2021 CCE Sullivan Ag Annual Report

Extension Connection VOLUME XCII No. 11

PRODUCED by: CCE Sullivan County

Edited by: Melinda Meddaugh Colleen Monaghan

Designed by: Centermost Marketing

The Extension Connection (USPS-525-100) is published monthly for $25.00 enrollment by Cornell Cooperative Extension Sullivan County, located at 64 Ferndale-Loomis Road, Suite 1, Liberty, NY 12754-2903. Entered at Liberty, New York, as a periodical class matter. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in section 412, Act of February 24, 1925.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Extension Connection, 64 Ferndale-Loomis Road, Suite 1, Liberty, NY 12754-2903.

Cornell Cooperative Extension Sullivan County is an employer and educator recognized for valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with DisAbilities and provides equal program and employment opportunities.

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Office Hours Hours: Mon - Fri 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Phone: 845-292-6180 E-mail: sullivan@cornell.edu Website: www.sullivancce.org Twitter.com/ccesullivan Facebook.com/ccesullivan Instagram.com/ccesullivan YouTube: bit.ly/ccesullivan LinkedIn.com/company/ccesullivan

CCE Sullivan STAFF

2021 Board of Directors

Colleen Monaghan...................................................................Executive Director Thomas Bosket.......................................................SALT/DFC Program Manager SueAnn Boyd........................................Healthy Schools Program Coordinator Fabio Campanati....Sullivan Fresh & Shop Taste NY Program Coordinator Elizabeth Clancy-DiBartolo..................Sullivan Fresh Program Coordinator Martin Colavito..............................Community Cupboard Program Manager Kaitlyn Conklin......................................................................................4-H Educator Wanda V. Cruz...........................Healthy Communities Program Coordinator Khristopher DiBartolo............................Sullivan Fresh Program Coordinator Marylin Jones................................................................4-H Program Coordinator Bonnie Lewis................................................................Dependent Care Educator Erica Lynch...........................................Catskills Kitchen Program Coordinator Melinda Meddaugh.......................................Ag & Food Systems Issue Leader Brenda Miller............Environment & Natural Resources Program Manager Vivian Monsanto....................................................................Finance Coordinator Barbara Moran.............................4-H Animal Science Program Coordinator Bee Moser............................................................SNAP-Ed New York Nutritionist Vanessa Petrossian...........Director of State & Regional Ag Market Initiatives Abyssinia Pla El............................................................................Finance Coordinator Michelle Proscia....................................................................Agriculture Educator John Mastrangelo................................................Assistant Ag Market Manager Nicole A. Slevin Nikolados..........................Administrator & Diversity Officer Ashley Tully......................................................................Ag Program Coordinator Tara VanHorn.................................................................................Finance Manager Malinda Ware.................................................................................Program Director Sean Welsh....................................................................Energy Resource Educator John Wilcox...................................................................................Facilities Manager Judy Arpadi, Cherene Audain, Brian Vantassell......Ag Market Coordinators

Robert Kaplan...............President Amy Erlwein..........Vice President Klu Padu...........................Secretary John Kiefer.......................Treasurer Nadia Rajsz...........Legislative Rep. Adam Hughes............Cornell Rep. Jenny Chamberlain Marcie Ehrman Denise Frangipane John “JP” Lang Amanda Langseder Chris Ng Juanita Sarmiento Gary Silver Dara Smith George Stang

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PROGRAM COMMITTEE Freda Eisenberg - Chair Alex Alorro Heather Brown Roberta Chambers Samara Ferris Cynthia Hernandez-Gonzalez Nancy McGraw Desmond Oxford McDaniel Luisa Parker Eugene Thalmann Deborah Worde

Table of Contents Letters from the Executive Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension Sullivan County and the Commissioner of the Sullivan County Division of Planning and Community Development................................................4 CCE Sullivan’s Strategic Goals............................................................................................................5 Sullivan County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Plan...................................................6-7 Impacts, Numbers, and Programs Promoting Productive and Sustainable Agricultural Systems..................................8-9 Cultivating the Next Generation of Farmers...................................................................10-11 Supporting Agricultural Business Retention and Expansion....................................12-13 Recruitment Efforts and Catskills Kitchen........................................................................14-15 Preserving Farmland................................................................................................................16-17 Improving Community Health through Food Access and Nutrition......................18-19 Numbers at a Glance.............................................................................................................................20 Programs and Initiatives......................................................................................................................21 Our Partners.............................................................................................................................................22-23

Sulliv Sullivan Sull ivan Catskills Cat atskkilillss is Alll forr Ag! Ag!!

