Longer days, warm sun and vanishing snow are usually enough to make most horsemen start to give serious thought to their horses and now to prepare them for that first spring show, big spring trail ride or for just plain pleasure riding.  Just as most motorists give their cars a spring tune-up, so do horsemen attempt to get their horses prepared for the busy season ahead.  In the case of the horse, his preparation should have as its objectives not only the reconditioning of the horse but perhaps even more important the keeping of the horse sound and healthy for the entire season.  The big questions are where to start and what to do.

The March 13^th “Poultry School for Small Farms” will feature Brian Snyder, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA), a position he has held since 2001. PASA is considered one of the largest sustainable ag organizations in the United States, and annually hosts a Farming for the Future conference in State College (PA) that drew over 2,000 participants from 40 states and 8 different countries this year.

Cornell Cooperative Extension will conduct a Pesticide Applicator Certification Training on Friday, March 5, 12:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Fort Plain Fire Hall, 168 Canal Street, Fort Plain, NY.  This training will prepare individuals to take the DEC private applicator test to be offered at the same location several weeks after the training.  No recertification credits will be offered.

To register for this training, please call 315-866-7920 by February 26th so that we may have the correct number of educational materials for this event .  The cost of the training manuals is $65 per person and may be paid the day of the training.  Please make checks payable to Cornell Cooperative Extension.

CCEFM's Master Gardener's will present this four-part series on the 3rd Thursday of each month, February through May at 6:00 p.m. in the Cooperative Extension Teaching Kitchen in Johnstown. The cost of each class is $5 or pay $15 for all four classes. If you are unable to pay any money, you may exchange one hour of volunteer time for entry into all four classes.

• February 18 - Seed & soil selection, seed starting, purchasing starter plants; 
• March 18 - Fruit tree pruning 
• April 15 - Vegetable gardening, part one; soil basics, citing the garden, best plants to grow in the beginner's garden;
• May 20 - Vegetable gardening, part two; Planting, spacing, full season care, fertilizing and pest control;

Call now 518-762-3909 x 101 to register.

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists may soon find a way to enhance the weed-killing capabilities of a cereal grain that enriches the soil when used as a winter cover crop. Rye is often grown in winter and killed in the spring, so the dead stalks can be flattened over soybean and vegetable fields to block sunlight and prevent spring weeds from getting the light they need to germinate. The effect makes rye a popular alternative for organic farmers who grow crops without herbicides. Rye’s roots also capture nutrients and hold the soil in place, reducing erosion and run off.

Thursday, March 4, 2009    9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.  The Cornell Small Farms Program invites you to join us for the 3rd NYS Small Farms Summit on Thursday, March 4th, from 9:30am - 3pm. The Summit is an interactive meeting with an opportunity for all participants to take part in lively discussion and provide important feedback, both locally, and across the state. We will be gathering in Ithaca, NY and at 3 other locations around NYS: Voorheesville (Albany County), Canton (St Lawrence County) and East Aurora (Erie County). A video connection will allow us to communicate across sites. 

Pastured Poultry 101 through Marketing Strategies. This program is designed specifically for small farms and will cover production and marketing of laying flocks, meat bird operations and turkeys. Topics include improving production, processing, breed selection, feeding, bird health, soil health, and marketing. In addition, multi-species grazing, current management techniques and more will be part of this valuable learning experience.

The event will be held on March 13, 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at Morrison Hall, Cornell University.

A collaboration of Cornerstone Farm Ventures, Cornell University Department of Animal Science and Central New York Resource Conservation & Development Project, Inc.

Sessions:

Poultry 101, Successful Farm Business Tips, Poultry Health, Poultry 201, NYS Processing Regs, Pasture Management, Free Range Eggs, Organic Production, Poultry Processing, Pastured Turkeys, Small Flock Health, Marketing Strategies.

Download registration form.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Italian American Community Center, 257 Washington Avenue Extension, Albany, NY 12205

Attendees must bring his/her Pesticide Applicator Card to sign up for DEC credits for this program.

The morning session will feature three speakers and a catered lunch, which is included with registration fee.

Mark Solan, NYS DEC Bureau of Pesticides Management; Dr. Eileen Franko, Director, Bureau of Occupational Health; Ronald Gardner, Cornell University, Pesticide Management Education Program.

Afternoon sessions run concurrently and include selections in Ornamental Turf, Agriculture Plant, and Structural & Rodent.

Brochure with registration form.

There has been an increase in the number of people cutting down healthy landscape trees in Fulton and Montgomery counties. Many of these trees are going to be used to combat rising heating costs. Before an owner cuts down the trees around his or her house, it is important to consider the effects that they are already having on heating and cooling bills. It is possible that landscape trees are doing more to curb energy costs now than they would as firewood.

As the number of farmers’ markets in the Capital District has continued to increase, many of us have started to wonder how economically viable the growth is long-term. There are certainly enough potential consumers to support the markets, but are they really going to shop at farmers’ markets rather than going to the grocery store? If they are, what are they going to buy?