base and allow enough time forword-of-mouth advertising to spread. Youneed to be in it for the long haul.

MANAGING LIABILITYOnce you narrow down your list of opportu-nities, consider the liability risk associatedwith each one. Generate a list of the waysvisitors to your farm could injure them-selves or be injured. Then identify ways tomitigate the potential for injury. How muchwill it cost to fix hazards that you’ve justlived with in the past?

Discuss liability risks with your insuranceagent or attorney and decide what level ofexposure you are willing to tolerate. Shoparound for insurance and get quotes fromseveral sources. It is not uncommon to findwidely divergent views of risk and amountof protection required.

Most farmers already carry insurance tocover general liability, personal injury andproperty damage. Make sure it is adequateto cover any additional activities you offer.Product liability coverage is needed if youare involved in sales and professional liabil-ity coverage may be needed if you are pro-viding a service.

Insurance does not exempt you from a thor-ough safety assessment of your farm and theactivities you offer. Minimize risk at everystep. Simple tactics like fencing off areaswhere you do not want visitors to go, puttingrailings on wagons, carrying bottled wateronly, offering hand-washing stations, andsimilar precautions can minimize risk.

SELL YOURSELFCareful planning is only one step in develop-ing successful agritourism enterprises.Another is to bring on the visitors. Growingan agritourism enterprise may involve a high-er level of promotion than other direct market-ing strategies, but marketing expenses won’tnecessarily cost much more.

A good starting place is to develop an appeal-ing rack card or brochure. Visitor centers,hotels, restaurants, and other tourism destina-tions all have racks for visitors with informa-tion about things to do when visiting an area.

Be sure to connect with local or regionaltourism agencies. Most publish an annualvisitors guide and have websites listingattractions in the area. Often, listings arefree.

Visitors bureau staff also look for stories tofeed travel writers, and they host programsfor tour operators to familiarize them withlocal attractions. By working with visitorsbureaus, your unique agritourism enterprisecould become the feature of these storiesor tours. You should also consider develop-ing your own website and making sure thatvisitors bureau sites link to it. Increasingly,visitors plan their trips through Internetresearch.

Being on a high-traffic road is less impor-tant with agritourism enterprises than it iswith other direct-marketing efforts. Peoplewill go out of their way to find unique attrac-tions. Your location may not be a good onefor selling sweet corn from a roadsidestand. But with an agritourism enterprisebringing customers to the farm, such enter-prises might work.

Location is still important, though. Mostvisitors to agritourism farms come fromwithin one or two hours’ drive. You shouldbe within that range of major populationcenters, and that’s where you should focusyour advertising efforts.

Be sure you have good signage and direc-tions to help visitors find their way. It’s nota good sign if the first thing visitors tell youis they had a hard time finding your farm.

To keep visitors coming back – and spread-ing the word about how much fun your farmis – it’s imperative that they have a greattime at your farm. Make sure you takegood care of them, focusing on how theyare greeted and treated. (Think aboutwhat’s important to you when you get out ofthe car after a two-hour drive.) Even themost modest enterprise can be turned intoa memorable experience if visitors aretreated well.

Visitors want to learn about life on the farm– the animals and crops – relax in a coun-try setting, and take part in something outof their normal realm of experience. Youractivities should be focused on families andcreating memories that last a lifetime. Thatwill keep them coming back for genera-tions.

Monika Roth is an Agriculture Developmentand Marketing Specialist with CornellCooperative Extension’s South Central NYAgriculture Program based in TompkinsCounty.

MARKETING

Grow Your Farm Business With AgritourismWhen visitors flock to your farm, sales can grow and marketing risks shrink.

Agritourism Ideas

Here’s a list of agritourism ideas to getyour creative juices flowing. Some of thebest agritourism destinations combineseveral ideas at once, for example a fallharvest festival that offers hauntedhouse, wagon tours, a corn maze, U-pickpumpkins and sales of other farm-raisedor -made products.

Agritourism basics:• Farm market• Pick-your-own (PYO)• Farm animals• Displays• Shopping• Food to eat

Agri-entertainment:• Harvest festivals - apple, pumpkin, strawberry, etc.• Contests - pie baking/eating, pumpkinhurling, etc.• Petting zoos, goat walks, pony rides• Corn Maze, straw bale maze• Hayrides, sleigh rides• Spook barns, haunted hayrides• Pumpkins carving, etc.• Themed displays• Storytelling• Music, art, crafts festivals

Agri-education:• Farm tours• School, church, seniors groups• How-to classes: cooking, food preservation, gardening, animal care, etc.• Demos: sheep shearing, cheesemaking, etc.• Rural crafts exhibits and demos• Farm history/heritage

Nature tourism/active recreation:• Nature hikes, forest walks, native plant walks• Bird watching• Mountain biking• Horseback riding• Fee hunting/fishing• Trap and skeet, target shooting• Archery• Cross country skiing• Orienteering• Rock climbing

More … :• Tasting/eating opportunities• Farm gift shops - country crafts• Farm lodging - B&B’s, camping, cabinrental, etc.• Hosting bus tours• Family reunions, picnics, weddings, receptions• Balloon rides

Resource SpotlightGetting Started In Agritourism

Both these publications feature work-sheets for developing agritourism busi-ness plans:

Agritourism and Nature Tourism in Cali-fornia – A comprehensive, 339-pagemanual from the UC-Davis Small FarmCenter. $25. Ordering information:www.sfc.ucdavis.edu/Docs/agritourhand-book.html

Agri-Tourism – An online publication fromVirginia Cooperative Extension:www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/agritour/310-003/310-003.htmlSeasonal attractions like these humorous pumpkin people add a festive feel to agritourism

operations.

Activities for children can make your farm afun-filled destination and increase sales.


By Martha Herbert Izzi

Eight year old Alex has just bounded infrom the barn where she’s been helpingwith milking chores. Not unusual for afarm girl on a working 120-cow dairy. ButAlex is a guest, thanks to her uncle whoannually brings members of his family andfriends from Florida and New York to Lib-erty Hill Farm in Rochester, Vermont, toexperience what Beth Kennett says is “ourfarm, our family, our community.”

ENJOY A “FARM STAY”Indeed, for twenty three years the Ken-netts have welcomed over twenty thou-sand guests into their pristine, seven bed-room, 1870s farmhouse. Their visitorscome for the opportunity to renew connec-tions. It might be an extended familyreunion, to maybe a simple gathering-in ofthe urban nuclear family whose franticschedule precludes much family timetogether.

Without cell phones or televisions, there isa lot of family time at Liberty Hill. More-over it is place to renew connections withthe land, the animals, and food sources,which for most children begin and end atthe supermarket.

The Kennetts began taking in guests dur-ing the economic downturn in the early1980s to supplement their dwindlingincome from the dairy. “No farmer canexist on commodity prices,” Beth says, butover time her mission has been to “edu-cate” guests by providing an “authentic,working farm” experience.

EDUCATIONAL AND ECONOMICIMPACTSBeyond the bed and breakfast and funtrips to the barn, or swimming in the river,guests are living and learning about envi-ronmental stewardship, soil and nutrientmanagement and, says Beth, “We are

showing people what that means to theirlives and to the eco-system.”

With food issues front and center in themedia, at the farmer’s markets, in films, ontelevision and on the speaker circuit, moreand more people are coming to the farm.To many farms. They ask questions, theysee and even help with the workload, andslowly old stereotypes are replaced with anew awareness and appreciation of theconnection between farm and table, healthand environment.

How much of a role agritourism hasplayed in the dramatic rise in interest andprofitability of fresh, organic, locally grownfood is unclear. Hard numbers are difficultto come by. According to Beth, who ischair of the Vermont Farms Association, ithas been a huge contributor.

This year the New England AgriculturalStatistics Service will produce the first sur-vey of Vermont agritourism in seven years,and will document its economic impact. In2000, it was estimated that thirty-one per-cent of all farms in Vermont receivedincome from agritourism, amounting to$10.5 million. The Boston Globe reportedthat the figure rose to $19.5 million by2002, an increase of 86%.

SLEIGH RIDES AND SPINNING “Farm Stay” businesses like the Kennett’smake up only a very small part of Vermontagritourism enterprises. Only fifteen of theseventy-five member farms in the VermontFarms Association providing lodging. Themajority offer an array of other attractions andactivities to satisfy diverse interests and ages.

For example, the Adams Farm in Wilming-ton draws over 45,000 visitors annuallywith outdoor livestock and agriculturaldemonstrations, sheep herding, workingwith llamas, yarn spinning, tractor andsleigh rides. The farm features a pettingzoo, a large gift shop of Vermont products,even a Barn Theater showing a variety ofhistorical, cultural and agricultural Vermontfilms.

Cheese-making classes and demonstra-tions are also a major draw for agritouristsstatewide, so Jill Adams and her husbandare in the process of building a cheeseparlor to meet the growing demand forspecialized cheeses.

CONFERENCE CATERING AND RETAILFARM STOREIn the northern part of the state, theClarks of Applecheek Farm in Hyde Parkhave built a large conference and meetingcenter on their dairy and poultry farm. Thekitchen serves a varied menu of organicproducts, catered by son Jason Clark, aculinary school graduate.

As the interest in fresh, locally grown foodcontinues its unparalleled growth, Jason’sbusiness has grown dramatically over thelast five years. And the farm store operat-ed by his brother and parents cannot meetthe demand for raw milk, organic turkeys,even emus. Judy Clark was stunned lastyear when she realized that “so manypeople were willing to pay $7/pound fororganic turkeys!”

Both Adams Farm andApplecheek draw winter visi-tors with sleigh rides which,in turn, bring more businessfor the other products andactivities on the farm. Butthis winter started off warmand snowless, and they feltthe ripple effect from thelack of skiers.

THE VERMONT FARMSASSOCIATIONAs farmers have becomeaware of the growing inter-

est in organic food and food systems,many are seeing a new role for them-selves as hosts and educators with an eyeto the bottom line. According to DianeKonrady, Agritourism Coordinator for Ver-mont Farms Association, forty farmershave approached her with questions onmembership requirements in the past twomonths.

Members of the Association must beworking farms first and agritourism desti-nations second. “Those farms who offerthings to do and something to take homeare the most profitable, whether it besmoked cheese, quilts or maple syrup,”Beth Kennett says.

And they must meet the standards ofsafety and cleanliness as well as authen-ticity. As members they have the benefitof sharing information and learning how toprovide the best and most profitable expe-riences.

KEEPING IT REALShe admits that some farmers haveaccused her of promoting entertainment,or ‘agritainment’ as it is known in someparts of the country. She says that it iseasier in Vermont to meet the constantchallenge of balancing authenticity withentertainment because most farms aresmall and don’t promote the “theme park”experience.

Beth tells the story of a Georgia farmwhere thousands of kids were due thenext day for a farm visit and expected tofind pumpkins. The farmer couldn’t meetthe need for thousands of pumpkins, sohe purchased them from a commercialgrower and in the middle of the nightstrategically placed them in the gardens,and thus fulfilled the hopes and dreams ofthe school children.

With an infectious laugh, Beth says, “wedon’t do plastic pumpkins in Vermont.”

To learn more about Vermont Agritourismgo to www.vtfarms.org or call1-866-348-FARM. Ask for the brochurelisting all of the farm members, Vermont Farms: Working Farms Open tothe Public.

Martha Herbert Izzi writes and raisesTunis sheep and Alpine goats at Bel LanaFarm in Shrewsbury, Vermont. She can bereached at [email protected].

COMMUNITY/WORLD

A Vermont Agritourism SamplerFarm-based recreation/education ventures are on the rise, aspublic interest in local sustainable agriculture grows.

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Liberty Hill Farm showing the newest barn,called Bovinity, at left, built by friends andneighbors of the Kennetts.

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Eight year old Alex reading ‘The MidnightFarm’ by Vermont writer Susan Jeffers

Photo by Ted Izzi

Ready, set, go. A full contingent setting offfor a long sleigh ride at Adams Farm.

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Jill Adams owner of Adams Farm behind thefudge counter at the store

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David Kennett, working with the herd insideBovinity

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Need Info?Visit the Cornell Small Farms Program online at www.smallfarms.cornell.edu.

I’ve got to forget everything myfather ever taught me about

farming and remember everythingmy grandfather ever said”

-- Sumner Watson

“

”


Readers WriteHi Joanna,

My partner Dani Baker and I went through theBuilding Your Small Farm Dream classes lastfall in Jefferson County, NY. I want to tell youwhat a powerful impact they have had on usand our path toward our Small Farm Dream.We have been greatly enlightened and encour-aged by the classes and the people we havemet in and out of Cooperative Extension as aresult.

Dani works full time plus for the state and Ihave a full time business off the farm. Whenwe started the class we thought that maybe wewould plant a few coldhardy grapes. Since tak-ing the class (and still doing our full time gigs)we have done the following on our farm: mademaple syrup for the first time (11 1/2 gallons)and sold it, planted 140 christmas trees, hadour first honey harvest from our bees and soldthe honey, planted, grew, and sold 3500 squarefeet of vegatables, planted 36 cold hardygrapevines of 11 varieties, opened and operat-ed our road side produce stand, planted rasber-ries, rhubard, asparagus, cherries, and apricotsfor future years’ harvest, and picked and soldpears and apples from trees already on ourproperty.

Oh, and we also got certified organic on August1st. We also purchased supplies to start someShiitake mushroom logs, but amazingly wehave not yet found the time to get those start-ed! We also made piles of compost and pre-pared a new field for expansion in 2007. Ourcontact with Cornell Cooperative Extension hasled us to attend numerous training sessions onproduction and marketing for most of the cropslisted above and many others as well.

We are now furiously reading seed catalogs,reviewing our records from last year, and plan-ning our 2007 growing season with greatexcitement and anticipation. We intend toquadruple our acreage of vegetables, from 1/12acre to 1/3 acres. On the perennial side weexpect to plant another 200 christmas trees andabout 100 grapevines. If the weather permits,we hope to have a larger maple sugar opera-tion this season. A drip irrigation system and apost-harvest crop processing system are two ofour primary projects to increase our productionefficiency this year. We have many other plans,but I hope you get the idea.

