Connections EXTRA! Extension Spotlight

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Cornell Cooperative Extension

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Agricultural Exemptions for Farms

Thursday January 26 at 6:30pm via Zoom - $10/email

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County in partnership with Farmland for the New Generation New York will present a workshop on Agricultural Exemptions for NYS Farmers. On January 26th at 6:30 p.m. come and learn about a variety of agricultural tax abatement and incentive programs available to you! Including:

Agricultural Assessment
Farmers School Property Tax Credit
Ag Building and Structure Exemptions
Temporary Greenhouse Exemptions
Sales and Fuel Tax Exemption
Commercial Business and Industrial Property Exemption
Newly Planted Orchard and Vineyard Exemption
and More

There is a $10 fee per email for the workshop and will be held via zoom. Pre Registration is required.

Register

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Vegetable Seed Production Course and Mentorship Available to Growers Throughout the Northeast

In order to increase the number of growers able to produce high quality, regionally adapted seed in the northeast, a group of educators, experienced seed producers, and regional seed companies will be working together to offer training in seed production and a guaranteed market for specific seed crops during 2023 and 2024.

This program launching this winter is for vegetable growers interested in producing seed for their own use, community use, or to sell back to seed companies. Folks will start with a kickoff at the Northeast Regional Seed Conference in February, followed by a 7-week online course and year-long farmer-to-farmer mentorship on a specific seed crop. Growers who want to sell seed will be paired with a seed company who is committed to buying back seed that meets quality standards.

Learn More

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Free Succession Planning Training!

Join CCE trained educators for a FREE & Virtual series focused on leveling up your toolbox when it comes to building a strong management team, assessing your business for the future, and tax management considerations when it comes to succession planning. Whether you are currently working on a succession plan, currently implementing one, or don’t want to use the word (because who plans for the future, right?!) this online series is for you! Each week on a Wednesday evening from 6:30-8pm EST a set of trained CCE educators will explore a specific topic and present resources, options and scenarios to help you better apply the concepts to your own farm and situation. The presentations will be recorded and provided to all registrants, along with any handouts for each session. It is FREE to join each week. Each registrant will receive the zoom link to join the session, as well as a reminder email the morning of the session. Our session topics are as follows:

March 8^th: Building a Strong Management Team
March 15^th: Assessing Your Business
March 22^nd: Tax Management in Succession Planning

To Register for this FREE training, Click HERE

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Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) Grower Training

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County is hosting a winter Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) Grower Training. This training is for fruit and vegetable growers and others interested in learning about produce safety, the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule, Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs), and co-management of natural resources and food safety. The PSA Grower Training Course is one way to satisfy the FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirement outlined in § 112.22(c) that requires ‘ At least one supervisor or responsible party for your farm must have successfully completed food safety training at least equivalent to that received under standardized curriculum recognized as adequate by the Food and Drug Administration.’

In addition to learning about produce safety best practices, key parts of the FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirements are outlined within each module. There will be time for questions and discussion, so participants should come prepared to share their experiences and produce safety questions. The course will provide:

A foundation of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and co-management information.
FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirements.
Details on developing a farm food safety plan.

Completion of the PSA Grower Training will also provide 1.5 pesticide applicator credits.

The PSA Growers Training will take place on January 11th, 2023, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm at the CCE Oneida County Office at 121 Second St, Oriskany, NY 13424. The cost to attend the training is $50 and includes a continental breakfast and lunch. Register online at https://reg.cce.cornell.edu/psagrowertraining_230 by January 6th

For more information or questions, call or email Myron Thurston at (315) 739-3344 ext. 167 or myron.thurston@cornell.edu

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USDA Releases Nationwide Farmer, Rancher and Forest Manager Prospective Customer Survey

WASHINGTON, Nov. 9, 2022 – Producers can now take a nationwide survey to help the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) improve and increase access to its programs and services for America’s farmers, ranchers, and forest managers. The survey includes new and existing customers. USDA encourages all agricultural producers to take the survey, especially those who have not worked with USDA previously. The survey gathers feedback on programs and services available through USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Risk Management Agency (RMA).

The survey is available online at farmers.gov/survey, and producers should complete by March 31, 2023.Stakeholder organizations are also encouraged to share the survey link through their networks. The survey is available in 14 different languages including Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Hmong, Korean, Navajo, Punjabi, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, Urdu and Vietnamese.

“A robust survey response that includes the perspectives of all of our customers, including underserved producers, will help USDA better understand the unique needs of both existing and prospective customers, while identifying opportunities to enhance government programs and services. Please take the survey, especially if we haven’t worked with you before,” said Robert Bonnie, USDA’s Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC). “This survey will provide USDA with critical data to help USDA serve all of agriculture.”

In addition to the online survey, the FPAC Business Center, which is administering the survey, will also mail 11,000 printed surveys to various local state stakeholder organizations and farmers markets.

The survey is an Office of Management and Budget requirement supported by the Biden-Harris President’s Management Agenda (PMA), which identified FSA and NRCS as High-Impact Service Providers. These agencies provide critical customer-facing services and are expected to use the survey data to make targeted improvements.

More Information

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit usda.gov.

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Cornell Small Farms Program Online Course Offerings

The Cornell Small Farms Program announces their upcoming online course season, which will begin with live webinars this fall, and will feature new courses to offer additional learning opportunities.

Online courses are offered on a user-friendly platform, and include permanent access to course content. Courses have tiered pricing based on household size and income, making access more affordable and equitable for everyone.

Registration is now open for all courses.