(Watertown, NY – Oct. 2011) During National 4-H Week, the Jefferson County program salutes all the 4-H members.

4-H gives young people the chance to explore new interests, make new friends, and discover talents they never knew they had.

Make plans to learn more about 4-H this week. Join the 4-H Fall Festival on Saturday, Oct. 8 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County, 203 North Hamilton Street, Watertown.

Free! Fun for the whole family! Archery, pumpkins, apple cider, games, music, and more.

Call 788-8450 for more information.

(Jefferson County, NY – Oct. 2011) The Furry Friends 4-H Dog Club is hosting a Cache In – Trash Out Event at Black Pond Wildlife Management Area on Oct. 1 from noon to 2 p.m. This is being organized to kickoff National 4-H Week (10/2 thru 10/8).

This is a perfect fit for this year’s theme, ‘Join the Revolution of Responsibility.’  These events are held within the geocaching community and local cachers come and help clean up a designated area.

Black Pond WMA, located in southern Jefferson County, is a wetland complex featuring beach, dunes, marsh, and woods.  It is an important habitat for both migratory and breeding birds along the Lake Ontario shore.

For more information about 4-H or the event contact Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County at 315-788-8450.

To learn more about geocaching and other CITO events go to www.geocaching.com.

(Jefferson County, NY – Sept. 19, 2011) Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) Association of Jefferson County is announcing the hiring of Kevin Jordan as Executive Director.

Jordan brings his experience and enthusiasm for community projects and administration to CCE of Jefferson County. The Board of Directors is very excited to have him joining the Association, and is confident in his ability to lead and develop CCE of Jefferson County. He will begin his new duties in mid October.

Jordan is originally a native of St. Lawrence County, being raised on his family dairy farm, and has worked in the North Country of NY his entire career. Most recently, he has been employed by the Development Authority of the North Country since 1994, and has been the Director of Community Development since 2005, where he has successfully led many community and regional projects.

Jordan is very familiar with CCE of Jefferson County; he was a board member in 2002 and from 2004-2009, serving as past Treasurer, Vice President, and President.  He has also been involved in many CCE programs, including the 4-H Camp Wabasso Facilities Enhancement project, to revitalize the 4-H Camp in Redwood.

Jordan is a 1983 Graduate from SUNY Plattsburgh and a 1989 graduate from Clarkson University.

Jordan joins the organization at a particularly momentous time as it celebrates 100 years of service to the residents of Jefferson County.

(Jefferson County, NY – Sept. 2011) On Sept. 20 and 21, the Agriculture Extravaganza will be held at the Thompson Park pavilion from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The event is co-sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County and Jefferson County Farm Bureau.

The event teaches Jefferson County fourth grade students about the food and fiber system through various stations. Station topics include apples, herding dogs, equine, maple, dairy, dairy products, poultry, trees, and farm safety. There are over 1000 students coming from area schools over the two-day event.

(Watertown, NY – Sept. 2011) There’s money to be made in direct marketing locally-raised meat products. On Friday Sept. 16, Northern New York beef, sheep, goat and pork producers will meet with Kathleen Harris of the Northeast Livestock Processing Service Company (NELPSC). The company is a farmer-owned LLC with more than 100 New York livestock farmers working with 11 processors.

The Northern New York Regional Livestock Team of Cornell Cooperative Extension organized the 4-9pm bring-a-dish dinner workshop at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County, 203 North Hamilton St. in Watertown. The meeting will be videoconferenced to Extension sites in Franklin (Malone), Essex (Westport) and Clinton (Plattsburgh) counties. St. Lawrence County farmers may contact their local CCE office about carpooling to Watertown. There is a $10 fee for the workshop.

Harris coordinates sales for NELPSC’s farmer-members with wholesale meat purchasers, such as universities. Contracts can involve thousands of pounds of products, translating to thousands of dollars in sales for the farmers. Stonebroke Farm in Warnerville credits the Northeast Livestock Processing Service Company for help marketing $90,000 worth of cattle in one year’s time.

Harris says, “The Northern New York region knows how to produce quality livestock and because of its location, producers have become experts at co-mingling loads. They just need a little help with the processing and marketing of their products. The Northeast Livestock Processing Service helps farmers develop the skills necessary to coordinate their livestock processing and to market premium-priced niche products.”

