Agriculture and Food Systems

REFLECTIONS ON

AGRICULTURE & FOOD SYSTEMS

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

EMPOWERING FARMS TO RECEIVE ASSISTANCE

WESTERN BEAN CUTWORM (WBC) RESEARCH PROJECT

The Western Bean Cutworm trapping project, in collaboration with NYS IPM Program Livestock and Field Crop Work Team and Extension Educators from across NYS, had another successful season of monitoring for WBC in preparation to alert growers to potential infestations during the growing season. Trapping locations were set up at Weiss Dairy Farm and Peters Dairy Farm to track the pest’s flight across Sullivan County. In response to the pandemic, the U.S. government established federal relief and funding programs to help small businesses that were negatively impacted. Access to these programs existed solely online, creating a barrier for many in the agricultural community. CCE Sullivan worked with Sullivan 180 to bridge the digital divide by providing one-on-on support to farmers seeking to apply for pandemic assistance. Overall, CCE Sullivan assisted 16 farms with submitting federal funding applications, resulting in Sullivan County farms receiving over $140,000 in payroll assistance and forgivable loans from the Small Business Administration.

FARM TO SCHOOL

NUMBERS

89 Farm Visits 117 Direct Contacts 2,513 Indirect Contacts 259 Horticulture Contacts

CCE Sullivan received a grant from NYS Agriculture and Markets to develop a Farm to School program in Livingston Manor and Roscoe school districts. As part of the project, we worked with school districts and the Catskills Food Hub to source products from local and NYS farms, provide training to food service employees, and offer educational outreach to the students. As part of the October Farm to School month, staff worked with school districts to host educational events, such as Farm to School Day at Sullivan West and the Big Apple Crunch.

• Best Foot Forward: Branding,

Marketing, Sales • Brooding & Rearing Basics for

Poultry • E-Commerce 101 • Flock Talks: Roundtable

Discussions • FSMA Farmworker Health and

Hygiene Training (2 Classes) • Picture Perfect Social Media

Photography and Graphics • Poultry Enterprise Budget and

Business Plan • Small Farms Poultry Course • Social Media Inspirations • Writing a Farm Food Safety Plan • Virtual Ag Career Job Fair

WORKSHOPS COLLABORATORS

• CCE Orange County • CCE Ulster County • Cornell University • Fallsburg School District • Garnet Health • Hope Farm (New Hope/SUNY Sullivan) • Hudson Valley Agribusiness Dev. Corp. • Liberty School District • Livingston Manor School District • Monticello School District • Neversink Agricultural Society • NYS Department of Ag & Markets • Roscoe School District • Southern Catskills Food Hub • Sullivan 180 • Sullivan BOCES • Sullivan Catskills Farmers’ Markets • Sullivan County Agriculture and Farmland

Protection Board • Sullivan County Dept. of Public Health • Sullivan County Division of Planning and

Community Development • Sullivan County Farm Bureau • Sullivan County IDA • Sullivan County Legislature • Sullivan County Office for the Aging • Sullivan County Visitor’s Association • Sullivan Renaissance • Sullivan West School District • SUNY Sullivan • Tri-Valley School District • US Department of Agriculture