1

Feature ArticlesEquine Farming in the Northeast . . . . .Page 18

Grazing Weeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 4

High Tunnel Heat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 8

Choosing a Cover Crop . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 17

Supplement to Country Folks

SUMMER 2008

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

SMALL FARM PROGRAM UPDATECornell Small Farms Program Update ........................................................Page 3

BUSINESS MANAGEMENTDairy Farms Big and SmallBenefit from Business Benchmarking, by Rebecca Schuelke...................Page 7

COMMUNITY AND WORLDMediation - Frank Talk, Fair Solutions, by NYSAMP ..................................Page 3Worldwide Food Crisis?, by Gerard Monnat..............................................Page 11

COWS AND CROPSGrass-Finishing Beef on BMRSS, by Tom Gallagher ................................Page 19Selecting The Right Cover Crop, by Thomas Björkman............................Page 17Swallow-wort Threatens Northeast Ag, by Brian Aldrich and Larissa Smith......................................................................................................................Page 22Dear Vicki Vetch..., by Vicki Vetch ...............................................................Page 23

GRAZINGFocus On Managing Land, Not Owning It, by Jennifer Colby ..................Page 17Let Them Eat Weeds!, by Mike Dennis .........................................................Page 4Think About Stockpiling, by Mike Dennis....................................................Page 8

HORTICULTURESo, You Want To Start A Vineyard and Winery?, by Jodi Creasap............Page 15The High Tunnel Question: To Heat or Not to Heat?, by Molly Shaw ........Page 8

LOCAL FOODS & MARKETINGFreezing and Vacuum Packaging for Local,Healthy Convenience Products, by Anna Dawson......................................Page 5

NEW FARMERSConsider Beekeeping, by Niechelle Wade ...................................................Page 6Farm Bureau: A Key Resource for Beginning Farmers, by M. Kelly Young......................................................................................................................Page 10

NON-DAIRY LIVESTOCKManaging the Lambing Season, by Ulf Kintzell ........................................Page 16Tackling the Livestock Processing Bottleneck, by Martha Goodsell ........Page 9The Many Faces of Equine Farming, by Fiona Farrel ...............................Page 18

RESOURCE SPOTLIGHTSBecoming An Outdoors-Woman ...............................................................Page 12Center for Absentee Landowners .............................................................Page 17New Beginning Farmer Resource Center Website ..................................Page 10Some Helpful Agencies................................................................................Page 6Viticulture and Enology Resources ..........................................................Page 15

SMALL FARM SPOTLIGHTSLife on Springside Farm, by Renee Drexler.................................................Page 9The Kilpatrick Family Farm, by Martha Herbert Izzi ..................................Page 13

STEWARDSHIP & NATUREAgricultural Environmental Management

-- Praising Grazing!, by Barbara Silvestri............................................Page 23

WOMEN IN AGRICULTUREBecoming an Outdoors-Woman, by Kelly Stang .......................................Page 12

YOUTH PAGESSpending Time with a Friend, by Jessica Brown.......................................Page 20Geospacial Adventures, by Elliott Padnode...............................................Page 20We’re Horse N Around, by Horse N Around 4-H Club ...............................Page 21The Unstung Hero, by Chris Voss...............................................................Page 21Fundraising Helps a Friend, by Heather Dunton and Anna Cole..............Page 21

• Spring 2008 Corrections. The photo of grazing heifers on page 17should have been credited to Alex Benson rather than Robert DeClue.

Page 2 SMALL FARM QUARTERLY July 7, 2008

SMALL FARM QUARTERLYGood Farming and Good Living —

Connecting People, Land, and Communities

Small Farm Quarterly is for farmers and farm families — including spouses and chil-dren - who value the quality of life that smaller farms provide.

OUR GOALS ARE TO:• Celebrate the Northeast region’s smaller farms;• Inspire and inform farm families and their supporters;• Help farmers share expertise and opinions with each other;• Increase awareness of the benefits that small farms contribute to society and the

environment.• Share important research, extension, and other resources.

Small Farm Quarterly is produced by Lee Publications, Inc., and is distributed four times ayear as a special section of Country Folks. Volume 6 publication dates: July 7 andOctober 6, 2008; January 5 and April 6, 2009.

EDITORIAL TEAM:• Anu Rangarajan, Cornell Small Farms Program Editor in Chief 607-255-1780• Joanna Green, Cornell Small Farms Program Managing Editor 607-255-9227• Brian Aldrich, Cayuga County CCE Field Crops 607-255-4799• Laura Biasillo, Broome County CCE New Farmers 607-255-2247• Celeste Carmichael,

NYS 4-H Youth Development Program Youth Pages; Home and Family 607-255-4799• Mike Dennis, CCE Cortland County Grazing 315-539-9251• Gary Goff, Cornell Natural Resources Department Forest and Woodlot 607-255-2824• Martha Herbert Izzi, Vermont Farmer Vermont 802-492-3346• Sarah Johnston,

NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets Organic Agriculture 518-457-4531• Betsy Lamb, CCE Integrated Pest Management Program Horticulture 607-254-8800• Gerard F. Monnat, Writer and Farmer Community/World 315-265-0206• Sue Neal, Farmer Women in Agriculture 607-962-9459• Rebecca Schuelke, NY Farm Viability Institute Business Management 315-453-3823• John Thurgood, Delaware County

CCE-NYC Watershed Agriculture Program Stewardship and Nature 607-865-7090

FOR SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION CONTACTTracy Crouse, Lee Publications, Inc., PO Box 121, Palatine Bridge, NY 13428

888-596-5329 subscriptions@leepub.com

FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION CONTACT:Bruce Button, Lee Publications, Inc., 518-673-3237

bbutton@leepub.com

SEND YOUR LETTERS AND STORIES TO:Joanna Green

Cornell Small Farms Program135 Plant Science Building, Cornell University

Ithaca, NY, 14853607-255-9227 jg16@cornell.edu

About copyright: The material published in Small Farm Quarterly is not copyrighted unless otherwise noted.However, we ask that you please be sure to credit both the author and Small Farm Quarterly.

ABOUT OUR ADS...All advertisements in Small Farm Quarterly are managed by Lee Publications. Cornell’s SmallFarms Program, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and other Small Farm Quarterly sponsors andcontributors do not endorse advertisers, their products or services. We receive no revenues fromadvertisers.

To find out how your business or organization can advertise in Small Farm Quarterly, contact:Bruce Button, Lee Publications, 1-518-673-3237, bbutton@leepub.com.

SMALL FARM QUARTERLY - SUMMER 2008TABLE OF CONTENTS

Cornell Small Farms Programwww.smallfarms.cornell.edu607-255-9227

PRO-DAIRY/CCE-NWNY Dairy, Livestock, and Field Crops Team

www.ansci.cornell.edu/prodairy 607-255-4285

Watershed Agricultural Councilwww.nycwatershed.org607-865-7790

NYS 4-H Teen Programwww.cce.cornell.edu/4h

607-255-0886

www.cce.cornell.edu www.cals.cornell.edu

SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS:

Cover photo: Ewes at Northland Sheep Dairy, Freetown Corners, NY.Photo by Joanna Green.

By NYSAMP

Farm families sometimes find themselves con-fronted with situations that escalate into lawsuits, resulting in hundreds or even thousandsof dollars in legal costs. Thanks to federal fund-ing through the U.S. Department of Agriculture,farmers in many states now have an alternativeto escalating conflict and litigation - anAgricultural Mediation Program.

Agricultural Mediation Programs provide free,fair, voluntary, local, confidential mediationservices to farm families so they can reach

good solutions in a private and informal setting.All decisions are made by the people directlyinvolved, and not by outside authorities.

In New York State agricultural mediation servic-es are provided the NY Agricultural MediationProgram (NYSAMP) through local mediationcenters that serve every county (some centersserve two or more counties). There are manymediators statewide that have received addi-tional training in agricultural mediation andhave connections with theagricultural community.

A MEDIATION SUCCESS STORY"Jack" is a local dairy farmer who believes thathe follows good agricultural methods. Hebecame angry when he learned that his neigh-bor was complaining about the odor of manureto other neighbors, the police, and several townofficials. The problem continued to escalateuntil a Cornell Cooperative Extension agentrecommended mediation.After a frank discussion with a local mediatorand the neighbor, the farmer agreed to changethe timing of his manure spreading and to givehis neighbor notice about certain farm prac-tices. The neighbor promised to contact thefarmer directly before complaining to others,and gained a better appreciation of farm workand practices, economic and regulatory pres-sures, and the farmer's contributions to thecommunity. With the mediator's help, theywrote an agreement. Even more important,they understood and respected each other.

That's just one example of how mediation canhelp. Mediation is facilitated by a trained, expe-rienced, and neutral person, who helps peoplediscuss issues, identify and consider options,and, if they wish, to agree on mutually accept-able solutions.

Unlike a judge or arbitrator, a mediator doesnot make judgments or decisions about solu-tions. Mediation is not about winning or losing:it helps people find solutions that will work forevery one. Mediation provides an opportunityfor people to resolve conflict before it escalatesin a way that is costly and hurts everybody.

Mediation is voluntary, confidential and private.Mediators cannot be forced to testify, andmediation documents cannot be used for anyother legal action. Each county in New York isserved by a mediation center; mediators maybe staff members or volunteers. Usually thereis no charge for mediation.

BENEFITS OF MEDIATIONNYSAMP helps farm families in other areas aswell. It can address situations in which a pro-ducer's ability to obtain or maintain credit isquestionable. For example, mediation can helpresolve a conflict over a feed bill, a loan ordebt, a rental or leasing agreement, a land-lord/tenant or labor problem, or a complaintfrom a neighbor.

Mediation can also help families solve prob-lems about custody and visitation, divorce, orfamily succession. What's more, mediation is away for a producer to appeal adverse decisionsfrom the USDA, including farm loans and loanservicing, farm and conservation programs,wetland determinations, pesticides, and otherareas where the viability of a farmer's businessis in danger.

Mediation can improve communication, reducestress, and increase trust and respect amongparticipants. It is private and confidential andcan take place at flexible hours, including in theevening. Mediation has a proven record ofsuccess, with over 75% of mediations resultingin an agreement. Once agreement has beenreached, there is a high compliance rate onboth sides.

A GROWING TRENDNYSAMP is part of a national organization ofstate programs called the Coalition ofAgricultural Mediation Programs. Maine, Mass,NJ, and Vermont all have programs, but not yetPennsylvania. Congress asked the USDA todevelop mediation programs in 1987(Agricultural Credit Act); since then USDAagencies provide mediation as an appealsoption when a producer receives an adversedecision in a broad range of programs.

The number and case loads of state agricultur-al mediation programs has expanded steadilyover the years. There are now over 35 statesthat have certified state farm mediation pro-grams. Many states have community volunteermediation services, and there are more andmore private mediation practitioners also.

NYSAMP is administered by the NYS DisputeResolution Association, a non-profit member-ship organization of mediators and others inthe profession of conflict management. NYS-DRA cannot provide mediation to farmers fromoutside of New York State, but their staff ishappy to answer questions and use theirregional dispute resolution network to helpfarmers in other states find local resources.

For more information, call your local mediationcenter, or call NYSDRA at 866-669-7267 (tollfree), or visit www.nysdra.org.

July 7, 2008 SMALL FARM QUARTERLY Page 3

Summer is in full swing, our Director AnuRangarajan is back from her Sabbattic, andwe're full steam ahead here at the CornellSmall Farms Program! We want to give a bigThank You! to Mike Baker, NYS Beef CattleExtension Specialist, who served as our inter-im Director while Anu was away.

SMALL FARM GRANTSPROGRESS REPORTS NOW ONLINEProgress Reports for our 2007-8 Small FarmGrant are now online. These grants are madeavailable to Cornell Cooperative Extensioneducators with creative program ideas thatspecifically target local small farm businessesand the families who live and work on thesefarms.

In the 2007-8 cycle, eleven projects were fund-ed for a total of $30,000. Three of the projectswere new statewide "Work Teams" organizedspecifically in response to priorities identifiedby participants at the 2006 and 2007 SmallFarms Summit. The work teams are identifyingbarriers and opportunities in the areas ofGrasslands Utilization, Local Markets, andLivestock Processing.

Other projects include several farmer to farmerdiscussion groups, a career exploration pro-gram, a How-to Guide to produce a localfood/wine/fiber festival, and a NY Horse FarmManagers Association. For details on theseand other small farm extension projects, visit:www.smallfarms.cornell.edu/pages/projects/grants/0708.cfm.

ORGANIC DAIRYAND FIELD CROPS FIELD DAYSOur NY Organic Dairy Initiative has teamed up

with NOFA NY to organize a series of summerfield days on farms around New York State.The field days range from a day at Sto-RidgeFarm in Madison County exploring a wholefarm system incorporating composting, alterna-tive fuel, and intensive grazing, to a tour ofWillow Creek Farm in Allegany County whereChuck Deichmann will discuss high quality for-age production, forage testing, determiningrations, and pasture management on a pro-gressive grasslands farm.

Several of the field days feature guest speakerJerry Brunetti, founder of Agri-Dynamics, a 25-year-old company that offers natural and alter-native livestock health approaches. Learnmore details about these field days by visitingthe Organic Dairy Initiative website at: www.organic.cornell.edu/organicdairy/News.html

NEW "ORGANIC CROPS FORORGANIC DAIRIES" CD RELEASEDThe NY Organic Dairy Initiative has respondedto the critical shortage of organic grain avail-able for organic livestock production by creat-ing a CD titled "Organic Crops for OrganicDairies." The CD is a compilation of some ofthe most up-to-date resources on growingorganic field crops, covering everything fromtechnical information to certification require-ments, soil amendments, weed managementand business tools. A complete index and anonline download of the CD's contents may befound at the New York Organic Dairy Initiative'swebsite. Visit: www.organic.cornell.edu andclick on "Organic Dairy."

HIGH DEMAND FOR ONLINE BEGINNING FARMER COURSE Our NY Beginning Farmer Project had its first

official run of a new online course this spring,and attracted over 60 applicants from all overthe country. Too bad only 25 slots were avail-able! The 9-week course offers farm enterprisestart-up training from the comfort of your livingroom. It's designed for participants from adiversity of backgrounds, from those justexploring a new idea to those seeking to diver-sify or expand existing farm operations.

The class began in late March with introduc-tions and orientation to the on-line coursestructure. Over the next several months, stu-dents learned about the basics of building abusiness plan; setting goals; identifying skills &resources; marketing; evaluating land, equip-ment, and facilities; choosing an enterprise;land stewardship; profitability; regulations; taxesand legal issues.

The interactive nature of the course providedlots of opportunity for students to get and givefeedback on their business plans, and to shareideas with course leaders and other agriculturalentrepreneurs from around the state.

To find out about the next online course to beoffered, and about other beginning farmer train-ing opportunities around the state, visit:www.smallfarms.cornell.edu/pages/events/index.cfm#beginningfarmer.

For more information about Cornell's SmallFarms Program and lots of other small farmtopics, visit our website at www.smallfarms.cor-nell.edu. You can also sign up to receive ourmonthly email newsletter, Small Farms Update,by sending an email to Violet Stone atvws7@cornell.edu. Please provide your name,farm name, postal address, and county.

Cornell Small Farms Program Update

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

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

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

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

Country Folks mails out the copies.

Bulk orders: You can order multiple copies of any issue for just 10¢ a copy! Minimum order is 50. Orders must be placed at least 4 weeks before the

publication date - Fall 2008 copies need to be ordered by September 5.

To find out more, contact:Tracy Crouse

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

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Mediation -- Frank Talk,Fair Solutions

Get Connected!Find your local

Cooperative Extension office

CT: UConn Cooperative Extension1-860-486-9228

ME: UME Cooperative Extension1-800-287-0274 (in Maine)

MA: UMass Cooperative Extension(413) 545-4800

NH: UNH Cooperative Extension603-862-1520

NY: Cornell Cooperative Extension 607-255-2237

PA: Penn State Cooperative Extension 814-865-4028

RI: URI Cooperative Extension(401) 874-2900

VT: UVM Cooperative Extension1-866-622-2990 (toll-free in VT)

COMMUNITY AND WORLD

Page 4 SMALL FARM QUARTERLY July 7, 2008

By Mike Dennis

CLEAN UP YOUR PLATE!No more until your food is finished! Is this afamiliar phrase? It likely is if you are a parent ofyoung children. As a grazier you may haveexclaimed a similar question, likely in frustra-tion... "Come on cows, why don't you eat thisstuff?"

Even on pastures under finely tuned, manage-ment intensive grazing (MIG) systems, live-stock sometimes don't clean up their paddocks.Most often animals will leave unfamiliar plantswhich we commonly refer to as "weeds." Theremay be several reasons for this and we willtouch on some of these reasons later.

Can we get our animals to clean up their pad-dock? How do you get your children to cleantheir plates? As an expectant father I am opento suggestions on the latter.

KATHY VOTH: TRAINING WEED-EATERSA few months ago I had the opportunity to lis-ten to several animal behavior seminars at the"Grasstravaganza 2008" held in Binghamton,NY. Several of these sessions were led by ani-mal behavior specialist Kathy Voth. If you are areader of The Stockman GrassFarmer it is verylikely that you have read her articles that haveappeared over the last couple of years.

Kathy's articles focus on training animals to eatthose unfamiliar plants or "weeds" present intheir pasture. I would like to share with yousome of the basics that I learned from her pre-sentations that will guide you in training youranimals to consume those unfamiliar plants.

My wife received an interesting newspaper arti-cle from her mother shortly after my time inBinghamton. It was a timely piece from theUSA Weekend magazine titled "15 things youneed to know to care for Baby". Number oneon this list was "Help Kids Eat Veggies" or inother words, eat those unfamiliar food items.

