Upcoming Events in Agriculture

Upcoming events in the Agriculture, Natural Resources and Horticulture
in the South Central New York Region

AGRICULTURE

Wednesday March 18th- 12:30 to 4:30pm- Farmer Distributor Networking Meeting at the Varna Community Center, Rt. 366, Ithaca. Learn from a panel of innovative distributors who are addressing the increasing demand for local products. Sponsored by South Central NY Agriculture Program. RSVP 607.272.2292 or email mnl28@cornell.edu.

Saturday March 21st 9am- noon- Apple Pruning Workshop- 678 County Route 64 Elmira NY. Rick Reisinger teaches how to prune an older apple orchard. Dress according to weather. Fee is $10 which includes light refreshments. Please register with Tioga CCE 607.687.4020.

Saturday, March 21- Pursuing Profit in Small Scale Production, held by Cornell Swine School for the Small Farm. 9am to 4pm at Morrison Hall, Cornell University and Cornell Swine Farm. Space is limited – first come, first served. $5.00 fee (checks made out to Cornell University) no later than March 13, 2009, to Cornell University, 128 Morrison Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853. At-door fee is $15.00.

Thursday, March 26, 2009 Practical Feed Crop Weed Control Workshop- The workshop will be held at the Lisle Fire Hall Rte 79 west of Lisle. Meeting registration will begin at 10:30 p.m. The meeting will begin at 11:00 and conclude at 3 p.m. Please call Sharon at 607-753-5078 to pre-register for this workshop. The cost is $15-20, sliding scale. For More Information Contact Janice Degni, Area Field Crops Specialist – 607-753-5077.

March 28, 2009 from 9:30am to 1:00pm at the Civil Defense Center in Bath, NY. Spring Equine Seminar. There is no cost to attend. Lunch will be provided by Blue Seal Feeds. Registration is requested by March 26th. To register or for more information contact CCE at 607-664-2300.

Monday, March 30th from 10:00 AM - 3:30 PM Finger Lakes Culinary Bounty Spring Workshop at Jordan Hall in the NYS Agricultural Experiment Station, Geneva, NY. Finger Lakes farm and food producers are invited to learn how to develop product, get it to market and effectively tell their story to gain the greatest access to growing markets interested in local foods. Program cost (including workshops, handouts and lunch) for advanced registration is $25 for FLCB current members and $45 non-members. To register in advance, or for more info, call Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins County at (607) 272-2292 or email Liz Karabinakis at mailto:evk4@cornell.edu

Tuesday, April 7th – Agritourism Conference- Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel- Noted agritiouirism marketing expert Jane Eckert will be the moderator for the Conference and Workshop. The workshop will run from 8:30am to 4:00pm. The workshop is free, lunch will be available for $15. Please make a reservation with the Chamber of Commerce- 607-535-4300.

Wednesday April 08- Introduction to Vineyard and Winery Establishment- 8:30am- 4:30pm. This one-day workshop will provide a basic overview of what it takes to establish a commercial vineyard and/or winery. Registration: Registration fee is $100, and includes lunch and a CD-ROM with workshop materials and references. Register online at: http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/events/product.php?productid=16154&cat=249 Members of the Lake Erie Regional Grape Program will receive a discounted registration fee, and should register directly by check with Linda Aures lfa2@cornell.edu telephone 716-672-5296. Contact: Linda Aures: lfa2@cornell.edu

Saturday May 2nd- Horse Feathers 4-H Friends Flock Together. The up-coming program will incorporate both horse and poultry topics for youth ages 9-12 or those with beginners/intermediate knowledge of the species. All youth, 4-H and non-4-H, are invited to participate. Please register with Cate Sirek 607.535.7161 or email ces38@cornell.edu by April 15th.

HORTICULTURE

Tuesdays, March 31 through June 9- Master Gardener Training is coming...
The Steuben County Cooperative Extension Horticulture program is hosting a Master Gardener training series. To register, contact Stephanie at 607-664-2300 or sms64@cornell.edu.

Friday April 3rd- High Tunnels For Season Extension- 9:00am-3:00pm. Cornell Cooperative Extension Tioga 56 Main St. Owego. This workshop is free to farmer participants and includes a light lunch thanks to funds from NY Farm Viability Institute. Please pre-register 607.687.4020.

Wednesday April 22nd Deer Fencing- Plenty of Posies 395 Shaffer Rd, Newfield. See three different styles of deer fence. No fee, but please pre-register at 607-687-4020.

Date: May 13 and June 10, 2009 (This is a two part seminar) TIES TO THE LAND: A Facilitated Workshop on Succession Planning- Keeping Family Forests and Farms in the Family7:00-9:00pmWorkshop location: United Church of Christ, 8758 Main Street, Honeoye, NY, 14471. Workshop Fee and Registration: $30 per person (or $30 per couple if attending as a couple or with another member of your family). The fee includes refreshments and one copy per family of the workbook: Ties to the Land: Your Family Forest Heritage ($45 value; additional copies will be available at the workshop or online at the web site). Participants must attend both of the sessions. To register call Diana Bryant, Cornell University Cooperative Extension, at 607-255-2115 or log onto www.human-dimensions.org and click on “workshops” tab. For more information, please contact Keith Maynard, New York Forest Owners Association, Western Finger Lakes Chapter, kmaynard@frontiernet.net or (585)229-4102.

Wednesday May 20th, 4pm-7pm- Irrigation Options- Cornell’s Freeville Farm 133 Fall Creek Road. No fee, but please pre-register at 607.687.4020.

