2 minute read
Ag: In Case You
FALL WORKSHOPS
MICHELLE PROSCIA
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Introduction to Organic
Certification- October 14th: There were 35 registrants for the Intro to Organic Certification course taught by NOFA NY Director, Jessica Terry. She detailed the NYS Organic certification process, regulations and standards, marketing, projected costs, and funding availability.
Wholesale Market
Readiness for Farmers- October 28th: Liz Higgins, Ag Business Management Specialist with Cornell University, and Michelle Proscia, Agriculture Educator with CCE Sullivan educated 22 registrants on how farms can prepare for selling on the wholesale market. This includes, labeling, recordkeeping, standardization of product, and marketing.
Introduction to Farming - October 26th: Ashely Tully, Ag Program Coordinator and Michelle Proscia, Agriculture Educator, engaged 10 registrants and potential new farmers on the basics of starting a farm, including site selection, ag taxes and zoning, farming regulations, soil, business planning, and marketing. FARM TO SCHOOL
ASHLEY TULLY October was Farm to School Month. As part of this nationwide effort to promote Farm to School, CCE and Sullivan County students participated in educational programing about nutrition and local agriculture while hosting events focused on eating more NYS food.
On October 21st, TriValley, Livingston Manor, Sullivan West, and Roscoe School Districts participated in the “Big Apple Crunch” challenge founded by FarmOn! Foundation, to show how big their student’s bite can be. At 2pm, students across these school districts took a bite into their NYS apples. Students also learned about different varieties and easy recipes for cooking with apples.
On October 28th, Sullivan West hosted their first Farm to School Harvest Fest event, bringing together local farmers, non-profits, and Future Farmers of America (FFA) to guide elementary school students in tasting local winter squash, chocolate milk, and an introduction to livestock by Sullivan County 4-H staff. Over the course of two hours, classes visited stations where they heard directly from farmers and food service providers about where their food comes from and why nutrition is important to a healthy and happy life.
As part of the Farm to School effort, CCE has worked with Livingston Manor and Roscoe Schools, to purchase local produce and meat from the Catskills Food Hub. In 2021, with additional food processing equipment, these school districts have increased their food processing power and purchased over $14,000 of local farm products for their student body.
CCE Nutrition staff were also busy partnering with local school districts, Sullivan Renaissance, and the SNAP-Ed program teaching students about the veggies grown in the Catskills Edible Garden and how to create healthy and nutritious meals using seasonal ingredients.