NELPSC processing facilitation services include scheduling processing, taking and conveying producers’ cutting instructions, in-plant oversight, and mitigating farmer-processor conflicts. Marketing services include an online sales service, livestock production fact sheets, and helping farmers find more profitable private market opportunities, such as buyers for natural, grass-fed or humanely-raised meat products.

Northern New York Regional Livestock Team Leader Betsy Hodge, a Livestock Educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) St. Lawrence County, says, “It is possible to capture more of your profits on a small farm even in a high cost state like New York if you are willing to market your own farm products. This presentation offers livestock producers six basic principles for success.”

For more information, contact Corey Hayes, CCE Jefferson County, 315-788-8450 or Betsy Hodge, CCE St. Lawrence at 315-379-9192.

To register for the videoconference in Clinton County, call CCE at 518-561-7450; in Franklin County, 518-483-7403, and in Essex County, 518-962-4810.

The Central New York Region is Renowned for its Brew, Wine and Even Local Cuisine Trails

(Syracuse, NY – Aug. 22, 2011) The Central New York Region offers a taste of everything you’d find on a trip to New York State. Literally. The seven-county area is host to a variety of restaurants and pubs touting local dishes made with farm-fresh ingredients and paired with beer and wine straight from the area’s vineyards and hop yards. In fact, in the 1880s, New York State produced 80 percent of the nation’s hops, and most of those hops came from Madison, Oneida and Otsego counties. Visitors to the region are invited to celebrate the historic culture of New York State’s hop industry by touring a beverage trail or two.

Here are some of the highlights of the area’s beverage trails and cuisine hot spots:

New York State’s very first official cuisine trail, the Cooperstown Beverage Trail, is located in Otsego and encompasses four establishments: Fly Creek Cider Mill, Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown Brewing Company and Bear Pond Winery .

The trail offers tastings plus a close-up look at how the beverages are made on a tour. The Madison County Hop Heritage Trail is marked by hop kilns and other related hop sites still in existence documenting the agricultural impact of commercial hop production in the history of Madison County and New York State. Madison County was known as “one great hop yard” for a century.

Sites on the trail include the Foothill Farms, Ye Olde Landmark Tavern, Coolidge Hop Farm, Chenango Canal Cottage Museum and many more. Sweet apple cider is pressed on an antique Boomer & Boschert press built circa 1890 at Harvest Moon Cidery at Critz Farms , and Owera Vineyards is comprised of four acres of Minnesota cold, hearty varietals Frontenac Gris and Marquette set amidst the rolling hillside near the village of Cazenovia.

The Saranac Brewery, founded in 1888 and located in the heart of Utica, in Oneida County, offers a hands-on tour. The aroma of fresh hops and malts leads visitors to the 1888 tavern to sample brews. The Saranac Brewery also concocts several tasty soft drinks like Root Beer, Ginger Beer and Orange Cream.

The Number 5 Restaurant in Greater Binghamton presents a broad range of wines from around the world, with particular emphasis on California Chardonnays and hearty reds. Recipient of various esteemed awards from “Wine Spectator,” “Wine Enthusiast” and “Restaurant Wine” magazines, the Number 5 Restaurant offers the largest selection of the highest rated wines available in upstate New York.

Another superb establishment, Moxie Wood Fired Grill welcomes guests with a warm, upscale ambience and trendier types of food – something you’d find in New York City.

Chenango County’s Black Bear Winery produces some of the finest fruit wines and hard ciders made from New York grown fruit picked at the peak of ripeness and pressed into luscious flavors. The American Hotel in Schoharie County features an award-winning, inventive, “American-French” cuisine all its own. The menu focuses on creative dishes that bring the enticing flavors of France, Italy, America and Asia to the table while also changing with the seasons as they feature local produce. The hotel’s extensive wine list includes over 2,500 selections and has been awarded the esteemed “Grand Award” from The Wine Spectator since 1981. The restaurant has received the DiRoNA Award since 1992 for the highest standards for food, wine and spirits, service, atmosphere and value.

Eateries featuring seasonal dishes based on farm-fresh ingredients right from the backyard. Wineries touting a variety of wines made from handpicked, ripe grapes grown in the area’s vineyards. Breweries offering the best of locally grown hops. And to top it all off, trails to walk visitors through this extraordinary, taste bud-pleasing experience.

The Central New York Region offers all of this and more. It’s easy to see the historic culture of New York State’s hop industry is alive and well in the Central New York Region.

