NOFA-NY Educational Events
Read on for information about farmer-focused events brought to you by NOFA-NY and others in the New York farming community.

NOFANYeventsNOFA-NY Field Days and Workshops
Making Milk on Grass 
Date & Time: June 17th, 11:00am-3:30pm
Location:   Stone Mill Dairy, 5626 Reservoir Road, Earlville, NY 13332 (Madison County)

Join NOFA NY, Organic Valley CROPP Cooperative and David Stratton of Stone Mill Dairy to learn more about managing a grass based dairy operation. David Stratton will share what makes his farm successful including pasture management, calf raising and milk quality in a no grain system. Karen Hoffman, NRCS Animal Scientist will discuss the intricacies of grass based nutrition while DVM, Guy Jodarski, expands on maintaining herd health. Troy Bishopp, Grazing Specialist for Madison County Soil and Water, will discuss pasture planning and grazing chart usage to aid in pasture management.

Registration: This event costs $15/person or $25/group. To pre-register and pay by 6/15, go online or call Stephanie at (585) 271-1979 ext. 509. This event is free for Organic Valley Members. If you are a member of Organic Valley, please use discount code: OVmember at checkout. 
This event is produced by NOFA-NY with support from the USDA-Risk Management Agency and Organic Valley CROPP Cooperative
Productive Urban Plots
Date & Time: June 17th, 5:00-7:30pm
Location: La Finca del Sur,  E 138th Street and Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY (Bronx County)
What's stopping you from having a successful farm in the city? Starting from the soil, and through deciding on a marketing strategy, there's help and advice for you at this field day and gathering in the Bronx. Need some solid information to improve the soil health and productivity in your urban farm or garden? Bronx Green-Up's Sara Katz and Eastern NY Commercial Horticulture Program's Crystal Stewart will lead the first part of this workshop, teaching reasonable approaches to improving soil, including working with contaminated urban farm and garden sites. Want to set up some sales from your productive plot? Get into business mode to frame those dreams with solid business strategies. Learn how and where you can market your bounty, starting with some basic business planning strategies in the second half of the workshop, led by Farmer, Educator and Consultant, Bee Ayer. Our hosts at La Finca del Sur will provide an excellent venue and explain how they manage urban soil health and marketing. Make connections and walk away with ideas for your productive urban plot that you can put in place this summer and fall!.  
Registration:  This event costs $5/person. To pre-register and pay, shop online or call Stephanie at 585-271-1979 ext. 509. Pre-registration is encouraged and closes at 4pm on 6/15/15.
This program is sponsored by NOFA-NY through the NYSDAM Specialty Crop Block Grant and New York Farm Viability Institute.
Ready to Roll? New Field Research on Organic No-Till Soybean with Rolled-Crimped Cover Crops   
Date & Time:  June 18th, 6:00pm-8:00pm
**Twilight Event**
Location:   Musgrave Research Farm, 1256 Poplar Ridge Rd, Aurora, NY 13026 (Cayuga County)

Want to reduce your spring tillage? We will demonstrate equipment for successfully rolling down cover crops and planting soybeans into the resulting mulch; plus field plots will show results of several different rolling dates and cover crop species. This is a viable way to save money and time, while improving your soil!

Registration: This event costs $15/person or $25/group. To pre-register and pay by 6/16, go online or call Stephanie at (585) 271-1979 ext. 509.
This event is produced by NOFA-NY and Cornell University with support from USDA/OREI
Our Field Days Are All Across New York State! 
Check Out Our 2015 Field Day Brochure  For A Field Day Near You!
2015 Field Day Brochure

CommunityOther Regional Events and Announcements

PASA Field Day-Starting a Small Heritage Grain Operation

Date & Time: June 13th, 10:00am-4:00pm **This Saturday**

Location: Red Cat Farm, 6113 Memorial Rd, Germanville, PA 18053

Gather together in the Lehigh Valley for an entire day dedicated to exploring the many components of starting a small heritage grain operation. Teena and Michael Bailey will offer their experiences with beginning a heritage grain operation, including their triumphs and turbulent moments. The agenda for the day will also include field walks, discussions and equipment demonstrations by heritage grains expert Elizabeth Dyck of OGRIN and Tom Yasnowski. Tom runs allcropharvester.com, and is an expert on the Allis-Chalmers All Crop series of combines, arguably the harvester best-suited for small-scale grain production. He will provide an overview of the combine's operation, how to assess a used combine before purchase, and commonly needed repairs and maintenance. Among the equipment to be demonstrated is a farm-built, low-cost dehuller. Robert Perry from NOFA-NY will also be joining us for the day and bringing a gravity table to demonstrate!      

To register go online. Lunch will be provided and is included in the registration cost. Walk-in registration is welcome!

Searching for Land in all the Right Places

Date & Time: June 21st, 8:30am-3:00pm 

Location: SUNY New Paltz, Lecture Center, 1 Hawk Drive, New Paltz, NY 12561

The class begins with an introduction and overview at SUNY New Paltz, followed by a tour of representative properties and active local farms producing a variety of commodities including hops, livestock, fruits and vegetables. Carpooling is encouraged from site to site, and a few spots are available in our van.  Pick-up and drop-off at the New Paltz bus station is available before and after the class for those travelling from outside the region. The registration fee, which includes a box lunch, is $45/person or $35/person if enrolled in the CCEUC Agriculture Program. For more information on ag enrollment go to  http://tinyurl.com/Ag-Enrollment

To register:  Send in the printable registration form available at  http://tinyurl.com/Ag-Land-Eval.  For more information or to have a form sent to you, contact Carrie Anne at 845-340-3990 ext. 311 or email cad266@cornell.edu. Space is limited, so register early!  Registration deadline June 17.

Managing Pests in the New World of Alfalfa Traits

Date & Time: June 23rd, 1:00pm-3:00pm

Where: O. A. Borden Farm, 2841 Valley Falls Rd., Easton, NY

 

A field meeting about how alfalfa traits affect integrated pest management: 

  •        Potato Leafhopper Resistant
  •        RoundUp Ready
  •        Hybrid
  •        Low-lignin
  •        Branch-Rooted
  •        Rhizomatous
  •        Sunken Crown

Registration Instructions: This event is FREE but please RSVP online or contact Tove Foss Ford, 518-765-3518, tff24@cornell.edu. Questions to Aaron Gabriel, Capital Area Agriculture & Horticulture Program, 518-380-1496,  adg12@cornell.edu.  Two pesticide credits, CCA credits requested.

NOFA Summer Conference

Dates: Au gust 14-16th, 2015

Join the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) for three days with 144 workshops on farming, gardening, nutrition, land care, food politics and much more. The Conference is fun for the whole family with 100+ exhibitors, contra dance, country fair, organic meals, in-depth pre-conferences, and children and teens conferences. Group registration discounts and limited scholarships and work exchange opportunities are available. This year's keynote speakers are Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, a medical doctor and nutritional consultant, and Ronnie Cummins, a consumer activist and regenerative agriculture advocate. Find out more at www.nofasummerconference.org

Give to NOFA-NY at ANY TIME!

Join a growing movement of farmers, consumers, gardeners, and businesses.
Working together we can promote a strong local organic food and farm system in New York State and beyond.
NOFA-NY is an organization of  farmers, gardeners, and  consumers creating a sustainable regional food system which is ecologically sound and economically viable. Through demonstration and education, we promote land stewardship, organic food production, and local marketing.  NOFA-NY brings consumer and farmer closer together to make high quality food available to all people.