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Welcome to the Report From the Executive Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension Sullivan County Greetings farmers, families, and neighbors. This issue of the Extension Connection magazine is an update on CCE Sullivan’s Agriculture and Food Systems program. Since 2014, this team has grown from 1.5 FTE staff members to a team of 10 FTEs. Two thirds of these positions have a focus in Sullivan County, and the remaining work on food system and ag marketing efforts across New York State through the Taste NY program.

The department's growth reflects the strength of agriculture in Sullivan County and the Hudson Valley Catskills, and robust partnerships with local and regional producers, Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), Sullivan County Division of Planning, Community Development, and Real Property, Sullivan County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board (AFPB), Sullivan County Departments of Public Health Services and Community Resources, small scale food processors, local school districts, and many local, state, and national funders.

The CCE ag team covers production and farm and business management topics identified by the CCE Sullivan Ag Plan of Work and the Sullivan County Farmland Protection Plan, many of which are highlighted in this issue.

They work with local producers to improve crop and livestock cultivation outcomes, develop strong business and marketing plans, and increase access to fresh, healthy foods for Sullivan County residents and visitors, no matter their demographic or socioeconomic status. Together, CCE’s ag and nutrition teams educate consumers by promoting farmers’ markets, providing equipment for serving fresh foods in public spaces like schools, and public outreach to promote agriculture. These efforts round out the Extension approach and promote the health, economic, and environmental benefits of a thriving ag sector.

In closing, if you are a Sullivan County resident AND a member of CCE Sullivan, you are eligible to vote in the 2022 Board of Directors’ elections by visiting: https://bit.ly/cceballot. You can also email, text, or call me before November 10th at sullivan@cornell.edu or 845-798-1258 to request a paper ballot.

Colleen Monaghan, Executive Director

From the Commissioner of the Sullivan County Division of Planning & Community Development When Sullivan County’s Agriculture and Farmland Protection Plan was completed in 2014, its number one priority was to “build capacity, organization, and collaboration." The significant growth of CCE Sullivan’s Agriculture and Food Systems program is evidence of meeting that goal. And as agricultural support services have grown in Sullivan County, so too have the number of farms and the amount of acreage devoted to farm activities.

The last US Census of Agriculture, conducted in 2017, reported that the number of active farms in Sullivan County increased 14% since the previous agricultural census five years earlier, growing from 321 to 366. The amount of farm acreage here also grew during that time, by 11%, although the average farm size dropped by two percent. Smaller specialty farms are leading the agricultural resurgence in Sullivan County. Each year the Sullivan County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board receives applications from emerging farm operations seeing to have their property included in one of the County’s two agricultural districts so they can receive the right-to-farm protections of New York State’s Department of Agriculture and Markets.

The next agricultural census will take place in 2022, and producers can register now to ensure they are included: https://www.agcounts.usda.gov/static/get-counted.html. And while it will be a few more years before the Agriculture and Farmland Protection Plan is ready for an update, agriculture will be addressed in the upcoming Countywide Resiliency Plan.Changing weather patterns, including the increasing frequency of extreme weather events, will affect agricultural operations in the long term, and the Resiliency Plan will explore potential impacts and identify strategies to ensure agriculture remains a pillar of the County economy.

Freda Eisenberg, AICP, Commissioner

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*

*Adapted from CCE NYS and CCESC Plans of Work

• Assure long-term viability and well-being of the agricultural/horticultural industry and rural Sullivan County.

• Assist producers, horticulture businesses, and natural resource managers to optimize production management and improve profitability and sustainability in accordance with their goals.

• Boost Sullivan County agricultural production.

• Improve capacity to meet growing food demand.

• Foster innovation in fighting hunger by addressing food insecurity in vulnerable populations.

• Promote economically and environmentally sound products and practices, and safer and healthier products.

• Increase the use of sustainable practices to result in improved or protected soil, air, and water quality and production of high quality and safe food and fiber.

• Improve soil health and productivity, resulting in increased farm profitability and improved environmental quality.

What is Extension in Sullivan County?