It was as if the author had sat in on KathyVoth's Weed Grazing presentation the weekendprior. After listening to Kathy and reading thenewspaper piece I should have no problemgetting my animals to clean their paddock andhave a toddler that loves his/her veggies.Although I am not completely confident on thelatter, time will tell.

BALANCING NUTRITION AND TOXICITYFirst, here is some important background infor-mation. All plants have varying levels of nutri-ents and toxins. Even a plant like alfalfa whichis very palatable to cattle contains toxins ofsome sort. An animal can handle low doses ofmany different toxins as long as we don't forceit to eat too much of one type of toxin.

A variety of forages in a pasture provides adiverse enough sward that an animal canchoose and consume plants that have varyinglevels of nutrition and toxin, essentially balanc-ing their diet. They learn what to choose bywatching their mothers and other animals. Theyare naturally curious about new plants, trying asmall amount and waiting to see if they get anunpleasant reaction. If not, they will add thenew food to their menu.

To take advantage of this natural behavior, firstknow the toxicity of the unfamiliar plant or"weed" you want your animals to eat. Some

weeds just should not be grazed. Also, nevertrain your animals when they are hungry due tothe possibility of overloading on a particularplant toxin. The animal may have a problemprocessing a toxin when its belly is overloadedwith one thing and not balanced with "friendly"foods.

You don't have to train your whole herd atonce. A small group of trained animals willteach the untrained ones. Younger stock is eas-ier to train than older, and females can passalong learned behaviors to their offspring, how-ever any class of livestock may be trained. Thisprocess is not breed or species specific.

THE TRAINING PROCESSStart the training process by exposing a groupof animals to a feedstuff not normally part oftheir daily diet that you know they will like. Forexample, try starting with feeding cottonseedhulls to cattle that have pasture and soybeanmeal as their daily diet. Place samples of thenew feed in small tubs with the cattle, afterthey have grazed for some time and are notterribly hungry.

Animals will be curious, perhaps eat some, andafter several hours or more, will likely clean upthe unfamiliar food. Be sure to fill the tubs withenough of the new item to give your wholetraining group a decent sampling. One tub willserve several animals, and a little competitionactually helps.

Repeat this routine with a different unfamiliarbut tasty food each day for three more days.The tub now means, "Here is something newthat tastes fine and does not give me anunpleasant reaction."

Next, it is time to integrate the pasture weedinto their diet. Conduct the training one weedspecies at a time and be sure that you knowwhat the weed is and its toxicity. Take meas-ures to time the training so that the vegetativeparts of the weed plant are used for training.Clipping fresh weeds is important and can bequite time consuming depending on the weedand number of cattle you are trying to train.

Begin by placing fresh clippings of your pasture"weed" into the same tubs (at the same time ofday you filled the tubs with the other newfoods). Mixing in some of a new familiar foodcan be helpful at first. The cattle will begin topick at and eat the weeds you have placed inthe tubs.

Continue feeding the weed for several days,while transitioning the contents of the tub toweeds only. Move the tubs along with the cat-tle during their paddock shifts. Hopefully bynow the animals will be starting to graze theirnew menu item on their own. Look for evidencein the pasture sward, i.e. stripped off leaves,flowers gone, grazed tight, etc.

TIPS FOR SUCCESSPlants tend to be most succulent and immaturein the spring and early summer, weeds includ-ed. Depending on species, weeds are vulnera-ble at this time and easier to control by clippingor grazing, so it is an opportune time to startthis process. Like most endeavors a certainlevel of patience is required as animals cannotbe forced but need time to learn on their own,with your help of course.

Training small groups of animals may be moreproductive in the long run. Animals, like people,learn from observing. This is particularly true inchildren and young stock. As I mentioned earli-er training heifers may be easier than maturebrood cows. As graziers, you are very awarehow quickly a calf will begin to sample pastureplants as they mimic their mama and are likelyto sample many different things while at herside.

Based on this fact, I can't expect our toddler toeat anything that we as parents do not eat.However, at this stage in life perhaps he/shewill be more apt to try new things just like thebaby calf. And with any luck your cattle will becleaning their paddocks and bringing thoseweeds under control!

There are some nice web resources that maybe of interest offering good information on ani-mal behavior. The first is http://behave.net/hosted by Utah State University. The site nameis very descriptive of its content and is an

acronym for Behavioral Education for Human,Animal, Vegetation, and EcosystemManagement.

Also Kathy Voth's site www.livestockforland-scapes.com contains many resources relatedto cattle grazing weeds. For example informa-tion on plant species, techniques, and technicalarticles can be found here. Kathy has personal-ly trained groups of cattle to eat weeds of vary-ing sorts including thistles species and others.Check out these sites and don't hesitate tocontact me if you would like some moredetailed information on this subject.

Mike Dennis and his wife and family run asmall pasture-raised-and-finished, direct mar-ket beef farm, under management intensivegrazing, in Central NY. Mike is also the SmallFarm / Agronomy agent for Seneca CountyCornell Cooperative Extension. He can bereached at (315) 539 9251 ormgd3@cornell.edu.

GRAZING

Let Them Eat Weeds!Cows, like children, can be taught to clean up their plates

Beef cattle grazing an early May patures. Photo by: Julianne Dennis

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By Anna Dawson

In 1961, I attended a class at Cornell where Dr.Baker was experimenting with vacuum packag-ing a frozen chicken. Little did I know that almostfifty years later, I would use that memory as thebasis of what I am doing today at a ComlinksGleaning Warehouse in Malone, NY, 250 milesfrom my Hudson Valley home in Kinderhook.

It all started after I retired from teaching

Home Economics and became a master gar-

dener. At the local Columbia County Fair I

met a Roxbury Farm CSA member. She

invited me to a pot-luck at the farm and I

decided to work there--knowing I could learn

a lot about organic gardening.

Three years later I was on myown growing and selling freshand value added products (pick-les and jams) at the local farmersmarket, but I could not imaginebeing able to make a living sell-ing the same kind of productseveryone else was growing. Thatis when I remembered ProfessorBaker.

I decided to write a SARE grantto explore freezing and vacuumpackaging the produce that I andmy neighbors in the HudsonValley were growing. (CallNESARE for a copy of FNE 01-367 "A Community SupportedKitchen.") Any 20C licensedkitchen can do this. The trayfreezing and vacuum packagingequipment is reasonably priced.

After figuring out what and how to freeze, Iwent to farmers market with my products. Cityfolks visiting the market on a Saturday lovedthe idea of the frozen, local, quick-to-prepareproducts. However, they wanted it atBalducci's in the city or at their city Co-op.They did not want to bring it back to the city touse during the week. I needed to find anothermarket for my frozen products.

So, I wrote another SARE grant, FNE 04-508"Marketing to Preschool and After SchoolPrograms". The preschool owners loved theconvenience, taste and nutrition. However,transporting the food to the daycare centerswas a challenge. Also, teaching the parentsabout the food was another stumbling block.To solve these problems, I decided to create aproduct education website, www.ourhometown-foods.com. If you visit the site, you can get anidea of the kinds of products that can be creat-ed. But you cannot place an order.

I had to figure out how folks might order thefood for group delivery by truck or UPS ship-ping to individuals. Fortunately, I attended aSARE workshop in Philadelphia that focusedon web ordering for a winter share throughwww.farmtocity.org. When I returned home, Iquickly designed a year round, bi-weekly order-ing site with weekly delivery for frozen. I real-ized at this point that my ideas were largerthan my kitchen, my home septic system andmy one woman show.

So, now I am in Malone, NY at a 7000 squarefoot facility funded by the NYS Department ofHealth. Here, experienced workers distributedonated foods to emergency food reliefpantries and kitchens in northern New York.Currently, prison inmates grow fresh producefor distribution. The Malone facility has a teach-ing/kitchen and space for a 20C processingkitchen. I expect to add frozen products to thedistribution.

In the future, we hope localfarmers will be interested incollaborating with this not-for-profit so the facility can bemore fully utilized. Farmersmight grow "freezer friendly"crops to be marketed to inde-pendent stores, small groupfeeding sites and through"Home Parties" that teachnutrition through the sale of"healthy, local, value addedfoods," year round.

Community groups can also beinvolved. Culinary studentsfrom nearby Paul Smith College

might create new frozen meal kits. Soups, fruitbreads, puddings, fruit desserts, stir fry, casse-role and crock pot meals are just the begin-ning.

Nutrition interns might create nutrition labels forthe products and participate in "how to cook"video clips. Marketing interns might producevideo clips of farmers and food demonstrationsfor the ordering website. Sustainable agricul-ture students might help teach our communityservice garden volunteers. Perhaps this is thestart of a local food system accessible to all!

To learn more, call us at the ComlinksGleaning Warehouse at 518-483-1469 or askfor Harry Pearsall at extension 1013 at 518-483-1261.

Anna Dawson works with the ComlinksGleaning Warehouse in Malone, NY.She can be reached at 518-483-1469or annadawson@berk.com.

LOCAL FOODS AND MARKETING

Freezing and VacuumPackaging for Local, HealthyConvenience Products

July 7, 2008 SMALL FARM QUARTERLY Page 5

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Page 6 SMALL FARM QUARTERLY July 7, 2008

By Niechelle Wade

I was recently interviewed by a college stu-dent taking a class about sustainable farm-ing. I run a small, diversified, family opera-tion, producing vegetables, flowers, herbsand hay, as well pasture-raised beef, pork,rabbits and brown eggs for market. This stu-dent asked me what percentage of our 160acres was being farmed or producing a prod-uct. I thought a brief moment before theanswer came to me: Every bit of it!

This is true because I have recently added tomy operation an apiary. Beekeeping hastransformed my survey of the farm: I wouldpreviously have counted as productive onlythe valley floor crop land, rolling hillside pas-tures, second-stage growth woodlots and hill-top hay fields. I used to disregard the stripsand patches of land too steep or rocky tohost anything but crabapples and goldenrodand boneset. Now, every last corner is fod-der for my honeybees, producing from what Iwould call wasteland valuable honey, pollen,and beeswax products for sale.

Sunny Hill Farm is near the northern BroomeCounty village of Whitney Point, NY. We sellprimarily at local farmers' markets and on-farm. Running a diversified operation, incor-porating livestock with vegetable cropping,makes the most use of our resources for thesize of our farm. Introducing bees to ourecosystem is a perfect fit. The bees providegreatly increased pollination, resulting in bet-ter yields and more uniform fruit set. Andagain, the bees can find nectar and pollenfrom the plants and trees that did not previ-ously contribute directly to our profit margins.

Adding beekeeping to our small farm opera-tion has provided us with exciting and prof-itable new marketing opportunities. The first,most obvious income has come from sellingliquid bottled honey and comb products. Ourhoney is marketed as raw, not pasteurized

before bottling. This retains the nutrients andflavor, giving us a marketing advantage overcommercially-produced honey. In our region,we are able to market spring light, summermedium and fall dark honeys in a variety ofsizes and containers, from 8oz to 5 lbs.Liquid honey combined with a portion ofcomb is called Chunk honey, which we pack-age in two different sizes. In the off-season,we whip up large batches of Creamed honeyfor sale throughout the year. This is honeythat has been seeded and speciallyprocessed to create an ultra-fine crystal,making a product fine for spreading and dip-ping. And this has only been the beginning.

We have yet to tap into the variety of addi-tional prospects for added income. Thereexist markets for higher-priced items likepropolis and royal jelly. As a next step, wecan develop our own line of honey- and

beeswax-related skin care products. Theseitems offer marketing opportunities outsidethe farm marketing venue, giving us theopportunity to place our products into retailwhole foods shops and the like.

Honey lends itself to the creation of gift bas-kets and crates; with added items such as alocal biscuit mix, a unique honey pot, thepossibilities are endless. During the holidayseason, a nice profit can be attained fromselling these gifts at craft fairs and bazaars.

Honey can be stored and sold year-round,getting us to market earlier in the seasonand boosting sales. This new attraction haskept customers coming to our farm duringoff-season, allowing us opportunities to selladditional items such as storage potatoes,onions and garlic, eggs, and organic coffeethat I buy wholesale. The more we have tooffer, the more visits we have from cus-tomers during the winter months.

We have also taken advantage of the oppor-tunity to sell bees. Colonies of bees natural-ly reproduce by the process called swarming.When a hive gets too full of bees, a numberof them organize to relocate. A watchfulbeekeeper can take advantage of this bycapturing the bees and setting them up in anew hive. A beekeeper starting with twohives the first year can find him or her selfwith sixteen hives in just four years. And itcould double every year from after that.

After the apiary grows to the desired capaci-ty, the farmer can sell the extra healthy beesfor an average of $65 to $80 per "nuc" (a boxof bees, a queen, and frames of brood readyto start a new hive). This price is onlyexpected to rise, with the current concern forColony Collapse Disorder and the future ofhoneybees. We strive to maintain healthy,disease-free bees, and we are subjected toinspection by a NYS Ag and Markets BeeInspector to insure their health.

Honey makes a convenient but exceptional"business card": Giving away 8oz samplesto business contacts has been a great way tocreate lasting, very positive impressions.Even though honey is not our main product,this calling card in the form of a free giftreminds people of us and our farm, encour-aging them to seek out business with us.

And finally, honey is beautiful, enhancing theappearance and attractiveness of our farmmarket display.

You can start up an apiary for relatively littlecost. The best way to learn about keepingbees is to find a mentoring beekeeper tohelp you along and be available to answerquestions. You can do this while startingyour own colonies for the first time. Withgood luck and cooperative weather, a new

beekeeper can enjoy a harvest of honey rightfrom the first season.

Beekeeping is like any other cropping sys-tem: There are outstanding years, and thereare bad years, due to weather and other fac-tors beyond our control. Even experiencedbeekeepers suffer set-backs. But on thewhole, bees are a natural part of any farmingsystem, and harnessing and augmentingtheir talents has been very rewarding andvery profitable for us.

Niechelle Wade and her partner JoelBabcock run a diversified 160 acre certifiedorganic farm and apiary in Whitney Point,NY. For information about hands-on work-shops for beekeepers this summer, contactJoel Babcock at Sunny Hill Farm, 692-7911or sunhfarm@hotmail.com.

NEW FARMERS

Consider BeekeepingAdding an apiary has opened up lots of new marketingopportunities for this small farm

We Want To HearFrom YouWe welcome letters to the editor -Please write to us! Or send aquestion and we’ll do our best toanswer it. We’re also looking forbeautiful, interesting and/or funnysmall farm photos to print.

Write or email Joannna Green,Cornell Small Farms Program,135C Plant Science Building,Cornell University,Ithaca, NY 14853jg16@cornell.edu

Group of Sunny Hill Farm’s honeybee hives. Photos by Niechelle Wade

Sunny Hill Farm’s honey product display at the farmers’ market.

Resource SpotlightSome Helpful Agencies

USDA-Natural Resource & Conservation Service NRCS many programs help reduce soil erosion, enhance water supplies,improve water quality, increase wildlife habitat, and reduce damages causedby floods and other natural disasters. For information and to find your state andlocal NRCS offices, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs.

USDA-Farm Service Agency The Farm Service Agency administers farm commodity, crop insurance, credit,environmental, conservation, and emergency assistance programs for farmersand ranchers. For information and to find your state and local FSA opfficesvisit: www.fsa.usda.gov.

USDA-Rural Development The Rural Development administers federal loan and grant programs to allareas of rural development, including agriculture. For information and to findyour state and local Rural Development offices visit: www.rurdev.usda.gov.

Conservation DistrictsConservation districts are local units of government established under statelaw to carry out natural resource management programs at the local level.Districts work with millions of cooperating landowners and operators to helpthem manage and protect land and water resources on all private lands andmany public lands in the United States. For information and to find your stateand local conservation districts, visit www.nacdnet.org/about/districts/direc-tory/index.phtml.

Resource Conservation & Development CouncilsRC&D areas are locally sponsored areas designated by the USDA Secretaryof Agriculture for RC&D technical and financial assistance program funds.The purpose of the RC&D program is to accelerate the conservation, develop-ment and utilization of natural resources, improve the general level of econom-ic activity, and to enhance the environment and standard of living in designatedRC&D areas. For information and to find your state and local RC&D's, visit:www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/rcd.

By Rebecca Schuelke

Can we afford to hire more labor? Is our old equipment costingtoo much to repair? Does grazing help or hinder our profitability?

These are among the many questions Darlene and Rob Howlandhave asked themselves since they started dairy farming in 1974in New York's Southern Tier.For these questions and many others, the Howlands have turnedto the Dairy Farm Business Summary, a publication of the CornellUniversity Department of Applied Economics and Managementthat provides an annual snapshot of New York dairy farmers'expenses and profits by category.

"We started using DFBS to chart our business progress: how arewe doing? Are we moving forward? Are we moving backward?We use it to identify weaknesses and strengths compared toother herds our size," Darlene Howland said. "We still use ittoday as a benchmark to guide our economic decisions."

The Howlands own and operate Howland Acres, with a herd of 85cows, in Candor, nestled in Tioga County's hillsides. They startedusing Dairy Farm Business Summary in 1975, their first full yearof operation, and have participated every year since.

They are not alone. Every year since 1955, New York farmers,Cooperative Extension educators and agri-business field staffhave rounded up data on individual farms' expenses and income.Since 2005, the New York Farm Viability Institute provided grantsfor efforts through May 2010 to increase farmer participation inthe summary.

APPLES TO APPLES"The numbers collected in the Dairy Farm Business Summary

represent an attempt to provide an apples-to-apples basis forcomparison for dairy farmers," said John Lincoln, chair of theFarm Viability Institute board of directors. "A farm needs to dowell financially to stay in business and be attractive to the nextgeneration of farmers."