My point in telling all this is to give you a firsthand view of the impact this program can haveon someone with agricultural leanings. Daniand I are 100% sold on the value of this class,Cornell Cooperative Extension, and all of thenetworking and educational opportunies thatcan result from it… And I want you folks to real-ize how meaningful the work you do is to us.Keep up the good work, and let me know howwe can help.

David BeldingCross Island FarmsClayton NY www.crossislandfarms.com

Dear Anu,

…I found you folks by researching the ‘net’ anddiscovering a marvelous magazine: Small FarmQuarterly. There I was able to read an articlewhich provided you as a contact for any ques-tions regarding small farming. … I know that if Istand a chance of succeeding in farming I willneed as much guidance as I can get. Every-thing I read about concerning agriculture in theNorth East has a connection to Cornell and itsextension programs. An online program soundslike a great idea because geographically manyfuture farmers have a disadvantage reachingout and connecting to the farming community…

The reality is that you folks have a great sourceof motivation and inspiration in your articles. Assomeone that is taking the first steps towardschanging my life for the better (hopefully!)...theinformation I have gathered so far is priceless.Oh, by the way...I have only had the time toread only two of your issues!

If you know of any farmers who need a helpinghand on the farm please let me know. I look for-ward to starting my first step into the world offarming with such an institution as Cornell. Sodon’t keep me waiting.

George LaboyFor now....A City mouseNew York City

___________________________________Editor’s note: The following correspondencehas been edited to protect the privacy of theperson requesting assistance.

Dear Mr. Henning,

My family and I live outside of State College,PA, on 11 acres, most of it pastureland. Theman who sold us the land gave us a copy of“Farmer’s Friend”, and told us to the read the

article “Would you like to farm?” With our land,we had seriously considered it, but we knowabsolutely nothing about farming.

I’m wondering if you think it’s possible that wecould actually do some farming on our land.We have four children that are hard workers(we all are hard workers), but I just wonder withno knowledge or experience, do you think it’spossible?

Please be honest with me. We had thoughtabout dairy farming and raising crops (mostlyfor our own family consumption). If you thinkwe’re out of our minds, please tell me, and we’lljust keep mowing the 11 acres.

Thanks, in advance, for your help.

L KState College, PA

Bill Henning’s replyYou are not out of your mind. 11 acres is a lim-ited amount of land but you’d be surprised whatcan be done on 11 well-managed acres. Youprobably will not make a living but you shoulddefinitely lower your cost of living. I’m assumingall 11 acres are open and tillable &/or pasture.Suggestions:

TAKE ONE STEP AT A TIME

Step 1) Plant a big garden, then move to moreor less as you like. Consider selling produce.Can, dry, freeze or whatever to preserve yourown food. Spend the bare minimum at thesuper market. We have families that support amodest living off 5 acres of produce and directmarketing. Look into ‘high tunnel’ production toextend your growing season. Some goodbooks: Growing Produce Family Style by Ray-mond J. Yoder; High Tunnel Production Manualfrom Penn State; Penn State has a lot of infor-mation on high tunnels.

Step 2) Plant a small orchard. Eat fresh inseason and/or make jellies and jams. Goodbook: Back Yard Fruit Production by David R.Schlabach.

Step 3) Pastured poultry - 25 broilers & 25 lay-ers for starters. Poultry can improve sheep &cow pasture. You’ll never eat better chicken oreggs. Give some eggs away – they’ll sell them-selves. Good Books: Joel Saltin’s PasturedPoultry Profits; Chicken Tractor by Andy Lee.

Step 4) Raise 8-10 Katahdin sheep (low main-tenance hair breed) on 3 to 5 acres. Use man-agement intensive grazing. There’s no moneyin wool unless you are really creative with finewool. Consider this only if you like lamb or havemarkets. Grass finished lamb tastes much bet-ter than grain finished lamb. Buy all your winterfeed. Good books: Story’s Guide to RaisingSheep; Penn State and the USDA has informa-tion on grazing.

Step 5) Place 6 feeder pigs on 1 acre oflegume pasture. You can raise pork to sell inaddition to what the family will need. Keepinga few sows to breed is another alternative.Good resources: Story’s Guide to Raising Pigs;Dirt Hog by Kelly Klober; www.Port-A-Hut.com -adjust recommendations to your area; IowaState University web site.

Step 6) A family cow bred to a beef bull willgive you a year’s supply of beef plus milk,cream, butter, and cheese. Have the cow bredartificially or take it to a bull. The butter andcheese you can make yourself. Buy your winterforage and the grain you’ll need. You might notneed any grain. Jerseys can make great familycows and when they’re bred to an Angus bull –the beef produced is terrific. There will be plen-ty of milk for your family and the calf. Share thepasture with the sheep. Good books: The Fami-ly Cow by Dirk Van Loon; Joel Salatin’s SaladBar Beef.

I didn’t even mention goats or honey bees.

I could go on and on. If you do this, it won’t beeasy. Your family will be healthier, happier,learn a work ethic, learn self-reliance andresponsibility. You have probably developedthose traits already but they will be even better.Best of all: you can give your children a funfilled, exciting adventure into what REALLYmakes life tick. This wondrous journey will turninto memories that will travel with themthroughout their days. Wouldn’t it be great ifyour grandchildren passed the same experi-ences onto their grandchildren? That’s calledthe power of compound influence.

Other sources of information: Cornell SmallFarms Website www.smallfarms.cornell.edu;Penn State Cooperative Extension; Acres Mag-azine 800.355.5313; Rodale Institute, Kutz-town, PA; Family Friendly Farming by JoelSalatin; Living on an Acre by Christine Wood-side.

DO IT!! YOU’LL BE BUSY

Bill

By Mary Peabody

Small-scale farmers have learned that ahigh-touch approach is key to buildingcustomer loyalty. Little touches likeremembering a customer’s name, savingthe last 2 perfect tomatoes for a regularcustomer that can’t get to the marketuntil late, and taking the time to offerpreparation tips are all ways that farmershave learned to be high-touch marketers.

But we live in a world where technologyis advancing at lightening speed. Moreand more of our customers are gettinginformation digitally through pod casts,blogs, electronic newsletters and stream-ing audio and video. It’s only a matter oftime before your most loyal customersstart expecting a cooking tip at 7pm on aSunday evening or want to know whatyou’ll be selling at Wednesday’s marketat 6am on Tuesday. They will want toknow what sustainable production meansand they’ll want to be able to share pic-tures of your farm with family and friendsover Thanksgiving weekend. In otherwords your customers are going toexpect you to be increasingly high-tech.

If you operate a small business youalready know that it is never goodenough to be satisfied with what workedlast year. Ongoing success requires con-stant attention to changing trends andbeing willing to meet the expectations ofyour customer. So how can a small-scalefarmer compete in this increasingly high-tech world? And how do you find time tokeep up with all these trends when you’realready plenty busy raising great foodand fiber?

The good news is that as all of this tech-nology gets more mainstream, it alsogets easier to use and less expensive tobuy. Most moderately priced computerstoday come with all the bells and whistlesyou need to do a lot of the basics. Mostof the time all you have to do is plug in anew piece of software or hardware andyour computer will begin prompting youwhat to do next and usually in languagethat the average user can follow. OK, butthat still takes time and a fair degree ofconfidence. What if you just don’t havethe time or interest?

Another strategy is to find a tech-savvyindividual who is willing to exchangegoods for services. In this way you canfocus your time and energy on what youdo best and still have a presence on theinformation highway. It is possible thatyou already have a customer that wouldbe willing and able to help you out. If youare experienced with having apprenticeson your farm then you might well be ableto find an apprentice that is willing toexchange what they know about technol-ogy for what you know about production.

You might also want to consider taking aclass or a workshop. The advantage ofthis option is that you can work on yourmaterials in a group setting with a knowl-edgeable instructor at hand if you getstuck and a roomful of others that arestruggling right along with you. Thebiggest payoff is that when the class isover your materials are done and readyto go.

Still another strategy is to hire someoneto do what needs to be done. If you knowwhat you want and just need someone tomake it happen then you might be ableto get by with a student from a nearbycollege or tech school. If you’re not surewhat you need then you might be betteroff hiring a consultant that can help withthe planning as well as the actual build-ing or upgrading of the site.

A last thought is to find a group of farm-ers that are interested in pooling theirresources and hiring someone to workwith the group as a whole. This can behybrid option where individuals in thegroup can take on particular tasks thatthey can handle and hire the rest of thework out. For example, there may besomeone in your group who is skilled attaking at digital photos. They might bewilling to take photos of all the farms inyour group in exchange for someone elsewriting some copy that might includebrief stories about the participatingfarms, newsletter articles, and recipes.Someone else might be willing to recordsome stories or cooking tips. Then if youhave an individual that can combine allthose pieces you have the makings of areally dynamic site that will keep customers coming back to your site.

However you get the jobdone be aware that futuresuccess is likely going torequire a mixture of high-tech and high-touch strate-gies.

Mary Peabody is Communi-ty Resources & EconomicDevelopment Specialist withUniversity of VermontExtension and Director ofthe Vermont Women’s Agri-cultural Network. She canbe reached at 802-223-2389 x13 [email protected].

MARKETING

High Touch High TechHaving a presence on the Internet is getting to be an ever moreimportant tool for building relationships with customers. Hereare some options for creating a web site for your farm.

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By Joan Sinclair Petzen


CATTARAUGUS, N.Y. – Tom and RobinDegenfelder run their Pine Villa Dairy inwestern New York with clearly definedgoals. They want to stay small but prof-itable, enjoy farming, quickly work their wayout of debt, retire by age 55, and providetheir children with the opportunity to farm, ifthey choose to.

To achieve those goals, they know it is criti-cal to keep costs in line. So they focus onproducing high-quality forage, since feed istheir single largest cost. With their limitedlabor force, they’ve found that early,aggressive harvesting and a baleage sys-tem help them make lots of top-notch for-age in a hurry, and provide their 110-cowherd with what they need to produce top-notch milk.

The Degenfelders started farming with rent-ed ground and equipment in 1996, andmoved their herd to their present farm inJune 2000. Despite tower silos on the newfarm, they settled on a baleage systemusing an in-line wrapper for storage and avertical mixer wagon for feeding. In 2003,they added a managed grazing system tofurther decrease feed costs. And to focuseven more on forages, in 2004 they startedhiring out their corn silage harvest, andnow also employ a custom operator to plantand spray their corn acres.

MAXIMIZE COMPONENTS, NOTPOUNDSThe Degenfelders designed their feedingstrategy to maximize component yields,rather than pounds of milk. That’s becausethey are paid for their milk based on com-ponents. So for the milking herd, the cou-ple’s goal is to maximize forage intake,which requires forages with low neutraldetergent fiber (NDF) content. They alsofeed high-quality forage to their heifers, sothey require no grain from 8 months of ageuntil freshening at 22 months.

If you visit the Degenfelders during the lasttwo weeks in May, you just might get invitedto leave unless you’re willing to help cut,haul, or wrap forage. That’s where Tom andRobin are focusing all their energy becausethey know making top-quality forage willdetermine their profitability this year, aswell as their long-term success.

They cut their hay fields on a strict 30-dayschedule, which in many years allows themto harvest four or even five cuttings, whentwo cuttings is more common in their area.

From a forage quality perspective, Tom hasa motto: “Don’t wrap crap.” If you don’twant to feed it to your cows, then youshouldn’t try to feed it to your heifers,either. The couple use questionable foragefor bedding, not feed.

To reduce the risk of crop failures, theDegenfelders match their crops to their soiltypes. They concentrate their corn produc-tion on their better soils (Chenango Chan-nery and Mardin Channery silt loams) andhay on the less productive soils(Rhinebeck, Niagara, and Volusia Channerysilt loams).

Tom has switched what he looks for in cornvarieties to support their high-forage feed-ing goals. He used to choose varietiesbased on standability, days to maturity, andseed cost. Now, he favors varieties withhigh whole-plant digestibility and low fiber,and is willing to pay a little more for thesetraits.

A THREE-PART FORAGE STRATEGY:Rely on grass baleage. Tom admits thatdry hay is the best feed for cows. But itneeds to dry for three or four days beforebaling. By making baleage, he cuts weath-er risks because he can cut the grass inthe afternoon and have the bales wrappedbefore the end of the next day. Unlike silosor bunkers where continuous harvest ispreferable, he can take advantage of twodays of good weather to harvest 20 to 30acres of grass per day.

Compared to dry hay, there’s less leaf losswith baleage. NDF values for their grassesaveraged 49 percent for the 2005 and 2006harvest seasons. Protein levels for theDegenfelders’ grass baleage run 18 to 21percent.

Tom doesn’t try to grow alfalfa because hislow-pH soils aren’t prime alfalfa ground.Grass is much more suited to his soils andhas far fewer pest problems than alfalfa, hesays. Feeding grass-legume forage mixesalso causes more metabolic problems withdry stock, he’s found.

While alfalfa tends to quickly die out on theDegenfelders’ soils, their grass stands getstronger and healthier every year. Tom expectsthey’ll last 10 to 15 years without replanting.

Manage fertility based on weather.Weather dictates fertilizer decisions at Pine

Villa. In wetter years when grasses yieldheavily, the Degenfelders use less fertilizerand the protein in the grasses is a little low-er. In dry years, when the crop tends to beshort, they apply a little extra fertilizer aftereach cutting to stimulate growth.

They usually apply 100 to 150 pounds ofurea per acre (46 to 69 pounds of N/A)after first, second and third cuttings. Beforefirst cutting, they usually apply less – 50pounds of urea per acre – so that the grassdoesn’t get too rank before they can har-vest it, which can be a big problem duringwet springs.

Harvest aggressively. Aggressive cuttingpractices not only ensure high quality for-age, but also reduce weed infestations bynever letting them go to seed. First cuttingbegins around May 10 or so, and is usuallyharvested almost entirely as baleage. Laterin the season when harvest windows arewider, the Degenfelders will make more dryhay.

The Degenfelders stagger harvest depend-ing on the location of the field (fields athigher elevation tending to mature moreslowly) and the grass species. The couplegrows several dual-purpose grasses thatthey harvest for either dry hay or baleage,including orchardgrass, reed canarygrass,fescue and timothy – all planted on fieldsthat tend to dry out faster. On fields thattend to dry out more slowly, they growperennial ryegrass and harvest it only forbaleage because it dries more slowly.