Technical Assistance Direct staff-to-producer problem solving occurs at the Extension Education Center, the Catskills Kitchen, and at farm businesses. Staff scout crops for pests; identify disease; test soil samples; research food safety regulations, business planning, and finance opportunities; and assist with livestock management, site selection, and more. The team fields over 1,000 technical assistance inquiries annually.

Applied Research Real world experiments are run to discover solutions to challenges of pest, manure, and nutrient management. The Western Bean Cutworm trapping project, in collaboration with NYS IPM Program Livestock and Field Crop Work Team and Extension Educators from across NYS, has 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 flight of the pest across Sullivan County.

Education Workshops, webinars, and peer-to-peer networking groups provide forums for producers to learn about rules and regulations; crop and livestock production and management techniques; integrated pest management; farm business financing; risk management; value-added production; diversification; labor practices; hay, soil, and manure management, and more.

In addition to Extension staff, Cornell and other university faculty, USDA, NYS Ag and Markets, Small Business Administration mentors, farm business entrepreneurs and other experts guest lecturer in Sullivan County. Workshops happen in the classroom, the CCE Sullivan greenhouse, high tunnel, and teaching gardens, and on farm sites to provide a variety of hands-on learning experiences in practical settings.

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CORNELL RESOURCES FOR FARMERS

CCE SULLIVAN'S STRATEGIC GOALS

Sullivan County Agriculture & Farmland Protection Plan Agriculture is a pillar of the Sullivan County economy and quality of life. The most recent Sullivan County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Plan adopted by the Sullivan County Legislature outlines the current state of agriculture in the County and recommends a series of actions to help the County and its farmers take full advantage of the many farm and ag-business opportunities that exist.

The Plan incorporates input from farmers, agricultural groups and organizations, economic development officials, community leaders, and the general public, and gives the County: • a comprehensive analysis of local agriculture, including the impact of property taxes on farms; • a long-term vision and direction to guide the development of policies and programs; • strategies to maintain agriculture as a critical land use and economic driver; • a framework for organization and collaboration to promote existing and new farm operations; • an evaluation of local land use laws and policies to determine their “farm-friendliness”; • the development of priority farmland criteria for use in farmland protection initiatives; • the identification of marketing opportunities, potential partners, and sources of funding; • data, maps, and other information to support marketing, grant writing, and ag programming; • resources on agriculture to be used by County staff, elected officials, and farmers.

The plan presents five goals to support a thriving agricultural sector in Sullivan County: 1. Maintain the county’s valuable farmland in active agricultural use.

2. Increase the financial success and stability of farm operations.

3. Integrate agricultural economic development into County economic strategies.

4. Increase public recognition of the value of agriculture and farmland, and develop a better understanding of farm issues by non-farmers.

5. Attract new entrepreneurs and younger households to farming ventures and assist the next generation of farmers.

The plan recommends programs and projects that align with CCE Sullivan’s Ag and Food Systems Plan of Work and are categorized in five broad areas highlighted below and expanded upon in this report:

Promoting

Productive and Sustainable Agricultural Systems

Cultivating

the Next Generation of Farmers

Supporting

Agricultural Business Retention and Expansion

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Preserving

Farmland in Sullivan County

Improving

Community Health through Food Access and Nutrition

FARMLAND PROTECTION PLAN IMPLEMENTATION

Division of Planning and Community Development

AG BUSINESS & RETENTION 2.9 Collaboration 2.1 Marketing and resource tools for farmers: website with links to programs and resources 2.3 Ag database 2.5 Farm visit plan

AGRI-TOURISM 3.1 Plan ag and food-related festivals and events: • Brainstorm ideas/themes

CAPACITY BUILDING COLLABORATION 1.1 Ag BR&E Coordinator 1.2 Fund HVADC, CCE, SWCD

• Organize attractions and vendors

1.5 Map existing programs, identify duplication and gaps, create annual benchmarks

• Develop promotional strategies with Sullivan County Visitors Association

1.7 Quarterly regional meetings 1.4 Ag distribution lists

3.4 Update and print Fresh from the Farm trail map, rack cards, and brochures

NEW YOUNG FARMERS 4.7 Ag business loans 4.3 Sullivan County New Farmer Guide

VALUE ADDED DIVERSIFICATION 5.7 Catskills Kitchen • Consider cheese making equipment and programs

