A group of students from Cornell University is working to distribute used solar panels to community members who might find second-life uses for the panels and remove them from the landfill. These solar panels are free but require some refurbishment. After refurbishment, each panel can produce about 165 watts of energy. If you would like to use these panels for any reason, please contact Anant Gupta here. More information about the panels is available in this graphic.

New York Farm Bureau delegates approved a new set of public policies to support New York agriculture at last week’s 66th State Annual Meeting in Buffalo. More than 100 delegates representing nearly 52 county Farm Bureaus from across the state voted on public policy positions and elected new officers and board members to lead the organization.

 The House Republican Steering Committee has elected Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson (PA-15) as Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture for the 118th Congress. Mr. Thompson will be the first Chairman from Pennsylvania in nearly 170 years.

Since the height of the COVID-19 global pandemic, annual sales of dry beans have skyrocketed as consumers turn to more nutritious, shelf-stable and sustainable protein alternatives. But organic farmers in New York, Vermont, Maine and Wisconsin haven’t been able to capitalize on these opportunities. Sarah Pethybridge, associate professor of plant pathology and plant-microbe biology at Cornell AgriTech, is leading a new four-year, $3 million multidisciplinary research project to increase the sustainability of the organic dry bean industry in the Northeast and upper Midwest by overcoming production challenges while developing improved management practices that build soil health and resilience to climate change.

Launched in 2018, the Genesee River Demonstration Farms Network, in partnership with AFT, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, and the New York Farm Viability Institute, showcases the impacts of practical and innovative conservation practices on real working farms. While focused on the Genesee River Watershed, these resources are applicable to farming operations across the state and beyond.

Learn more and apply online here. Applications due January 10, 2023.

The National Young Farmers Coalition is supporting young and beginning farmers and ranchers to start up and grow their businesses with a flexible funding opportunity. Now in its fourth year, the program will offer 75 $5,000 grants to a new cohort of young farmers and ranchers in 2023.

Applicants are encouraged to think through the lens of regenerating soil and community to celebrate the deep and visionary care for land and community that the next generation of farmers embodies.

Apply here. Applications due January 13, 2023.

The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (NE-DBIC), hosted by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets announces $900,000 in funding through the new Dairy Farm Innovation and Alternative Management Grant. With a focus on climate and community-forward production strategies, this grant offers funds for farmers, producer associations, and technical service providers to implement projects that enhance the resilience of our Northeast regional food system. Individual grants of $15,000 to $75,000 are available with a 25% (cash or in-kind) match commitment required.

Learn more here. Applications due February 2, 2023.

The NYS Young Farmers Loan Forgiveness Incentive Program is offered to encourage recent college graduates to pursue careers in farming in NYS. This Program provides loan forgiveness awards to individuals who obtain an undergraduate degree from an approved NYS college or university and agree to operate a farm in NYS, on a full-time basis, for five years. Learn more and apply here.

The University of New Hampshire Kiwiberry Research and Breeding Program is now 10 years old, and we have nearly 20 advanced breeding lines ready for multi-locational testing. We’re looking for 25 farmers across the northeast who are interested in participating in a grant-funded project that will support participatory evaluation of these potential new varieties, starting Spring 2023. If you are a current or aspiring kiwiberry producer, have an interest in new varieties, wish to receive more technical training, and have room for at least 12 vines, please complete this short questionnaire. If you would like to learn more about kiwiberries, a production guide developed by our program is available online at: http://www.noreastkiwiberries.com/

With the recent documentation of herbicide resistance in New York weeds, including Palmer amaranth (glyphosate, ALS-inhibitors), waterhemp (glyphosate, ALS-inhibitors), horseweed (glyphosate, ALS-inhibitors, paraquat), lambsquarters (bentazon), Cornell wants to better understand the current “state of the state” with respect to herbicide performance and failure. Survey responses will help Cornell weed scientists plan future research and extension projects. Please access the survey using this link.