The Institute is a farmer-led nonprofit organization that fundsresearch to help farms increase profits and foster a vibrant,renewable agriculture system of diverse farm sizes, productionpractices, commodities, sectors and geographic regions. Withsupport from federal and state funds, the Institute has investedmore than $14 million in on-farm applied research projects since2003.

There is no cost to farmers for participating in the summary.Cooperative Extension educators sometimes use the process ofcollecting data to identify topics for workshops or to facilitate dis-cussion groups among farmers.

Dairy Farm Business Summary publishes a statewide summaryeach spring, which represent a yearly "report card" of dairy farmprofitability for New York State. All individual farm data is confiden-tial. Published data are averages of groups of farms.

Each participating farm gets a personal summary for comparisonto past years' performance. The farm then has a tool for gaugingbusiness practices. If your expenses in a given category arehigher than average, or changed unexpectedly from previousyears, that could be a red flag to start investigating a particularaspect of the farm business.

In addition to the statewide summary, Dairy Farm BusinessSummary publishes summaries for regions of the state, farmrenters, intensive grazers, large herds and small herds.Participants in Dairy Farm Business Summary manage milkingherds ranging from 20 cows to 3,660 cows.

MEASURING SUCCESS"How do you measure your financial goals? You measure themby doing a summary at the end of the year,'' said WayneKnoblauch, Cornell professor of farm business management anddirector of the Dairy Farm Business Summary program."Businesses needed to have financial as well as production goals,perhaps more so," he stresses.

"The old saying that you cannot manage what you cannot meas-ure is very applicable to a farm business," Knoblauch says. "Ifyour goal is to reduce feed costs, how do you know if you are cut-ting costs? If your goal is to build an addition, buy a piece ofequipment, pay down debt, or any number of goals, you need tobe able to measure progress and evaluate if you are meeting thegoal and if not, why not?"

IMPROVING PROFITABILITYFarm business experts have long touted the belief that record-

keeping makes better managers, and the Dairy Farm BusinessSummary seems to support this. In 2006, farms participating inDairy Farm Business Summary enjoyed a $.45 per cwt advantagein operating costs, compared to the average reported by USDAEconomic Research Services for states in Northeast and GreatLakes regions. The savings are attributable to lower costs of pro-duction, especially purchased feed costs, Knoblauch said.

The impact on productivity and profitability can be significant.Farms that participated in Dairy Farm Business Summary thatyear had average milk production of 80,862 cwt. Those farmssaw an average of $36,000 in increased profitability.

NEW AND IMPROVEDNot your father's Dairy Farm Business Summary, the benchmark-ing tool has adapted with changing times. Since 2001, the DairyFarm Business Summary program has evolved to include aninteractive web-based component. Farmers, CooperativeExtension educators and other stakeholders can enter data intoan online system and receive a personal farm business reportinstantaneously.

Computerized technology also allows users to generate cus-tomized benchmarking reports, multi-year comparisons, costbasis balance sheets, after tax profit and balance sheet calcula-tions, and more.

More than 5 percent of New York's 6,000 dairy farmers provideddata to Dairy Farm Business Summary in 2006, and hundredsmore farmers use the published reports to compare their ownfinancial data to their peers'. Numbers of farmers providing dataand using published results continue to climb, an increase someattribute to rising operating costs, and greater awareness aboutthe value of record keeping.

"We find it especially important to monitor feeds costs and otherinputs in today's changing economy," Howland said. "What adjust-ments will be needed in the future to maintain profitability at ourherd size and with our resources?''

Keeping appropriate records can seem daunting at first, Howlandsaid, but farmers will develop a system that works for them andthe Summary program, something that allows for tracking invento-ry and categorizing expenses without extra work.

READ ALL ABOUT ITFarmers outside New York may be able to participate in DairyFarm Business Summary by inputting data themselves, or work-ing with their local Cooperative Extension educator. Local ver-sions of Dairy Farm Business Summary and similar programsmay be available in other states. Contact your CooperativeExtension representative for more information. Additionally, sev-eral farm financial institutions offer regional and statewide farmbusiness summary programs on a fee basis.

The web-based summary is available only to those who supplydata to the summary. Printed versions of regional and statewideDairy Farm Business Summary are available at county CornellCooperative Extension offices or by contacting CornellUniversity's Department of Applied Economics and Management.For more information, visit dfbs.aem.cornell.edu or call (607) 255-1599.

Rebecca Schuelke is a Communications Specialist with the NewYork Farm Viability Institute. She can be reached at 315-453-3823 or at rschuelke@nyfvi.org.

July 7, 2008 SMALL FARM QUARTERLY Page 7

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

Dairy Farms Big and SmallBenefit From Business Benchmarking

Taking a close look at your farm’s financial performance canimprove your management and your profits.

Photo by Bill Henning

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By Mike Dennis

As I sit writing this during the early stages ofthe grazing season I am already thinkingabout the end of the season. Not from a doomand gloom standpoint but rather from an opti-mistic "how long can the season be extendedoutside of the typical average this year" pointof view.

Under the right conditions this can be done bystockpiling forages for later grazing "in sea-son" or for grazing outside of the season, i.e.winter months. Yes, in the Northeast winter

grazing is most often ill-advised due tounfrozen and muddy ground. Unless rotationor rejuvenation is in your plans, pugging anddestroying pasture land with wintered cattle isnot a good idea.

After several grazings or a haying of pasture-land, regrowth forage can be allowed to accu-mulate for grazing later in the season or evenwinter. When plants are allowed to remainvegetative, forage quality remains relativelygood and an excess pasture or hay field canbe saved for fall grazing.

Forage species vary in their ability to remaingreen or succulent past a killing frost orchange in season. From my experience theworst is reed canary grass and the best is tallfescue, with everything else somewhere inbetween. Fescue will remain green well intowinter and may even offer some growth.

Consider stockpiling that subsequent hay har-vest or extra pasture lot for later grazing whenyour mainstay pasturelands are finished forthe season. Often the late hay harvest isuneconomical for machinery harvest and quitesuitable for four legged harvesters.

Mike Dennis and his wife and family run asmall pasture raised and finished direct mar-ket beef farm, under management intensive

grazing, in Central New York. Mike is also theSmall Farm / Agronomy agent for SenecaCounty Cornell Cooperative Extension. Hecan be reached at (315) 539 9251 ormgd3@cornell.edu.

By Molly Shaw

The Northeast has seasonal growingconditions, but produce farmers want anincome year round and consumers wantfresh produce year round, too.

Where can those three realities come togeth-er to the benefit of all? In a high tunnel!Cornell Cooperative Extension, funded in partby the NY Farm Viability Institute, has beendoing high tunnel research for the last twoyears with the goal of figuring out some of thebest plant growing and management practicesfor crops in our NY tunnels.

High tunnels are generally described as "tem-porary" structures (no foundation) whereplants are grown directly in the ground withoutextra heat or lights. Tunnels capture heat andprotect the plants from rain and other weatherconditions.

But contrary to popular belief, a single-layerplastic covered house loses its stored heatvery quickly when the sun goes down. Atnight the house can actually be colder insidethan outside because of radiative cooling.Consequently, growers sometimes add heator cover plants on particularly cold nights inspring and fall.

Tomatoes are one of the more profitable cropsin a high tunnel, and production of early toma-toes is the quest of almost every high tunnelfarmer. So wouldn't it be tempting to also adda little heat inside the tunnel to get thosewarmth-loving tomatoes up and going soon-er? Be the first at the market with homegrown tomatoes? But... does a heated hightunnel, with all the extra associated costs,make us more money than a cheaper, unheat-ed structure?

That is precisely what we've spent the lasttwo years trying to determine, and it's surpris-ing how complicated that simple questionbecomes.

Available in the full project report (uponrequest) are two case studies of high tunneltomato production budgets in 2006-7. Onefarm (Farm A) produces tomatoes using a typ-ical unheated high tunnel with 4800 squarefeet of growing space. The other farm's (FarmB) 2880 square foot tunnel is equipped withground and air heat that allow the grower toset out tomato plants as early as February orMarch.

The annual cost of Farm B's heating system,made up of a hot air furnace and a hot waterheater and plastic water pipes, was $125. Tothat must be added the cost of running thesystem - which could vary considerablydepending on fuel source. For Farm B, thecost of gas for heating the tunnel for 11 weeksin spring 2007 was $2000.

Comparing the 2 farms for 2006, the first har-vest at heated Farm B was three weeks earli-er than that at unheated Farm A, and the lastharvest was 2 weeks later. Therefore Farm Bhad the potential to have greater early yieldand have a longer harvest, which you mightexpect would result in higher overall yields.However, the per plant yield averaged overthe 2 years was 18.5 lb at unheated Farm Aand 13 lb at heated Farm B.

MANY FACTORSMORE IMPORTANT THAN HEATINGThe case studies showed that there are anumber of factors at least as important asheating in determining yield and economicgains from producing tomatoes in high tun-nels, as you can see in the accompanyingTable.

Annual cost of the structure and other produc-tion costs. Farm B had a much more expen-sive structure than Farm A. Even without thecost of the heating system and with equivalentyields, the annual tunnel cost/lb of fruit wouldhave been $0.06 at Farm A and $0.33 atFarm B.

The hourly wage at Farm B was 50% higherthan at Farm A. But interestingly, Farm B'soverall production costs per plant were lowerthan Farm A's, largely due to the much highernumber of hours worked at Farm A. Farm Areported spending three times as many min-utes per plant training and pruning than FarmB. The importance of labor efficiency out-weighed the importance of wage rate.

Varieties grown and cost of plants. Farm Bgrew both grape and beefsteak tomatoes in2006 and beefsteak tomatoes in 2007 whileFarm A grew beefsteak tomatoes both years.The beefsteak varieties grown were not thesame at the 2 farms. Farm A grew 'Geronimo'and Farm B grew "Buffalo" on grafted root-stock. Grafted plants are more vigorous butmay not yield as early as non-grafted plants.

Because Farm B has a permanent heatingsystem in place, the tunnel is not moved.After about 3 years of growing tomatoes in thesame soil, diseases build up enough toreduce yield by 50% or more. To cope withthis, Farm B used grafted tomatoes with a dis-ease-resistant rootstock at a cost of $2.30 perplant. Farm A's tunnel gets picked up andmoved to fresh soil every few years to avoidthe soil-born disease problems. Farm A onlypaid $1.00 per plant for their non-graftedseedlings.

Management . How the plants are managed -irrigation, fertilization, pest control - has a dra-matic difference on plant yield, and in thisstudy we did not track enough variables topinpoint exactly why Farm A has higher yieldsthan Farm B. Fertilization practices and pest

controls were different between the farms. Inaddition, Farm A packed their plants closertogether than Farm B (5 square feet per plantversus 7 square feet per plant, respectively).

Marketing and price. The average sale pricefrom the two farms was vastly different, andsale price was the single most important thingaffecting profitability in the two tunnels.Farmer A sold the tomatoes primarily at a pro-duce auction, with a few sold at his farm mar-ket, and ended up with a season long averageof $0.75/lb for their tomatoes. Farm B soldtheir tomatoes at farmers' markets and theirfarm stand, receiving an average price of$2.88/lb. Selling at the auction is quicker andrequires less time, but Farm A has no control

over the price they receive.

So, what is the answer on whether to heatyour high tunnel or not? Maximizing yourmarket, your labor efficiency, and your yieldswith the tunnels you have are a better firststep to increasing profits.

For more information on this project, contactMolly Shaw, South Central NY Ag Team Fruitand Vegetable Specialist at Tioga CountyCooperative Extension. She can be reachedat 607-687-4020 or meh39@cornell.edu.

Page 8 SMALL FARM QUARTERLY July 7, 2008

HORTICULTURE

The High Tunnel Question:To Heat or Not to Heat?Study suggests making the most from your unheated tunnel isa better first step to increasing profits

Adding heat to your high tunnel may not increase your yields or your profits.Photo by Judson Reid

Comparison of tomato production in 2 high tunnel operations

Farm A Farm BHeated Unheated

Area 4800 ft2 2880 ft2

Typical 1st harvest date early July Mid June

Last harvest date beginning Oct end Oct

Total yield/plant 18.5 lb 13 lb

Annual cost of heating system na $125 + $2000/yr for gas(no figures available for electricity

costs)

Annual cost of structure $0.20/ft2/year $0.85/ft2/year

Wage rate $10.00/hour $16.00/hour

Minutes/plant reported forstaking and pruning 25.8 7.5

Production costs/plant $8.00 $6.00

Average sale price $0.75 $2.88

GRAZING

Think About Stockpiling

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

By Martha Goodsell

Over the winter months, members of the NYSmall Farm Work Team on LivestockProcessing attended numerous conferences,meetings and workshops. You might have seenus at one of many grazing conferences, theSmall Farms Summit, the NYS Beef Producersmeeting, NOFA, PASA, the Farmer's DirectMarketing Association, or Grasstravaganza.Our objective was to gather answers to threequestions:

1. Are there slaughter, processing and/or regu-latory problems that make it difficult for you, orthe farmers you work with, to get product tomarket?

2. Currently 28 states have a state meatinspection program. NY is not one of them.The opportunity to allow state inspected meatsto cross state lines is being considered forinclusion in the new Farm Bill. How do yousee this change impacting your business andthat of other NY livestock farmers?

3. Slaughter and processing regulations andtheir legal interpretations can sometimes becomplex and confusing. Has this been yourexperience and has it affected your ability orconfidence to market your products?

We talked to many farmers and processors.The producers talked among themselves onthe livestockprocessing-L@cornell.edu listserv.We listened and we took notes. We capturedthe responses and formed a seven page

"assistance grid" with all the suggestions pro-vided.

Then we surveyed the listserv and team mem-bers and asked them to prioritize the mostimportant activities. We gave them 10 dots andasked them to mark those activities whichNYS should be doing. Then we gave them 10more dots (of another color) and asked themto mark those activities which the Team shouldbe working on.

We took the information from this prioritizingactivity and prepared a testimony to the NewYork State Council on Food Policy. Eight broadcategories were addressed:1. There is a need for more workers in theslaughtering and processing industry.2. There is a need for New York to providetechnical assistance and general outreach tothe farm and processing communities.3. There is a need for funding as FSA,IDA/LDC and conventional loans are often notavailable.4. There are barriers to moving product tomarkets.5. There are regulations that need clarification.6. The New York State Department ofAgriculture and Markets needs to join with oth-ers to lobby at the federal level in support ofNY farmers and processors for changes inexisting regulation.7. New York should assist their farmers andproducers in the global market place by takingaction.8. Finally, and most importantly, New YorkState should reinstate the Meat Inspection

Program or at least conduct a feasibility studyto determine whether state inspection is feasi-ble and if it is the best option to serve thegrowing NY small farmer and direct-marketinglivestock industry.

The recommendations provided on May 5 inRochester were extremely well received andwere forwarded on to NY Farm Bureau, andthe offices of Senator Katherine Young andAssemblyman William Magee. They were alsocirculated on the list serve and disseminatedamong many in other states working on similarissues.

We met with Clarence Davis, from NYSDAMFood Safety and Inspection who was filling infor John Arnold. We had a very productivemeeting. Davis shared his interest in standard-izing the regulatory interpretations made byfield staff, and discussed the costs and poten-tial benefits of a state inspected slaughter pro-gram.

The Team is currently jointly revising theFarmer's Guide to Direct Marketing Meat andPoultry and hopes to have version two onlineearly this summer. We have also created amaster list of slaughter houses and processingfacilities which, with cooperation from NYS-DAM, we are hoping to get on line. Numerousother suggestions for the team to work on willhave to wait until additional funding is secured.

More information about our Team's efforts,including the full testimony to the NYS Foodpolicy Council and the interview with ClarenceDavis, is available atwww.smallfarms.cornell.edu/pages/projects/livestockworkteam.cfm. Our thanks go out to allthose who assisted in our outreach, providedinput and supported our efforts.

Martha Goodsell raises Fallow deer in Candor,NY, and is a member of the NY LivestockProcessing Work Team. She can be reachedat 607-659-4635 ordeerfarm6@frontiernet.net.

Tackling the LivestockProcessing BottleneckAn update on the activities of the NY Small Farm Work Teamon Livestock Processing

July 7, 2008 SMALL FARM QUARTERLY Page 9

NON-DAIRY LIVESTOCK

By Renee Drexler

Although I have no intention of having a farmof my own, growing up on one was by far themost valuable experience I have had. My lifehas been filled with all of the wonders one canonly get from a small, diversified farm.

There were definitely phases that I wentthrough on the farm: the young child who onlywent to the barn to swing on the ropes in thehay mow, play with the kittens, and fall asleepon a hay bale in the manger until mom anddad were ready to go home; the miserableteenager who wanted nothing to do with thefarm and would rather do all of the housechores instead for the sole reason of avoidingthe farm; finally, the grown up college graduatewho looks back and realizes why she lives her

life the way she does and misses the realitythat comes with farming.

For most of my life my family milked around 70Holsteins, raised 40-60 sheep, contract-raised~100 heifers, and had the other "typical" farmanimals. On the side, we grew several thou-sand Christmas trees and my parents also rana farm-sitter service. Although much of this isstill the same, things started shifting inJanuary of 2002.

My parents purchased a small herd ofalpacas; an attempt to phase the milking herdout and alpacas in. Realizing that the kidswere leaving and wondering just how long theyreally wanted to milk cows instigated theswitch. Without hired help there is only somuch two people are really capable of! We

had the alpacas for a yearbefore my parents sold themilking herd. Being a smallfarm, each one had a name,and therefore the thought ofan auction was not even con-sidered.

The herd was sold a year anda half later as group as a start-up herd for a new farmer. Onewould think this change wouldfree up some time for my par-ents, but it seemed that quitethe opposite happened. Theyhave never been known to sitback and relax when givenfree time, and therefore, with-out the cows to milk, theremust be something else theycould be doing with the extratime.

