Pesticide Applicator Exam Prep Course

$20 / person

Feb. 2, 5, 6, 9, and 13

9am - 3pm

Ballston Spa, Cobleskill, Herkimer, Morrisville, and Norwich

One day course offered at 5 different locations.  Bring Your Own Lunch.  Coffee and donuts will be provided. The lunch break will be short (20-25 minutes) so plan on staying near the location if you need to leave during this period.

Interested in taking the NYSDEC Pesticide Applicator's exam? In this course we will be joined by a NYSDEC representative who will go over the process of applying for and taking the exam, and will stay for a Q+A session to answer all of your questions about how to obtain and maintain your license. Afterward, CCE educators will cover the basic material of the Core exam, practice exam questions, test-taking tips, and provide take-home study materials.

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Swine Production Zoom Series

$10 per session or $40 for all 5 sessions

Thursdays, Feb. 5 and 19, Mar. 5 and 19, and Apr. 2

6:30 - 8pm

Zoom

Topics include:

• Managing breeding and birthing in a pig operation
• Providing pigs with a balanced and nutritious diet
• Observe all animals for signs of illness or injury and monitor their appetite
• Inspecting and pricing pigs for purchase
• Informal conversation temporary and permanent fencing and infrastructure for pig operations

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Transition to Supervisor (English)

$275 for NYS residents, $325 for out of state

Course begins: Friday, March 6

Live Zoom discussions: Thursdays, March 12 - April 16, 11 AM - Noon EST

Topics covered in ASL101:

• making the transition to supervisor
• improving communication
• understanding differences
• managing conflict
• leading a multicultural team
• building relationships

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Transición a Supervisor (Spanish)

$275 for NYS residents, $325 for out of state

Course begins: Thursday, March 5

Live Zoom discussions: Wednesdays, March 11 - April 15, 2 - 3 PM EST

The topics listed above are similar topics covered in the Spanish version of the course and include:

• How to make the mental transition to supervisor
• How to develop effective working relationships
• Essential communication skills
• How to be the leader of a multicultural group
• How to build better working relationships

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Staffing and Organizing Your Team

$275 for NYS residents, $325 for out of state

Course Begins: Friday, March 6

Live Zoom discussions: Thursdays, March 12 - April 16, 3 - 4 PM EST

Topics covered:

• Becoming a preferred employer
• Personnel planning
• Job descriptions
• Avoiding bias and discrimination
• Recruiting and interviewing
• The selection process
• Hiring and onboarding

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Priority Survey

We want your input for identifying priorities!  Please take a moment to fill out this brief and anonymous survey that will guide the Field Crops Pathology Research and Extension program.

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Food and Fiber Processing Grant Program

Applications due April 28 at 5pm.  

Funding priorities include:

• Early/initial stage processing for plant and animal fibers including retting, degumming, decortication, scouring, carding, and combing
• Edible fruits, vegetables, grains and beans for human consumption
• Projects focused on products that support the Nourish NY, Farm-to-School, and NYS 30% Initiative, or Executive Order 32
• Processed products containing large majority of New York State grown/harvested ingredients
• Further geographic diversity of New York State food processing capacity

 Eligible projects may include, but are not limited to:

• Expansion of food and fiber processing and processed product creation
• Aggregation and storage, as part of a larger processing expansion project
• Operational efficiency improvements
• Improving food safety standards for processing facilities

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Dung Beetles of New York State

Learn more about dung beetles in cattle and dairy pastures in New York State and how beneficial they are to the soil and pasture ecology.

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USDA Launches Assistance Network to Support Financially Distressed Farmers and Ranchers

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing the launch of the Distressed Borrowers Assistance Network, an initiative designed to provide personalized support to financially distressed farmers and ranchers across the nation. Through a series of Cooperative Agreements, this national network will connect distressed borrowers with individualized assistance to help them stabilize and regain financial footing

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List on 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

How do I join?

Farmers can click here 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.

If you have any questions as you create your farm profile or products, please email Matt LeRoux at mnl28@cornell.edu

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NYSERDA's Agriculture Programs

Three programs :

• Agriculture Energy Audit Program (AEAP): This program offers NY state farmers no-cost energy audits to help identify energy efficiency opportunities on their farm.
• REAP Technical Assistance Program (RTAP): This program has been designed to assist farmers at no-cost to make applications to the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).  If awarded, farmers can receive up to 50% of the total project cost.
• Energy Best Practices for Agriculture: The best practices have been developed to help educate producers with energy-efficient technologies, how they function, the average cost, and the average payback in years.

To learn more about these programs and eligibility, click here.

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Video: Endangered Species Act and Pesticides: An Example

Bill Chism, chair of the Endangered Species Act Committee of the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA)'s acclaimed March 20, 2024 webinar on how pesticide labels may change to protect endangered species is now available on NYSIPM's YouTube channel. 

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Video: Quebec Farmer Panel on Life After Neonics

Four years ago, neonicotinoid seed treatments were banned in Quebec (the provisions in NY's Birds and Bees Act are similar to this law).

Recently, UVM extension hosted a Quebec Farmer Panel on Transitioning Away From Neonic Treated Seeds.

The discussion was recorded and can be viewed for free and unedited.

Opinion article can be found here by Louis Robert.

NY Farm Bureau's statement on NY's Birds and Bees Act.

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NY FarmNet E-newsletter

Click here to sign up at the bottom of their webpage.

The Farm Hand e-newsletter is the newest monthly resource from NY FarmNet.  Each month they will bring readers information, resources, and news about how NY FarmNet supports agriculture across NYS.

NY FarmNet's free, confidential services are available to all farmers, farm families, and agribusinesses operating in New York State, regardless of size or type.  They help farmers with a variety of personal and financial issues - 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  NY FarmNet can be contacted at 1-800-547-3276 or by email at nyfarmnet@cornell.edu