Demystifying Organic Certification: Get Help Navigating the Certification Process

If you've been thinking about getting your farm certified as organic but aren't sure whether it's worth it, and find all the paperwork and requirements overwhelming, this course is for you. This 6-week online course is facilitated by Laura Biasillo of Cornell Cooperative Extension Broome County and taught by representatives from NOFA-NY LLC (Northeast Organic Farming Association's certification arm), and designed to demystify the certification process. The course is appropriate for total newbies as well as experienced growers contemplating the transition to organic. It won't teach you organic production techniques, but will help you understand the National Organic Program requirements, learn who the certifiers are, evaluate whether certification is right for your operation, and walk you through the paperwork. 

Join weekly live webinars on Tues. nights from the comfort of your living room, and participate in homework and discussions in the course's online classroom between webinars. You'll learn from successful organic farmers about why they've chosen certification and what considerations might be most important for your farm. 

The course begins Tues. Feb 12 and runs for 6 weeks. It costs $200 and registration is only open until the first day of the course, or until it fills, whichever happens first. View Frequently Asked Questions about our online courses here: http://nebeginningfarmers.org/online-courses/online-course-faqs/. 

To view the syllabus and learning objectives for BF 106: Organic Certification, or to register, visit:
http://nebeginningfarmers.org/online-courses/all-courses/bf-106-organic-certification/

This course is just one of many offered by the Cornell Small Farms Program in partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension. Registration is still open for BF 202: Business Planning (starts Feb 21) and BF 103: Taking Care of Business (starts March 4). Read more at http://nebeginningfarmers.org/online-courses 

With Hot Air Treatment, Bacteria Fly the Coop

By Rosalie Marion Bliss
January 28, 2013

Poultry producers can reduce bacterial cross-contamination in poultry cages by treating the cages with forced air that's been heated to 122 degrees Fahrenheit, according to a study by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists.

While being transported in coops on trucks, poultry that have bacteria such as Campylobacter can contaminate, through their feces, other poultry that are free of pathogens. Those disease-causing bacteria can then be passed on to the next group of birds during the next trip, and so forth, unless the cycle is broken.

Campylobacter is a food-borne pathogen that can be present in raw or undercooked poultry. Since the bacteria are commonly found in the digestive tracts of poultry, they're readily deposited onto coops and trucks when contaminated animals are transported to processing plants.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds producers that the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 extended the authorization of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (the 2008 Farm Bill) for many Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) commodity, disaster, and conservation programs through 2013. FSA administers these programs.

The extended programs include, among others: the Direct and Counter-Cyclical Payment Program (DCP), the Average Crop Revenue Election Program (ACRE), and the Milk Income Loss Contract Program (MILC). FSA is preparing the following actions:

• FSA will begin sign-ups for DCP and ACRE for the 2013 crops on Feb. 19, 2013. The DCP sign-up period will end on Aug. 2, 2013; the ACRE sign-up period will end on June 3, 2013.

• The 2013 DCP and ACRE program provisions are unchanged from 2012, except that all eligible participants in 2013 may choose to enroll in either DCP or ACRE for the 2013 crop year. This means that eligible producers who were enrolled in ACRE in 2012 may elect to enroll in DCP in 2013 or may re-enroll in ACRE in 2013 (and vice versa).

• All dairy producers’ MILC contracts are automatically extended to Sept. 30, 2013. Eligible producers therefore do not need to re-enroll in MILC. Specific details regarding certain modifications to MILC will be released soon.

FSA will provide producers with information on program requirements, updates and signups as the information becomes available. Any additional details will be posted on FSA’s website. 

For more information about the programs and loans administered by FSA, visit any FSA county office or www.fsa.usda.gov.

2013 Corn Day

On February 19, 2013, Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Central New York Dairy and Field Crops Team will be offering “Corn Day” from 10:00 a.m.- 2:30 p.m. at the Otesaga Resort Hotel, 60 Lake Street in Cooperstown, N.Y.  Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m.

Topics to be covered will include “Great corn starts with a planter that can do the job!” by George Wilkinson, “Corn Insects and Disease- 2013 What will happen next?” by Keith Waldron, and “Getting ready for the 2013 growing season” by Russ Hahn. 

2 DEC Pesticide Recertification Credit requested for Categories: 1a, 10, 21, and 23.  You must be present at 10P:00 a.m. to receive credit!

Registration must be received by the CCE office in Herkimer County by Friday, February 15, noon (no exceptions) and is $30 per person (includes lunch).  Please send  your registration fee and the following information to CCE Herkimer County, 5657, State Route 5, Herkimer, NY 13350:  name, number attending, address, phone, and email.  For questions, call (315)866-7920.