The answer was agritourism.One of my parents' favoritethings to do is talk, so this was

a perfect fit for them. A few months after wesold the cows we opened a small alpaca shop,held an open house event, and away it went.Soon we were giving tours, engaging pre-school and elementary students in activities,and became a necessary stop for our commu-nity's visiting friends and relatives.

In May of 2004 we held our first ShearingFestival which has since been an increasinglysuccessful event, making the "Top Ten Thingsto do with your kids this summer" by the thirdyear. We have also become an event for theScience Horizons students who come andhelp with vaccinations. Altogether, the intro-duction of agritourism on our farm has broughtmore people and more happiness to the farmthan ever would have been possible before.

Since I left for college, the farm has added aselection of what I consider to be 'random' ani-mals. Although usually small, they seem toadd a unique twist to our farm experience.These additional "fun" animals have included:

peacocks, Akbash guard dogs, pigmy goats, allama, pot-belly pigs, and turkeys. My parentshave a knack for acquiring anything that has aheartbeat, including wild animals.

Looking back, I see an occasional lamb in dia-pers running around our house, bottle-feedingwhatever animal happened to be abandonedor neglected by its mother (from kittens toalpacas), and working alongside my entirefamily growing up. All of this means progres-sively more to me as I continue in life, makingme extremely grateful to have had such expe-riences. I may not have enjoyed it the wholetime, but I would not trade it for anything.

Renee Drexler is a recent graduate ofCornell's College of Agriculture and LifeScience, and helps out whenever she can onher family's farm in Fabius, NY. She can bereached at rcd29@cornell.edu . Ed and PaulieDrexler can be reached at (315) 683-5628 orspringsidefarm@aol.com. Or visit their websiteat springsidefarm.net.

Life on Springside FarmSMALL FARM SPOTLIGHT

Springside Farm’s main barn. Photo by Renee Drexler

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Page 10 SMALL FARM QUARTERLY July 7, 2008

By M. Kelly Young

With five acres or 500, there never seems tobe enough time to get everything done. Sobetween chores, caring for your land andspending time with your family, how do youfind enough time to be an advocate for yourfarm business?

Whether you are a long established farmer, abeginning farmer, or just thinking about turn-ing your pastime into a farm business, youdeserve a voice in the decisions that affectyour operation. But it's hard for one grower-especially a small one-to get noticed in thecacophony of voices crying out on all sidesof the complex state and national issues thatcan affect farming.

But that doesn't mean that you can't make adifference. Last year, when a farmer in north-ern New York noticed that the taxes on hisproperty were scheduled to increase a whop-ping 34 percent, he called the New YorkFarm Bureau to find out if anything could bedone.

By law, agricultural assessments are calcu-lated through a complicated formula eachyear. When that formula spit out a number for2007, a 200-acre farm-the average in NewYork-was scheduled for an additional $475on the tax bill.

So NYFB moved into action and organizedrepresentatives of the various state agen-cies, and even a few experts at CornellUniversity, to come up with a workable solu-tion to save farmers on ballooning taxes. Inthe end, NYFB helped construct and pass alaw that would allow ag assessments toincrease by no more than 10 percent annual-ly, saving the average farmer in the state$300 last year.

No other organization could have moved toaction as quickly and effectively as NYFB onthis issue and ultimately protected farmer'spocketbooks.

Here in New York, NY Farm Bureau is thelargest general farm organization in the stateand its members are involved in every kindof agricultural pursuit. Some are part-timefarmers who make their living in anotherindustry, while others have chosen farmingas their career. But they all share the desireto maintain financially and environmentallysound operations that contribute positively totheir communities.

With this agricultural diversity among itsmember families, Farm Bureau is proud tocall itself "The Voice of Agriculture."While you are working to make your farmprosperous, Farm Bureau is carrying thewater for farmers in your state capitol,and-as part of the American Farm BureauFederation-in Washington, D.C.

Who gets to decide what is good for farm-ers? Why farmers, of course! Farm Bureauemploys a "grassroots" system in developingits policy-the set of rules and ideas, so tospeak, that serve as a guideline in develop-ing, supporting, or opposing new laws or reg-ulations.

Any member can suggest a new idea. Thatidea can be presented to the County FarmBureau and if it is approved, it will go to theState Annual Meeting where delegates fromacross the state will debate the idea. Theywill either accept or vote down the proposal.Once approved, it becomes part of the orga-nization's policy and the state Farm Bureaustaff and lobbyists work to turn your idea intoa law, regulation or statement that supportsyou and your fellow farmers.

While influencing public policy is one of themost important functions of what NYFB doesfor its members, there are others.

Farms that are growing or transitioning tonew types of business often have questionsabout the best way to do this. Maybe thechange makes a farmer eligible for a certaintax exemption or will require him to follow a

new set of regulations. Farm Bureau staffcan help answer these questions and oftenprovides information sheets or seminars toassist farmers.

Farm Bureau also supports other agricultureorganizations that work directly with farmers.One of the best programs available is NYFarmNet, which provides a network of assis-tance to help farmers find solutions for theiroperations-whether that deals with financial,family or transition questions. NY FarmNetalso links retiring farmers with young andtransitioning farmers beginning their opera-tions through its FarmLink program. You canreach NY FarmNet at 1-800-547-FARM.

Farm Bureau recognizes the financial rigorsof operating a farm and through its memberservices department, offers financial savings.The organization provides WorkersCompensation coverage through SafetyGroup 486. This offers up-front discounts ofup to 25 percent and annual dividends aver-aged more than 33 percent over the last fiveyears.

NYFB members also receive members-only

rates on insurance products from Farm

Family Insurance Company; a $500 rebate

on the purchase of Dodge vehicles; 10%

savings on Grainger replacement parts and

supplies; discounts on prescription drugs,

contacts and glasses; and other special rates

and discounts.

Whether saving them money, bringing their

ideas to lawmakers, or stepping in against

changes that would negatively impact their

businesses, Farm Bureau works for its mem-

bers. To find contact information for your

state's Farm Bureau federation visit the

American Farm Bureau Federation at

www.fb.org.

Kelly Young is the Associate Director forCommunications for New York Farm Bureau.She can be reached at 518-431-5635 orkyoung@nyfb.org. For more information onNYFB's public policy agenda, member dis-counts or how to join, visit www.nyfb.org orcall 1-800-342-4143.

NEW FARMERS

Farm Bureau: A Key ResourceFor Beginning Farmers

Resource SpotlightNew Beginning Farmer Resource Center Website

"Where can I get a grant to start my farm? What tax benefits are there to farm-ing? What can I grow profitably on my land?" You can find answers to thesequestions and many more at the new NY Beginning Farmer website. The sitefeatures:* A forum for farmers to share information about farming in NY* Lessons you can work through to begin developing your farm plan* Frequently Asked Questions covering inquiries most often fielded byCooperative Extension educators * A list of people and agencies at the University, State, and Federal level thatexist to help farmers* An events calendar of relevant new farmer trainings around NY, including theBeginning Farmers Online Course* "Voices of Experience" - profiles and words of wisdom from successful farm-ers* The Guide to Farming in NY - fact sheets covering topics that every agricul-tural entrepreneur in NY needs to know

Visit the site at http://beginningfarmers.cce.cornell.edu. Please use the feed-back form at the bottom of the homepage to let us know what you think of thesite and if there is anything missing that you had hoped to find!

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July 7, 2008 SMALL FARM QUARTERLY Page 11

By Gerard Monnat

There is a growing concern these days aboutthe supply and price of food, not only in thiscountry, but worldwide, and rightly so. Severedroughts, floods, and rising fuel, fertilizer,and labor costs, have brought this concern toboth producers and consumers alike. Thereis much hand-ringing, news headlines, andgovernment conferences on what can orshould be done to avoid a continuing crisis.Where can we look for answers to this per-plexing problem?

All the advances in agriculture and food pro-duction would seem to make this problemmoot, but there are other forces, both politi-cal and economic, that are the root cause.The quick answer might seem to be, "justgrow more food." But the reality is that grow-ing more food will not solve the problem. Thereal answer is getting food to the people whoneed it.

The world's farmers, whether they are large,medium, or small operations, are growing

more food now that ever before; but thisincrease in agricultural production has notkept pace with population migrations. It takestoo much energy to get the food from thepoint of production to the point of consump-tion. This is why smaller farms, which candiversify their operation to produce for localand regional markets, will become moreviable.

This is not to say that larger farm operationsare of no value. On the contrary, larger farmscan produce specialized crops in the quanti-ties needed for commodity markets, such asfood canneries and processors. The smallerfarmers have an opportunity to supply farm-ers' markets, roadside stands, cooperatives,or even local grocery stores and restaurants.Locally grown foods, marketed locally, havesignificantly lower transportation costs. Thisis not some untested economic theory, this isthe reality of small scale, local farm to mar-ket practices.

There are many ways of tackling the farm-to-market challenge, but storage and distribu-

tion challenges must beaddressed to make itwork. Farmers can growthe food, but if appropri-ate storage is not avail-able, then the supply willbe only seasonal. Localand regional cold stor-age facilities are need-ed, ideally owned ormanaged by farmers asa cooperative or in part-nership with establishedfood processing facilitiessuch as canneries and

frozen food producers. This isjust one option in helpinglocal foods "farm-to-market"ideas work.

We also need coordinationamong local, state, andnational governments toshape agricultural and foodsafety policy that supportsfarm-to-market programs.This does not mean moregovernment subsidies, grants,or regulations. It simplymeans asking the governingauthority to discard outdated,unnecessarily obstructiverules and take a freshapproach, focusing on practi-cal solutions that make safelocal foods more widely avail-able to consumers.

The "world food supply crisis"-- as the news people call it --does not have to be. Theanswer is in getting food topeople in a reasonably costeffective, efficient, and appro-priately regulated manner.This can be done by produc-ers putting their headstogether, working with gov-ernment agencies and localmarkets, and most important-ly; growing the best, freshest,and healthiest crops theycan. Local farms and localmarkets, supplying food in anenergy efficient manner, arewhat will defuse the crisis.

Gerard Monnat works a smallfarm in Stockholm, N.Y., rais-ing fruits and vegetables, andis also a regular contributingwriter with The Empire StateFarmer newspaper. You canreach Gerard at (315) 265-0206 orgfmfarm@verizon.net.

COMMUNITY AND WORLD

Worldwide Food Crisis?Food For Thought! Local markets like the

Potsdam Food Co-opsupport local farmersand provide an alterna-tive to the “worldwidefood crisis.”

Photos by GerardMonnat

Page 12 SMALL FARM QUARTERLY July 7, 2008

By Kelly Stang

"The classes I took were extremely exciting,informative and have given me the tools I needto try something new. It's always encouragingand inspiring to speak to other women on out-door things."

"I had nothing but positive interaction with oth-ers. Everyone is so friendly and nice. This ismy first BOW workshop and I highly recommendit to everyone."

"This was an outstanding experience. The qual-ity of the instructors, their respect for their sub-ject, their desire to pass on knowledge, I justcan't say enough about the quality of the pro-gram and the instructors and participants I met.Outstanding!!"

"I gained the skills and learned the basics sothat I can now go out and do these things on myown."

“This and previous workshops have reallychanged my life. I participate in so many activi-ties that I never would have tried otherwise. Myhusband doesn't hunt or fish, so when I go outto do these things I'm alone, and the education Igot here gave me the start I needed to get goingand continue enjoying these activities.”

"This program fulfilled a life long yearning I havehad. Thank you."

"I had a great time, I learned a lot and reallyenjoyed myself. I would highly recommend thisprogram to any woman interested in learningmore about our great outdoors. I'm looking for-ward to going again next year; there are somany other things I would love to try. Withoutthese workshops I would never be able to tryout so many new things."

These are just a few of the many, fantastic com-ments we get after every Becoming anOutdoors-Woman (BOW) workshop. They arequotes from women just like you - women wholove the outdoors and want to participate inmore outdoor activities but lack the opportunityto learn new skills.

Becoming an Outdoors-Woman is a programthat teaches outdoor skills to women age 18and older. We run weekend long workshopsthat give women the opportunity to learn out-door skills in a fun, safe, encouraging and sup-portive environment.

Imagine yourself learning how to shoot a shot-gun, paddle a canoe, cook over an open fire, gocamping, use a bow, catch a fish, navigate withmap and compass, build a fire using flint andsteel, cast a fly rod, or hunt for deer. All theseclasses and more are offered at each BOWworkshop! Women who have participated in aBOW workshop also tell us that they learn a

whole lot more than outdoor skills. We oftenhear how these women feel empowered, moreconfident, more competent. Some say BOWhas changed their life!

Becoming an Outdoors-Woman is a nationalprogram that is now offering workshops in near-ly 40 states and several Canadian provinces.Here in the Northeast BOW workshops are cur-rently offered in Maine, New Hampshire,Vermont, Massachusetts and New York. Whilethe classes offered can vary from state to state,the basics of a BOW workshop remain thesame - learn new skills, enjoy the camaraderie

of like minded women, andhave fun! Most BOW workshops runfrom Friday afternoon toSunday afternoon. Generally20-40 different classes areoffered at each workshop andyou take four classes of yourchoosing. The evenings arefilled with interesting eveningactivities such as inspiringspeakers, camp fire songs ands'mores, BOW Olympics, out-door "fashion" shows andflashlight hikes. The womenwho attend BOW workshopsrange in age from late teens towell over 80. Scholarships areavailable for most workshops.

Many states now offer Beyond BOW events inaddition to the traditional, weekend long BOWworkshops. Beyond BOW events can beadvanced level classes for those who took abeginner class at a BOW workshop, a one day,single subject workshop, a skills and equip-ment tips seminar at an outdoor supply compa-ny or an actual camp out, canoe trip or hunt.Examples of some Northeast Beyond BOW'sinclude maple syrup production and woodlotmanagement, sea kayaking, snowshoeing,marine fishing and whale watch, a day at theshooting range and a women's deer hunt.

The National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF)has a program similar to BOW called Womenin the Outdoors. WITO also offers single tomulti-day outdoors skills workshops for women.The National Wild Turkey Federation offerswomen's events in all states throughout theyear, so you are certain to find just the rightworkshops.

If you would like more information on theBecoming an Outdoors-Woman or Women in theOutdoors programs, or would like to find outwhat events are planned for 2008, please con-tact any or all of the women below. Keep in mindthat every state offers something different fromall the rest so don't limit yourself to just thoseprograms in your home state. In addition, checkout the workshop locations in each state, youmay find that the workshop in a neighboringstate is closer to your home. If you live in a statewhere there are no BOW events please find onein a nearby state so you don't miss all the fun.Here in New York we often have women fromConnecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Vermontand Massachusetts become outdoors-women.

Kelly Stang is a wildlife biologist at the New YorkState Department of Environmental Conser-vation in Albany, NY and is a Becoming anOutdoors-Woman Coordinator. She can bereached at kjstang@gw.dec.state.ny.us or 518-402-8862.

WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE

Becoming an Outdoors-Woman

Archery is a popular class at a BOW workshop.

Women in the rifle class pose after a successful round of target shooting.Photos by Kelly Stang

It was her first time shooting a gun.

It was a great day to try kayaking.

Not bad for her first fish.

Resource SpotlightBecoming an Outdoors-Woman

Maine BOW - Emily Jones, emily.jones@maine.gov, 207-287-8069

Massachusetts BOW - Ellie Horwitz, ellie.horwitz@state.ma.us, 508-389-6300 x6305

New Hampshire BOW - Laura Ryder, lryder@wildlife.state.nh.us, 603-271-3212

New York BOW - Kelly Stang, kjstang@gw.dec.state.ny.us, 518-402-8862

Vermont BOW - Ann Shangraw,, ann.shangraw@state.vt.us, 802-241-3720

National Wild Turkey Federation/Women in the Outdoors Northeast - EmilyAlbright, emilynwtf@frontiernet.net, 315-839-6085

If you are interested in a workshop in one of the other 30 some states andprovinces, check out the National Becoming an Outdoors-Woman web site atwww.uwsp.edu/CNR/bow. Click on Find a Workshop Near You for informationand links to all the states and Canadian provinces offering BOW workshops.

For information about upcoming Women in the Outdoors events hosted by theNational Wild Turkey Federation, check out the women's link at www.nwtf.org.

By Martha Herbert Izzi

"Fresh, locally grown produce" took on new meaning this pastwinter when the Kilpatrick Family arrived at the Rutland winterfarmers' market in November. They wowed folks with fourteen dif-ferent winter vegetable varieties and an array of greens that keptcustomers coming back every week. The mesclun (salad mix) dis-play was particularly unusual and plentiful. And it consistently soldout every Saturday to increasingly faithful customers.

FRESH, LOCAL, ALL YEAR ROUNDOver their booth was a banner saying, "If we don't grow it, we don'tsell it." In short order the Kilpatricks had dispelled the notion that

year-round vegetable production in the cold north impossible. Infact, manager Michael Kilpatrick says he was "really surprised athow good it was," as sales averaged $600 to $700 a weekthroughout the twenty week winter season. And they came within$200 of their winter income at the Saratoga, NY farmers market,where they hade been selling for three years.

That the Kilpatrick family is able to grow vegetables year round inGranville, NY, is interesting in itself. That the producers are not theparents but the seven children ranging in age from eight to twen-ty-one, makes the story that much more interesting!

Until recently the eldest Kilpatrick, Philip, managed the farm withhis brother. But Philip has since left for school in Texas andMichael has assumed the full management responsibilities. IN arecent visit, Michael explained to me that the family is home-schooled, and that makes it possible to complete their academicwork and operate an extensive farm year-round. Oh, and all sevenKilpatricks are musicians as well.

By early May, their school work is completed and they can gear upfor the work involved in serving two summer farmers' markets (onein Queensbury, the other in Saratoga), plus five restaurants and alltheir CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) customers who payat the beginning of summer and collect their produce weekly.