When fields are ready to harvest and theweather is right, they strive to mow 20 to 30acres each afternoon. Early the next morn-ing they rake two or three rows into one.Then they begin baling in latemorning or early afternoon,depending upon moisturecontent and weather condi-tions. They wrap bales assoon as possible – alwaysthe same day they’re baled –to stop respiration and cap-ture the maximum nutrients.If they’re short on time, theycan even finish bale wrappingafter evening chores.

The key to making qualitybaleage, says Tom, is tomake a tight bale. He uses afixed-chamber baler anddrives slowly – around 3 to 5miles per hour – dependingon the density of thewindrow. Baling may take alittle longer. But he has fewer(though heavier) bales totransport and wrap, and the

bale is wound tight enough to maintainquality.

BIG SAVINGS AND MORE INCOMEWhen Tom and Robin got serious aboutmaximizing high-quality forage intake, milkproduction increased by 4 to 5 pounds percow per day. Butterfat went up from 3.85 to4.1 percent, and protein increased from3.05 to 3.25 percent.

The ratio of forage to grain in the rationincreased from 58:42 to 62:38. At thesame time, they were able to stop feedingRumensin, save 225 pounds of grain eachday, and quit feeding two bags of energybooster each week.

These changes resulted in savings of$1,265 per month. The higher milk produc-tion and components increased the Degen-felders’ milk check by $2,000 per month.That combined savings and increasedincome adds up to an increase in netincome of $3,265 per month, or more than$39,000 each year for the 110-cow herd.

Managing change and measuring theresults helps the Degenfelders achievetheir goals. Their high forage feeding pro-gram makes them less reliant on expensivepurchased grains, reducing their financialrisks. Being on a sound financial footingmakes it much easier for them to weatherthe ups and downs in milk prices. What onthe surface appears to be just plain goodmanagement is, in reality, a solid risk man-agement plan for the Degenfelders.

Joan Sinclair Petzen is an Extension IssueLeader at Cornell Cooperative Extension,Allegany/Cattaraugus Counties.

COWS & CROPS

Forage Focus Cuts Feed-Cost RisksBaleage system speeds harvest, makes the most of limitedlabor, and helps this dairy couple earn $3,000 more per month

The Degenfelders harvest grass on a strict30-day schedule, often taking four or givecuttings in a year.

Photo by Desiree Ottley

Focusing on forages has increased the Tomand Robin Degenfelder’s net income about$39,000 a year. That’s enough to make anyonesmile

Photo by Lisa Kempisty

The Degenfelders’ baleage system using an in-line wrapper helps them to put ip forage quicklywith limited labor

Photo by Desiree Ottley

At Agri-Mark, we believe in activelyworking together for better farm milk

prices, whether it be through the growth ofour Cabot or McCadam brands of cheeseor support of the plans like the current

Federal MILC Program.If you are a dairy farmer, we will work

hard for you in the marketplace,not against you. Join 1,400 dairy farm

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11-800-225-0532.


By Bill Henning

A model for sustainable farms provides anexample we can study and discuss. With-out a model, sustainability is an abstractconcept with as many interpretations asthere are people considering it. Sustain-ability means simply, “The ability to meetour needs today without jeopardizing theability of future generations to meet theirneeds.”

THE MODELWe need only look back about 50 yearsand apply some modern technology tobuild a model for a sustainable farm. Thetypical dairy farm in the 1950s and early1960s gives us a starting point. Such afarm usually had:

A) About 30 cows.B) 12,000 to 14,000 pounds herd average C) Less grain fed than todayD) Most, if not all, homegrown forage and grain E) Pastures F) Lower protein intake than todayG) Less use of commercial fertilizers H) Lower crop yields I) Homegrown strawJ) Very little use of continuous confinement K) Manure piled or spread dailyL) Often more than one enterprise

IMPACTS OF ADOPTING THIS MODELA) Twenty 30-cow farms replacing a 600-

cow farm would have a greater geo-graphical dispersion, thus diluting anypotential negative environmental andsocial impacts. Those twenty farmswould also provide places where twentyfamilies could live, work, and eat meals - together.

B) 12,000 to 14,000 pound herd averageswould be the norm. Many would argue afarm must first be profitable, in terms ofdollars, to be sustainable, and that a12,000-pound herd average cannot beprofitable. But we have farms today with12,000-pound averages that are able tomake a reasonable return to labor andmanagement and still make principalpayments. These farms are already oper-ating much closer to the model.

C) Typically, these cows would consume 10

pounds of grain or less per day. Thecows would be less stressed, leading toimproved health. Johne’s is a primeexample. This disease has probablybeen with us for centuries. It has onlybecome of significant importance sincewe have pushed milk production need-lessly high. If we remove the stress andimplement certain cultural practices,Johne’s ceases to be a concern. We alsoknow that cows managed in terms of themodel last easily twice as long, reducinga farm’s need to grow replacementsand/or offering other sources of income –heifers for sale.

D) All, or almost all, forages and concen-trates would be raised on the farm. Thiswould potentially reduce the number ofcows that the farm would carry by today’sstandards. However, it does not neces-sarily reduce the number of cows percrop acre. This enhances nutrient man-agement, reduces market risk, and con-serves energy.

E) Managed grazing on these farms wouldreduce farm overhead, labor, and feedcost, while improving cow health. Cowsharvest their own feed and spread theirown manure. Grazing also reduces theneed for mechanization while improvingfarm safety. Graziers report they findfarming more enjoyable. The USDA indi-cates grazing to be the most importantagricultural practice contributing to ournation’s quality of water.

F) Moderate protein feeding reduces thelevel of soil nitrogen available for poten-tial pollution.

G) Due to improved cultural practices theneed for commercial fertilizers mightcompletely disappear. Without the use offertilizer salts soil pH level could be moreeasily maintained with reduced lime use.

H) Crop yields might well increase. TheRodale Institute in Kutztown, PA, routine-ly meets or exceeds the Burks Countyyield averages using regenerative meth-ods and without any synthetic fertilizers.They consistently out-yield the countyaverages in years of stress.

I) Including cereal grains, for energy con-centrate, in the cropping system would

help diversify the crop rota-tion. This can contribute toimproved pest management,increased soil organic matter,and enhanced nutrient man-agement while making farmsless dependent on potentiallyvolatile market prices. Thestraw used for bedding alsoprovides a carbon source forcomposting manure. The

composted manure returns fertility to thesoil in a slow release form that minimizesany potential nutrient runoff whileincreasing soil organic matter and soillife.

J) Free stall barns, as we know them,would be abandoned for the sake of cowcomfort. Loose housing on well man-aged, composting bedded packs offerscows the most optimal comfort outside ofthe pasture.

K) Composting bedded pack manurewould replace liquid manure systems.Not only does composted manureimprove nutrient management, it reducesthe amount of material hauled to the fieldand the amount of bedding required forthe cows. It does require labor and man-agement but this can be seen as aninvestment. Using compost to eliminatethe use of manure slurry enhances soillife, including worms (nature’s plows),resulting in greater soil moisture and soiloxygen. This healthy soil is moreresilient during radical environmentalswings. It produces plants demonstratingstronger immune systems.

L) Dairy production would not be thefarm’s sole income. Diversification ofenterprises, in a manner suitable to thesituation, would provide an increment ofrisk management in terms of financesand environmental stability.

REBUTTAL IN ADVANCE OF CRITICISM1) We can’t feed all the people of the world

using this kind of farming.Rebuttal: If we applied as much effort

working in concert with nature as wehave spent trying to extort nature, it ismost likely food production would beeven greater than it is today and at lowercost – mostly in terms of energy.

2) We do not have enough land to farm tothe model.

Rebuttal: We have vacant land right now.We are paving over our most fertile, bestdrained soils at a perilous rate for no bet-ter reason than greed. And, if the current

farming practices are not sustainable,which is most likely, the criticism is moot.

3) If people were starving they wouldn’tcare about a few chemicals in their food.

Rebuttal: Generally speaking, Americansare not starving, just the opposite. On aworldwide basis thousands starve todeath every day. To a great extent, this isthe result of mankind’s failure to addressthe most important issues in life. It is notthe fault of food production. A growingbody of evidence suggests that consum-ing foods that are more naturally pro-duced makes humans healthier as aresult.

4) The model will not provide as much milkas current production practices.

Rebuttal: Historically, the supply/demandequation for milk has been elastic. Asmall depression in supply can cause asignificant jump in price. The law of sup-ply and demand is capable of findingequilibrium. A sustaining society wouldaccomplish this through more smallfarms rather than fewer bigger farms.

AND THERE’S MORE…Sixty years of university studies throughoutthe United States all draw basically thesame conclusion: Those communities thathave a high proportion of middle class, selfemployed individuals experience lessunemployment, less reliance on welfare,less violent crime, and greater communityvitality than communities where most of thepeople are employed by someone or some-thing else. Nothing encourages a high pro-portion of middle class, self employed peo-ple more in a rural community than a highproportion of small, independent, familyoperated farms. These farms offer perhapsthe best possible environment in whichboth parents can nurture children. Givenproper parenting, the model also provides asustainable source of future farmers.

Bill Henning is a Small Farm Specialist withCCE’s NWNY Dairy, Livestock and FieldCrops Team. Bill welcomes your commentsin response to this article. You can emailhim at [email protected].

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By Bernadette Logozar

There are so many ways to stay connectedwith your customers. Mary Peabody’s arti-cle “High Touch, High Tech” discusses howsmall scale farmers can use the Internet asa way to keep a ‘high touch’ with your cus-tomers.

But what if you’re not ready yet to head tothe back office and build your own website?What if you don’t have knowledge and skillsto build your own, and you don’t have thefunds to pay someone to build it for you?Well don’t despair. There are options avail-able for you too!

There are a number of different websiteswhere you can place your products for sale,advertise your farm or invite visitors to yourfarm without having to go through theprocess of building your own website rightoff the bat. These sites offer farmers, grow-ers and crafters a great way to have a webpresence and test out this market withoutgoing through the hassle and possibly theexpense of creating and managing theirown website. Furthermore, you will find outrather quickly whether the internet is aplace you want to be.

In this article we are going to look at a fewpossibilities available on the web. Each ofthese can be a good option for farmersinterested in having a web presence but notquite ready to build your own site. Even ifyou have your own site, there’s no harm inbeing listed in several places on the inter-net.

REGIONAL AND STATEWIDE ONLINEFARM LISTINGSOne easy way to get your products or yourfarm listed on the Internet is to become amember of a regional or state promotionalinitiative such as Adirondack Harvest, Fin-gerlakes Culinary Bounty or Pride of NewYork. These may or may not require an initial membership fee in order to join.Each of these examples has a related logoand web presence.

For example when you join the AdirondackHarvest Initiative, your farm, what you haveavailable, and where people can get thoseproducts will be listed on the AdirondackHarvest website. Look for initiatives in yourarea that not only highlight your region butalso are in line with the business and man-agement philosophy of your farm operation.

I would also encourage you to take part inthe promotional and marketing initiativesavailable at the state level. Each of theseprograms has built credibility and logorecognition related to their initiatives. Bybeing part of these ventures you are tellingyour customers that your farm business isin line with the sentiments of the larger pro-gram. Again these are low-cost, low-riskways have a web presence and test thatmarket without going through the expenseof building your own website.

This type of website is called a gatewaywebsite because they act as a gateway toinformation about your products and yourfarm business, but they are not an onlinestorefront to actually sell your product.Having your information out there is great,but it is up to you to keep your informationupdated and current. If you add some prod-ucts or drop some, change phone numbers,or add another way customers can connectwith you, then you need to ensure that yourfarm and product listings are updated onthe web site. Doing this requires no specialsoftware or skills, just a password which isprovided when you sign up to be listed.

To visit the sites mentioned here go to:www.adirondackharvest.com; www.finger-lakesculinarybounty.org; and www.pride-ofny.com.

STOREFRONT WEBSITESThere are also “storefront” websitesthrough which farmers actually sell prod-ucts, primarily non-perishable products.One is LocalHarvest, which features organ-ic and sustainably grown products fromacross the US. LocalHarvest also servesas a public nationwide directory of smallfarms, farmers markets, and other local

food sources. . This site issearchable by product,region, and type of farm orenterprise and also highlightsthe farmers markets acrossthe country. Currently thereare 354 New York farms list-ed on LocalHarvest.

The LocalHarvest site fea-tures an online store, and aplace to list your farm andpost your farm story. What isreally great about this site isthat new members are givenhomepage spot so regularvisitors can easily see whohas been added to the data-base. Creating a listing onLocalHarvest is free, but youneed to fit the criteria that areclearly laid out on the mem-bership screen. This isanother great site for thosewho are considering gettinginto e-commerce but aren’tready to build their own web-site just yet. To check it outvisit www.localharvest.org.

SUNY MORRISVILLE’SONLINE FARMERS’MARKETOne opportunity is coming tofarmers in New York courtesyof SUNY Morrisville, where

they are currently building an e-commercestorefront for ag producers. This projectinvolves the Morrisville State College’sComputing and Information TechnologiesProfessor, Kim Mills, Agricultural BusinessAssistant Professor Sheila Marshman and20 producers and processors to develop amodel for farmer-to-customer selling via theInternet.

This online farmer’s market has some veryspecific goals. These include increasingthe profitability of each participating farm byat least 10% in the first year with a 4-yearcumulative profit in excess of $4 million formore than 500 participating farmers fromacross New York State. The online farmersmarket will act as a virtual warehouse andonline storefront for the farmers of NewYork. The database behind the website willkeep track of sales, orders and inventory.Keeping farmers informed of the sales oftheir products and tracking their inventorylisted with the database is also a huge partof this project.

“This project provides farmers with a low-cost, low-risk opportunity to see how theirproducts might sell in an online market,”says Mills. This is a golden opportunity forthose folks who are contemplating gettinginto the e-commerce arena but aren’t cer-tain whether this is the place for them tobe. The new website at www.newyorkfarm-market.com is expected to go live by theend of the year.

If you are interested in being part of thisproject or would like more informationabout the Online Farmers Market Projectcontact Kim Mills at 315-684-6746 or emailat [email protected].

MARKETMAKER™Another online direct marketing tool comingto New York state farmers is MarketMak-er™, which was first developed by the Uni-versity of Illinois Extension as a web-basednetwork to connect farmers and processorswith food retailers and consumers. Cur-rently it is one of the most extensive collec-tions of searchable food industry relateddata for the states of Illinois, Iowa andNebraska. And it is now coming to Ken-tucky and New York.