4.4 New Farmer Fact Sheets 5.2 Support value-added dairy production and dairy processing facilities 5.9 Education and technical assistance re: value-added product diversification

BUY LOCAL 6.1 Sullivan Fresh Initiative • Label and tag line • Price and fund stickers • Local product stickers • SC farm participation in Pure Catskills 6.7 SC Buy Local campaign • Message and tagline

5.11 High tunnel education and funding

6.8 Marketing campaign for above: posters, stickers, kit for farmers

5.12 Agri-business revolving loan fund

6.9 Commodity based marketing materials 6.10 Window stickers

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Promoting Productive & Sustainable Agricultural Systems CCE has a commitment to agriculture, horticulture, and natural resource enterprises and to assisting them in making the best choices when selecting production principles and practices to enhance economic and environmental sustainability.

Sullivan County producers have a variety of informational and practical needs when it comes to achievement and promoting productive and sustainable agricultural systems on their farms. Production related inquiries have been in the followings areas: • High Tunnels/Greenhouses: Sourcing infrastructure, site selection, soil testing, variety selection, and growing/ harvesting techniques • Pest Management: Integrated Pest Management (IPM), scouting for pests and diseases, control methods, and d pesticide recertification credits • Poultry & Meat Processing: Rules and regulations, marketing and direct sales, and certifications • Animal Husbandry Practices: Reproduction, feed and nutrition, health, management, behavior, diseases, and housing requirements • Hay and Soil Management: Soil and forage test interpretation and pasture improvement plans • Manure Management: Best practices including rate of application, timing, and soil testing

SPOTLIGHT ON: Quarton Farm Kellie Quarton owns and manages Quarton Farm, a diversified vegetable farm in Hurleyville, NY. Founded in September 2017, Kelly leased land she found on the Farmlink website and started growing in the spring of 2018. She currently cultivates 10 acres in production. Quarton Farms sells its produce through NYC Green Markets, at the Union Square Farmers Market on Mondays and Saturdays. They also sell wholesale to restaurants, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kellie pivoted to add a market in Brooklyn.

Quarton Farm has worked with CCE Sullivan for assistance in scouting pests and disease, farm food safety, and marketing and grant opportunities. New for 2021, Quarton Farm is supplying produce for our Sullivan Fresh program.

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PROGRAM & RESOURCE SNAPSHOTS

FARM FOOD SAFETY CCE Sullivan received a grant from the USDA to assist farms with technical assistance and trainings on FSMA topics, covering the expenses for producers to attend these necessary trainings, developing outreach materials targeted towards producers, training CCE educators and partners on the latest Farm Food Safety resources, assisting with the development of Farm Food Safety Plans and providing assistance and funding for consulting opportunities for producers seeking a third-party GAP audit. We have assisted 6 farms and issued 16 certificates through training programs and are in the process of assisting 7 farms to develop farm food safety plans, including assistance with GAP audits.

CORN PLOT FIELD DAY

LIVESTOCK PROGRAM WORK TEAM (PWT) Michelle Proscia is a member of the Livestock PWT with a mission of building a network of experts and resources to foster success of livestock farms across NYS. The PWT was formed in part as an outcome of the Small Farms Livestock Report. It was approved January 2020 and has 39 members. Areas covered are Meat Processing, Animal Fiber, Beef, Poultry, Swine, Equine, Small Ruminants, and Media.

Corn Plot Field day is an opportunity for area farmers to learn how to effectively manage crop fields, including corn plots, with lessons on pesticide use.

Pesticide continuing education credits are offered on topics like corn rootworm IPM and new insects, pests, and diseases of field corn. The field day features a demo plot with variety descriptions and field observations of corn to examine for performance.

Production Related Workshops, Events, and Initiatives • Thun Thunder n 102 Ag Report

• Flock Talks: Roundtable Discussion

• Livestock Program Work Team

• Farm Food Safety Training

• Corn Plot Field Day

• Post Harvest Handling Workshop

• Brooding and Rearing Basics for Poultry

• Cow/Calf Workshop

• FSMA Farm Worker Health & Hygiene Training

• Pasture Management

• Writing a Farm Food Safety Plan

• Beef Quality Assurance

• Poultry Enterprise Budget & Business Plan

• Making Quality Baleage • Sheep and Goat Roundtable

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CULTIVATING THE NEXT GENERATION OF FARMERS Programs cover multiple aspects of food security such as soil resources and soil health, crop plant genomics, field evaluation of crops, production guidelines, genetic improvement of animals and animal production, economics of production and farm management, integrated pest management, and healthy produce production and storage.

