As a farmer, chances are you know how to produce food and fiber. But do you know how to produce energy?  Come out to small farms across New York to hear directly from farmers about how they produce energy to power their operations at the 2010 Farm Energy Field Days.  From energy efficiency strategies to renewable power, farmers will walk you through the details of how they installed systems that save dollars,  reduce fossil fuel use, and even add a marketing edge.

The farms featured in the 2010 Energy Field Days range from small-scale dairy, livestock, and fruit/vegetable operations and include examples of both grid-connected and off-the-grid systems.  Farmers will detail the cost of installation, any grants or incentives available, amount of energy saved or produced, and where to go for further information.  

The 2010 Energy Field Days are sponsored by the Small Farms Energy Work Team, a project of the Cornell Small Farms Program.  The field days are free and open to the public. For details, see below.  To register for a field day, contact Violet Stone at 607-255-9227 or e-mail vws7@cornell.edu.  

Region: Eastern NY, Schoharie County
October 20, 2010. Solar, Wind & More at Fox Creek Farm! 10am - Noon, Fox Creek Farm, 182 Fox Creek Farm Road, Schoharie, NY  12157 (Schoharie County). Fox Creek Farm not only grows vegetables for their CSA, the farm also harvests almost all of the electricity needed for the farm right on site. The farm operates a 200 member CSA off the grid (that is, without a connection to National Grid), and is probably the only CSA of this size in the country doing so. The farm produces its electricity with a farmer-installed 1.3 kW solar array with Evergreen panels (manufactured in Massachusetts), and harvests wind energy with a Bergey XL1 wind generator on a 100 foot tower. On a good day Fox Creek Farm harvests approximately 8 kW in electricity. The farm also features a site build energy efficient walk-in cooler run with an air-conditioner unit in combination with a CoolBot regulator, and a farm house incorporating passive solar design elements. Sponsored by the Cornell Small Farms Energy Work Team. To register, contact Violet Stone at 607-255-9227 or vws7@cornell.edu.

Region: Central NY: Cortland County
August 24, 2010. Solar Electric at Twin Oaks Dairy! 10:00 am – 12:00 pm. Twin Oaks Organic Dairy, 3185 NYS Rt. 13. Truxton, NY 13158 (Cortland County). Bob, Rick and Kathie Arnold worked with Triangle Electrical Systems of Plattsburgh, NY to install their 27.6-kilowatt PV (solar electric) system.  The system was sized to produce 107% of the annual electrical energy needs at Twin Oaks' main farmstead.  Assistance from The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the USDA helped to reduce the cost of the four large arrays that are on two axis trackers.  For those times when the energy produced by the panels is greater than the needs of the farm, the excess flows into the utility grid.  Co-sponsored by the Cornell Small Farms Energy Work Team and the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York.  Free.  Refreshments will be provided.  To register, contact Violet Stone at 607-255-9227 or vws7@cornell.edu.
 
Region: Eastern NY: Sullivan County
August 25, 2010. Wind, Solar & More at Apple Pond Farm! 10am – noon.  Apple Pond Farm and Renewable Energy Education Center. 80 Hahn Road. Callicoon Center, NY 12724 (Sullivan County). This unique horse-powered, organic farm seeks to be as independent of fossil fuels as possbile. Dick Riseling and Sonja Hedlund will offer a tour of their 2 story straw bale house which uses less than $25 of energy per year. The farm also features a 10kw wind turbine (intalled in 2003), and a solar thermal system (installed in 2004). A recently installed furnace will burn used vegetable oil over the winter. Cost of installation, production of energy, assistance from NSERDA and other funding and tax credit assistance will be identified for each system. Sponsored by the Cornell Small Farms Energy Work Team. To register, contact Violet Stone at 607-255-9227 or vws7@cornell.edu.
 
Region: Central NY, Steuben County
September 9, 2010. Solar/Wind Pumping System at Barter Farm! 10:00am – Noon. Barter Farm, 8319 Ford Rd., Branchport, NY 14418 (Steuben County). Jonathan and Juanita operate a 210 acre livestock farm (40 Angus cattle and 130 Cheviot and Dorset sheep). The Barters have recently installed a combination wind and solar pumping system which supplies water to 58 acres of pasture. The pumping system consists of a 350 watt turbine, 160 watt solar panels, back up batteries and a deep well pump. Partial funding for this project was provided by USDA – Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Conservation Innovative Grants program. Co-sponsored by the Finger Lakes Resource Conservation & Development Council and the Cornell Small Farms Energy Work Team. To register, contact Violet Stone at 607-255-9227 or VWS7@cornell.edu .

To learn more about the small farms energy resources, visit http://www.smallfarms.cornell.edu/pages/resources/production/energy.cfm

For more information on a variety of small farm topics visit www.smallfarms.cornell.edu