The New York State effort is being coordi-nated by Cornell Cooperative Extension’sNew York City office. Staff there are com-piling multiple databases of NYS farmersmarkets, state and federally inspectedplants, and farmers; recruiting farmer list-ings; and developing an outreach programto teach food and farm entrepreneurs how

to use the NY site once it is launched. Allfarmers and businesses listed in the Mar-ketMaker™ database will be able to create,edit and update their own online profiles viasecure password access.

To see what has been done in Illinois visit:www.marketmaker.uiuc.edu; Iowahttp://ia.marketmaker.uiuc.edu; Nebraskahttp://ne.marketmaker.uiuc.edu. f youwould like to be listed on the New York Mar-ketMaker site contact John Ameroso [email protected], John Nettleton [email protected], or Dr. Khin Mar Cho [email protected].

I have highlighted four options here, thereare more options out there. These are fourways that you can begin your foray into theworld of e-commerce, before putting out themoney needed to create your own website.Each of these examples have advantagesand disadvantages, determining whichones work best for you is just like assess-ing any other promotional and marketingangle you integrate into your marketingplan. Only YOU can determine what wouldwork best for your business. Hopefully thisarticle gave you a starting place to beginthis process.

Bernadette Logozar is Rural and Ag Eco-nomic Development Specialist with CornellCooperative Extension of Franklin County. Ifyou have questions about e-commerce,building your own website or the resourcescontained in this article do not hesitate tocontact Bernadette at 518-483-7403 oremail her at [email protected].

MARKETING

Not Ready to Build Your OwnWebsite?See what the internet can do for you by listing your farm on anexisting website

Adirondack Harvest is an example of a regional organization which provides an internet presence for participating farms.

New York State’s Pride of NY Program offersonline listings for farmers.

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Northeast Small Farm & Rural LivingExpo Coming to New York in October!

The Northeast Small Farm and Rural Liv-ing Expo and Trade Show is coming backto the Hudson Valley on Saturday, Oct.13th and Sunday, Oct 14th, from 9am to4pm. Once again the Ulster County Fair-grounds will be host to the event. TheSmall Farm and Rural Living Expo, whichrotates between New York, Pennsylvaniaand New Jersey, will attract thousands ofpeople who are interested in learningmore about farming and rural living.

As in years past, this 7th annual Expowill feature demonstrations, workshopsand classes on commercial horticulture,natural resources, equine/livestock farm-ing and various topics on rural living.There will also be children’s educationalactivities, farm animals, farm equipment,and fun activities for the entire family.

The Expo planning committee is lookingfor vendors to exhibit at this year’s Expo.Space is available for agricultural agen-cies, commodity and breed associations,building and fence companies, feed andanimal care companies, rural living prod-uct suppliers, small farm equipment man-ufacturers, and other businesses interest-ed in reaching people interest in farmingand rural living.

For more information about booth sizesand fees, please contact Joe Walsh at(845) 292-6180, [email protected] orLarry Hulle at (845) 344-1234, [email protected] . Bookmark our website forupdates on the Small Farm and RuralLiving Expo at www.smallfarmexpo.org.The Cornell Small Farms Program isproud to co-sponsor this year’s Expo.


By Erica Frenay

Mara and Spencer Welton packed the roomat this year’s PASA conference with theirprovocatively titled talk, “We Made $50,000on One Acre.” When they spoke at the pre-vious year’s PASA conference, heading intotheir 4th farming season, they had sharedtheir $50,000 goal with the crowd. Theresponse was mostly pessimistic.

But in fact, Mara and Spencer beat theirgoal, with gross sales of $63,000 this yearfrom their one-acre farm in Burlington, Ver-mont. Not bad for a couple of city kids whodon’t own any land and started with nocapital. Their story is an inspiration forbeginning farmers about the power of plan-ning and dreaming.

Mara and Spencer grew up in inner-cityDenver, and attended the University of Col-orado at Boulder. Spencer got a degree inClassics, while Mara studied Anthropology.Their interest in an agricultural livelihoodtook root during a post-graduation stint inthe Peace Corps, where they were sta-tioned in the Solomon Islands. Mara taughtsmall business management and Spencertaught agriculture.

After the Peace Corps they moved to Penn-sylvania, where Spencer got a Master’s ofScience in Sustainable Systems and somemore agricultural experience managing anon-campus market garden. After graduat-ing, he and Mara moved to Vermont to startHalf Pint Farm on an acre of leased land inurban Burlington.

They leased the land from the non-profitIntervale Center, which manages 354 acresof farmland, nursery, trails, and wildlife cor-ridors along the Winooski River within theBurlington city limits. The Center serves asa “farmer incubator” by providing land

access and shared equipment. Elevenfarms in addition to Half Pint lease landthere too, ranging in size from 2 to 40acres.

SPECIALIZED PRODUCTIONEarly on the Weltons realized the need tospecialize, to distinguish their farm fromothers. Now they are known by farmer’smarket customers as the ‘baby vegetable’people. They are also known for theirunusual colors and varieties, high quality,and gorgeous farmer’s market display.

Though they were tempted to lease moreland and expand into livestock enterprises,they decided it was more important to keepgetting better at what they already do. Theystarted focusing on fewer varieties in orderto grow better produce, and set an annualgoal to be better growers. Last season,they followed tips gleaned from organic gar-dening publications, and took the time to dothe mulching, spot fertilization, and trellisingthat many gardeners do. Mara says, “In2006, we farmed like gardeners. Everythingwas beautiful!”

One-sixth of their total revenue came frommicrogreens, a multi-colored mix of about adozen varieties of greens grown undershelter and harvested at the first true leafstage. These retail for $24/lb and wholesalefor $17/lb. The remainder of Half Pint’sbestseller list for 2006 was filled out bytomatoes, potted plants, carrots, head let-tuce, salad, squash blossoms, beans, pota-toes, and radishes.

Which brings us to a personal rule to whichMara and Spencer adhere strictly: Don’t beafraid to axe a crop if it’s not earningenough money! They dropped wintersquash, melons, most herbs, broccoli raab,peas, cabbage, most flowers, and okra forthis reason.

SAVVY MARKETINGThree markets receive most of the fruits of

Mara and Spencer’s labor. They sell to highend chefs in Burlington, a weekly farmer’smarket, and a natural foods store. Theyhave put a lot of effort into developingthese markets. Spencer figures that theyonly spend about 20% of their time actuallygrowing the crops; 80% of the time they’reharvesting for market or actually sellingtheir produce.

The Weltons have carefully cultivated theirchef contacts, and continue nurturing theserelationships every year. In the spring thefarmers send out a letter with a list of pro-duce they plan to grow, and ask the chefs ifthey have any requests. Twice a week Maracalls each chef to check in and get orders.Several times a season she and Spencerpatronize the fancy restaurants where theysell their products. Mara says that althoughthey end up spending a lot on dinner, theyusually make it up in increased orders fromthe appreciative chef over the comingweeks.

The Weltons’ personable natures are theirown value-added. They will do absolutelyanything for their customers. One elderlywoman brought them Hungarian pepperseeds from his home country, and askedthe farmers to plant them. They did, andthen brought the fruits of those plants tomarket to sell. In doing so, they earned acustomer for life.

CLEAR GOALS AND THOROUGH PLANNINGThe Weltons are such fastidious plannersthat they could have had successfulcareers as accountants. Lucky for their cus-tomers, they decided to grow good foodinstead. They credit their goal-setting, track-ing, and follow-through for their success.

Twice a year, they hold “Half Pint FarmConferences,” formal full-day events towhich Mara and Spencer are the soleattendees. They draw up structured sched-ules and agendas and distribute readingpackets to each other in advance. At theirwinter conference, they establish a financialgoal for the season, which has grown sub-stantially each year. Spencer then uses acash flow sheet to enter income estimatesfor each week of the season, tweaking ituntil the numbers add up to their goal.

This goal literally drives the farmers’ day-to-day activity throughout the growing season:they create field maps, seeding orders, aplanting plan, and a marketing strategy thatare all keyed into this magic number. Fromthese, they derive precise seeding sched-ules and task sheets that divide up theweek’s chores, making each day lessstressful because the Weltons know exactlywhat they need to accomplish. At thefarmer’s market each week, they know pre-cisely how much they need to sell in orderto reach their target, and they do a little cel-ebration dance when they hit it. They are soorganized, it’s no wonder they’ve exceededtheir financial goal every year so far.

TIGHT RECORDKEEPINGTo hear the Weltons describe their opera-tion, it seems they have a spreadsheet foreverything: weather, hours worked, cashflow, and crop yields, especially for thoselucrative microgreens. They love to trackeverything, though they admit that it’s achallenge to actually do all this paperworkunder the duress of the growing season. Tomake it as easy as possible, most of thespreadsheets live in a field binder that isalways nearby and is also used to trackdaily things of note.

All the planning in the world can’t protectyou from the vagaries of farming, but it canhelp prepare you for whatever disastersmay strike. Like all farmers, Spencer andMara have weathered a few disasters,including dysfunctional irrigation systems(during the hottest part of the season), andthis spring, flooding that submerged theirfields under 3 feet of water. “Having thefield map totally figured out before weplanted our first seeds was absolutely criti-cal to our success this year,” Mara said.“When the fields flooded, we could take ourplan and modify it, rather than having tostart from scratch.”

CREATIVE FINANCINGThe Weltons began their business with $0of their own money and the goal of makingenough farm profit to put a down paymenton a house in Burlington. Five years laterthey’ve bought that house, with a downpayment they earned by farming. How didthey do it?

They got started by cashing one of thosepromotional checks that credit card compa-nies periodically send out. This providedthem with a $3,500 loan that was interest-free for the first year. This method of farmfinancing is not generallyrecommended–credit card debt can quicklyswallow the unwary consumer–but the Wel-tons knew as long as they could pay it backwithin the year, they were in good shape.They did this easily and just kept on grow-ing from there.

While Mara and Spencer’s model wouldn’twork for everyone, it’s an inspiring exampleof how hard work and a whole lot of plan-ning can be more important than havingland or money to make a farm dream cometrue.

Erica Frenay serves as Coordinator of theBeginning Farmer Education Initiative withCornell’s Small Farms Program.

NEW FARMERS

Big Bucks from Small SpacesHalf Pint Farm Models High-Value Possibilities

Mara and Spencer Welton grossed $63,000on one acre in their fourth farming season.Not bad for a couple of city kids who don’town any land and started with no capital.

Photo by Mara Welton

The Weltons specialize in unusual colors andvarities of vegetables, like these heirloomtomatoes and root crops.

Photos by Mara Welton

Customers are drawn to Half-Pint Farm’s gorgeous farmer’s market displays.

Photo by Nancy Johnson

Tomatoes and peppers thrive in an unheatedplastic hoophouse.


Photo by Spencer Welton

Photo by Phillip Sandoval



By Michael Mannigan

Chances are you don’t remember whatwere you doing on Friday February 17,2006. For Dale and Judy Davis ofLowville, New York it was a day they willnever forget. A wind storm roared intoLewis County, with reports of winds gust-ing in excess of 90 miles per hour. A localnews website called it the “mother of allbad hair days”.

They were feeding hay to their 60 cowherd and listening to the howling wind.Suddenly they heard a loud CRACK! over-head. Dale screamed, “Get out!” Theystarted to run out of the barn with Judy inthe lead, when Dale tripped and fell. Witha thunderous roar, the barn came crashingdown. Judy feared the worst when sheturned around and couldn’t see her hus-band through the cloud of dust. FinallyDale emerged from the debris unhurt.He’d landed barely three feet ahead ofwhere main beams crashed to the con-crete barn floor.

Once they recovered from the initial shock,they realized all of the cattle on the easthalf of the barn were dead, while animalson the west half were either wounded ortrapped. The Davises were so shaken,they didn’t even want to go into theirhouse. Once they cleared their heads,they went in and called Lewis County 911.

SURVEYING THE DAMAGEA knot tightened in my stomach when Iheard the news of the barn collapse. Asthe Davis’ FSA Loan Officer, I had calledto see how they were doing only twoweeks earlier. Dale & Judy had moved tothis farm in early 2004 and were makinggood progress increasing milk production.They were optimistic that 2006 promisedsome real progress for their operation. Lit-

tle did they know that in a “New Yorkminute” their livelihood would come crash-ing down.

On Tuesday February 21, I went out tosurvey the damage and speak with theDavises. As I pulled into the driveway,dead cows were being hoisted out of thetwisted remains of the old tie-stall barn.Only a small section of the south end ofthe barn remained standing… the part thatsaved Dale from meeting the same fate ashis cows. Dale and Judy were still notice-ably frazzled from the whirlwind of stressand lack of sleep over the last four days.

The Davises related their accounts of thedays’ events and continued to echo howfortunate they were to have such atremendous outpouring of community sup-port. Dale commended the tireless effortsof the volunteer fire departments, towncrews and neighbors. He said, “They justtook over.” Dale and Judy were able tosave almost half of the dairy herd andmove them to a barn two miles away. Thistemporary arrangement would give themtime to contemplate their next steps.

BIG DECISIONSThe Davises faced some important deci-sions regarding their future. Should theyrebuild? Should they liquidate the opera-tion and get off-farm jobs? Should theylook at another farm? Mike helped themweigh their options, but as he said, “I’m notthe one that’s going to be milking the cows.”

After no small amount of soul searching,Dale and Judy decided to rebuild. Mikeassured them that someday they wouldlook back and see the barn collapse as ablessing in disguise. The opportunity torebuild a modern, efficient dairy barnwould reduce their milking time andimprove cow comfort.

After what Judy described as “mountainsof paperwork”, the Davises were approvedfor an emergency loan to build a newbarn. On Dale’s 43rd birthday, July 17th,he got the best present he could hope

for….crews from Bauer Masonry and Con-crete, Inc. began excavation for the newfreestall barn. A week later, concrete waspoured. Despite Bauer’s rapid pace, thenext six weeks seemed an agonizinglylong time for the Davis’.

A HAPPY ENDINGMore than six months after that fateful day,the “cows came home” on September 1.Dale said the first couple of milkings were“a nightmare”, but as the cows adjusted,things settled down into a regular routine.