Aspiring and beginning farmers in Sullivan County have a variety of informational and practical needs when it comes to understanding what it takes to start and succeed at a life and career in agriculture. New farmer technical assistance has touched on multiple topics: • The Basics: How to set up a farm, agricultural districts and assessments, regulations, marketing, business planning, production practices, site selection, soil testing, pasture management, animal health, and husbandry • Vegetable Farming: Vegetables, fruit trees, high tunnels, bees, crop rotation, pest control, and tillage with tractor implements • Poultry: Breed selection, egg hatching, raising chicks and adult birds, feed and nutrition, equipment, healthcare, and regulations for selling eggs and meat • Swine: Breed selection, breeding and farrowing, feed and nutrition, equipment, healthcare, and regulations for selling meat

SPOTLIGHT ON: WINTERTON FARMS Winterton Farms was established in 2010 in Bloomingburg, NY. Owned and operated by Kent Findley and Erika Malmgreen-Findley, this farm grows a variety of vegetables under high tunnels and in the field, produces maple syrup, and manages over 1000 lavender plants.

Winterton Farms is dedicated to producing quality products and sharing their enthusiasm for agriculture in the form of agritourism. They host events and tours for schools and participate in farmers’ markets and the NYS Maple Tour. Winterton Farms has worked with CCE Sullivan on grant opportunities, identifying pests and diseases on crops, and farm food safety.

New Farmer Related Workshops, Events, and Initiatives

• Twilight Farm Tours

• 4-H Animal Science Program

• Introduction to Poultry

• Youth Livestock Auction

• Introduction to Farming

• Sullivan County Youth Fair

• Introduction to Swine • 4-H Equine Program

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PROGRAM & RESOURCE SNAPSHOTS

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Farmer Twilight Farm

CCE Sullivan provides sup port and existing farmers, help to new ing them put their best foot forward at markets.

Through CCE Sullivan’ss 4H Youth Development Program, staff work to ers. cultivate the next generation of farm

CCE Sullivan offers educational prog rams for beginner farmers. At the Intro to Swin e Workshop in collaboration with CCE Ulster, participa nts learned best practices for raising pigs.

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Supporting Agricultural Business Retention and Expansion Agriculture, horticulture, and related business vitality is critical to ag economic development in Sullivan County. Extension, the Sullivan County Legislature, County Planning, and the Ag and Farmland Protection Board are committed to assisting farm and agricultural/horticultural business industries.

Ag Business Retention and Expansion Related Workshops, Events, and Initiatives • Best Foot Forward: Branding, Marketing and Sales • Social Media Inspirations • E Commerce 101

• Advanced Social Media • Marketing Your Business • Business Planning Workshop • Wholesale Market Readiness

• Beginner Social Media

• Farm Transfer and Succession Planning • Agri-Tourism Workshop • Picture Perfect Social Media Photography and Graphics

FARM AND FOOD BUSINESS PROGRAM

EMPOWERING FARMS TO RECEIVE ASSISTANCE NCE

In the Fall of 2021, CCE received funding from the USDA through their Rural Business Development program. Through this new project, CCE staff will work one on one with farm and food businesses to develop business and marketing plans, using professional consultants, along with using industry professionals and in house educators to offer programming on marketing and business development and expansion. The program also allows participants to access funding to implement their marketing plans. Stay tuned for upcoming workshops.

In response to the pandemic, the U.S. government nmentt established federal relief and funding programs ams to help small businesses that were negativelyy impacted. Access to these programs existed solely online, which created a barrier for many in our ur agriculture community. CCE Sullivan bridged d this digital divide through access and training, byy offering direct assistance to farmers seeking to apply for pandemic assistanc. Overall, CCE Sullivan ullivan n assisted 16 farms with submitting their application cation n and helped them collectively receive over $140,000 $140,000 the in payroll assistance/forgivable loans from th he Small Business Administration.

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PROGRAM & RESOURCE SNAPSHOTS Catskills Food Hub When the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, a team from CCE Sullivan helped expand the operational capacity of Catskills Food Hub to meet demand and pivot to a hybrid retail market, allowing individuals and families to access food during the height of the pandemic. Distribution sales increased five-fold, stressing operational capacity, but providing a vital outlet for local, small farms to be able to continue selling their products despite restaurant and other market closures.