For more hop heritage trails or to plan a visit to the area, check out www.JustGoCNY.com.

(Onondaga County, NY – Aug. 12, 2011) A year after its creation, New York Agri-Women currently has planned several meet-ups throughout the state including Cayuga, Onondaga, Tompkins, Chatauqua, Orange, and Suffolk counties.

“I’m very excited to see New York Agri-Women picking up momentum at the county level,” says Cari Rincker, President and founding member of New York Agri-Women. “I have been impressed with the female leadership and talent involved in the New York food and agriculture industry and am looking forward to the future of the organization in years to come.”

New York Agri-Women will be having a chicken luncheon for women involved in the food and agriculture community in Cayuga, Onondaga and Tompkins counties on Saturday, Aug. 20 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Ward W. O’Hara Agriculture Museum located at 6880 Rt. 38A, Auburn. The guest speaker for the day will be Chris Fesko who plans to “talk real” to women involved in the ag industry.

The cost to attend the event is $20. Please RSVP to Molly Zorn, the Tompkins County Leader and Treasurer of New York Agri-Women, at mzorn@crinet.com.

Julie Patterson, the Cayuga County Leader and Chair of the New York Agri-Women Membership Committee, understands that in this digital age there are a myriad ways for women to communicate with one another, including social media. However, she notes that “there is nothing more rewarding than communicating in person to make real connections with other woman involved in the agriculture community.” She adds, “being able to meet with other ladies who share similar passions is the best part.”

Erica Leubner, the Onondaga County Leader, shares similar views. Leubner recognized that “every profession has a network that can be tapped in times of need or for camaraderie.

Agriculture can be isolating at times; therefore, it is especially important for women to meet others that share a common lifestyle and goals.”

Karen Barie Keough, the County Leader for Chatauqua County, will be addressing the Lake Erie Women’s Ag Group on Aug. 25. She will be discussing the goals for New York Agri- Women within Western New York.

Later on in the month, Christine Rolando, the Catskills and Hudson Valley District Leader, is coordinating a meet-up on Aug. 29 at Soons Orchard, 23 Soons Circle, New Hampton, New York 10958. The cost for the event will be $20 per person . The event will be held in conjunction with the local Rotary Club. Rolando notes that “the event will serve as an opportunity for New York Agri-Women to network with Rotary members while learning about the Soons family-owned and operated apple orchard.”

Later on this fall, the Suffolk County Chapter will meet at 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 1 at Schmitt Farm located at 2366 Roanoke Ave. in Riverhead. New York Agri-Women will tour their farm before traveling to Stonewall’s Restaurant for lunch.

“Schmitt Farm is a fourth-generation family farm that has been farming on Long Island for over 150 years,” says Vicki Guber, the Suffolk County and Long Island/New York City District Leader. “Owners Debbie and Phil Schmitt operate a 165-acre wholesale vegetable farm producing spinach, cabbage, beets and herbs, and a retail farm stand, Schmitt’s Farm Stand on Sound. Debbie also runs Deb’s Field Grown Flowers, which supplies cut flowers and bouquets to wholesale and farm stand customers.” The cost to attend the event is $35.00 and participants are encouraged to RSVP before Oct. 21.

New York Agri-Women is a state affiliate of American Agri-Women. For more information about New York Agri-Women, please visit the website at www.newyorkagriwomen.com or contact Rincker at newyorkagriwomen@gmail.com or (212) 427-2049.

News from New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets

ALBANY, NY (08/10/2011)(readMedia)– Porterdale Farms in Adams Center, Jefferson County is the recipient of this year’s New York State Agricultural Environmental Management (AEM) Award, announced New York State Agriculture Commissioner Darrel J. Aubertine. The Porters, along with the Jefferson County Soil and Water District, were honored during the Agricultural Leadership Luncheon ceremonies at Empire Farm Days in Seneca Falls.

“In business for more than seven decades, Porterdale Farms has had a longstanding commitment to being good stewards of the land and serving their community,” said Commissioner Aubertine. “As one of New York’s first large livestock farms to be regulated, this farm family was quick to adopt AEM into their business plan, allowing them to meet requirements and advance their conservation efforts, while helping their farm business thrive. Congratulations to the Porter family – you have rightfully earned this esteemed recognition.”

