New York State Fiber Conference
Event Details
Date
June 11, 2023
Time
9am-4pm
Location
Butternut Hill Campground
6893 US Route 20
Bouckville, NY 13310
Host
Tove Ford
email Tove Ford
This one day conference is for new and beginning animal fiber producers who are looking for additional information to better make educated decisions regarding what species and breed of animal to raise and their efforts to produce, use or market their animal's fiber. Producers and potential producers from New York State and throughout the Northeast US are welcome to attend. Participants will leave with a better understanding of what they can do with their animal fiber or its value-added products to increase its market value; whether marketed through direct-to-consumer channels, commodity markets or wholesale.
Conference sessions and panels will cover the following topics:
- Selecting an animal species/breed and understanding their fiber quality
- Fiber types and uses
- Fleece quality with examples of poor, good, and excellent fleeces
- Fiber mills, supply chain, and finished products
- Market channels for the small producer
- Success stories from 4 small fiber producers/businesses
For conference agenda and registration
Opens April 1, 2023. Fee: $30 per person. Advance registration required by May 27, 2023.
Conference is limited to the first 50 participants.
Registration questions contact Tove Ford tff24@cornell.edu
Registration includes free admission to the Central New York Fiber Festival (see below) on Sunday with opportunities to explore almost 100 fantastic fiber booths during our 1 hr. 20 min. lunchbreak. Food venders will be on site for you to purchase food, but you can bring your own, if you so choose. Overnight accommodations
The Central New York Fiber Arts Festival is on June 10 & 11, 2023 at the same location. This festival is a family-friendly festival celebrating the fiber arts: spinning, knitting, weaving, felting, dyeing, and crochet. Demonstrations, lectures, and workshops and activities for children. Wheel corral: visitors can experiment with spinning. Story loom: visitors can contribute to a weaving project. Over 100 booths under cover with yarn, roving, and handmade finished products made with natural fibers. Fiber animals, weaving competition, and fleece sale.
Additional information regarding the Fiber Arts Festival
Dairy
Livestock
Forages
Grains
Upcoming Events
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New York State Fiber Conference
June 9, 2024
Bouckville, NY
Theme for this year: Quality Matters
Announcements
Cash Rent and Custom Harvest Survey
To date, there is limited information available about rental rates and fees for crop harvesting. Farms can use this valuable information for their farm business planning to help improve decision making and profitability.Farmers Can Join MeatSuite For Free!
MeatSuite.com is a free resource provided by Cornell University where NY meat farmers can create a farm profile and list their bulk (wholes, halves, quarters) and bundled (i.e. Grilling Bundle) meat products.Why should farmers join?
1. It's free and easy!
2. Connect with more local customers. In the past year the MeatSuite.com farm directory had 8,300 visits from New York consumers. Farm profiles get as many as 25 views per month from potential local customers. We also spotlight MeatSuite farms on social media and bring attention and purchases to farms through highlights and giveaways.
How do I join?
Farmers can visit https://www.meatsuite.com/farmers/ to create a free farm profile. You must list at least one product for your farm's profile to go live. You'll also have access to Cornell's free Meat Price Calculator, a helpful tool for pricing your meat to make a profit.
While you're on MeatSuite, check out the "Creating Consumer-Friendly Bulk Meats" publication on the log-in page. It has tips on how to create bulk meat products that are easier for first-time buyers to say "yes" to.
If you have any questions as you create your farm profile or products, we're here to help! Please email Matt LeRoux at mnl28@cornell.edu.