"Mom and Dad aren't very involved in the farming operation," saysMichael. Dad is a medical doctor at the Mettowee Family HealthCenter and Mom does the horticulture and teaches the homeschool until seventh grade. Then Dad takes over and eachThursday on his day off he teaches math, science, literature andhistory. Mom, it would seem, barely gets out of the car for mealsas she chauffeurs various Kilpatricks to a litany of Kilpatrick musiclessons which include piano, violin, flute, trumpet, viola and cello.

IN THE BEGINNINGThe family farm story began in 1999 when the family moved toGranville from Westfield Massachusetts. Westfield land wasexpensive and although it is not certain that Michael and Philipenvisioned their current operation, they were clearly interested infarming (the family had always gardened) and their entrepreneur-ial juices were beginning to stir as well. They were, after all twelveand thirteen respectively.

The Kilpatricks bought a house on eight acres. "It was a perennialfarm with 4x40 beds with grass in between them," says Michael.Beyond the eight acres they rent over 100 acres and another eightfor vegetables. They also have goats for milk, three pigs andchickens.

BUDDING ENTREPRENEURSThe chickens meant the start of their retail lives in 2001. The boysbegan to sell eggs for $20 a week at what Michael calls "the 'pig-glywiggly' markets - a generic term we use to describe backwards,nobody-knows-what-they're-doing farmers markets."Enter Mom and Dad who said that the boys needed to pay for their

July 7, 2008 SMALL FARM QUARTERLY Page 13

SMALL FARM SPOTLIGHT

The KilpatrickFamily FarmGrowing year-round, selling locally,seeing profits

Michael Kilpatrick checks on an early crop of spinach undertwo layers of protection. Photos by Martha Herbert Izzi

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Putting up 100 bags of Mesclun for the Saratoga Market inearly May.

(Cont. on next page)

seeds. "We were picking tomatoes on June 1because we had grafted very expensive tomatoplants," Michael says. "The next year, 2002, wesaid 'let's do better'" and they increased theirmarket income to $700. "So then we put up a14x48 hoop house and put in peppers, tomatoesand more chickens for more eggs."

FINDING MENTORSThe boys began to look around to buy a rototiller."We didn't have a good one and this man's wasthe best 14 horsepower walking diesel tractor onthe market, it does 30 inches wide strips andweighs about 600 pounds." This man was oneEric Pillemer who was the first of two people tobecome very important mentors to the boys.

Pillemer is a Vermont grower with a mastersdegree in plant breeding from Cornell. Philip andMichael began to apprentice two days a week inthe spring and early summer of 2003. Pillemer"grew the best veggies," said Michael. "We gavehim good work and we ended up with $5,000 forthe season, plus the rototiller."

As Pillemer watched the two boys he began topoint them in the right directions. He questionedtheir goals and gave them spread sheets tobegin a crop plan. He advised them on the cropsto plant, on the crops that made money and theones that didn't. They learned that corn andpotatoes are the two least profitable vegetablesto grow because they are "space intensive." Heshowed them that they needed to gross "at least$35,000 an acre." And he showed them how togrow early greens and tomatoes.

Eric Pillemer, who Michael points out "is anintensely academic man," turned the boys "fromgardeners to growers." Later Pillemer went backto his first love as an oncologist. Today he ispracticing at Glens Falls Hospital.

Paul Arnold, a Glens Falls Market grower, wasthe second mentor to the boys. He and his wifeoperate Pleasant Valley Farm in Argyle, NYalong with their two children. They have been inbusiness for twenty years and have shared theirexperiences on running a successful farm withthe Kilpatricks.

FROM GARDENERS TO GROWERSBy 2004, the Kilpatricks had begun their year-round growing business and were now "CertifiedNaturally Grown" (see www.naturallygrown.org.)In time they intend to become certified organic.

They use four to five white high tunnels made ofsteel bows and greenhouse plastic held down bynylon rope. The tunnels can withstand aroundtwo feet of snow before they need to be cleanedoff. They use most of them in the spring and fallwhen the full array of vegetables is planted.They usually use only two tunnels in the winterand summer months.

They also have smaller hoophouses that areusually heated only by solar. But they will stick asalamander or reddyheater in on really coolnights. "We move the hoophouses all the timebecause we never want to wait for the crop to fin-ish up," says Michael. They never move the tun-nels, or big houses as they call them. As a resultthere is some disease buildup in the big houses,so they have switched to grafted tomatoes. Theygrow seven to ten crops in the hoophouses,mostly greens. Six to eight winter vegetables arekept in cold storage during the winter, mostlybeets, carrots, turnips and potatoes.

THE CHALLENGES OF WINTER GROWING When asked why more growers aren't doing this,Michael says, "Year-round growing requires acommitment that most growers don't want to

make. Winter growth is tough on plants," he says"so we treat soils well, compost heavily, give soila heavy dose of nutrients, and we don't till whenthe soil is wet." Essentially the growing seasonends on or about December 15 and doesn'tresume until the end of February and by the endof March, according to Michael, "it takes off."

The critical issue for year-round vegetable grow-ing is soil health and heavy composting is vital.Michael uses a Pennsylvania company for theirorganic soil amendments such as aragonite androck powders.

Picking and packing the vegetables in winter is adicey, labor-intensive system that relies on theright timing and the right temperature. To keepthe vegetables from freezing they must be har-vested when it is above thirty two degrees.Once they are picked, they go into a washingshed that is heated. Then they go to a cooler thatis set at 34-36 degrees.

Then there is the challenge to keep them fromfreezing as they are transferred to the trucks forthe winter market destinations. The Rutland andSaratoga trucks have propane burners in theback of them and Michael and his crew may alsoturn on one of the reddy heaters for ten minutesor so before they leave and then shut the door.

NEW IDEAS, NEW TECHNOLOGIESAs each year passes, Michael's knowledgeexpands and he applies more advanced technol-ogy to achieve economies and efficiencies. He ishoping to use only wood next year and that sys-

tem will cost $15,000 to $17,000 to install. It willbe a fifty gallon oil unit to start the wood system.The system will consist of a high efficiency woodburner, piping to the greenhouse ground tubes(black polypipe laid one foot down in the green-house two feet apart.) He notes that they willprobably burn ten to fifteen cords of wood to heatfour to five greenhouses.

Michael does hire outside help to augment thefamily workers. During my visit in early Maythere were six or seven workers putting up 100bags of Mesclun in advance of the SaratogaMarket, which was opening the next day. These

workers included Dr. Pillemer's son Andrew, whowill work at the farm until he leaves for a comput-er career.

For the summer season there are five full-timepeople and a lot of part-timers under sixteen whocan work up to five hours a day. Michael alsoemploys a bookkeeper to track his market,restaurant and CSA income and expenses.Interestingly, he says that October andNovember "are the two busiest months of theyear," because the summer labor pool has leftand there is still so much work, especially withthe root crops to get ready for the winter mar-kets.

It takes very little time to see why more peopleare not growing year-round in this climate.Michael repeats that most growers don't want tomake that commitment and they don't want to trynew technologies.

THE FUTURELeaving the Kilpatrick Family Farm I see rows oftomato plants growing for the summer markets.They were seeded in April and the first crop willbe for sale on June 1. The plants are tall andhealthy. The lettuces are growing. Seedlings areeverywhere. The energy is palpable. In all, thirtyfive crops will be for sale this summer. AndMichael hopes to add the Rutland summer mar-ket to his roster next year.

He imagines "another couple of years inGranville," and then possibly a move southwhere it is warmer. But then he might buy somemore land in Granville. Then there's Vergennes,VT. He likes that place too. What is certain isthat he is committed to organic, sustainablefarming and that this is his "life's work." And it issecond only to his real passion and that's log-ging, and being in the woods.

But for now, he is getting ready for a busy sum-mer season, and the Saratoga and Queensburymarkets will demand all of his attention and con-siderable energy.

Martha Herbert Izzi raises Tunis sheep andAlpine goats at Bel Lana Farm in Shrewsbury,Vermont. She can be reached at 802-492-3346or mhizzi@yahoo.com. You can reach MichaelKilpatrick at Michael@KilpatrickFamilyFarm, orvisit www.KilpatrickFamilyFarm.com.

Page 14 SMALL FARM QUARTERLY July 7, 2008

Kilpatrick family and helpers work in the “big house” in early May. In the background are toma-toes to be marketed starting June 1.

The Kilpatrick Family Farm(Cont. from previous page)

"People don’t want tochange, whereas kids areyoung and they are not tiedto old traditions."

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By Jodi Creasap

Imagine yourself standing at the top of a rolling hill, admiring thebeautiful, perfectly aligned rows of lusciously green grapevines fol-lowing the undulations of the hillside until they end near the structurethat houses the product of those vines: fine wine.

Now, imagine you are scouting for diseases or pests on a hot, humidsummer day, or pruning vines on a cold and grey late winter day, orscrubbing the building floors and winery tanks until they shine.For many, the idea of planting a vineyard and possibly opening a win-ery holds a heady romanticism. A lot of work goes into planning avineyard, and even more is necessary for establishing a winery, andthat is without even thinking about the effort that goes into doing theactual planting and building!

There's a reason for the aphorism: "If you want to make a small for-tune in the wine business, start out with a large one." Luckily, thereis plenty of help to be found.

QUESTIONS TO PONDERSome soul searching is required before starting any new endeavor,especially a new vineyard and winery in the Northeastern UnitedStates. Here are a few starting subjects to ponder.

It certainly is a business decision and should be viewed as such.Start with the economics of your region and contact a local farmbusiness management specialist who might be able to answer ques-tions regarding profit potential, risks, and marketing options. Yourcounty cooperative extension office should be able to answer thesequestions. Development of a business plan is an important first step,and an example can be found online from Dr. Gerald White of CornellUniversity or from Texas A&M University (see Resource Spotlight).

Do you have a market for your fruit? Is a winery in your future? Or,do you plan to sell your fruit to a local winery? Regardless, the wine-maker has a vested interest in the vineyard, its maintenance, andfruit quality. In the end, it behooves everyone involved to producehigh quality fruit to be made into high quality wine. You can makehorrible wine from good grapes, but you can never make a goodwine from horrible grapes.

In cold climate viticulture, it is essential to have a good site with airand water drainage. This may not be the land that you have alreadypurchased or the land that you happen to have available to you. Doyou have even a little slope? Are there many trees nearby? Cuttinga couple of acres of forest and plopping a vineyard in the middle ofthose trees is not a good strategy for success. You'll end up spend-ing more money in disease control and replants than you'll comeclose to making, even if it is a high-value variety.

Once you have a market and a site, you can consider variety selec-tion. Of course, your market and site will often dictate the variety(ies)you decide to plant. Check with experts in your area, as well as localwineries and wine grape growers to determine the demand for cer-tain grapes. For example, in the Finger Lakes in 2007, there was aglut of Cabernet Franc, while almost all of the Riesling went from thevineyard directly to the crushpad - a good thing for those who spe-cialize in Riesling wines!

Do you want to sell wine or the whole experience? Some winerieshire marketing firms, while others rely on their own advertising andmarketing savvy to sell their wines and/or their vineyard experience.Destination wineries have become increasingly popular, hostingevents ranging from "Dinner with the Winemaker" evenings to wed-dings, receptions, bridal showers, family reunions, and more.

Cold climate viticulture is tricky and time-consuming.You'll need toconsider vineyard nutrition management, irrigation, and disease andinsect management. Are you going to attempt organic production?While it is certainly challenging here in the Northeast, it has beendone. A relatively new management system is "sustainable viticul-ture," the practice of integrating multiple facets of management pro-grams in an effort to reduce the need for chemical sprays and tomaximize the efficacy of these treatments.

Are there sources of funds that can help you? Value-Added ProducerGrants from the USDA may fund the addition of a winery to a vine-yard to increase the value of the agricultural commodity grown on theland.

FINDING INFORMATION AND TRAININGViticulture (grape-growing) and enology (wine-making) research andextension programs are working hard to answer the needs of theirwine grape growers and winery owners. Many universities andExtension programs provide materials, websites, workshops, andresources for growers or potential growers. A few - such as UC Davisand Washington State University - offer certification programs, work-shops, and short courses for wine grape growers and wine makersalike. Cornell University provides a Viticulture and Enology major forundergraduate studies.

These programs promote education for many ages, including adultsand students. Trade journals and professional societies are a goodway to learn what other growers and winemakers think and theimportant issues in the industry.

Jodi Creasap is a Viticulture Extension Associate at the Lake ErieRegional Grape Program] in Fredonia, NY. She can be reached at(716) 672-2191 or jec53@cornell.edu.

HORTICULTURE

So, You Want toStart a Vineyard and Winery?What to do before you buy the first acre or plant the first vine

July 7, 2008 SMALL FARM QUARTERLY Page 15

Site Selection. The slope in this vineyard provides adequateair and water drainage. Proximity to one of the Great Lakesprovides the advantage of lake effect weather conditions. Alsonote the proper removal of pruning material from the vineyard.

Photo by Tim Weigle

Resource SpotlightViticulture and Enology Resources

Websites

Cornell University Enology and Viticulture Programwww.grapesandwine.cals.cornell.edu

Dr. Bruce Reisch's Grapevine Breeding Programwww.nysaes.cornell.edu/hort/faculty/reisch/grapeinfo.html#grower

Dr. Reisch's and the late Dr. Pool's Wine and JuiceGrape Varieties for Cool Climateswww.nysaes.cornell.edu/hort/faculty/reisch/bulletin/wine

Cornell University IPM Grapes Pagewww.fruit.cornell.edu/grapes.html

Penn State University Viticulturehttp://winegrape.cas.psu.edu

University of Vermont Viticulture Webpagehttp://pss.uvm.edu/grape/Links

USDA Value Added Producer Grantshttp://www.rurdev.usda.gov/GA/vadg.htm

Trade Journals and Professional Societies

Wines and Vineswww.winesandvines.com

Practical Winery and Vineyardwww.practicalwinery.com

American Journal of Enology and Viticulturewww.ajevonline.org

American Wine Societywww.americanwinesociety.org/web/welcome.htm

Certificate Programs

Washington State University 2-Year Certificate Programhttp://winegrapes.wsu.edu/certificates.html

University of California at Davis Online CertificateProgramhttp://extension.ucdavis.edu/unit/winemaking/certifi-cate/winemaking%5Ffor%5Fonline%5Flearners

Rt. 20, Sharon Springs, NY • (800) 887-1872 or (518) 284-23461175 Hoosick St. Troy, NY • (518) 279-9709

Extension Meetings. Grower participation is essential to makea great extension program. Photo by Tim Weigle

Site Preparation. Proper weed management and tillage of landneeds to occur a full year prior to planting grapes.

Photo by Dr. Jodi Creasap

By Ulf Kintzel

Lambing season is most likely the busiest sea-son for any sheep farmer. This is the time whena lot of money can be made or lost. The per-centage of raised lambs per ewe is one of the,if not THE most important economic figure in asheep operation that raises market lambs.

LAMBING ON PASTUREOne of the issues being discussed these daysis when to let the sheep lamb. Many sheepfarmers have let their sheep lamb in the winterin the barn in order to serve the Easter market.However, many have found it difficult to dealwith harsh weather and the limited room in thebarn. More and more promote lambing on pas-ture. Having experience with lambing on pas-ture for many years I can attest to it that this isthe easiest way of lambing.

Usually, the weather in late April and early Mayis favorable. But this is not the only fact thatmatters. One can offer a lot more room to aflock of sheep that is on pasture. Most experi-enced sheep like to separate themselves fromthe flock when it is time for them to give birth.A ewe that has walked away from the flock inorder to lamb is a lot less likely to lose one ofher lambs while she is giving birth to the next.That means there are far fewer lambs that arebeing rejected.

Once one or more ewes have given birth Idrive out with my trailer and collect those thathave lambed. I pick up the lamb(s) by the frontleg, walk slowly backwards and have the ewefollow right into the trailer. I always take alllambs of a ewe at the same time. You can't justtake one and expect the ewe to follow.

If I load several sheep with newborn lambs Iuse a twist marker to temporarily identify thelambs and their mothers with matching mark-ings i.e. a mark on the left ear or on the noseor on the neck etc. Then I bring them to thebarn where I have jugs as well as group set-tings prepared.

BACK INTO THE BARN FOR PROCESSINGAfter unloading all sheep in one group setting I"process" each ewe with her lamb(s) in a jug.All needed utensils are in a flat back bucket,hanging on the side of the barn wall out of theewe's reach. I spray paint the tag number ofthe ewe on the left hand side of her body andhave the same number on the body of each ofher lambs. If it is a single lamb I spray the num-ber 1 on the opposite (right) side, if it is a tripletI spray the number 3 on the opposite side.Lambs without a number on the opposite sideare assumed to be twins. Since this is the greatmajority of my lambs I chose those lambs to beunmarked to save spray.

I also castrate the market lambs and dock thetails of the ewe lambs on day one. I use rubberrings. My reasons are three fold. First, it is con-venient because the lamb is already in myhands. Secondly, I believe that the pain of cas-tration and docking tails is the least on dayone. Thirdly, early castration and tail dockinghelps avoid complications such as infections,fly strike and tetanus.

At this time I also tag my female lambs as wellas the male lambs that I leave intact to be soldlater to customers for breeding purpose.Females are tagged in the right ear and ramlambs are tagged in the left ear. I use Premier'sMiniTags. They have caused me the least prob-lems. These are my Mandatory Scrapie tags aswell. The cost is $.50 per tag. I have a numbercode, the first number of the tag indicates theyear it was born i.e. the tag number 8123 saysthe ewe lamb was born in 2008.