The AEM Award is presented annually to a farm family that practices sound agricultural stewardship by incorporating the AEM program into the operation of their farm business. The county Soil and Water Conservation District is also recognized for their important role in providing necessary technical assistance and resources.

Porterdale Farms was started in 1938 by Glenn and Ruth Porter with 198 acres and 35 cows. Today, David and Judy Porter with sons Greg and Ron and grandsons David, Jameson, Casey and Andrew, have 1700 mature cows and 1300 replacement heifers. They crop alfalfa, grass, hay, corn silage and corn grain on 4,500 acres.

State Soil and Water Conservation Committee Chairman George Proios said, “The Porter’s work with the Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District to continually evaluate their conservation systems and improve upon their stewardship is truly commendable!”

The Porters and the Jefferson County Soil and Water District were selected for the 2011 AEM award because of their demonstrated commitment to managing, protecting and improving natural resources. Porterdale Farms built a new freestyle barn, eliminating the need for barnyard water management. They practice conservation tillage to prevent soil erosion, installed a silage leachate collection system to protect water quality and planted a tree, shrub and grass buffer to help protect Sandy Creek, which is the main source of drinking water for the Village of Adams.

Six other New York farms and Conservation Districts were recognized by the Commissioner for Honorable Mention. They are:

• Eight Mile Creek Farm of Westerlo, sponsored by Albany County Soil and Water Conservation District

• Aurora Ridge Dairy, LLC of Aurora, sponsored by Cayuga County Soil and Water Conservation District

• Downing Acres of Burke, sponsored by Franklin County Soil and Water Conservation District

• Hillsprings Farm of Addison, sponsored by Steuben County Soil and Water Conservation District

• Jerry Dell Farms of Dryden, sponsored by Tompkins County Soil and Water Conservation District

• Heritage Hill Farms of Fort Ann, sponsored by Washington County Soil and Water Conservation District

With over 12,000 farms participating, New York’s AEM program serves as a national model of how a voluntary, incentive-based approach can successfully protect the State’s natural resources, while meeting the economic needs of our diverse agricultural community. The AEM partnership of local, state and federal agencies, environmental groups, businesses and farmers, provides the technical, educational and financial assistance to develop and implement sound farm conservation plans.

The 18th Annual Agricultural Environmental Management Award is jointly sponsored by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, American Agriculturist Magazine and the Empire State Potato Growers.

(Herkimer, NY – July 28, 2011) As part of a campaign to create healthy places to live, work, and play in Herkimer County, Herkimer County HealthNet and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Herkimer County have designed and printed a Herkimer County Local Foods Map.  Made possible by funds from the New York State Department of Health for the Creating Healthy Places to Live, Work and Play initiative, the Herkimer County Local Foods Map lists foods that are produced and available for sale in Herkimer County by local producers.

The Herkimer County Local Foods map lists farmers, their contact information, foods they produce, and their location on the map. In addition, a harvest calendar which lists the seasons for specific foods as well as information about Herkimer County farmers’ markets is included. The maps will be distributed to local businesses and organizations throughout Herkimer County and the Mohawk Valley.

Herkimer County HealthNet, Inc., along with other agencies in NY State administers the Creating Healthy Places to Live, Work, & Play grant to prevent obesity and type 2 diabetes by increasing physical activity and increasing healthy eating.  Herkimer County HealthNet has partnered with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Herkimer County in an effort to promote healthy eating and increasing the use of farmers’ markets.

For more information regarding locations where the maps are available to pick up, please call Herkimer County HealthNet at (315) 867-1499 or Cornell Cooperative Extension (315) 866-7920. To view the online version of this map, please visit http://farmmarket.herkimerhealthnet.com.

(Norwich, NY – July 2011) Come “Savor the Flavor” of Chenango Saturday July 30 from 5 to 8 p.m. at The Artist’ Palette in Norwich. The event to benefit the Chenango County Farm Bureau and locally funded foundations will feature:

*Special Guest, Susan Arbetter, News & Public Affairs Director at WCNY in Syracuse and host of Albany’s Capitol Pressroom and Capitol Report.

*America’s number 1 Greek Yogurt Company, Agro Farma, will present kitchen delights…prepared on sight by Chef Jason.

*Wine, cheese, local foods and products, music, fine arts and auction, professional book signing.

Tickets for the over 21 event are available at the Chenango County Farm Bureau Office or the Artist’s Palette in Norwich, or by phone at (607) 334-6061 or (607) 244-1445.