SPOTLIGHT ON: BROWN FARM The Browns have operated a dairy farm in Callicoon since 1978.

Richard Brown manages a herd of over 100 cattle, working with the e Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) for distribution and sales. During 2020, the farms fluid milk payments dropped in value by over 25 percent. Operating costs remain the same on farms despite fluctuation and bottlenecks in the market. The Browns worked with CCE Sullivan staff to obtain two separate Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) forgivable loans to help cover significant income losses of more than $40,000. The Browns’ operation is majority analog, and without this assistance from Extension, theyy most likelyy would not have applied for PPP, though being well qualified. alified.

ALL FOR AG THANK YOU BAGS During the 2020 season, farms navigated an extremely volatile market, while continuing to provide food for our communities. They adjusted operations, increased workloads, and donated food and time. To recognize the strong local farms we have in Sullivan County, the CCE Sullivan team asked the public to nominate farms to receive a thank you gift over the winter holidays. In total, CCESC delivered 51 All for Ag, Thank You Bags full of gifts provided by local partners and dollars to spend at local ag stores.

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Supporting Agricultural Business Retention and Expansion

AG JOB FAIRS

In 2018, CCE Sullivan responded to the needs of the farming community by developing an ag-focused job fair at SUNY Sullivan (pictured below).

Due to the pandemic, our efforts shifted virtually. Hopefully the job fair can transition back to in-person for 2022. For our job fairs, CCE Sullivan staff work directly with farmers to develop job postings or invite interested agricultural related businesses to attend the job fair in person or virtually.

Outreach is conducted to the public, including area high schools. Students are invited to attend the event and we have organized coinciding farm tours for them as well, such as the tour of Hope Farm in 2018 (bottom right).

Looking for an agricultural job or want to post one? Visit: www.sullivancce.org/agriculture/agriculture-jobs If you’re hiring, check out our resources at the link above for creating a great job description. If you need help listing a job, just contact our staff. We're here to help!

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PROGRAM & RESOURCE SNAPSHOTS The Catskills Kitchen is a shared-use commercial incubator kitchen for small scale food producers to develop, test, and produce value-added products. Users are provided with hands-on assistance through recipe development and NYS Ag and Markets and Department of Health licensing and regulations requirements to bring safe, value added, profitable food products to market. Since the Catskills Kitchen was launched in 2015 over two dozen workshops have been offered and staff provided p rovided support for over 500 entrepreneurs and 18 new businesses.

SPOTLIGHT ON: FOOD TRUCKS T Catskills Kitchen is home to successful Sullivan County food businesses.

The TThrough the business incubator program, the Chick E Ribs, Local Lady, and Catskill Food Trucks received technical assistance from the program allowing them to utilize the kitchen to start their successful businesses.

SPOTLIGHT ON: Entrepreneurial Training for Food Businesses CCE Sullivan offered a 6-week training series for existing and new food businesses. Local and regional experts provided step-by-step guidance to empower their businesses for success. The program offered participants pathways to funding and other support services and resources to improve and expand operations. Graduates of the program are eligible for low-interest loans through the Sullivan County Division of Planning and Community Development, to buy capital goods like machinery, furniture, fixtures, and equipment.

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Preserving Farmland Protecting and improving the integrity of our environment and maintaining ecological systems enable prosperity in Sullivan County.

Expanding populations cause growing consumer demands on the agriculture and food system. This magnifies challenges of balancing food production and processing with land stewardship and protection of the environment. The long-term sustainability of agriculture is inexorably linked to environmental quality.

Preserving Farmland Related Workshops, Events, and Initiatives

• Energy Opportunities for Your Farm • Purchasing and Renting Farmland

• Ag Resources for Realtors • The Ins and Outs of Selling Farmland for Realtors

SPOTLIGHT ON: AGRICULTURE DISTRICTS Agricultural Districts are an important tool for providing the local farming community with certain safeguards to keep agricultural lands in agricultural production and use. Every year, there is an annual 30-day ay window for inclusion into an Agricultural District. There is an application on process, site visits, reviews by the Sullivan County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board, and reports to the Sullivan County Legislature and NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets.