“FSA has been good to us” Dale says.“They helped us from day one. Theyfound a farm for us when we wanted tomove from Jefferson to Lewis County.When the barn collapsed, Mike gave110% to get us through the headaches &hassles of the government paperwork.”

Dale’s advice to other producers who suf-fer devastating losses: “Take your timeand decide what YOU want to do. Take agood hard look at your situation. Then getin touch with everyone… suppliers, feed

dealers, vets, contractors…Talk to FSAonce you know what the game plan is.Make sure you cover all of your options.”

Judy says, “Some days I think we’re nuts,but dairy farming beats working for some-one else.” When asked about dealing withFSA, she quipped “They were good exceptfor the mountains of paperwork, but that’sgovernment.”

In addition to FSA, Dale and Judy askedthe following be recognized for their effortsduring the recovery:Bauer Concrete & Masonry, Inc.Lowville Farmers’ Co-opCountryside Veterinary ClinicBrown’s Feed and their representative BobLaisdellArea volunteer fire departmentsEveryone who helped, prayed and sup-ported their recovery

Michael Mannigan is a Farm Loan Officerwith USDA-FSA in Watertown, NY.Author’s note: “During the writing of thisarticle, I asked the Davises to provide spe-cific details about their harrowing ordeal.Even a year later, those haunting memo-ries of cattle that were killed, and Dale’snarrow escape brought the couple totears—a true testament to the agony thataccompanies such a tragic event. This isone example of the thousands of farmfamilies Farm Service Agency has helpedrecover from natural disaster. This articleis dedicated to the American Farmer andto those who support them.”

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

When Disaster StrikesFSA Emergency Loan helps Lewis County family rebuild after“Mother of All Bad Hair Days” destroys dairy barn

The barn before it collapsed.

Resource SpotlightFSA Emergency Farm Loans

USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) provides emergency loans to help producersrecover from production and physical losses due to drought, flooding, other natural dis-asters, or quarantine.

Emergency loan funds may be used to:Restore or replace essential property;Pay all or part of production costs associated with the disaster year;Pay essential family living expenses;Reorganize the farming operation; andRefinance certain debts.

Eligibility: Emergency loans may be made to farmers and ranchers who:Own or operate land located in a county declared by the President as a disaster area ordesignated by the Secretary of Agriculture as a disaster area or quarantine area (forphysical losses only, the FSA Administrator may authorize emergency loan assistance);Are established family farm operators and have sufficient farming or ranching experi-ence;Are citizens or permanent residents of the United States;Have suffered at least a 30-percent loss in crop production or a physical loss to live-stock, livestock products, real estate, or chattel property;Have an acceptable credit history;Are unable to receive credit from commercial sources;Can provide collateral to secure the loan; andHave repayment ability.

Producers can borrow up to 100 percent of actual production or physical losses, to amaximum amount of $500,000. Applications for emergency loans must be receivedwithin 8 months of the county’s disaster or quarantine designation date.Further information on the emergency loan program is available from your local USDAService Center.

On February 17,2006, Dale and Judy Davis’sbarn collapsed, killing more than half of their60 cows and almost killing Dale.

After no small amount of soul searching, Daleand Judy decided to rebuild a modernfreestall barn. Construction began on July 17.

The cows came home six months later on September 1, 2006

Clean up began almost immediately, as didthe “moutains of paperwork” to get helprecovering from disaster.


By Karen Hoffman Sullivan

Over a year ago, a friend of mine who isinterested in health and nutrition gave mean article entitled “Change or die”. Origi-nally published in the May 2005 issue ofFast Company magazine, it was authored

by Alan Deutschman, who has since writtena book with the same title. The article wasfocused on how difficult it is for people tochange their behavior, especially in termsof diet and exercise. For many reasons, Isaw a direct parallel to animal agriculture.Let me explain.

Research in health carehas shown that when people are suffering fromchronic and serious dis-eases, such as diabetesand heart disease, they arequite often told that theycan improve their health orsave their lives by changingtheir lifestyle choices. Eatbetter, exercise more, stopsmoking or drinking alcohol– and the reasons given formaking those changes arequite often presentedbased on the facts thatdoing those things canmake a difference.

Yet most people do not change theirlifestyle choices and behaviors when pre-sented with the facts – facts are fairly unin-spiring. Deutschman says that 90% ofcoronary-artery bypass patients do notchange their lifestyle or behavior after sur-gery, even though doing so would preventthem from dying.

We only change our behavior when we arepresented with the emotional reasons tochange – live to see our grandchildrengrow, be able to do things we really enjoy,like more “romantic interludes,” or sportswith less or no pain, or dancing at ourdaughter’s wedding. It is the things thatreach us at the emotional level that moti-vate us to change our lifestyle choices, notthe facts.

Behavior change is extremely difficult, evenfor the best of us. We need emotional rea-sons to do so, yet we are constantly pre-sented with the factual reasons instead.

So, how does this relate to animal agricul-ture? It’s fairly easy when you look acrossthe landscape and see how many farmshave died over the last few decadesbecause they were unwilling to change howthey farmed.

Those of us in the roles of “agency advi-sors” to farmers have been guilty of pre-senting our clientele with “the facts” for fartoo long. When we talk to a dairy farmerabout switching from confinement feedingyear-round to grazing their cows for 6months of the year, we tell them about howtheir feed costs will drop, cow health willimprove, and equipment will require lessmaintenance and repair. We show themthe results of studies – tables of economicdata, charts of pasture protein levels com-pared to stored forage, and diagrams ofgrass growth rates – but rarely do we talkabout things that have emotional appeal.

Sales people have always been quite goodat making emotional appeals to both farmand non-farm consumers when they aretrying to make a sale. That is why we buynew cars and trucks with all the safetyoptions (for the kids), the big screen televi-sion (for the kids and to make your friendsjealous), and the tractors with comfort cabs,GPS-computer units, and lots of horsepow-er (for the kids…no wait, to make your trac-tor-time more enjoyable, as well as to make

friends and farming neighbors jealous).Regardless of who you are, or what you dofor a living, the emotional sales pitchalmost always works.

Is there any emotional appeal of grazing?Of course there is! However, as pointedout above, we agency staff do our best topresent our “unbiased”, and fairly unemo-tional, opinions. But it’s the people whohave been grazing on their farms who arethe best advocates for grazing, becausethey experience the emotional benefits on adaily basis. They point out things like moretime to spend with kids, and doing thingswith kids on the farm that are safer andmore enjoyable, as well as the prospectthat the kids may want to come back to thefarm when they are older.

Quality time with a spouse is another emo-tionally appealing aspect of grazing,because you’re not going to be stuck on atractor from dawn till dusk during the springand summer as much – the animals domuch of the harvest. Being able to sleep atnight because the bank and the feed com-pany aren’t watching you like a hawk tomake sure you make your payments – youbecome a customer they can count on tobe on time.

Grazing provides more money to take afamily vacation, and the ability to hire arelief milker who doesn’t have to do muchother than milk and open a gate. There aremany other examples of how grazing canimprove the quality of a farm family’s life –just ask any grazier!

If you’re reading this, you probably have aninterest in grazing, so this may be preach-ing to the choir. If you don’t have an inter-est in grazing, and you’ve read this far, Iapplaud you and hope you can now consid-er grazing as an option for your family andyour farm that has many other qualitativebenefits.

We need more grass-based, thriving farmsand farm families, not more dead farms thatare the result of not being willing to change.Regardless of where you are at with graz-ing, I hope you will pass this article on topeople you know who need to GRAZE orDIE.

Karen Hoffman Sullivan is an Animal Scien-tist and Grazing Lands Conservation Initia-tive Coordinator with USDA-NRCS. She isbased in Norwich, NY.

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By Steve Winkler

These are very exciting times in pork pro-duction. With increasing customer con-cerns about food safety and growingdemand for food that tastes delicious, mar-kets are popping up for the smaller pro-ducer. Your next question is how do youensure that your customers you have safefood that tastes great, and that your hogsare treated humanely?

The only answer is “Natural” certificationfrom an established, unbiased third partysource. You can call yourself natural underthe USDA guidelines, but this does notaddress what the animals are fed, or howthey are raised. The USDA guidelines onlyestablish how the meat is processed. ANatural certification label from a third partyorganization is the only honest way for aproducer to guarantee customers foodsafety, animal husbandry guidelines, andenhanced quality.

There are two agencies that will certifyyour hogs natural that I am aware of. The

Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and the Ani-mal Humane Association (AHA). WhenAWI, or AHA certifies you, you separateyourself from organic production, andcommercial production.

Not all natural certification programs arethe same, but the core values are similar.Most natural certification programs prohibitthe use of antibiotics, animal proteins, andhormones. The husbandry practices ofyour hogs must also be monitored. Theclipping of tails and teeth are prohibited,the animals need a minimum square feetper head, deep bedding must be used,and in most cases access to outdoorsmust be provided. Outdoor access doesnot have to mean raised on pasture. Out-door access could be simply a way for thehogs to explore a different area than thebarn.

We use a managed pasture rotation onour farm for the finish and growing groups.It helps reduce the feed bill without losingrate of gain. I only use this practice withadvisement from a feed company nutrition-

ist that has an approved natural line offeed premixes. We use Keystone Mills nat-ural line of premixes.

Genetics also needs to be considered innatural production. Today’s modern genet-ics are selected for rate of gain and lean-ness. In natural production you should beselecting for hardiness, marbling or meatquality, disposition, and grazability. Thecombination of Duroc, Berkshire, and anold fashion line of Chester White haveworked very well for our farm. In any casethe colored breeds seem to compete andgrow better in the natural form of produc-tion.

When you produce pork under a naturalcertified label it cost more to produce, butreturns are also greater. Feed, manage-ment, fencing, genetics, watering, andmarketing are just a few costs that go up.But the price per pound does increase sig-nificantly under certified natural pork pro-duction, and the returns are not just mone-tary. The harmonious relationship of ani-mals and land, water quality benefits,increased farm sustainability, better use ofunderutilized grass land, and keeping oldfashion swine breeds in existence all are

important issues for enhancing a farmcommunity.

I hope this article gives you an under-standing of the importance of a naturalcertification program. It is not good enoughto claim being natural; you need the certifi-cation. Align yourself with AWI, or AHA.Involve yourself with a feed company thatknows swine nutrition and keeps youupdated on the certified natural nutritionguidelines.

The increasing markets that are interestedin high quality, safe food are for us all tobenefit, the community, the customer, andthe farmer. True farm sustainability is outthere; hard work and effort will open thedoor of opportunity. If anyone is interestedin involving him or herself with our newNew York Certified Natural initiative pleasecall Stephen Winkler at 315-232-5075 [email protected] or call Bill Henning at585-728-5783 or [email protected].

Stephen Winkler is owner/operator of Luc-ki 7 Livestock Company in Rodman, NY.You can reach him at 315-232-5075 or [email protected].

NON-DAIRY LIVESTOCK

Natural Hogs -To Certify or not to Certify?

Certified “natural” pork production doesn’t necessarily require pasture. But many producersfind pasture lowers feed costs and produces a high quality product.

Photo courtesy Kingbird Farm

The colored breeds or cross-breeds seem to compete and grow better in natural productionsystems.

Photo by Steve Winkler

Resource Spotlight“Outdoorpig” — A new email discussion group for natural pig producers

For two years Cornell Cooperative Extension Small FarmSpecialist Bill Henning has been working with farmers,pork marketers, and Extension colleagues to promotemarkets for natural pork in the Northeast. “With everystep we get a little closer and we’ve never been closerthan we are now,” he says. “The trick has been to haveenough supply to have something to sell and enoughdemand to take the supply. Things are looking good.”

A new email listserve offers producers the chance to askquestions, share information, sell pigs, look for assis-tance or anything else related to outdoor, natural, pas-tured, and/or organic pig production. “OUTDOORPIG”([email protected]) is managed byBernadetter Logozar, Agriculture Development Specialistwith Franklin County CCE. She says,”If folks are interest-ed in joining the Outdoorpig listserv they just need tosend an email to me at [email protected]. Please put“Add me to the Outdoorpig list” in the subject line so wecan do so.

If you are thinking about producing pastured pork thisyear, get in touch with Bill Henning for help in connectingwith potential markets. He can be reached at 315-536-5123, 585-233-4167, 585 728 5783 (home phone) [email protected].

349 Roses BrookSouth Kortright, NY 13842

(607) 538-9464

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DairySanitations


By Gary Goff

Maple producers are in the business formore than the money earned. The profitmargin just isn’t that high! But, benefits andinterests are many for those involved. Work-ing outside in the woods is just what manypeople need and look forward to after along winter. Working with nature is anotherattractive aspect.

People in the community also are drawn tosome of these attributes of the mapleindustry. The opportunity for visitors to seeand get involved with maple production is a“service” or “attraction” that many producershave recognized and capitalized on. Publictours of the maple operation and visits tothe sugar house are important componentsof the overall operation that many ownersenjoy and highlight.

As an example, The NYS Maple ProducersAssociation has promoted “Maple Week-end” across the state. People interested invisiting local maple syrup producers canlog onto www.mapleweekend.com and getthe listing of hundreds of producers that willbe hosting the public at their operation on aspecific weekend in March each year. Tensof thousands of people participate in thisevent annually. Producers sponsor pancakebreakfasts, give wagon rides around thefarm or sugarbush, demonstrate tappingtechniques, show how syrup is made andcanned, and of course sell products!

One aspect of maple syrup production thatmay interest the public is the role thatmaple production plays in supporting biodi-versity. Biodiversity can be defined manyways as it encompasses many ecologicalphenomena. A brief definition is: “The vari-ety of life, its processes, and its habitat”.Biodiversity is more than counting speciesof plants and animals. It includes how anecosystem functions and the relationshipsthat exist among all components of theecosystem; air and water, soil, bacteria andfungi, insects, plants, and animals.

Maple syrup production has the unique dis-tinction of being a fairly large-scale foodindustry that comes very close to beingtotally sustainable and nearly benign to thenatural landscape that supports it. Thesetraits are at least partially why producersenjoy the work and why consumers enjoyseeing and being involved with syrup pro-duction.