If I haven't gotten around to clipping hooves,de-worming and vaccinating against enterotox-aemia, I will do all that while the ewe is in thejug as well but I prefer doing this just before theonset of lambing season. A ewe that raiseslambs is the most susceptible to worm pres-sure. De-worming is critical at that time.

ENSURING MATERNAL BONDINGAfter handling the ewes and their lambs I putewes with twins and triplets in individual jugsfor about a day or less for bonding purposes.Ewes with single lambs are put immediatelyinto a group. Ewes with twins are put into thesame group after they have spent their time inthe jug. However, ewes with triplets are put intoa separate group for another two or three dayssince it takes a ewe a while longer to count tothree than it does take her counting to two.

Any orphan lamb or lamb that cannot be raisedby a ewe is given a new mother, usually asheep that has a single lamb that can easilyraise two. I made myself headlocks from ply-wood that I use to graft the lamb to the newmother. I avoid using a ewe that has lambedbefore I have a lamb to be grafted since thatewe already knows how many lambs she has

and will be a more difficult candidate for adopt-ing a lamb. Ideal is a sheep that lambs the dayI need her. However, it doesn't always work outthat way.

The ewe will spend three days in the headlockand will then be released. If she hasn't adoptedthe lamb yet she goes back into the headlock.This method has worked for me almost 100percent. Using a headlock saves money sincethere is no need for milk replacer or any sort ofbottle feeding. It also requires the least amountof patience, something I have in short supplyduring lambing season.

WHAT ABOUT MARCH LAMBING?Some sheep farmers have a need for lambs atdifferent times of the year in order to satisfysteady customers throughout the year. I toohave some of my ewes lamb in March for thatreason. Those ewes are separated from theflock just before lambing and are put in thebarn. As the flock lambs I subdivide the spacethese sheep occupy and have one group thathas yet to lamb and one group that haslambed.

It is important to know that one should only mixewes with new born lambs with a group thathas lambs that are up to a week or ten daysold. Older lambs already show different behav-iors such as forming groups to play. The younglambs will join, but may then have problemsfinding their mothers.

Once you have a group of older lambs I advisecreating a third group for the ewes with theyoungest lambs, age one day through aboutseven days, in which these sheep spend a fewdays before they are added to the group withthe older lambs. The same applies for pasturelambing. There should be always a paddockreserved for the youngest group before theywill join the rest of the flock again.

NO GRAIN FEDI feed my ewes that lamb in March good qualityfirst cutting hay in round bale feeders madefrom livestock panels. Since there isn't enoughfeeding space for all ewes to eat at the sametime I always make sure that the feeders arenever empty. If I were to allow the ewes to eatall the hay before I refill the feeders I run therisk that lambs get caught between feeder andewes that are desperate to get to the hay.

Since first cutting hay does not quite meet thenutritional needs of the ewes, once a day I addsecond or third cutting hay that I buy in smallbales. I simply distribute the layers of a smallbale evenly in the barn or pasture that all ewescan feed at the same time. I supply anywherebetween one and two pounds per ewe per daythat way.

For the lambs I supply the same fancy hay in acreep feeder. However, the feeder for the lambsis always full so that the lambs can eat asmuch hay they want whenever they want. I donot fed grain to either the ewes or the lambs.

Of course, minerals are important when ewesnurse. A lot of minerals are leaving the ewethrough her milk. I always offer free choicesheep minerals but I add one third of salt tothese minerals to reduce intake.

CULLING AND RECORDKEEPINGLambing season is a good time to mark ewesfor culling. Any ewe that doesn't have enoughmilk to raise her lambs should be culled. Ifmaternal instincts are lacking and the ewedoesn't care for her lambs she should beculled. Any behavior that you think makes yourlambing season more difficult can be a reasonto cull a ewe.

There is one exception. When a lamb is notpositioned correctly when the ewe gives birthand the lambing difficulties are due to this posi-tion such as front legs are back, head is twist-ed back, breech position etc. I would not cullthis ewe since this is not a genetic defect andjust plain bad luck.

I write down all information that I can gatherduring lambing season such as tag number ofthe ewe, number of lambs that are born, gen-der of lambs, lambs that are born dead, tagnumber of female lambs and any fact thatsticks out i.e. ewe rejected one lamb. This way Ikeep track which ewes are productive andwhich aren't.

In summary, I try to make lambing as non-laborintensive as it can be. I want easy lambingsheep with good maternal instincts and I wantany animal to spend as little time in the barn aspossible. After all this is said and done, lamb-ing will still be the busiest time of the year.

Ulf Kintzel owns and manages White CloverSheep Farm (www.whitecloversheepfarm.com)in Rushville, NY where he breeds White Dorpersheep.

Page 16 SMALL FARM QUARTERLY July 7, 2008

NON-DAIRY LIVESTOCK

Managing The Lambing SeasonOne sheep farmer describes his system for lambing on pasturethen “processing” ewes and lambs in the barn

Ewes with twins or triplets are put into a jug (small pen) for bonding.

Orphan lambs are “grafted” to a new mother by restraining the mother in a grafting panel (rearview, and front view).

Lambs are fed second or third cutting hay in a creep feeder, while their moms get mostly firstcutting hay from a round bale.

By Jennifer Colby

Last winter's Vermont Grazing Conference focusedon the theme of developing creative land use rela-tionships -- outside of strict land ownership -- tosupport successful grazing operations.

Often a farmer is identified by the number of acress/he owns, rather than the acres managed. Thatperspective has led to a belief that, in order to farmsuccessfully, you have to take on a lot of debt topurchase land. That debt load can be overwhelm-ing, especially for a beginning farmer. Fortunatelythere are some creative alternatives to owningyour own farmland.

THE GREG JUDY EXAMPLEMissouri grazier Greg Judy has become a well-known advocate for farming other people's land.Judy developed a system to rotationally graze con-tract steers on leased land, thereby removing hisland ownership costs and risks. It also removes thecosts and risks of owning the animals, includingbank financing costs and fluctuating market prices.

By removing the largest components of his up-front cash outlay, Judy has been able to concen-trate his investments into water and fencing sys-tems, and get paid primarily for the quality of hisrotational grazing management. Judy's farm is anexcellent example of a win-win-win situation:* he is using animals to improve the land of non-farming or absentee land owners, who greatlyappreciate the land's transformation back to green,productive acres;* The owners of his stocker cattle receive fat,happy steers back at the end of the summer with-

out the personal investment of time to managethem, paying Judy by the pound of gain and thedays of management; and finally * Judy himself has been paid well for his time andexperience without the risks associated with a highdebt load, at a land cost of hundreds rather thanthousands of dollars.

Greg Judy emphasizes that he works very hard onbuilding good relationships with land and animalowners. He tries to be realistic about what may ormay not be accomplished in each particular situa-

tion. He lets the land/animal owner know wheneverthere are any problems, however uncomfortablethat may be, and he establishes every relationshipthrough a clear, simple, straightforward contract.

Judy's system has clearly been a success; in lessthan four years he paid off the mortgages on hisown land and house, all while maintaining his fulltime job. He serves as a terrific example toNortheast farmers struggling with high land valuesin a place where second homeownership andunused land are common.

Conference attendees noted that Greg Judy wasan inspirational speaker and example, but somequestioned whether his methods would work in thecolder climate of Vermont and the Northeast. Atleast we can be sure that a creative approach iswhat we are seeking. Judy's creative approach ledhim to high density and multi-species grazing of

beef, sheep, goats, and swine on rented andleased land. We can take ideas like Judy's andadapt them to work in our own farm situations.

Successful land management requires a mixture ofideas, inspiration, practical suggestions for ourfarms, reconnection with our friends and farmingcomrades, and the ability to find the best balancefor our own lives. As we are starting to see acrossthe country, farming success is not necessarilymeasured by the amount of land you own!

Jenn Colby is Outreach Coordinator with theVermont Pasture Network program at theUniversity of Vermont Center for SustainableAgriculture in Colchester, VT. She can be reachedat 802-656-0858 or jcolby@uvm.edu. She alsoraises pork and poultry at Howling Wolf Farm inEast Randolph, VT, and through a shared landarrangement in Randolph Center, VT.

GRAZING

Focus On Managing Land,Not Owning It

July 7, 2008 SMALL FARM QUARTERLY Page 17

Creativity on all sides: 100% grass-fed cattle graze forage crops in mid November on leased landin Richmond, VT. Photo by Jennifer Colby

Resource SpotlightCenter for AbsenteeLandowners

Are you a farmer or an aspiring farmerwho'd like to make productive use ofsomebody else's land? The Center forAbsentee Landowners has information,sample leases, planning checklists, andother resources for landowners to helpthem conserve their farmland and/ormake it available to farmers. You caneducate yourself and provide valuableinformation to landowners by visiting theCenter's website at http://www.absentee-landowners.org. Resources are availablefor both the absentee landowner andfarmers who would like to utilize the land.

By Thomas Bjorkman

Northeast vegetable growers have a new toolavailable to make it easy to select a covercrop. It's challenging to keep track of whichcover crops are good for various situations.Even growers who want to try a new covercrop find they don't have time to researchthem when the opportunity to use one aris-es. The new decision tool will speed thatprocess.

If you have an idea of why you need a covercrop and a particular window in the rotation,you should be able to enter those goals andcome away with growing instructions in lessthan five minutes.

I developed this tool with the help of manycolleagues with cover crop expertise usingfunding from the New York Farm ViabilityInstitute. The tool is designed to complementthe new Cornell Soil Health Test, so thatgrowers whose prescription is to use a covercrop can fill that prescription easily.

The tool uses the information growers aremost likely to have in hand. Usually, you have

a particular management objective, whetherfrom the soil health test or your own obser-vations. There is usually also a time duringthe season when there is an opportunity toput a cover crop between cash crops.

The first step in using the tool is to enter oneor more of the three criteria: Managementgoal, Planting time, and Duration. Clicking"Search" quickly brings up the main candi-dates and some key information to helpchoose. These searches are fast enough

that it's easy totweak the criteria and search again to seewhat comes up.

The second step it to look at the candidatecover crops to see whether they are compati-ble with the existing rotation, whether theprice is appropriate, whether the necessaryequipment is on the farm, and similar decid-ing factors. Simply clicking on the name ofthe cover crop brings up the productioninstructions.

The third step is to review the productioninstructions. Most run about a page andinclude where to buy seed, how to plant,

when to terminate the crop and how. It alsohas some of the tricks that experiencedhands have passed on. A click on the covercrop name on this page brings up a PDF filethat can be printed out.

We have made the instructions as completeas we can, so that each step can be carriedout reliably by any reasonably experiencedfarmer. To keep the instruction to the point,they contain neither general information norresearch results. There are other publicationsthat provide such information, in particularthe new Third Edition of Managing CoverCrops Profitably (available from theSustainable Agriculture Research andEducation Program, 301-374-9696 or onlineat www.sare.org/publications/order.htm.)

As an example, a grower might be interestedin reducing surface hardness in a field to beharvested in mid-August. The search turnsup two hits, Forage Turnip and Hairy Vetch.Since this field had cabbage in it the previ-ous year, the turnips are rejected becausethat's too soon to plant another crucifer.Hairy Vetch will not only help with surfacehardness, but will also fix nitrogen and sup-press spring weeds.

Going to the instructions, the pagedescribes: 1) the key factors in land prepara-tion (break compaction, have adequate Pand K); 2) the seeding rates of hairy vetch

and an oats or rye nurse crop to reduce rootrot pressure; 3) the late August throughSeptember planting window; and 4) the ter-mination by mowing or incorporating in lateMay when the vetch flowers.

Not every combination of management goaland time results in a hit. The cover cropsincluded in the tool are only those that arereadily available and relatively inexpensive.Nevertheless, there are cover crops availablefor any time of the year. There are those thatare best raised for a year or so, to those thatare done in a bit over a month.

A substantial number of management goalsare included. Some, such as increasingorganic matter, can be met by many covercrops, others, like suppressing verticillium,

are met only by one cover crop. The tool willbe expanded as current research projectsyield more results.

The online decision tool can be accessed athttp://miniurl.org/nycctool. This is a shortcutto the relevant page on the Cornell vegetablecover crop site(www.nysaes.cornell.edu/hort/faculty/bjork-man/covercrops).-- Thomas Björkman is an Associate Professorof Vegetable Crop Physiology in theDepartment of Horticultural Sciences,Cornell University.

COWS AND CROPS

Selecting the Right Crop CoverNew online decision tool makes choosing a cover crop fastand easy

Winter cover crops should be chosen based on spring manage-ment goals. For instance, fall-sown grains look very different inthe spring. By late April, Rye is tall with lots of biomass.

It will take work to incoporate, and time for the biomass tobreak down. Wheat is short, and won’t be ready to kill for acouple of weeks.

Oats are dead and the field is ready to prepare for planting; ifit is ignored, weeds will soon grow.

By Fiona Farrel

Horses are an integral part of the northeast's quilt of small farms.NY equine revenues in 2005 topped $445 million while dairy gen-erated $1.91 billion. Our equine industry had an economic impactin 2005 of $2.1 billion, including value added economic impact of$717 million. 3,070,000 NY acres are in equine related usage. InPennsylvania horses keep 1,140,000 millions of open space work-ing.

Equine small farms are wonderfully diverse. Most horse farmskeep their horses for recreational or personal use. Other types offarms include racehorse retirement farms, correctional facilitiesusing horses for rehabilitation and vocational training, rescuehorse foster farms, lay-up and rehab farms, show and performancehorse training farms, equine assisted psycho-therapy and thera-peutic riding farms, equine logging operations, as well as the morefamiliar riding schools, boarding stables and breeding farms.

In 2004 the national equine industry operated at a 240% loss. Inother words, most of the industry is driven by recreational andpleasure uses. In NY nearly two thirds of operations are recre-ational or pleasure based, and two thirds of equine ag industryrevenues are service based. Services can include: boarding,sales preparation, trail riding, equine judging, guest farms, ridinglessons and clinics, training and conditioning horses, therapeuticriding, and, competitions from horse shows to rodeos and racing.

Equine farms fall into three overlapping categories: farms wherehorses are the commodity produced; farms where other ag com-modities are produced to support horses; and service based oper-ations, many of which do not resemble the traditional concept of"farm." Complementing these three types of horse farms are thenumerous types of service providers and product purveyorsspawned by the horse industry, for instance, farriers, veterinarians,tack shops and saddlers.

GROWING HORSESEquine commodity agriculture in the northeast primarily consists ofraising young horses for Standardbred harness racing and forThoroughbred flat track racing. In NY 41 percent of breeding stockconsists of racehorse breeds. Horses bred for racing go on tomany other careers. Horses tattooed for racing have secondcareers as 4-H project horses, barrel racers, show jumpers, poloponies, event horses, trail horses, buggy horses, competitive driv-ing horses, dressage horses and as beloved companions.

Recently the northeast has also seen a rise in breeding ponies,miniature horses and donkeys.

Racehorse breeding is fueled, among other things by breeders'awards programs that enhance purse earnings. NY breedingawards for Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds started in the 1970sto promote horse farming as a means of keeping green space pro-ductive when NY was facing a wave of failing dairy farms.

Many present day horse farms across the northeast owe much tothe barns, pastures, fencing and stewardship of dairy and otherfarmers who owned the locations where horses now thrive. InNew Jersey 24% of present horse farms used to be cattle, dairy,poultry or other livestock facilities, 13% were in field crops, fruits orvegetables and 18 % were used for other traditional agriculturalactivities.

Similar award programs exist in New Jersey, Pennsylvania,Massachusetts and other states. Recently many of these pro-grams have grown with increases in purses from gaming at race-tracks. For instance, in 2007 over $20 million were awarded to NYbred Standardbred and Thoroughbred horses in the form of purseenhancements, purses, breeders' awards and stallion awards. Thenortheast's horses have benefited from over 30 years of equineveterinary research at Cornell Veterinary College paid for by theZweig Fund which itself is funded by NY racing generated rev-enues.

In absence of support from the USDA, state breeding incentiveprograms have played a vital role in growing equine agriculture. Tooversimplify a complex picture, many states have laws that consid-er horses as livestock. However, after World War II, the USDAdoes not consider horses livestock or agricultural unless they areused in the production of food or fiber - think ranch horse herdingbeef cattle.

Federal funding has shaped the development of many states'departments of agriculture. As a result, despite legal definitions,horses have generally been off the radar screen for state agricul-ture policy, funding and research. USDA programs embedded instate ag departments such as the National Agricultural StatisticsService do not perform equine specific surveys unless promptedby strong local equine industries such as occurred in the northeastin NY, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

GROWING FEED AND BEDDINGGrowing horses, donkeys or ponies isn't the only equine-relatedproduction agriculture carried out on the northeast's small farms.Many small farms produce the hay, straw and grain used by hors-es.

In 2003, nearly one quarter of Pennsylvania's 31,000 horse opera-tions stood on less than five acres of land. Small equine opera-tions such as these rarely produce their own hay and dependheavily on other farms to produce the commodities they need.Horse people -- whether they're owners of one or two ponies in aremote rural or semi-suburban backyard, or professional managersof hundreds of broodmares -- have definite ideas of what theywant in hay.

Riding horse owners generally prefer grass based hays such asorchard grass, timothy and brome mixes. Racehorse breedersand trainers generally prefer alfalfa for broodmares and sucklingfoals and horses in race training; at other times during the gesta-tion, growing cycles, and lay-ups they tend to prefer alfalfa mixedwith grasses.

Clean well dried hay and straw is at a premium in the equine mar-ket. Straw for bedding tends to be favored by breeders and race-track operators and by European trained farm managers. Horses'respiratory or reproductive systems can be four to five times assusceptible as cows to adverse effects of molds and fungi. Whenmycotoxins abort a pregnancy or dust irritation damages a per-formance horse's wind huge drops in value occur.