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• Agricultural Zoning Reviews

PROGRAM & RESOURCE SNAPSHOTS

WEBSITE RESOURCES oN AGRICULTURAL ASSESSMENT

AG RESOURCES FOR REALTORS

FARMLAND PRESERVATION PROJECTS

SPOTLIGHT ON: Ag District 8 Year Review In 2021, Sullivan County Agricultural District #1 underwent its Eight Year Review. Over 122,000 acres are located in Agricultural District #1, consisting of over 7,000 parcels. During this time frame, me, landowners can remove, add or keep their land in this agricultural ral district. All landowners are notified, and from there, a public hearing is scheduled. A report and maps were generated showing ng the existing and any proposed changes. The updated Eight Year report received approval by the NYS Agriculture and Markets Commissioner and is certified for the next eight g yyears.

SPOTLIGHT ON: Agricultural Zoning Review CCE Sullivan works with the Sullivan County Division of Planning and Community Development on a regular basis to review municipal zoning, along with site plans and how they affect farm operations located within an agricultural g district.

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Improving Community Health through Food Access & Nutrition Education is directed toward improvement of the food system as a whole, from “farm to table” and including analyses of policies affecting g the system, y food security, and hunger.

SPOTLIGHT ON: Farmers' Market Promotion Project Our local Sullivan County farmers’ markets are often an initial space for new farm and food businesses. The Sullivan Catskills Farmers' Markets campaigns, launched in 2016, continue to collectively organize and promote each individual farmers’ market within Sullivan County. In 2021, the county hosted 11 seasonal and one year-round farmers’ market, along with four mobile market stops in food desert communities. Advertising the markets collectively to both residents and tourists in the Western Catskills has proven to be effective in increasing Farmers Markets' attendance and spending at markets.

Credit: Patricio Robayo, Sullivan County Democrat

Happy customers leaving the market.

Community Cupboard customers.

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Dedicated mbile market volunteer at work.

PROGRAM & RESOURCE SNAPSHOTS FARM TO SCHOOL 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 have worked with the 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. We are also working with other County school districts, in partnership with Sullivan Renaissance, to expand this program. As part of the 2021 October Farm to School month, staff have been busy working with school districts to host educational events, such as a Farm to School Day at Sullivan West and the Big Apple Crunch.

SULLIVAN FRESH MARKETS Our Sullivan Fresh initiative evolved out of expressed interest to sustain local agriculture and build a stronger food system in erss' Sullivan and surrounding counties. We currently operate 2 farmers' he market initiatives in Sullivan County: Sullivan Fresh Market on the Move and the Sullivan Fresh Farmers' Market at Monticello. As part of the program, we work with local farmers to source fresh, healthy produce. The program partners with the Office for the Aging, Sullivan Renaissance, and Garnet Health to offer different h incentives, making local produce affordable. We also partner with the Town of Fallsburg, g Sullivan County Public Health Services, the e Village g of Monticello, and the Communityy Church of Wurtsbor o Wurtsboro to set up our weekly stops.

Sullivan Su ulliv Fresh Fresh Community Cupboard In response resp to COVID-19, CCE Sullivan and community coalition Sullivan Su ulliva Allies Leading Together (SALT) procured a refrigerated van forr do door-to-door food distribution and community outreach, now fo dubbed du ubbe the Sullivan Fresh Community Cupboard. The Community Cupboard has provided enough food and prepared meals to make Cu upb more m ore than 400,000 free meals and personal necessities to folks in need ne eed from all walks of life, across Sullivan County since March 2020.

Food Fo ood is procured from farm and food producers in Sullivan County and an nd tthe surrounding region, food pantries, and donors. They are nutritionally rounded by MyPlate standards and include healthy nu utri recipes re cip and tips for safe food preparation and storage. Currently, we serve se erve almost 500 people, consisting of 150 stops on a weekly basis.