Maple syrup is a renewable and naturalproduct that people feel good about pro-ducing and consuming! Making the tie tobiodiversity is actually very easy and logicalto do. It can be the basis by which todemonstrate how maple syrup productioncomes from working forests that supporthealthy, natural, functioning forest ecosys-tems. Very few industries can substantiatesuch claims!

So, if you are a maple producer, how doyou capitalize on the fact that sugarbushesare healthy, functioning forest ecosystems?What specific message do you wish to con-vey to your customers? How can you makethe message interesting and relevant tothem? How do you reach them with themessage?

There are many possible answers to thesequestions. How you market biodiversity toyour customers needs to fit your overallenterprise. The marketing effort must berelatively easy and inexpensive to developand present. For many producers it can beaccomplished with a minimum of outputand be fun and rewarding for you and yourcustomers.

First and foremost, the message needs tobe simple, easily understood and fairlybrief. No one is going to be captivated orintrigued by long, complicated dissertationson scientific definitions or phenomena.Facts and stats need to be straight-forwardand highlight topics that are of interest tothe audience, i.e., your buyers, your con-sumers, your visitors. Which specific pointsyou wish to convey is your choice, but thelist should be limited, and a blend and flowof general to specific facts is probablyappropriate.

BIODIVERSITY BENEFITSHere are some facts and statistics that yourbiodiversity promotion could include:

Maple sugarbushes are working forests andfunctioning ecosystems that:• Provide habitat for a variety of plants and

animals. Sugar maple’s shaggy andrough bark provides summer roostingand nesting habitat for several batspecies including the red bat, silver-haired bat, Indiana bat, and the hoarybat

• Protect watersheds• Use carbon from the atmosphere to grow

trees and store that carbon in woodthereby reducing global warming

• Produce oxygen through photosynthesis• Produce virtually no erosion and promote

soil formation• Decrease noise and air pollution• Provide recreational opportunities such as

bird watching, cross country skiing, andhunting

Maple syrup is:• 100% natural• A naturally renewable food• Locally produced and distributed• Not dependent on fossil fuels if evapora-

tors are wood fired

Did you know that sugar maples…???• Are one of the longest-lived trees in the

northeast, reaching an age of 300 to 400years?

• Due to their long life, large size, andresistance to decay, often provide long-lasting nesting cavities for many birdsand mammals such as screech owls, fly-ing squirrels, and raccoons

• Concentrate calcium in their leaves, there-

by providing that important nutrient toplants that need high calcium levels,such as ginseng

• Their tall and dense canopies (up to 120feet) provide unique habitat for manysongbirds such as the Eastern woodpeewee and ovenbird, and amphibianspecies such as red-backed salamander,spotted salamander, and wood frog

• Produce frequent, large seed crops nearly50% of the years and can produce up to3 million seeds or 450 lbs/acre per year

• Seeds, buds, bark, sap and twigs providenutritious food for a wide variety of birdsand mammals

• Have the unique ability to lift water fromdeep in the ground and release itthrough their roots at night, therebyessentially irrigating plants that haveshallower root systems

Specific interesting facts about yoursugarbush:People are going to want to know moreabout your sugarbush and how it con-tributes to local biodiversity. Maintaining alog or listing of plant and wildlife speciesthat have been seen in your stand can befun for you to compile and is a good teach-ing tool for your visitors.

Plants that are commonly found in sug-arbushes include:• Maiden-hair and hay-scented ferns• Trilliums• Trout lilies• Squirrel corn• Blue cohosh • Jack-in-the-pulpit

Birds that commonly live in sugarbush-es include:• Eastern wood peewee• Great-horned and barred owls

(the northern saw-whet owl occurs in the Adirondacks)

• Wood and hermit thrush• Ovenbird• Scarlet tanager• Yellow-billed and Black-billed cuckoos

Specific management practices that youdo in your sugarbush to protect andenhance biodiversity may include:• Control invasive plants such as Japanese

barberry or garlic mustard• Keep the deer populations under control

through hunting to allow better regenera-tion of tree species and many morespecies of wild flowers to flourish

• Keep some large downed trees to providehabitat for salamanders

• Keep some large trees with cavities forwildlife to use

• Protect woodland pools (vernal pools) foramphibians

MARKETING BIODIVERSITYThere are many ways you can highlight thecontributions that your sugarbush makes tobiodiversity. If you distribute your own con-tainers, some interesting facts could beincluded on the jug or bottle. Visitors toyour operation can view posters orbrochures highlighting the biodiversity inyour sugarbush.

A foot path into the sugarbush, going by avariety of unique habitats such as cavitytrees, vernal pools, downed logs, and wildflower patches, makes for an interestingnature trail. A trail brochure or signage inthe woods works well to highlight specificplants or habitats.

During the off season, it is possible to takeyour message to the public by offering talksor posters for display at the town library, toclubs and organizations, or to school class-es. If you maintain a website, a page onbiodiversity can complement your overallsales message.

Digital cameras and computer softwarephoto packages makes putting togetherattractive posters, presentations, factsheets, and brochures quite easy for mostanyone! Your children, grandchildren, neigh-bor kids or kids of friends may welcome theopportunity to put together a class projectthat highlights biodiversity in your sugar-bush!

Local nature clubs or youth groups similarlymay be interested in projects that can be alearning experience for them. Any groupthat can come out to your sugarbushthrough different seasons and over theyears, can do a thorough job of cataloguingplant and wildlife species.

Marketing the contributions that sugarmaple production makes to biodiversity canbe interesting for you and your customersand improve product sales. The maplesyrup industry is uniquely “environmentallyfriendly” and producers should emphasizethis fact and capitalize on it. Your local sug-arbush is of interest to the public and youcan provide the chance for them to learnmore about the industry and nature simul-taneously. It is a win - win opportunity thathelps the local community and helps youturn a profit.

Gary Goff is a Senior Extension Associatein the Department of Natural Resources atCornell University.

FOREST AND WOODLOT

Marketing Biodiversity in theSugarbushMaple syrup production is a uniquely “green” industry.Producers should capitalize on this by marketing biodiversityas a value-added product of the sugarbush.

Sugarbushes are great places to find lots ofbeautiful plants and flowers

Maple Syrup is an all natural product thatproducers and consumers can relish!

Resource SpotlightWoodland BiodiversityResources

Peterson Field Guide Series. Guides totrees, flowers, ferns, mushrooms, mam-mals, amphibians, etc. Available in mostlibraries and book stores.

http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/BNA.Life histories of birds in North America

www.unh.edu/ncssf/results-northern-hardwoods.htm.Information on biodiversity, forest ecosys-tems, and management of northern hard-woods.

www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manu-al/volume_2/acer/saccharum.htm.Information on life history and distributionof sugar maple trees.

Sugarbushes contribute to local biodiversityby providing habitat for a host of terrestrialamphibian species


By Sonja Hedlund

The farm on I live on had a large appleorchid when we moved here. The treeswere mostly Northern Spies planted byearly residents who probably wanted thepleasure of hard cider and the incomefrom selling apples. In spite of our bestcare, these trees did not survive. Weplanted others, medium sized and dwarfbut none as delicious as those old North-ern Spies. With this old orchard in mind,we call our farm Apple Pond Farm

There is another Apple here on the farm.It sits on my desk. My Macintosh Appleibook. My skills in using it are mediocrenow but growing incrementally. I haven’ttaken a workshop. I am not very good atreading the ‘HELP’ sections. When I can’tfigure out how to do something, I callfriends and family members who are Macaddicts or I call the 800 number for Apple-Care and get USA based step-by-steptechnical help.

Using the Internet is making me a betterfarmer. The Internet connects me with oth-ers working in agriculture and gives meaccess to a vast knowledge base withouthaving to drive anywhere. Through thistruly amazing wireless system somewhereout there in the universe, I have had somevery satisfying experiences – and over allI am the better for using it.

A few years ago, I got a charming e-mailfrom Dough. His family, dairy farmers, hada new PC and this nine year old waslearning to use it. He had come acrossour web page, and realized that he lived

over the hill from us. He wrote a brief noteto me, just two or three lines, that he likedanimals. I wrote back, invited him overand he and his family have been friendsever since.

An American living in Wanaka, NewZealand, heard a story on BBC radioabout out local public radio station, WJFF,and sent an e-mail to the station managerin praise of its broadcasting. The managerforwarded his note to me, as I was aboutto go to New Zealand for a vacation. Aftersome back and forth notes, he invited meto visit and I spent the night at his homeand had the pleasure of his company on aguided tour of the area the following day.

Before that same trip, web searches locat-ed guilds of wool spinners and sheepfarms with B & B services. I connectedwith several that led to delightful farmsvisits and afternoons chatting with skilledspinners, knitters and felt makers.

We have had over 100 interns here at thefarm; most of these came through ourfarm web page or our listing of web pagesfor intern opportunities. These are mostlyyoung people wanting to work on anorganic farm, to learn to use draft horsesfor farm work and get experience in rais-ing sheep and goats. Besides Americaninterns, people have come to us fromSwitzerland, Germany, Norway, Brazil andJapan.

These connections have been a great sourceof pleasure and friendship as well as assis-tance in the diverse activities of the farm.There was even a romance between internswho met here.When they married in Norway,we were invited to their traditional wedding;the ceremony was in three languages – Nor-wegian (the bride), Swiss-German (thegroom) and English (the guests).Thanks to e-mail, we keep in touch with all these friends.

A young man from Berlin who spent awinter with us helped with lambing andfeeding chores. He also organized mycomputer files, made flyers and designeda new web page. To this day, he does theupdates on our web page from Berlin!

The Internet is also important in my farmbusiness. Cornell University has a list-serve to help market livestock ([email protected] ). Over 250 peoplesend and receive information related tobuying and selling small ruminants, mostlysheep and goats. Along with their webpage, www.sheepgoatmarketing.info,these tools help small farmers and buyersconnect.

I post questions and get lots of answersbased on experience of farmers, veteri-narians, working and retired academics.When I started putting out round haybales weighing over 500 pounds forsheep and goats, I didn’t know how toplace them so that the animals wouldn’tturn them into a playpen and a huge bed.Answers can back: purchase a specialsheep/goat round bale feeder; remove asection of fence and put the bale here,pushing it more and more into the pad-dock as the animals eat it; build your ownfeeder – photos and plans included andfinally (and my choice) encircle the bale inrigid pig fence, those 4 x 18 feet longheavy duty wire panels and cover the balewith a tarp.

Then there was my question about themost nutritious and economical bulk feedration for my goats and sheep. Here someanswers referred me to academic web siteswith formulas for the feed mill to follow. Oth-ers shared their own recipes, including tipson the frugal purchase of grain.

Friends had a pet goat suddenly die. Theywere buying a replacement from me. Theyexpressed much regret at the death ofthis beloved animal that became ill oneday and the next day was dead. I postedthe animal’s symptoms on the listserve.The subject of my note was ‘OT: star gaz-ing goat dies.’ The OT means ‘off topic’ asmy concern was not about marketing,which is the true focus of this listserve. Igot back information from others with sim-ilar experience. The country’s leading goatheath veterinarian, Dr. Mary Smith, eventook the time to respond with essentialinformation.

A goat farmer in Delaware County recent-ly posted another OT item. She describedher experience as a volunteer on a goatfarm in South Africa. She spent threeweeks helping people new to farminglearn basic skills. Her photos were sent,too and personal comments about the joyand satisfaction of sharing with others,and learning from them too.

Most days I work a bit at the Mac, writingstories, entering data on my sheep andgoats, working with e-mail and readingnotes from listserves that I subscribe to.But some days, I simply do not want totype ANOTHER WORD! Yesterday wasone of those days. Nothing seemed towork right and I couldn’t get any of my e-mail. I gave up.

Tomorrow there will probably be somemiracle and things will be back to normalon my Mac. For now, I am off to the barnto play with the kids.

Sonja Hedlund runs Apple Pond Farmand Renewable Energy Education Centerin Callicoon Center, NY with partner DickRiseling. You can learn more atwww.applepondfarm.com. This article firstappeared in the Towne Crier of LivingstonManor, NY and is reprinted with permission.

COMMUNITY/WORLD

Farming the InternetEmail, websites, and listserves are helping this famer stay connected and informed

Using the Internet is making me a better farmer.

“”

We have had over 100 internshere at the farm; most of these

came through our farm web page.

“

”

By Bill Henning

Robert Frost wrote of a fork in the roadand taking the one less traveled. Thiswriting is of a fork in the barn and why itis less used.

In the last five years our little farm hasexperienced some ‘internal growth’ in thatwe have built one new barn, built threenew additions and completely changedthe use of another. All this led to theneed of an extra fork. Being short ontime, my excuse for a lack of commonsense, I went to a feed mill — all the localones are gone — and bought a pitchfork.With my wallet lighter by $35 I proudlywent home with my brand new tool.

Several days later my wife and I werebedding down the sheep shed. She hadthe brand new fork. It only took about aminute before she exclaimed, “Just usingthis fork is enough to make you want toquit farming!” We promptly traded forks. Ipromptly agreed with her and went to getanother old fork.

We put up straw in round bales. Settingthe round bale on end, we simply peel

straw off the role and get a well-mattedslab to put where we want it. That brandnew fork would not penetrate the straw atall once it was peeled off the bale. Allthis caused me to stop and study theadvancements (?) in pitchfork technology.

In any good scientific study we need a‘control’, something to compare to. In thiscase we used a 90-year-old pitchfork myfather had bought when he was a youngman. If there ever was any identity of thefork’s manufacturer, the years have longsince removed it. The handle is wellmade, fine but strong, and worn smooth.The fork head has tines of fine steel,slender with smoothly and roundlytapered distinctive points, points that aresharp. The center tine is symmetricallytapered to the center in the formation ofits point, while the outer points tapergracefully toward the outer sides of eachtine.

The tines of the old fork are not quite inthe alignment they once were. Anyonewith much pitchfork experience would ful-ly appreciate that statement. However,the old fork is still a trustworthy servantand can perform the tasks before it just

as well as in its youth. It is full bodiedand strong, yet still smooth, having dis-tinctive character; enjoyable, like a finewine.

On the other hand, our new fork proudlybares the stamp Union Tools ® on itshandle and the paper sticker boasts “InOur Third Century MakingQuality Tools.” The handle onthis fork looks acceptable.The fork head is rough steelwith thicker tines than our oldtimer. The points are notpoints at all. In the last ?

inch of length each tine has a two-sidedcut tapering toward the center that endsbluntly. The width of the fork head doesnot approach the width of the old fork soeven if you could get some hay or strawon it, it wouldn’t hold as much.