Wheat straw is the favored type of straw for the horse market. Ryestraw is frowned upon due to its tendency to harbor dangerousendophytes. Oat straw may be too benign as many horses find itextremely palatable and most horseowners prefer to see externalpadding on a stall floor rather than having the horse get unduly fat.

Farmers who can provide nutritional analyses of their hay can cre-ate a marketing niche for themselves with the more educatedequine operator. By having easy access to a baseline set of data

the farm manager can better plan a nutritional program. Propernutrition can have a lasting beneficial impact in the healthy devel-opment of bone and other systems in a foal and growing horse orhelp prevent the age and obesity related diseases to which horsesare increasingly falling prey.

Reed canary grass is a crop that horse farmers either love to hateor are proud to love. Those who shun it do so because they find itextremely invasive. Reed canary can over run grasses andlegumes preferred for forage and in so doing destroy crop diversi-ty. Many swear that their horses find reed canary unpalatable.

The fans of reed canary sing its praises because it grows well onheavy, clay soils and in otherwise unusable wet areas; it produceshigh volumes; is a perennial; and has dual purpose use. Reedcanary grass can be used as pasture or hay but it can also beused as bedding. Reed canary is favored by its fans for beddingover various types of straws due to its height, leafiness, and abilityto be harvested - northeast weather permitting - several times aseason.

GROWING THE LOCAL EQUINE MARKETPLACEMany small farmers are growing so people can eat locally. Theequine market offers significant potential for locally produced for-age, grains, straw and wood based beddings. Rapidly increasingprices for fuel, the strong Canadian dollar, and lowered lumberproduction related to the ongoing slump in the housing markethave all contributed to escalating prices for shavings and sawdustused for horse bedding. As prices continue to rise monthly by dou-ble digit percentages the time seems ripe to realize the potentialfor selling locally produced straw, reed canary grass or "junk" hayfor bedding.

Increases in fuel and grain prices have also lowered the amountsof whole food ingredients in horse feeds. Sweet feed no longercontains whole or cracked corn, instead it has by-product ingredi-ents such as soybean hulls, wheat middlings and corn distillersdried grains. A significant minority of horse farmers who arereturning to feeding their horses oats may form a market for localsmall farmers growing oats.

Like other livestock farmers, horse farmers are increasing their useof forages and reducing feeding of concentrates. Improved mainte-nance and enhanced productivity of pastures and hay fields repre-sent opportunities to provide products or services by or to horsefarmers.

Imagine horse farmers buying sacks of oats or custom mixedfeeds at weekly farmers markets or imagine a trip to a locallyowned and operated mill. Imagine a complementary producer-consumer balance among small horse farms and small grain grow-ers and millers. But don't stop there. Carrots and apples thatmight not make it cosmetically for human sale could go to thosesame weekly farmers markets to satisfy the ever expanding mar-ket for horse treats. Think dog biscuits for horses.

The adoption of clicker training in the horse world bodes well forthose who sell treats, either fruits, vegetables or processed intobiscuit form. A major national marketer of training services andproducts recently started using treats in his training program.Small farmers could really find a niche in producing for the treatsmarket.

Equine agriculture is firmly grounded in its long heritage. Thereare some who say the agrarian societies who first populated cen-tral Europe arose out of a need to cultivate hay fields to feed thehorses they had tamed. Yet, equine farmers are also quick toadopt new trends, even fads, on behalf of their horses. Taking thehistoric givens of equine needs and production together with horseowners' consumerism, the mutually beneficial links among equineand other small farmers seem to extend far beyond the few possi-bilities touched upon in this piece.

Fiona Farrell, Esq., has a very small farm in Saratoga, NY, whereshe and her husband, Kevin Higgins, keep between three and fivehorses. Fiona briefly raised Thoroughbreds. She now raisesawareness by, about and for equine farmers. Since August 2006she has been Coordinator of CCE Equine, a regional EquineEconomic Development program funded by the NY Farm ViabilityInstitute. She can be reached at fsf2@cornell.edu or atffarrell@nycp.rr.com.

NON-DAIRY LIVESTOCK

The Many Faces of Equine FarmingHorse farms are an increasingly important part of northeast agriculture, and offerlots of marketing opportnities for other small farms

Page 18 SMALL FARM QUARTERLY July 7, 2008

Dirk Fogg, instructor from Johnson and Wales College,Providence, Rhode Island teaches a clinic student at StockadePolo and Saddle Club Grounds, Glenville, NY.

Photos by Fiona Farrel

Horse farmers invest in equipment too. Horses enjoying somehay while awaiting their return home after a day at a clinic.Stockade Polo and Saddle Club Grounds, Glenville, NY.

A foal pauses in her quest to learn how to eat grass. This fillyrepresents the rare breed, Le Cheval Canadien, in Walden, VT.

Thoroughbred mare cares for her foal in Saratoga, NY.

By Tom Gallagher, CCE Albany County

It was in the fall of 2005 that Tom Kilcer, Cornell CooperativeExtension Rennselaer County field crops specialist and I decid-ed to apply for a Northeast SARE Partnership Grant. The grantwould be used to conduct some on farm-applied research todetermine if beef cattle could be fed a grass ration of BrownMid-Rib Sorghum Sudan grass (BMRSS) baleage during thewinter months and gain adequate weight during those months.

In March of 2006, we were notified that our grant proposal hadbeen funded and we should move forward on the project.

Fortunately, we had contacted a small cow/calf feedlot opera-tion in Dutchess County during the winter that was interested inparticipating in the project.

THE RESEARCH PLANOur first step in the project was to randomly choose 20 feedercalves from the herd, 10 of which would be fed a BMRSSbased ration and 10 which would receive acorn based ration.Once the cattle were chosen, they were kept separate to assurethey would not be put on a corn silage creep feed during thesummer.

The next step was to work with our local beef producer to helphim grow and harvest the BMRSS for the trial. As farming wouldhave it, the weather did not cooperate. We were late plantingand three weeks late harvesting the BMRSS because of heavyrains. The second cutting was also almost non-existent becauseof the heavy rain. As a result, we were unable to conduct ourwinter-feeding trial during the winter of 2006-2007.

Fortunately, the people at Northeast SARE understand theeffects weather can have on the production of crops, so wewere given a one-year extension to complete the project. Forthe 2007 growing season, Tom and I decided to move the proj-ect closer to our own home counties, if we could find a localbeef producer willing to take on the extra work of conducting anapplied research project on their farm.

SHIFTING GEARSI approached Gerry Boone andLaura Tenney of Golden AcresFarm in Westerlo, and they saidthey'd be very interested in par-ticipating. Gerry has about 150mother cows and feeds outabout 60 of his own calves,which are on grass all summeruntil weaning.

The first step in the 2007 trialwas to identify a well drained field or fields where we could pro-duce our crop of BMRSS for the winter feeding period. Threefields were chosen for the production of the BMRSS, one 7.5acre and two fields of 2 acres each. These fields were chosenbecause of their good drainage and location in relation to thefeedlot.

A Cornell complete soil test indicated that the fields needed tohave lime applied at 3 tons per acre and that at planting 225lbs/acre of actual nitrogen should be applied. The BMRSS wasplanted on May 31, 2007 at a rate of 60lbs of seed per acreusing a John Deere drill with a spacing of 7". The field wasrolled before and after seeding to assure a firm seedbed.

FORAGE ANALYSIS& WEIGHT GAINSThe first cutting was harvested on July 22, 2007 with a yield of59 large round bales weighing 1900 lbs at 79% moisture.Second cutting was harvested September 2, 2007 with a yieldof 42 bales weighing 1900 lbs at 82% moisture. Total yield ofdry matter per acre was 3170 lbs. Forage analysis from theDairy One Forage testing lab yielded the resultsshown in Table 1.

The feeding trial began on November 13, 2007 with 11 steercalves averaging 623 lbs on the BMRSS ration and 11 steerscalves averaging 626 lbs on the traditional corn ration. As of theend of March 2008 three weigh-in periods had been completedwith the average results shown in Table 2.

On February 29, 2008, two lick tubs were placed in the BMRSSfeeding area to buffer the feed intake and stimulate appetite.

Further analysis will be done to determine if the increase ingain of the BMRSS cattle was due to the lick tubs or weatherconditions.

TASTE TESTAll cattle in the trial were scanned on December 13, 2007 forrump fat, rib fat, rib eye area and percentage of intramuscularfat. These cattle will be scanned a second time just before har-vest to determine if either ration had an impact on any of thesefactors. This applied research trial will continue through thesummer with the BMRSS cattle going to a rotational grass pas-ture system and the corn fed ration cattle remaining in the feed-lot.

The trial will end with a guest chef preparing cuts from eachgroup to be sampled by a taste test panel. Complete resultsand analysis of the information from this trial will be available byearly 2009. If you have any questions about the results to date,please give me a call at 518-765-3500 or email at tjg3@cor-nell.edu.

Tom Gallagher is an Agricultural Educator with CornellCooperative Extension of Albany County.

July 7, 2008 SMALL FARM QUARTERLY Page 19

COWS AND CROPS

Grass-Finishing Beef on BMRSSA progress report on research comparing Brown Mid-Rib Sorghum Sudan grass to acorn ration for finishing feeder cattle

Two lick tubs were placed in the feeding area of the grass-fedgroup of steers. One tub provided a buffering type productand one tub contained a stress fighting formula. Consumptionof both tubs was higher than expected.

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 1,350 dairy farm

families working for a better future bycalling our Membership Department at

11-800-225-0532.

Daniel CaugheyManager/Sales Consultant

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Homer, NY 13077607-749-2611 www.mortonbuildings.com

Consumption rates of the BMRSS baleage was high all winter.Because of the high moisture content, freezing after the baleswere unwrapped was a slight problem.Heather Birdsall, from CCE Cortland County and a certified

ultrasound technician, scanned both groups of steers in thetrial. Another scanning period will take place before the ani-mals are harvested.

Forage analysis of Brown-Midrub Sorghum Sudan grass baleage.

Total weight gains and Averagge Daily Gain for corn-fed versus BMRSS-fed calves

We Want To HearFrom YouWe welcome letters to the editor -Please write to us! Or send aquestion and we’ll do our best toanswer it. We’re also looking forbeautiful, interesting and/or funnysmall farm photos to print.

Write or email Joannna Green,Cornell Small Farms Program,135C Plant Science Building,Cornell University,Ithaca, NY 14853jg16@cornell.edu

BByy EElllliiootttt PPaaddnnooddee,, GGeeoosseeeekkeerrss 44--HH CClluubb,,OOnnttaarriioo CCoouunnttyy

Note: The Ontario County 4-H program received a grantto develop a 4-H club to explore Geospatial Science.The members are working with the AgriculturalEconomic Development program of CCE of OntarioCounty to map out a local food guide for farm standsand local produce.

Right now you're probably reading this wondering whatgeocaching is? Right? Well, geocaching is a sportinvolving a G.P.S, or global positioning system, and theInternet. You use the G.P.S to find caches that containhidden treasure.

To find out about geocaches in your area, log ontowww.geocaching.com, where you can track caches by zipcode. You can upload the cache coordinates to a hand-held GPS unit. The GPS unit helps you track down thetreasure.

Caches are usually hidden "in plain view" on public prop-erty. They are most often in a weatherproof container,

and contain a log book so that you can share a note ofthanks or information with other geocachers. And, theycontain priceless treasures - like stickers or pencils.There are many sizes of caches such as, a magnetickeycase, an old mailbox...all the way up to a 50 caliberammo box. There are also virtual caches where there isno actual cache but there is typically something specialabout the place.

When you find a cache, feel free to take what ever youplease but you must always leave something in return.You may also find travel bugs and coins while caching.Travel bugs and coins have a seriel number on them sothat you can track where they move to. When you finda travel bug, you need to move it to another geocache

site. A good rule is you should never have one of thesefor more then about two months. One really good experience I have had with geocaching isfinding the first part of a multi-cache. Multi-cachesadd to the excitement of geocaching. After we foundthe first part we went and found the second part. Itturned out that the second part was a birdhouse.

Our 4-H club started mapping out agricultural places inOntario County that sell directly to the public. As apart of this project I interviewed farmers. One farm hadlots of animals including baby pigs. Squealing baby pigshave to be the most interesting cache that I evermapped.

Small Farm Quarterly

Youth PagesBByy JJeessssiiccaa BBrroowwnn,, GGrroooovvyy GGiirrllss 44--HH CClluubb,,OOnnttaarriioo CCoouunnttyy

What makes a young person stay in a youth program? Forme it is learning new skills and meeting great people. Ihave been an active participant in numerous projects thatmy club has organized, but none of them has been as lifechanging as working with a fellow 4-H member and friend,who has autism. For more than five years I have had theopportunity to work with Allison, one on one, with variousprojects, helping her to do the same projects that thateveryone else does.

One of my favorite activities to do in 4-H is to sew, and soit seemed natural to share my interest with Allison andhelp her make several outfits. It turns out that Allison isa whiz at cutting out patterns and loves to sew almostas much as I do. The only real assistance that sherequires is to help keep her focused on the subject athand. Her joy and pride in the clothes that she has madeand worn are amazing and really makes me proud to havebeen a part of it.

Part of 4-H is learning skills in public speaking. My firstreal memory of 4-H is of my parents dragging me out ofthe car for my very first Public Presentation... and me

screaming. It was my worst nightmare to get up in frontof a room full of people and actually be expected to speakintelligently.

When Allison told me that she wanted to do presenta-tions as well I had to applaud her bravery. For weeks inadvance she practiced daily and with some small help hereand there she was able to blow the judges away. She hadeverything that she was going to say memorized and nowand then would slip in something new that would have usall laughing at her sense of humor. For her it was a greatway to show off her skills at making something andexplaining others how to do it.

After a few years of working with Allison on sewing, wedecided to move into another project area. With her loveof animals it was easy to pick out something that we weresure that she would love. A local dairy farmer was willingto allow us to come to his farm and help take care of theanimals. Once a week we go to the farm and feed thecalves. She learned the proper way of handling the animalsand how to take care of them. Last summer I helped hertake a heifer to our county fair and she showed the ani-mal and received a ribbon for her efforts. It was all shecould talk about for weeks before and after and we haveplans in motion for her to go again this year.

Ever since I have met Allison I have been impressed by herwillingness to go above and beyond to achieve numerousthings. She loves learning new things and excels at themthrough hard work and perseverance. I have learned manythings about life from her and I have been honored to havehad the privilege of working with her within the 4-H pro-gram. Helping someone else also helped me to know howto be a more caring friend and a good leader.l

Allison with Brown Swiss heifer, Reba, at the Ontario CountyFair.

The Youth Pages are written by and foryoung people. Many thanks to the 4-HTeens from Ontario County who contributed to this issue.

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!

Get your article published by sending it to:SFQ Youth Pages

c/0 Celeste CarmichaelCCE State 4-H Youth Development Office

340 Roberts Hall Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853607-255-4799 • cjc17@cornell.edu

Spending time with a friend

Page 20 SMALL FARM QUARTERLY July 7, 2008

Geoseekers 4-H Club finding a hidden cache at Dryer RoadPark.

Geospacial Adventures

BByy HHoorrssee NN AArroouunndd 44--HH CClluubb,, OOnnttaarriioo CCoouunnttyy

The Ontario County Horse N Around 4-H Club is not just about riding. Our club is aboutcommunity service in the horse community. Our 17 members are actively involved twice,sometimes three times a year in community service. The "hands" of the four H's are takenliterally!

One of our favorite service projects takes place at the Equicenter. The Equicenter is atherapeutic riding facility with trained instructors who are nationally certified through theNorth American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA). Clients with physicaland mental disabilities meet individual goals through horse related therapies. The Horse NAround Club has assisted this facility with spring and fall mucking, tack cleaning, groom-ing, and feeding. Yet for a few, this was not enough. Annie, Michelle and Alyse have beentrained to be "side-walkers" to assist riders for a six-week session.

Our club has extended our community service to yet another horse related opportunity.The Finger Lakes Thoroughbred Adoption Program (FLTAP) is located directly on the FingerLakes Race Track grounds. FLTAP has been created to rehabilitate and find homes forretired race horses. The Horse N Around members have turned out horses, cleaned stalls,and painted the indoor riding arena. Some are looking at adopting a new friend.

Michelle Vallone, who helped at the FLTAP,said, "It was really cool meeting these horses.They are not crazy like you would expect from a race horse. They will make great ridinghorses for someone." Sara, a member of the Horse 'N Around 4-H Club with her horse, Crackerjack.

We're Horse N Around!

BByy CChhrriiss VVoossss,, 44--HH MMeemmbbeerr,, OOnnttaarriioo CCoouunnttyy

How an interest in ducks has led a young man to be fascinat-ed in extracting bees in the Finger Lakes area is just what 4-H is all about. After Chris Voss raised 3 week old ducks hewanted to learn more about poultry. Chris connected with 4-H leader, Mary Ann Whipple and the Ontario County 4-HSonshine Kids 4-H Club. After hatching more ducks, he gaveall of them a new home in their natural habitat of a countrypond.

The media coverage of the dis-appearing honeybee hadcaught the 4-H club's atten-tion. His club decided to takean interest in an apiary proj-ect when their leader had aswarm of honeybees extractedfrom her barn. The membersof the Ontario-Finger LakesBeekeepers Associationbecame the mentors for themembers of the club in thespring of 2006. This gaveChris the chance to save beesas he did with the ducks.Chris says, "I was into the sav-ing aspect. 2008 will be thethird year with over 20 extrac-tions". His favorite tools arehis crow bar, a hive tool andoccasionally a bee vacuum.Chris enjoys doing the extractions because each one is a"very different experience, just like the bees." When Chrisidentifies the queen in an extracted swarm he shouts,"We have royalty!"