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NUMBERS AT A GLANCE SINCE 20199

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300

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SANITIZER DISTRIBUTED

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PROGRAMS & INITIATIVES Program OFFERINGS AND EVENTS • 4-H Animal Science Program

• FSMA Farm Worker Health & Hygiene Training

• 4-H Equine Program

• Getting into the Food Business: Food Trucks and Catering

• Advanced Social Media

• Introduction to Farming

• Ag Resources for Realtors

• Introduction to Poultry

• Agricultural Zoning Reviews

• Making Quality Baleage

• Agri-Tourism Workshop

• Marketing Your Business

• Beef Quality Assurance

• Pasture Management

• Beginner Social Media

• Picture Perfect Social Media Photography and Graphics

• Best Foot Forward: Branding, Marketing and Sales • Brooding and Rearing Basics for Poultry

• Post Harvest Handling Workshop • Poultry Enterprise Budget and Business Plan

• Business Planning Workshop

• Purchasing and Renting Farmland

• Corn Plot Field Day

• Sheep and Goat Roundtable

• Cow/Calf Workshop • Developing a Business Plan for Your Food Business

• Social Media Inspirations • The Ins and Outs of Selling Farmland for Realtors

• E Commerce 101

• Thunder 102 Ag Report

• Energy Opportunities for your Farm

• Twilight Farm Tours

• Farm Food Safety Training

• Wholesale Market Readiness

• Farm Transfer and Succession Planning

• Writing a Farm Food Safety Plan

• Flock Talks: Roundtable Discussion

• Youth Livestock Auction

INITIATIVES • Right to Farm Project • Farmer Resource Guide • Dairy Discussion Groups • Farm to School/Farm to Institution • Farmers' Market Promotion Project • Catskills Kitchen Food Business Incubator Program • Farmland Preservation • Value-Added Dairy • Ag Business & Retention Program

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OUR PARTNERS • Beekeepers Association • Bold Gold Media • Catskill Mountainkeeper • CCE Orange County • CCE Ulster County • Cornell University • Fallsburg School District • Farm Credit East • Garnet Health • Hope Farm (New Hope/SUNY Sullivan) • Hudson Valley Agricultural Development • Liberty School District • Livingston Manor School District • Monticello School District • Neversink Agricultural Society • NYS Department of Ag & Markets • Roscoe School hool ool District • S.A.L.T

• Southern Catskills Food Hub • Sullivan BOCES • Sullivan Catskills Farmers’ Markets • Sullivan County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board • Sullivan County Department of Public Health Services • 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 • United States Department of Departm Depa Agriculture

Right To Farm Municipalities Bethel Callicoon Cochecton Delaware Fremont Liberty Mamakating Neversink Rockland

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OUR PARTNERS FARMS THAT ASSISTED WITH PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

Brey's Egg Farm helps with CCE Sullivan programming and sells at Sullivan Fresh markets.

SULLIVAN FRESH FARMS

Brey's Egg Farm Good Find Farm (Twilight Farm Tour) Hope Farm (SUNY Sullivan) Majestic Farm Peters Dairy Farm Quarton Farm Stonewall Farm Thunder View Farm Weiss Dairy Farm Wild Russet Farm (Twilight Farm Tour)

Bethel Creamery Brey's Egg Farm Myers Dairy Farm Burns Farm Quarton Farm Neversink Farm Soons Orchard Trapani Farms

Burns Farm at the Sullivan Fresh Farmers Market at Monticello.

The Youth Farm Tour at New Hope Farm.

Majestic Farm helped record a video.

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Research project at Peters Dairy Farm.

Bulk mailing code (USPS) 525 - 100

HOW TO GIVE Hope 1 in 10 Sullivan Catskills Residents Faced Food Insecurity.

That was BEFORE the Pandemic.

Estimates suggest that now, 60-70% more people in our community are struggling to access fresh, healthy food. That’s why the Sullivan Fresh Community Cupboard was created - and why we need your help today. There are 4 ways to get involved:

1-DONATE FOOD You can bring non-perishable food items to Cornell Cooperative Extension Sullivan County at 64 Ferndale-Loomis Road in Liberty. To donate farm fresh perishables, contact 845-292-6180 Ext. 116.

2-MAKE A MONETARY DONATION Help ensure the Community Cupboard is fully stocked and able to deliver food now - and in the future. Your donation is tax deductible, and any amount helps! Visit http://sullivancce.org/donate

3-SPREAD THE WORD! If you know of a farm or food business that might donate products, let us know. Share this program with anyone you think might need no-cost food.

4-VOLUNTEER Dedicated volunteers are needed to pick up donations, prepare food boxes, make deliveries, and more.

CONTACT US TO GET INVOLVED!

845-292-6180, Ext 115 mc2224@cornell.edu

www.sullivancce.org Facebook@sullivanfreshmarkets Instagram@sullivanfreshmarkets