Capital District Bedding Conference and Trade Show

January 29, 2013 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

The Century House in Latham

Sponsored by:  Cornell Cooperative Extension of Albany, Schenectady, Fulton/Montgomery, Greene, Columbia and Washington Counties. 

Pesticide recertification credits have been applied for.  Participants must bring their photo pesticide license to sign up for re-cert credits.  The registration fee is $47.00 (no refunds).  If you are interested in attending, contact Gale Kohler ASAP at CCE in Albany County 518-765-3500.  The Century House (Clarion Hotel) is on Rte. 9 in Latham, NY 12110  The Brochure is attached below.

Date:        February 8, 2013

Time:  9:00a.m.-12:00noon

Location:       CCE Saratoga County, 50 West High Street, Ballston Spa, NY 12020

Cost:     $15.00

A business plan documents the strategy for the success of a farm venture.  If you are operating a farm without a business plan, you are lacking your primary guide to make good financial or long-term production decisions. Join us as Jim Ochterski, Extension Farm Business Planning Advisor from Ontario County, walks participants through business plan basics.

In just a few hours participants will complete some of the hardest parts of a business plan.  Each participant will:

• Set farm goals
• Identify the farm team
• Make basic financial projections

This interactive session is suitable for any farm that has not yet completed their business plan or has some general ideas but needs to put them on paper.  This class is directed mainly to small farm owners - local farms with only one or two owner-operators, part-time or full-time, horses and other livestock and/or growing all kinds of farm products.

Please pre-register by emailing stl32@cornell.edu or calling 518-885-8995 by Feb. 6, 2013 to ensure materials are available for all.

Farm Disaster Preparation Certificate Program

The Farm Disaster Preparation Certificate is directed to all sizes of farms and all types of products.  Dairy and livestock farms are especially encouraged to participate in the program due to their additional concerns regarding animal agriculture.

A certificate program workshop will be held on Thursday, February 7, 2013 from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. at Farm Family, 344 Rte. 9W, Glenmont, NY  12077.  The cost of the workhshop is $35 per person. 

This 6-hour training program focuses on pre-disaster education and preparedness, covering key topics such as:

• Farm equipment safety on the road
• Barn fire and structure collapse prevention
  • Minimizing storm damage, coping with power outages, and maintaining continuity of farm operations during community disasters
  • Reducing criminal activity and stored chemical risks
  • Enhancing livestock handling and biosecurity.

Participants are expected to complete all five sections, by listening to a presentation, participating in discussion questions, and making notes about what they intend to inspect and modify back on the farm.

Vegetated drainage ditches can help capture pesticide and nutrient loads in field runoff, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists report. These ditches-as common in the country as the fields they drain-give farmers a low-cost alternative for managing agricultural pollutants and protecting natural resources.

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) ecologist Matt Moore at the agency's National Sedimentation Laboratory < http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/site_main.htm?modecode=64-08-05-00 > in Oxford, Miss., and his colleagues conducted the research. ARS is USDA's chief intramural scientific research agency.

Study shows promise for broccoli industry

Cornell-led team of researchers working to expand availability

Chefs and home cooks in the eastern U.S. could soon have easier access to a local "super food," thanks to a Cornell-led team of researchers working to expand broccoli's availability at farms, farmer's markets and grocery stores from Maine to Florida.

Broccoli is at the center of a nearly $1 billion a year U.S. industry, due in part to growing awareness of its health benefits. Broccoli has anti-inflammatory properties, is high in fiber and has been linked with improving vitamin D deficiency and helping prevent certain cancers. Broccoli also contains phytonutrients that aid in detoxification, making it a fitting food for the New Year.

But despite increasing consumption, 90 percent of broccoli sold in the East is produced in California and Mexico, resulting in more food miles, greater greenhouse gas emissions and profits that leave the region, according to Thomas Björkman, associate professor of horticulture in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences who is based at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, N.Y.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced a new microloan program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) designed to help small and family operations, beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers secure loans under $35,000. The new microloan program is aimed at bolstering the progress of producers through their start-up years by providing needed resources and helping to increase equity so that farmers may eventually graduate to commercial credit and expand their operations. The microloan program will also provide a less burdensome, more simplified application process in comparison to traditional farm loans.

"I have met several small and beginning farmers, returning veterans and disadvantaged producers interested in careers in farming who too often must rely on credit cards or personal loans with high interest rates to finance their start-up operations," said Vilsack. "By further expanding access to credit to those just starting to put down roots in farming, USDA continues to help grow a new generation of farmers, while ensuring the strength of an American agriculture sector that drives our economy, creates jobs, and provides the most secure and affordable food supply in the world."

The new microloans, said Vilsack, represent how USDA continues to make year-over-year gains in expanding credit opportunities for minority, socially-disadvantaged and young and beginning farmers and ranchers across the United States. The final rule establishing the microloan program will be published in the Jan. 17 issue of the Federal Register.