Nicole Tommell

Area Ag Business Management Specialist

CCE Fulton/Montgomery Counties
20 Park St
Room 202
Fonda NY 12068

cell 315-867-6001
fax 518-853-2129
email Nicole

Nicole received her Bachelor of Technology in Ag Business Management from SUNY Cobleskill and her Masters of Agricultural Education from North Carolina State University. She was a Visiting Instructor at SUNY Cobleskill, teaching a myriad of ag business and animal science courses. She is co-owner of  a diversified cattle operation, a past president of the NY Angus Association, and actively involved in FFA and 4-H.

Livestock Trainings Offered Online

March 25 - December 31, 2020

During this time away from the field we have had quite a few producer's asking about certifications offered online.

Tick IPM #3: Asian Longhorned Tick IPM

July 13, 2020
11 am

The NE IPM Center is hosting a tick IP webinar series, and the next one is focused on the Asian Longhorned Tick, a pest of livestock. 

Resources for Farm Business Safety Plan Required

As the New York Forward plan is implemented across the state, businesses of all kinds are required to have a COVID-19 written safety plan in place. Both essential agricultural businesses that have remained open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and those non-food related agricultural businesses who will re-open must have a safety plan. A task force of Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) specialists developed a new set of resources to help farms comply with this requirement and efficiently prepare plans during this busy time of the year. NY Forward Business Safety Plan Support for Farms contains:

• Plan Templates
• Considerations and Examples for Your Plan
• Key References and Support Documents

Latest Information on the PPP and EIDL Programs

See the latest information on the PPP and EIDL

COVID-19 Safety Plans Required for All Businesses

COVID-19 Safety Plans Required for All Businesses in "New York Forward"


New York Forward is the state's plan to begin re-opening in phases as regions of the state achieve certain COVID-19 management metrics. An important part of New York Forward is for all businesses to have a customized, written safety plan that details specifically how each business will prevent and manage COVID-19. Details for particular industries, including agriculture can be found here.

Dialing Into Your Best Dairy-Podcast series

Find the podcast series "Dialing Into Your Best Dairy" on the PRO-DAIRY website.

NYS Dept of Ag and Mkts Request Info to Connect Impacted Producers

The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, in coordination with its partners, is reaching out to New York producers that have surplus agricultural products as a result of COVID-19-related supply chain disruptions. The Department is working to connect affected farmers to potential new purchasing opportunities through various institutions, such as food banks, retailers and more. Governor Cuomo has made a commitment to using local foods to support the emergency food system, and we are looking to connect producers to food banks and those in need. This information will be provided to the Department's partners and posted on its website.

EIDL Application Re-Opening

The EIDL Advance/Loan portal will be re-opening shortly. The re-opening of the portal is for agricultural businesses that were previously ineligible for the program. New non-agricultural business applications will not be accepted.

The portal will be opened for a limited period, and it is recommended that you apply as soon as possible. The link to the portal will be: http://www.sba.gov/Disaster

USDA Farmers to Families Food Box

As part of the Coronavirus Farm Assistance Program Secretary Perdue announced on April 17 that the USDA is exercising authority under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to purchase and distribute up to $3 billion of agricultural products to those in need. USDA will partner with regional and local distributors, whose workforce has been significantly impacted by the closure of many restaurants, hotels, and other food service entities, to purchase fresh produce, dairy, and meat. See more.

PRO-DAIRY offering Webinars and Podcasts

PRO-DAIRY has sent out a list of Webinars and Podcasts.  Find this list and more at our Resource page.

Team Programming and the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak

To all of our valued program participants and partners:

The Central NY Dairy, Livestock and Field Crops Team will not be conducting any meetings or in person assistance until further notice. All scheduled meetings have been cancelled as we look to support efforts to minimize the spread of COVID-19. If possible we may move them to an online format.

We will continue to monitor the situation and keep in touch with you.

Please continue to reach out to us by cell phone, email, and text as we will gladly respond. We will also continue to contact you by those same methods as we put out newsletters or share other pertinent pieces of information.

Again we are still here expecting to assist you as always, just for the near future not in the in-person way we have in the past.

Stay healthy.

Prevention & Control of the Novel Coronavirus for Farms

Find the an article on how to prevent and control the Novel Coronavirus on farms at: Novel Coronavirus Prevention & Control for Farms

Interim Guidance for Animal Care Operations

Interim Guidance for Animal Care Operations release from New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets on March 22, 2020.  Find article here

Links to Services

As we navigate through some very uncharted territory over the next few days/weeks/ months, the CNYDFLC team would like to offer you a list of services that may be of help to your farm business. Remember, our entire team is only a phone call, email or video conference away. Please do not hesitate to contact us if a need arises, we will do our best to assist you in the ways previously mentioned.  Find our contact information for each team member on the Contact Us page.