The sticker on the handle also statesthere is a ten year warranty. Of course, ifthe fork is never used it can’t ever break.Ours has just been hanging on the barnwall ever since. I went back to the feedmill, told them the fork didn’t work well; Ino longer had the receipt and asked if Icould return it. They looked at me as if Ididn’t have the proper operating license.

About a week after my purchase I attend-ed a farm auction. A bundle of old pitch-forks sold for $30. Hmmm? What if I con-signed that brand new pitchfork?

Bill Henning is Small Farms Specialistwith CCE’s NWNY Dairy, Livestock andField Crops Team, and operates a smallfarm in Livingston County, NY.

FARM FOLLIES

A Tale of Two Forks


By Jeff Miller

Farming is time-consuming work, so mostfarmers don’t get to spend much time talk-ing to other farmers. At Cornell CooperativeExtension (CCE) we recognize the increas-ing time constraints farmers face, but wealso know how much farmers can learnfrom each other.

CCE of Oneida County has some experi-ence with organizing neighborhood meet-ings during the summer months with smallgroups of farmers, to learn about pest man-agement with a “hands-on approach” inparticipants’ fields. In the summer of 2005 agroup of six local field crop producers metregularly with Oneida CCE staff as part ofan Integrated Pest Management TAg team,with focused discussion on soybean pro-duction and pest management in partici-pants’ fields. The group enjoyed the sum-mer meetings and expressed an interest incontinuing to meet.

That fall, we were successful in obtaining asmall grant from the Small Farm Programat Cornell to help start a discussion group.A few members of the group met in Novem-ber of 2005 at what I called an “Organiza-tional Meeting”. I will never use that titleagain— talk about discouraging participa-tion! But it was enough to get started. Webriefly discussed ideas about what topicsthe group wanted to learn more about dur-ing the winter months.

I will say that I expected the group to pro-pose any number of production related top-ics, but was surprised that the majoritywere business related topics like financialmanagement, crop insurance options, farmservice agency programs, and grain mar-keting, with some production issues likeminimization of tillage and controlling com-paction.

CCE staff contacted resource people withexpertise in the topics selected by the dis-cussion group, set up a meeting scheduleand facilitated the meetings. The group haddecided on a question/answer format tofoster informal discussion around thefocused topic. They also developed a list ofother field crop producers in the county thatmight be interested in joining the group,and asked CCE staff to contact these indi-viduals. Approximately ten growers attend-ed each of the meetings, with most growersattending all of the meetings.

There was active discussion at every oneof the meetings. Growers were not shyabout asking the burning questions thatwere on their minds; after all, it was theirmeeting. Our invited guests were helpfulresource people, but the answers to a num-ber of questions actually came from otherfarmers in the group. At one point, during adiscussion of “basis” in our meeting ongrain marketing, one of the growers pickedup the chalk and wrote an example on theboard to help the other growers understandthe concept.

I did my best to scribe some notes duringthe meetings that could be boiled down andput in our newsletters to share with othergrowers. I also tried to capture the impactthat this discussion group was having onthe participants’ farms. The growers kept tothe two-hour format we agreed on for eachmeeting. Informal discussions flowed outinto the hallway and finally into the parkinglot, until frosty beards and red, runningnoses suggested it was time to head homeand start the afternoon chores.

The funds provided by the Small FarmGrant were used to provide a small hono-rarium to our resource people and covertravel costs where requested. The fundswere also used to cover the costs of hand-outs and publications that were distributedto the growers.

If someone were to ask each of the grow-ers what the benefits were from participa-tion in this discussion group, you might geta different answer from each one. They allparticipated in the selection of the topics,focusing on what they wanted to learnabout, and that was apparent in the level ofdiscussion at each of the meetings. Eachperson brought their own level of under-standing and perspective and shared thatwith the group.

Evaluations, when completed, showed thatgrowers learned one or more new pieces ofinformation at each of the meetings.Beyond what they learned at the meetingsand how it may have had a positive effecton their business, they would probably alsoagree there was some other immeasurablebenefit that they derived from just gettingtogether with each other.

It was a privilege for me to be at thosemeetings as I learned just as much, if notmore, than the growers around the table.The group has already met to develop a listof topics for the winter of 2007. I am lookingforward to another winter filled with activediscussions and comradery.

Jeff Miller is Extension Issue Leader withCornell Cooperative Extension of OneidaCounty. If you’re looking for ideas on how tostart your own discussion group, contactJeff at 315-736-3394 or [email protected].

COWS & CROPS

Farmer-to-FarmerOneida County field crop growers find discussion group provides idea and answers

Checking soil pH in a soybean field.Photographer: Cindy Craven

Checking plant population ina soybean fieldPhotographer: Cindy Craven

By Gerard Monnat

What does “making it” really mean? Ifyou look in the dictionary, to “make it”means to rise to rank or dignity, to pros-per, to gain, to score. It also means tocreate, compose, produce or effect. Intoday’s culture, “making it” is synony-mous with success, succeeding in lifefinancially and materially. To be suc-cessful today means to be prosperous orfortunate, to accomplish somethingattempted.

For quite some time, when I would sharemy small farm dream with some people,they would look at me very gravely andsay, “you’ll never make it doing that” or“you won’t make it, others tried it anddidn’t make it either.” When they saidthose phrases, it used to really shattermy dreams and put doubt into my plansfor “making it.” They were people I knew,and respected; friends, family members,business people, other farmers. Theywere all worried that I wouldn’t “make it.”

Well, I did make it. It took a while, and abit of work on my part, but not a lot ofmoney. It took faith in my dreams, andin God, but I finally “made it.” I made itwhen I realized what “making it” is reallyall about.

It is not about having thousands of dol-lars in a back account, or having the lat-est model vehicle or piece of big farmequipment, or living in the most modern

house heated and lit up by ConEdison,and being fed by Monsanto. It’s notabout being a political “mover and shak-er,” or big business tycoon. It’s not aboutsocializing with the corporate and political elite, or trying to climb the socialladder.

Making it is really about exactly what thedictionary defines it as; the ability to cre-ate, fashion, compose, produce, oreffect. Making it is all about succeedingin your dream. It is all about gainingpeace of mind. It is all about rising torank, joining the ranks of small familyfarmers, and dignity; the dignity of work-ing God’s good Earth, of treating itrespectfully, of farming this land in a dig-nified manner and being good stewards.

Making it is about breaking out of thematerialistic binge that society sayseveryone needs. It is succeeding inworking and living your dream, no matterhow small, one day at a time; striving togrow healthier crops and animals. Work-ing to grow healthier mentally, physically,and spiritually.

Making it is about the ability to create alifestyle, a way of life, that rewards youby your modest efforts to accomplishwhat others say is impossible, absurd,out of fashion, financially stupid, toomuch work. It is the ability to not justcreate, but to do more than that. It is tofashion and compose. It is to be anartist. It is to take your dreams andshape them, paint them in reality, moldthem around your daily living.

As you compose this way of life you lis-ten to its melody and harmony; you bal-ance as you can the different tones. Youmay have to live with a bit of discordnow and then; the scenes may have tobe repainted a few times to get themright, but you are the artist. You are thecomposer. You are effecting changes inyour lives, and the lives of you lovedones, and your neighbors.

Making it equates with being fortunate,or prosperous. Are you prosperous?Have the gardens provided nourishment,for your family, and possible financialgain to meet those daily needs? Whatabout your livestock, if you have some?Are they also healthy? Have you notalso prospered through them? Whatabout your lands and woods? Is thiswood stove warming the house, the hayfeeding the flocks? Are you not veryprosperous?

Working and living the dream of smallfamily farming brings you closer togetheras a family, closer to the land and theanimals you tend, closer to the God youdepend on for the sun and the rain.Think of the good effect you have onothers in your community that you sell

your home grown produce to; of theeffect you have on other small farmersyou share your dreams with.

Think of the goodness and power ofencouragement you give to many who,like you, are struggling to live out theirdreams. Yes, sometimes it is a struggle,but so is life. Watch a young calf strug-gle to get to its feet, or as small seedsstruggle to push through the Earthreaching for the warmth of the sun andfresh air. The rewards are with thestruggle.

Can someone make it as a smallfarmer? The answer is a definite YES.Yes they can, Yes you and I can. Wecan “make it” farming when we considerall the things that are included in the def-initions for “making it.” Are you strug-gling to “make it”? Start thinking aboutwhose definition of making it you’re try-ing to live out. Then, next time whensomeone questions your ability to makeit with the small farm dreams, just smileat them and say not only are you “mak-ing it,” but that you’ve “made it” in farm-ing your dreams.

As they look at you dumb-founded in dis-belief, just remember that “making it” isabout a lot of things money can’t buy.It’s about you and your dreams. Go afterthem. Make that small farm your dream.Don’t let others dissuade you. Realizethat you too, can “make it.”

Gerard Monnat is a small-scale farmerand writes frequently for Empire StateFarmer. This piece is reprinted with per-mission from the Jan 17, 2007 issue ofEmpire State Farmer. You can subscribeto ESF by calling 315-232-2141.

NEW FARMERS

Making It In Farming!What do you do when friends and family say you can’t make iton a small farm?

Making it is about the ability tocreate a lifestyle, a way of life,

that rewards you by your modestefforts to accomplish what otherssay is impossible, absurd, out offashion, financially stupid, or too

much work.

“

”

Small Farm Quarterly

Youth PagesRespect: The Most Important Factor in Horse Management

By Megan Born, Age 19, Foothills 4-H Saddle Club, Oneida County

Remember saucily sticking out your tongue at that obnoxious kid in preschool?You were letting him know that if your level of respect for him was measured in a ther-mometer, the mercury wouldn’t even be accumulating in the bulb. The most commoncause of training and behavior “problems,” and one that every horse owner will encounter,is a lack of respect toward the human.

While horses usually don’t stick their tongues out, their ways of showing disrespect maybe seemingly harmless at first, but quickly escalate. According to The Horse, 2nd edition,by Evans, Borton, et. al, “…an understanding of horse behavior is essential to effectivemanagement.” Whether you have only one horse or a herd, a basic understanding ofhorse behavior is necessary.

To be better equipped to recognize and prevent disrespect in the equine, let me first illus-trate a common scenario, identify the ways horses show disrespect, and offer advice toprevent and remedy respect problems.

Here is the scenario: Kate had horse fever, so her parents bought her Pepper: abombproof horse with tons of miles. Kate did everything with him: long walks with Pepperin the lead, and games of tag in the pasture (Pepper was always “it”). Kate was soproud of Pepper, she loved to show off to her friends how he would give her “that cutenasty face” and shove her out of the way at feeding time.

One day while playing tag, Pepper almost galloped over the top of Kate and when shesidestepped, he turned and kicked her. Kate was confused. She loves her horse, whywould he suddenly act like that? The truth is that her horse was showing her disrespect,a behavior that often starts out subtly and gradually gets worse over time.

How does a horse show disrespect? You may have seen it. The dominant or “alpha”horse in the herd gets many privileges (all imposed by himself) including: choice of bestforage, the first in line while traveling, personal space; and power over subordinates justby using body language. The horse that does challenge him receives a kick, bite, strike, orchase.

Horses don’t verbalize, therefore they are very observant and utilize inferred signals toreap immediate results. If the non-verbal language were directed toward the owner, itlikely goes unnoticed. Examples of non-contact warnings include pinning his ears, swing-ing his head, curling his lip, lifting a hind leg, turning his rump toward the opponent, etc.

Horses lower in the pecking order wouldn’t think of biting, pushing, or kicking their alpha-they respect him! So if your horse is kicking or biting at you, this is a sure sign of who’swho on the totem pole – at least to your horse.

So what’s the solution? If your horse is already exhibiting dangerous behavior, you shouldget a professional you trust involved. For a horse that is still testing the waters, or toprevent disrespect problems, one of the simplest things you can do is back the horse up.Getting your horse to move his feet where you want him to (back up, sidepass, turn onthe forehand, turn on the hindquarters) puts you in a position of authority. If your horsetakes a step toward you and you back away, you have just told him he is in charge.

When you lead your horse, make sure part of you is always in front of the horse. Somerecommend standing by the throatlatch and holding your lead hand out in front of thehorse’s nose when leading. Other trainers suggest giving the horse a rap on the nose ifhe goes to pass you. If your horse gets protective of his hay or grain, simply loweringyour head, swinging it, and taking a step toward his head and shoulder may be enough toreestablish your position.

Teaching your horse to lower his head on command lets you put him in a submissiveframe, and this will help the attitude to follow. Never allow him to present his tail to youwhen you enter the stall, teach your horse to face you. And, when you lunge, always keepyour horse’s focus on you. Instruct other people interacting with your horse to neverencourage the horse to chase them, even in fun.

In the horse’s mind, either you are the leader, or he is; and horses establish this throughaggressive and assertive actions. Commanding your horse’s feet and focus is a practicalstep on the road to respect. Taking time to train your horse and getting education andhelp from knowledgeable people will go a long way to safe, rewarding horse ownership.

For more information on horse behavior I recommend The Horse, 2nd edition by Evans,Borton, et al. and The Horse Behavior Problem Solver by Jessica Jahiel.

Ponies have a tendency to be especially dominant and territorial. This child is assertively askingher pony to move away from her which puts her in the position of herd authority

Author Megan Born demonstrates correct leading: “In the horse world, the one who is in frontis the one who is in charge of the herd.” - Ginny Self Bucklin

When you lunge, expect and demand your horse’s attention and obedience. Trigger’s left ear isturned toward Megan; which means he is focusing and ready to obey the next command

The Youth Pages are written by and foryoung people. Many thanks to 4-H teensparticipating in state and national 4-Hhorse activities for supplying most of thematerial in this issue’s Youth Page.

We believe there’s a bright future for youngfarmers in the Northeast. Whether you liveon a farm or only wish you did, we’d love tohear from you!