Chris has four hives of his own. He has assisted extractinghoney and his 4-H club members have worked to buy a smallextractor and candle molds. Chris has also manned a boothat the Victor Farmers Market selling pure honey. He enjoys

educating the public on natures' perfect food, bees, honey,flavors and the importance of the honeybee in our food pro-duction today.

This project has given Chris more than he ever thought. Theinterest in bees has had an impact on this young man. Thelife skills he has developed will enhance his beekeeping entre-preneur interest. Chris has grown from a shy, curious teeninto a valued, respected member of the beekeeping communi-ty and an asset to us all with his desire to save the bees.

The Unstung Hero

July 7, 2008 SMALL FARM QUARTERLY Page 21

Chris Voss of the Sonshine Kids 4-H Club paints a hive body box as part of his beekeeping proj-ect.

Chris recently collected a swarm of bees that landed in a treeto put in a hive body.

BByy HHeeaatthheerr DDuunnttoonn aanndd AAnnnnaa CCoollee ooff tthheeCCoouunnttrryy DDuuddeess 44--HH CClluubb

Note: The Country Dudes 4-H Club held a successfulfundraiser earlier this year after a serious accidentinjured a family member and former 4-H member. Over40 volunteers helped serve the 400 dinners, cookspaghetti, serve salads, clear tables and do all thework that it took to make the night a success. It wasso impressive to see entire families working togetherthat night doing community service for a wonderfulcause. Over 800 cookies and desserts were bakedand donated by 4-H members in the county. Theresults were over $6000 being raised through the din-ners, a silent auction and donations. Following arethoughts from 2 of the club members about helpingwith the fundraiser.

Being part of a fundraiser is a rewarding experiencefor both you and the people you are trying to help.

Recently our 4-H leader, Holly Phillips, had a crisis inher family. Her son Aaron was very seriously injured in

a car accident that almost took his life. The Phillips'needed help to pay the long intensive care medical billsfor Aaron that went on for many months. Parentsand members of the Country Dudes 4-H Club organ-ized a Spaghetti Dinner to raise money for the Phillipsfamily.

It took many weeks of calling businesses and thengoing to them to collect the donations they made. Wenever knew it would be so detailed. We took in callsfrom so many caring people. It took a lot of food andother volunteers in the 4-H club and Home Schoolcommunity to put this dinner together. It felt good toknow there were so many people out there that caredabout helping.

When we were serving the dinners to hundreds of peo-ple that day it was exhausting but it made us feelhappy inside to know we were being successful in allthe hard work that we did. We know the Phillips werevery grateful. We are happy that we were able to be apart of this fundraiser.

Fundraising Helps a Friend

Two 4-H friends, Anna Cole and Laura D'Amico share amoment during the 4-H Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser.

Page 22 SMALL FARM QUARTERLY July 7, 2008

By Brian Aldrich and Larissa Smith

Part One: By Brian Aldrich

A NEW EXTENSION AGENTIt was my first week on the job as an agricul-ture educator with Cornell CooperativeExtension of Cayuga County, and I hadalready received a question to which I did notknow the answer (surprise!). A local dairyfarmer had picked up some idle hay groundand was cutting it for bedding. While mowinghe had come across a new weed that he hadnot seen before, which his consultant identi-fied as pale swallow-wort. He wanted to knowif it would be toxic to his cows.

Well, I had never heard of pale swallow-wort,so I didn't have a clue! Fortunately, one of thegreat strengths of the Cooperative Extensionsystem is that we are supported by a widearray of university specialists, to whom wecan turn for help. I quickly learned that a bigpart of our job is not just knowing theanswers, but knowing where to find them.

In New York State we turn to Cornell, which isour "land grant" university. For the land grantuniversity in your state, see the table on p.3.The land grant universities were establishedstarting in 1862, when Congress passed theMorrill Act to promote the teaching of practicalsubjects like agriculture and the mechanicalarts. Every state has a land grant university.

A CALL TO THE EXPERTSSo I got on the phone and found my way toProfessor Dan Brown, a nutritional toxicologistin the Department of Animal Science, andProfessor Antonio (Toni) DiTommaso, a weedecologist in the Department of Crop and SoilSciences. I learned that while there are noknown cases of cattle poisoning from swallow-wort, there is good reason to be concerned.

Swallow-wort does contain toxins, but wedon't know how much a given animal needs toeat to become sick or die. "The dose makesthe poison," by which we mean it's not justwhat, but also how much, of a toxin an animalingests or is exposed to that determineswhether poisoning occurs. The species of ani-mal as well as its size (newborn to adult) arealso important factors.

It turns out that poisonous plants are notuncommon in northeast pastures, and thatmost grazing animals know to avoid eatingthem. On the other hand, if poisonous plantsare baled up as part of a hay crop, there is arisk that livestock may not be able to recog-nize them and avoid eating them. So to be onthe safe side, I called the dairy farmer backand advised him to mow around the swallow-wort and keep it out of the bedding.

That was two years ago, and we now have anew extension support specialist in theDepartment of Crop and Soil Sciences atCornell, Larissa Smith, who recently complet-ed her Master's Degree on, of all things -swallow-wort! I asked Larissa if she would tellus more about the swallow-wort story, andshe gladly agreed. So the rest of this article iswritten by her - thanks Larissa!

Part Two: By Larissa Smith

A "NEW" WEED ARRIVESSwallow-wort's dark green oval leaves, milk-weed-like seed pods and climbing habit arebecoming more familiar to local hikers andvisitors of state parks, as well as manylandowners and growers throughout New Yorkand New England. Swallow-wort is now preva-

lent along roadways, agricultural fields, pas-tures, and even Christmas tree farms andorchards; however, this invasive non-nativevine is anything but welcome.

Pale swallow-wort (Vincetoxicum rossicum),also known as dog-strangling vine, hasbecome an increasing problem in the LowerGreat Lakes Basin of the United Sates andCanada, and poses new hazards to growers,animals and plants alike. Since its introductionfrom the Ukraine in the late 1800s and itsslow spread west over the past two centuries,swallow-wort has proliferated in the last 20years. This species has formed dense, purestands and invaded thousands of acres as farsouth as Missouri and as far north as NewHampshire.

Pale swallow-wort is characterized by itssmall, light pink-to-maroon flowers. The climb-ing or twining stems usually reach 2 - 8 ft. inheight. The fruits are small, slender pods filledwith fluffy white coma (silky hairs at the end ofa seed), facilitating long-range dispersal of theseeds by wind and animals.

Black swallow-wort (V. nigrum) or black dog-strangling vine is a closely related species,native to Southwestern Europe, that is virtual-ly indistinguishable from pale swallow-wortunless its dark purple-to-black flowers are inbloom. Although pale swallow-wort is lesswidely distributed than black swallow-wort,which ranges from Kansas to Maine, pale

swallow-wort is thought to be the moreaggressive of the two species.

The key to the successful spread of thesespecies is their wind-dispersed 'polyembryon-ic' seeds. Polyembryony is a rare trait in plantswhich leads to the production of multipleseedlings (up to eight, but more commonlytwo or three) from a single seed, making iteasier for plants to establish and spread innew habitats. Once the seeds germinate andthe plants begin to grow, a massive root sys-tem is produced.

Spread of the two species in infested habitatsalso occurs by the production of numeroustillers from the root crown. While swallow-wortgrowth is prolific in well-drained calcareous(high lime) soils, these plants tolerate a widerange of soil and environmental conditions,enabling them to proliferate in a variety ofhabitats.

ANIMALS AND AGRICULTURE AT RISKThe rare and sensitive Alvar ecosystems ofthe Lower Great Lakes Basin (vegetated bar-rens known for their unique composition ofplant and animal species) have been particu-larly devastated, according to research by theCentral and Western NY Chapter of TheNature Conservancy. Dense stands of paleswallow-wort in these systems have disruptednative grassland bird nesting sites and threat-en the habitats of numerous native plants andanimals, some of which are on the federalendangered species list.

In addition to these threats, there is new con-cern for the monarch butterfly, whose naturalhost plant, the native common milkweed, maybe out-competed and displaced by swallow-wort in old fields. Significant reductions in cer-tain insect populations, such as herbivorousleaf miners and pollinators, have also beennoted in swallow-wort stands next to areasdominated by native plants.

This finding is not surprising given that somemembers of the plant family are known to beunpalatable because their tissues contain bit-ter defensive chemicals. Recent research hasalso shown that swallow-wort releases com-pounds in the soil that disrupt the growth andcomposition of soil microorganisms, which inturn affects the growth of other plants.

Most alarming are recent observations thatswallow-wort is moving into no-till corn andsoybean fields. Swallow-wort is beginning toinvade agricultural land, shifting from a merenuisance to an agribusiness threat - in moreways than one. Not only are these invasiveplants out-competing crops for valuable nutri-ents, water, and light, and reducing land val-ues - the swallow-worts also contain toxiccompounds that may be harmful to livestockand wildlife.

Fortunately, the toxins make the plants largelyunpalatable, and unless they are mixed withhay, most animals (including relatively indis-criminating deer) won't eat them. However, therisk of having swallow-wort mowed and baledinto hay is increasing because of its spread,especially in poorly maintained pastures andfallow lands.

FIGHTING BACK Early detection, removal, and research arekeys to successful management. The best

COWS AND CROPS

Swallow-wort Threatens NativePlants, Animals and Agriculturein the NortheastBe on the lookout for this tough new weed in hayfields andpastures

Flowers of pale swallow-wort.Photo by Antonio DiTomasso

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Flowers of black swallow-wort.Photo by Antonio DiTomasso

A single swallow-wort seed with four emergingseedlings. Photo by Larissa Smith

(Cont. on Page 24)

Pods of pale swallow-wort preparing to dis-perse seeds. Photo by Larissa Smith

Swallow-wort climbing on trees.Photo by Larissa Smith

Ever wish you had a group of researchers andfarmers who could field your cover crop ques-tions? Well now you do!

Last year, a group of Cornell University scien-tists and educators were brainstorming ideasfor communicating up-to-date research resultsand farmer innovations to the organic farming

community. We wanted to find a way to con-nect farmer questions with the vast pool ofcover crop experts that have emerged over thepast decade. Hence the birth of this column,Dear Vicki Vetch!

This column will expand the resources avail-able to the organic farming community by con-

necting farmers in our region with agriculturalscientists, educators and other farmers whoare experts on various topics related to use ofcover crops in organic farming systems.

So send us your questions! We will choose 2-3 questions on a quarterly basis, contact ourcolleagues or farmers with experience in thatarea, and weave together an answer that is jampacked with the most up-to-date informationaddressing your most pressing issues and con-cerns.

We intend to bring you the latest in cover cropand nutrient management information, so send'em in! We are ready! We will tackle any ques-tion related to the role of cover crops in farmingsystems or cover crop management!

For example:* Cover crop impacts on soil health, nutrients,pest management or weed ecology * Management of legume and non-legumecover crops* Nitrogen fixation ability of different legumecover crops* Soil microbiology of legumes and their rhizo-bial partners* Fitting cover crops into niches of your crop-ping system* What you need to know about using inocu-lants * And more!

Questions can be sent to: dearvickivetch@cor-nell.edu, or to: Dear Vicki Vetch c/o theDrinkwater Laboratory, Cornell University,134A Plant Science Bldg., Ithaca, NY 14853.

By Barbara Silvestri

Much of the northeast's terrain is ideally suitedto pasturing animals, and farmers statewidehave long trusted grazing as an efficient, cost-effective method of providing high-quality feedfor their livestock. A well-managed pasturesystem can also protect the environment byreducing soil erosion, protecting water qualityand enhancing wildlife habitat.

However, overgrazing and livestock access tostreams can lead to environmental concerns.New York's Agricultural EnvironmentalManagement (AEM) program can provide thetools and resources to assess your pastureconditions and direct you to local experts whocan help you maximize the benefits grazingprovides to both your farm and your water-shed.

So what do we mean by a "well-managed pas-ture system"? The idea of prescribed grazingmanagement is to carefully control the harvestof forages by livestock, using the best physicallay-out of pastures and a custom-tailored graz-ing schedule. A prescribed grazing systemcan optimize livestock use of forages whilealso optimizing environmental benefitsbecause:* Carefully managing the time livestock spendin each pasture and allowing the properamount of time for regrowth keeps vegetationhealthy.* Pasturing versus mechanical harvest alsoreduces input costs and air pollution from theuse of fossil fuels.* Converting highly-erodible lands in row cropproduction to year-round vegetative cover(pasture and hayland) can provide quality feedat less cost and labor while reducing soil ero-sion and water pollution.* Managing livestock access to streams andother waterbodies protects water quality andenhances herd health.

Conducting an AEM Risk Assessment, includ-ing the Pasture Management Worksheet, willhelp you examine your pastures to determinewhere improvements can be made to protectwater quality and enhance farm efficiency.Many farms find that their pastures are alreadydoing a great job of protecting water quality,and that any necessary changes are mainlymanagement issues.

Improvements can be as simple as manage-ment changes to benefit pasture productivityand profitability. If a more detailed prescribedgrazing plan or costly physical changes areneeded, and your farm is in New York State,AEM can help you access the necessary tech-nical and financial resources.

A few examples of changes that might be rec-ommended are:* New pasture management techniques ornew pasture layouts when pastures are beingovergrazed or when laneways are showingsigns of erosion.* A constructed laneway or stone crossing tominimize water pollution when livestock mustcross a stream.* An alternative water supply if animals arerelying on the stream for water.* Optimizing fertilizer rate, timing and methodof application to enhance economic returnswhile protecting water quality.

Why not schedule a free, confidential AEMRisk Assessment for your farm, including thePasture Management Worksheet? AEM canhelp you protect water quality and can evenbenefit your bottom line by increasing the effi-ciency of your pasture system. New Yorkfarmers can contact your County Soil andWater Conservation District to learn moreabout pasture management and to schedulean AEM Risk Assessment.

To learn more about AEM, view theWorksheets, including the PastureManagement Worksheet, or to locate yourConservation District office, visit: www.nys-soilandwater.org. Check the next issue ofSmall Farm Quarterly for more information onhow AEM can support you in reaching yourfarm's economic and environmental goals.

Barbara Silvestri is the Information &Education Program Coordinator with the NYSSoil & Water Conservation Committee in

Albany, NY. She can be reached at 518-457-3738 or barb.silvestri@agmkt.state.ny.us.

Steve Wightman’s family farm in Oneida County implemented fencing and alternatewater supplies as a part of their rotational grazing plan to save topsoil and pro-tect water resources in the Mohawk-Hudson Watershed. Photo by Troy Bishopp

July 7, 2008 SMALL FARM QUARTERLY Page 23

Agricultural EnvironmentalManagement:Praising Grazing!

STEWARDSHIP & NATURE

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Cows grazing on green grass under a blue sky at Dave Stratton’s Organic Dairyfarm in Madison County save on costs by harvesting their own feed. Keeping theland in permanent pasture helps protect water quality in the Chenango RiverWatershed. Photo by Troy Bishopp

Grasslands provide quality forages for livestock while benefiting water quality andmaintaining beautiful landscapes at the Bartier family farm in Herkimer County.

Photo by Troy Bishopp

“Dear Vicki Vetch...”New column will respond to your questions about cover crops

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defense against swallow-wort is early detec-tion and removal, because once populationsestablish and expand into large areas, controloptions are limited. For large infestations,repeated applications over several years ofGarlon 4(r) (triclopyr) or Roundup Pro(r)(glyphosate) have been shown to be effective,although these herbicides may also controlsome desirable species.

Furthermore, since swallow-wort can establish in or nearnatural areas, waterways, andother environmentally sensi-tive areas, herbicides may notbe an option. In these cases,growers may have to resort tomore laborious and time-con-suming methods such aspulling or digging out the largeroot crowns, mowing (whichhas little effect on seedlings)or repeated cultivation.

Regardless of the controlmethod used, it is important toremember that this speciesproduces many seeds, and itmay take up to five years todeplete the seed bank. A sin-gle swallow-wort plant canproduce more than 100 podsthat will disperse thousands ofwind-borne seeds from latesummer through late fall.

The current lack of effectivelong-term control strategiesunderscores the need tosearch for other methods ofcontrol. Accordingly,researchers at the USDA-ARSRobert W. Holley Center forAgriculture and Health inIthaca, NY, and in theDepartment of Crop and SoilSciences at Cornell Universityare collaborating on develop-ing a biological control pro-gram. The researchers seek toidentify selective natural ene-mies of swallow-wort (e.g.insects, diseases) in its nativeEuropean range that could besafely introduced into theirNorth American range.

Research is also focused ondetermining the life stages(e.g. seedlings) at which swal-low-wort may be most vulner-able to potential biologicalcontrol agents. Unfortunately,the development and imple-mentation of an effective bio-logical control program forthese two invasive vines is stillat least 5-10 years away.Thus, effective shorter-termmanagement solutions arebeing developed, such as theuse of herbicides combinedwith cultivation.

If you suspect that you haveswallow-wort on your property,contact your local CooperativeExtension office (see p.3) orDr. Antonio DiTommaso in theWeed Ecology andManagement Laboratory atCornell University(www.css.cornell.edu/WeedEco/). Mow aroundswallow-wort when makinghay, and don't let your animalseat it.

Brian Aldrich is an Agriculture DevelopmentEducator with Cornell Cooperative Extensionin Cayuga County, NY. He can be reached at315-255-1183 or bsa9@cornell.edu. LarissaSmith is an Extension Support Specialist inthe Department of Crop and Soil Sciences atCornell University.

Swallow-wort Threatens NativePlants, Animals andAgriculture in the Northeast

COWS AND CROPS

Page 24 SMALL FARM QUARTERLY July 7, 2008

New swallow-wort shoots and last year's dried stems in a horse pasture.Photo by Larissa Smith

(Cont. from Page 22)