NATURAL RESOURCES

Thursday March 19th 2009- New York Renewable Fuels Workshops 2009-10 am - 1 pm Civil Defense Center, Route 54, Bath, NY, Contact: Carl Albers, Cornell Cooperative Extension Steuben County, cwa1@cornell.edu or Brett Chedzoy, Cornell Cooperative Extension Schuyler County, bjc226@cornell.edu To register call CCE-Steuben County at 607-664-2300. The New York Renewable Fuels Roadmap project (funded by NYSERDA, NY Ag & Markets and NYS DEC) seeks to address these and other questions for New Yorkers:

1) How much biomass (wood, grasses, and energy crops) do we have?

2) What factors are important in producing sustainable biomass?

3) What new business opportunities do you see in biomass?

Saturday and Sunday, March 21 & 22 Maple Weekend at Arnot Forest-Come to the Arnot Forest and help us celebrate sap season and transition to spring! Walk in the woods or visit the sugar house, where sap becomes syrup. Take time for a self-guided tour of the adjacent sugar bush to see how trees are tapped, sap is collected, and the forest is managed to promote healthy sugar maple trees. Enjoy fun activities for the whole family, and taste our syrup first-hand at Saturday and Sunday’s pancake breakfast! And…see live amphibians, reptiles and birds of prey from 9-11 am both days. Pre-registration is not available for this event. Time: 10 am- 4pm Cost: Admission is free- Pancake breakfast and Lunch are available for a fee. No registration required. Please call Phone 607-589-6076 for details.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009 Christmas Tree- Growers Steuben Area Annual Meeting Bath Country Club 330 May Street, Bath, New York-607-776-3390- 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. 6:30pm Buffet-style meal - $20 per person 7:00pm- Site Assessment for Christmas Trees – Ideas to Enhance Tree- Health and to Hinder Weeds and Other Pests. For reservations please call us or return this form with your check to: CCE – Steuben County, 3 East Pulteney Square, Bath, NY 14810. 607-664-2300.

Saturday, March 28th- Weeds and other Aquatic Plants- The Good the Bad and the Ugly. Red Jacket Dr. House 2528 Lower Lake Road Seneca Falls, NY. Contact jlpipher@pas.rochester.edu or 315-568-9597 for further information.

Tuesday, April 7 from 3:00-4:30- Marcellus Shale Gas Leasing Landowner Coalitions: Structures, Goals, Issues – Webinar Adobe Connect Webinar,. Please go to the NATURAL GAS DEVELOPMENT RESOURCE CENTER website to register, http://gasleasing.cce.cornell.edu/. The webinar will include general updates, overview of landowner coalitions and related issues such as compulsory integration. This is part of the Marcellus Shale training series; there will be another webinar on May 4 at 3:00 (topic for that is under consideration). Contact person: Rod Howe, rlh13@cornell.edu.

May 2 or May 18 from 7:30 am - 4:30 pm at the Arnot Forest- Game of Logging- These are small-group (maximum 10) hands-on classes with a certified instructor that cover safe chainsaw use, chain and engine maintenance, and tree-felling (participants personally fell a tree under the instructor's guidance). Pre-registration and pre-payment are required. Cost is $152 per day (there's a discount for NYFOA members) and spaces are filled first-come, first served. Full details, including participant feedback and on-line registration or mail-in registration forms, can be found at: http://www.dnr.cornell.edu/ext/forestconnect/GOL.html

Sunday, May 10 Mother’s Day Wildflower Breakfast- Bring Mom to the Arnot Forest for a peaceful and relaxing breakfast at the lodge. Afterward, take a guided or self-guided wildflower walk. Learn to identify the beautiful wildflowers that carpet the forest floor in the springtime. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged. Check website for last-minute updates. Time: Breakfast and self-guided walk 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, Guided walk 11:00 am. Pre-registration Cost: $8/person, $2/person kids under 12.Day of event cost: $10/person, $2/person kid under12. Please pre-register with Cathy at CCE Schuyler 607.535.7161 or email cab377@cornell.edu

Natural Gas Development Resource Center
Responding to the need for ongoing training, information sharing and public discourse. http://gasleasing.cce.cornell.edu/

Got Gas? Schuyler (and most surrounding counties) now has Landowner Gas Leasing Coalitions. There is typically no fee and no commitment to join. To learn more about your local coalition and meeting dates, visit: http://schuylerloc.org (Schuyler County) or http://www.southerntierlandownerscoalition.org/ for all other counties.


RENEWABLE ENERGY

Green Building Seminar Series

Tuesdays, 7:00-9:00 pm

First Unitarian Church of Ithaca Annex (208 E. Buffalo St., near Aurora); dates subject to change.

*March 24: "Solar and Wind Electric" Whether you’re off-the-grid or on, looking to start small or for a commercial-sized system, find out your options, how to size your system, and some of the financial incentives available.

*March 31: "Green Heating Options" Starting with house design, speakers will cover the basics of point-source heating, geothermal and solar thermal systems, and masonry heaters/stoves.

Seminars are presented by Tompkins County Cooperative Extension in partnership with the Ithaca Green Building Alliance. Fee: $5/seminar or $20/series, Ithaca Hours accepted and scholarships are available. For more information, contact Guillermo Metz at mailto:gm52@cornell.edu or 272-2292, x.185, or visit
http://counties.cce.cornell.edu/tompkins/events/www.ccetompkins.org
http://www.ithacagreenbuilding.org/