Write to:SFQ Youth Pages

c/0 Celeste Carmichael4-H Youth Development Program SpecialistCCE State 4-H Youth Development Office

340 Roberts Hall Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853607-255-4799 • [email protected]


By Sarah Moylan, Age 16 years, Caps ‘N’ Champs 4-HClub, Albany County

Ever since I started riding at the age of six, my life hasrevolved around everything horse-related. Whenever Itell people that I love horses, they automatically ask,“So what kind of horse do you own?” I usually shockthem by saying, “Well, actually, I don’t own a horse. Idon’t even lease a horse.”

The truth is that while many, if not most, horse-crazyteenagers like me do indeed own their own horses, thereare also a large number who do not. There is no doubtthat I would love to have a horse to call my own, butthe combined costs of feed, board, and vet care arejust too steep for me and my family. Through theyears, though, I have learned that it is not difficult tobe involved in the horse world without actually owning ahorse.

So, I have come to see opportunity in what others seeas obligation. Some horse owners who stable theirhorses at the barn only have time to ride. I began work-ing at the barn a few days a week and learned all of theessentials: grooming, mucking stalls, tacking up,bathing, feeding, and of course, riding. Now, on week-ends, I teach those skills to kids younger than myself

at the barn.

I’ve also learned to accen-tuate the positives of non-ownership. Since I don’thave my own horse to ride, Iride a different horse in mylesson almost every week. Iam one of the few peoplewho has ridden just aboutevery lesson horse at ourbarn, and it definitely keepsmy skills sharp.

I participate in 4-H educational activities like HorseBowl, Horse Judging, Horse Communications, and Hip-pology. They have given me a chance to not only showoff the skills I have learned at the barn, but to competewith and get to know other horse crazy kids. The edu-cational competitions, are probably my favorite activi-ties in 4-H. I have competed at the county, regional,state, and national levels of educational competitions,and I can not even begin to count the number of greatpeople I have met at competitions all over the country.

Not owning a horse also allows me to have more freetime. I don’t need to be at the barn a few hours every

day, seven days a week. This gives me a chance to con-centrate on the things that come first - like school andfamily.

All that said, I really hope I have the opportunity toown a horse someday – in fact, I would like to own a lotof horses! But for now, I am having a lot of fun makingthe most out of not owning a horse!

For more information on 4-H Horse Educational Activities, check out www.ansci.cornell.edu/4H/horses.

My Life as a Horseless Horse Lover

Amy Lack, Age 17, Stable Minds 4-H Club, Monroe County

Horse shows are a standard summer family affair for many youth who belong to the 4-Hhorse program, accounting for many late Friday nights at the barn and early Saturdaymorning drives to shows with an 8am start time. From there it is a buzz of activity astrainers and family help to prepare for a day spent in the hot sun. However, there is oneshow that differs very much from the normal, it is the Intercounty Horse competition, astatewide competition held each October and hosted by Chemung County.

This 3 day event is a team competition, with 5 members on each team: 2 seniors (14-19years old), 2 juniors (9-14 years old) and a barn manager (14-19 years old). Teams arejudged on their barn management skills, knowledge of horses, and riding skills. Eachteam is given six stalls - four for horses, one for a tack room, and the last as a hospital-ity room. This last stall is usually carpeted and furnished with an old couch, foldingchairs, and table - all provided by the team.

Many teams also choose to decorate their stalls with a particular theme and have ateam name that reflects this theme. Decorations range from homemade curtains andstall fronts to lights and blow-up palm trees. The hospitality room also houses any foodor drinks and most years a portable heater.

The show is held rain or shine over Columbus Day weekend. More often than not, theweather is cold and rainy. Arrival at the Chemung County Fairgrounds is on Friday, givingteams plenty of time to set up before the competition begins Saturday morning. Thereally unique part of this show is not the teams or the requirement of riders to ride inmultiple disciplines, or even the knowledge and barn management aspects, but the ban onadult/parental help starting Saturday morning. From that point on teams must worktogether and adults become silent spectators. In fact - communication with an adultwho is not a show official is grounds for disqualification.

As the competition unfolds it becomes the team members’ responsibility to report atspecified times for different aspects of the competition. All teams must report for aformal inspection and team problem. The formal inspection is the equivalent of a halterclass with judging based on cleanliness of your horse, your appearance, and you and yourhorses’ ability to execute a brief pattern.

The team problem is basically a mini presentation on a problem given to the team upontheir arrival at their appointed time. Ten minutes are given to prepare and another tenminutes to present. During the presentation every member is expected to contributeequally. Scores are given based on organization, accuracy and thoroughness of materialpresented.

Since this is a team competition, riders are encouraged to compete in classes rangingfrom jumping to trail to dressage and western pleasure. Points are awarded just for par-ticipation.

Although it may seem like teams are constantly kept on the run there is some down timefor teams to relax in their hospitality rooms and, usually, try to stay warm and dry! Thebest part of this competition is the camaraderie that develops. For a team to do well,everyone must be willing to help out their team members. However, it is not just aboutwinning; it is about having fun while working toward a common goal - survival!

Although this competition is a great learning experience, a word of caution: it is not forthe faint of heart! Be prepared for a lot of fun, cold, rain, mud, horses and great memories.

For more information visit: http://counties.cce.cornell.edu/chemung.

Some Friends, Some Horses, and a Lot of Mud

Each team competing in the Intercounty Horse Competition sets up a “hospitality room” in oneof their assigned stalls

Tack room at the Intercounty Horse Competition hosted by Chemung County

Sarah shedding Orion, a lesson pony at the barn

Working with Tequila, one ofthe lesson horses.


Resource Spotlight

NCAT Opens New ATTRAOffice for NortheastAs energy costs, urban sprawl, and diet-related health issuesbecome more problematic, sustainable low-input solutions to thecomplex questions of energy use, community building, and agri-culture are ever more important.

The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) has been helping to develop appropriate and sustainable tech-nologies and improve the lives of low-income families since 1976. NCAT is a non-profit organization that serves eco-nomically disadvantaged communities. Its focus is making low-input, small-scale, locally-based technologies availablethrough outreach, publications, and technical assistance.

In order to bring its programming closer to clients, and to develop collaborations with other organizations in the North-east, NCAT recently opened a regional field office in northeastern Pennsylvania. The office will serve rural and urbancommunities in the mid-Atlantic and Northeastern US through technical services and community and agricultural devel-opment projects.

NCAT’s largest and most popular project is ATTRA – The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. ATTRAis funded by a grant from the USDA-Rural Business Cooperative Service. Through the ATTRA project, NCAT servesfarmers, ranchers, Cooperative Extension educators and others interested in reducing chemical inputs, conserving soilsand water, and/or diversifying their agriculture operations.

TOLL-FREE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCEThe ATTRA project is best known for one-on-one technical assistance through its toll-free phone number — 800-346-9140. Many ATTRA clients say the most important aspect of the ATTRA project is that they can call the toll-free num-ber and speak to a “real person” knowledgeable in sustainable agriculture. Often technical questions can be answeredright on the phone. For more involved requests, technical specialists will provide a personalized, researched responseby mail or email.

ATTRA is also known for its collection of over 300 technical publications, which are researched, written, published, anddisseminated by a staff of agricultural specialists located throughout the country. These are all available free by mail oron the ATTRA website, www.attra.ncat.org.

The diversity of topics covered by ATTRA publications have a common theme; they are all written to address the needsof farmers and ranchers who seek to implement low-input, sustainable production technologies that will foster social,economic, and ecological health. At the root of all ATTRA publications is the understanding that healthy communitiesbegin with healthy soil; and low-input, ecological farming methods can build soils that are capable of supporting a thriv-ing, diverse population of healthy crops and livestock that in turn feed people.

EXPERIENCED SPECIALISTSNCAT Program Specialists working on the ATTRA project come from diverse backgrounds, but most are or have beenfarmers or ranchers at one time. Some have experience as Cooperative Extension agents, some as researchers, andsome as educators. Their areas of specialization are reflected in the topic areas on the ATTRA website, and includehorticultural crops, field crops, livestock, farm energy, and organic certification, among others.

Whether you are a backyard gardener, small-scale market farmer, dairy farmer, or large-scale commodity producer,ATTRA is tailored to answer your questions and provide you with up-to date resources designed to be both user-friend-ly as well as technically comprehensive.

HOW TO CONTACT USThere are currently two of us serving as specialists in NCAT’s new Northeast regional field office. Lee Rinehart, Live-stock Program Specialist, can be emailed at [email protected]. Andy Pressman, Agronomy Program Specialist, can beemailed at [email protected]. You can also call or write to us at:

National Center for Appropriate Technology48 Church RoadShavertown, PA 18708570-696-6786

You can call the toll-free ATTRA phone number anytime Monday through Friday from 8 AM until 8 PM Eastern Stan-dard Time. The number is 800-346-9140. The service is also available in Spanish from 8 AM to 5 PM Pacific Time bycalling 800-411-3222.

You can write to the national office at:ATTRA -National Sustainable Agriculture Information ServiceP.O. Box 3657Fayetteville, AR 72702

On the web. All ATTRA publications areprovided free of charge and are accessiblefrom the ATTRA website atwww.attra.ncat.org. For email users, theATTRA website includes a feature called“Ask a Sustainable Agriculture Expert,”located at www.attra.ncat.org/ask.php.Merely fill out the online form and submit itaccording to the directions on the page.

You will receive a tailored response from anATTRA program specialist as soon as possi-ble, sent via U.S. mail (if printed publicationsare included) or e-mail. Response timevaries depending on the nature and com-plexity of your question.

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Need Info?Visit the Cornell Small Farms Program online atwww.smallfarms.cornell.edu.


By Barbara Silvestri

In the last issue, we introduced New YorkState’s Agricultural Environmental Man-agement (AEM) program and the benefitsit offers to small farms. Conducting aconfidential AEM Risk Assessment is aquick and easy way to take a comprehen-sive look at your farm’s impact on naturalresources and acquire information forlong-term business planning. The assess-ment can help you document your envi-ronmental stewardship, prioritize areaspresenting risk, identify opportunities tosave money, and locate available local,state and federal resources to addresspotential concerns.

You can schedule a free, confidentialAEM Risk Assessment with your CountySoil and Water Conservation District. Thefirst step will be completing an AEMQuestionnaire and the AEM WatershedSite Evaluation Worksheet with the helpof conservation agency staff. The Water-shed Site Evaluation Worksheet looks atyour farm’s specific location and sitecharacteristics to determine which of theAEM Worksheets should be completed inorder to focus on the water quality issuesthat are a priority for your farm.

Virtually identical farm operations in dif-ferent locations might have entirely differ-ent environmental concerns. Perhapsyour farmland drains to a stream withhigh sediment levels, or into a lake usedas a drinking water supply wherepathogens such as Giardia or Cryp-tosporidium are a concern. Perhaps itsits above an underground aquifer thatalready has elevated nitrogen levels. Ineach case, the assessment is tailored tofocus on issues and opportunities impor-tant to your farm, and minimize the farm’simpact on water quality.

The following are some of the AEM ‘Core’Worksheets that often benefit smallfarms.

Manure Management. This worksheetlooks at practices to maximize the bene-fits of manure as a crop nutrient sourceand soil conditioner, while minimizing therisk of pathogens, nutrients and organicmaterial entering waterbodies or contami-nating water supplies. The worksheetalso considers maintaining good neighborrelations and avoiding odor complaints.

Farmstead Water Supply. Determine ifyour water supply or neighboring wellsare at risk for contamination. This work-sheet evaluates how safe your well isfrom being impacted by your farm activi-ties.

Barnyards. Properly managing the con-centrated nutrients in the barnyardreduces pollution risks, minimizes odorcomplaints and promotes livestock health.This worksheet addresses barnyardrunoff and keeping clean water clean bydiverting it away from the barnyard andother heavy use areas.

Stream and Floodplain Management.Protecting stream corridors not onlyimproves habitat for fish and wildlife butalso clearly demonstrates your concernfor the environment to your community.This worksheet documents your efforts toprotect nearby waters and identifies themany sources of funding available to pro-mote stream health.

Pasture Management. Let your cows dothe work! Well managed pasture can pro-duce a high quality feed that can be verycost effective. This worksheet examinesplanning and management decisions thatpromote quality feed production, reduceproduction costs, prevent soil erosion andthe risk of water quality degradation,while enhancing wildlife habitat.

Soil Management. Preventing erosionand enhancing soil quality makes goodeconomic and environmental sense. Thisworksheet can help you determine if youhave excessive erosion which can reduceyields, degrade your soil resources, andincrease potential water pollution.

Other worksheet topics include PetroleumProducts Storage and Livestock OdorManagement. There is also and Agricul-ture and the Community Worksheet,

which addresses neighbor relations andcan help add up the benefits that yourfarm provides to your community. In addi-tion to these Core Worksheets, there arespecific worksheets tailored to Dairies,Greenhouse Operations, Vineyards andHorse Farms. All the AEM Worksheetsare available on the web at www.nys-soi-landwater.org/aem/techtools.html.

If you farm in New York and would like toschedule a free, confidential AEM Risk

Assessment for your farm, contact yourCounty Soil and Water Conservation Dis-trict. For contact information, visitwww.nys-soilandwater.org. Watch futureissues for overviews of AEM Worksheetsof particular interest to small farms!

Barbara Silvestri is information & Educa-tion Program Coordinator with the NYSSoil and Water Conservation Committee.She can be reached at 518-457-3186 [email protected].

STEWARDSHIP & NATURE

Agricultural EnvironmentalManagementAEM’s simple worksheets can help you reduce environmentalrisks

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Among the first farmers in the state to participate in New York’s AgriculturalEnvironmental Management program, the Arnold family now operates a 140cow organic dairy with 250 head of cattle on nearly 700 acres. The Arnold’shave been working with the Cortland County Soil and Water Conservaton DIs-trict for years, implementing everything from strip cropping and diversionsditches for erosion control , to projects strictly geared to protect water quality.They are innovators and leaders in applying new technology and exploringnon-traditional techniques to further their conservation goals. The Arnold’s TwinOaks Dairy and the Cortland County Soul and Water Conservation Districtwere the recipients of the 2006 Agricultural Environmental Management Awardhonoring their exceptional stewardship efforts.

Photo courtesy of American Agriculturist Magazine.

Need Info?

Subscribe to the Small Farms Update, a monthly email newsletterwith announcements, upcoming events, resources, funding andfarming opportunities and more.

Send an email to Laura Harthan at [email protected].

Please provide your name, farm name, postal address, and county.

Spring2007

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