agriculture

4-Her raises pig to be auctioned off to benefit Hospice

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 July 2016 at 12:00 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers-Jayne Bannister, 18, is pictured with her pig, Edith, that will be auctioned off July 30 at the Orleans County 4-H Fair. Proceeds will go to Hospice of Orleans.

Jayne walks with Edith the pig on Saturday at the family farm on Route 98 in Point Breeze.

Robert Bannister at the 4-H Market Meat Auction

Robert Bannister, right, serves as auctioneer for the 4-H Market Meat Auction. His sister Jayne Bannister is in the ring with the lone steer at last year’s auction. Panek Farms paid $4.50 a pound or $5,378 for the 1,195-pound animal.

KENT – Jayne Bannister later this month will end her 4-H experience after about a decade of showing animals at the Orleans County 4-H Fair. Bannister has won numerous ribbons for showing pigs, cows and other animals.

She wants to make her final time in the show ring special. Instead of going for a blue ribbon, Jayne, 18, is using her 4-H finale to raise money for Hospice of Orleans.

Jayne has been raising a pig that will be auctioned off July 30 during the 4-H Market Meat Auction. The auction is at 7 p.m. on Saturday, the last day of the fair.

Jayne said she appreciates the care provided by Hospice about a year ago when her grandmother, Doris Bannister, was dying. Hospice sent nurses to help care for Doris so she could be at home in her final days.

“It was really great for our family,” Jayne said about having her grandmother at home instead of at a hospital. “We could see her as the mother and the grandmother we knew.”

Doris stayed close to her loved ones and the farm, even joining her son Roger on a Kubota for a ride in the orchard.

“It was so much better for her to be able to be at home rather than in a hospital bed,” Jayne said. “She had a sense of freedom, which was always important to her.”

Doris Bannister was 97 when she died peacefully last July 30.

Jayne in May finished her freshman year at Kansas State University, where she is a double major in animal science and agriculture education.

She has been getting three pigs ready for the fair since she came home. One of the pigs she calls Edith will be in the auction with proceeds going to Hospice. Edith weighs about 240 pounds. Jayne is hoping the pitch will fetch more than $1,000 at the auction.

Edith is named for one of the sisters in the popular PBS show, Downton Abbey. Two other pigs that Jayne named Mary and Sybil – also Edith’s sister in Downton – will also be going to the fair. Jayne is calling the trio, ” Downton Hammy.”

The auction starts at 7 p.m. with a buyer’s preview and reception at 6:30. Steer, pigs, lambs, meat goats, meat rabbits, chickens and turkeys will all be up for auction.

Medina’s Farm-to-Table Dinner is a sell-out

Staff Reports Posted 15 July 2016 at 12:00 am

MEDINA – The village’s first annual Farm-to-Table Dinner event is a sell-out with 125 tickets sold for the Aug. 4 dinner that will be served on Main Street in the village’s historic downtown district.The meal will be a full five-course dinner, prepared by chef Michael Zambito of Medina’s Zambistro restaurant. Each course will feature pairings from local Niagara Wine Trail wineries, 810 Meadworks and a WNY brewery.

“We made provisions for one-hundred tickets only, with an extra twenty-five in reserve in case demand was high,” Chris Busch, president of Orleans Renaissance Group, said on Thursday. “As of this morning, all one- hundred and twenty-five tickets have been sold. We want to thank everyone for their amazing and generous support of this landmark event which has generated Medina buzz from Rochester to Buffalo.”

The Orleans Renaissance Group is organizing the the dinner, which is a fund-raiser for the the Canal Village Farmers’ Market. The ORG started the farmers’ market last year. It now draws about 500 people every Saturday at the corner of West Center Street and West Avenue.

The farm-to-table event will be located on the north end of Main Street, between Pearl and West Center Streets. Guests will arrive at 6:30 p.m. with the first course scheduled to be served at 7. A rain date is scheduled for Aug. 11.

Flower Show returns to this year’s 4-H Fair

By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 14 July 2016 at 12:00 am

Photos by Kristina Gabalski – Amanda Mrzywka is almost hidden behind the “Bountiful Basket” she plans to enter in this year’s Flower Show at the Orleans County 4-H Fair.

KNOWLESVILLE – Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension and 4-H Youth Development are sponsoring this year’s Flower Show at the Orleans County 4-H Fair July 25-30.

Amanda Mrzywka, a member of the 4-H team, is working to organize this year’s show. This is the second year for the Flower Show, which Mrzywka says got off to a great start in 2015. There were 86 entries in ten classes.

“People said how beautiful it looked,” she said. “It made the space full of color and got people excited.”

The show includes both open and junior divisions, meaning anyone can enter.

Exhibits can be entered in one of ten classes: cut flower bouquet (single or multiple stems); kissing ball design; miniature gardens or fairy gardens; dried flower or dried flower bouquets; edible container arrangements; houseplants; made for the shade; bountiful baskets; pedestal or regular urns for the sun; painting, drawing or photograph of a flower or garden.

“The biggest competition is in the miniature gardens/fairy gardens class,” Mrzywka said.

An example of a Made for the Shade container with shade-loving plants.

There are some changes from last year’s show, most notably a $2 per person per entry pre-registration fee for entries taken to the show by 7 p.m. on Friday, July 22. Entries received Saturday, July 23, will cost $5 per entry. The fees help to cover costs such as judges, ribbons and prizes, Mrzywka said.

Entries can be brought to the Lartz Building for pre-registration from 4-7 p.m. on July 22 or July 23 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for regular registration.

Judging will take place Sunday, July 24, at 9 a.m. Once exhibit judging is complete, exhibits will be showcased at the Flower Show booth in the Lartz Building on the fairgrounds, allowing fairgoers to enjoy the show throughout Fair Week.

At the judge’s discretion, an honorable mention prize will be awarded this year. Mrzywka says the honorable mention will be the “top prize” of the overall show. First, second and third place ribbons will also be awarded in each class.

Also new this year is a Garden Design Contest, which will give community members in local garden clubs an opportunity to design and create a garden on the fairgrounds based on the theme “Together We Bloom.” Judging for the Garden Design Contest will be held Monday, July 25, at 4 p.m.

Additionally, the Flower Show features a Fresh Bouquet Competition on Wed., July 29, at 6:30 p.m. The contest is open to the public. The entry fee is $10.

Register at the fair office during the week of fair. The winner will be presented with a trophy. Mrzywka encourages entries, even from those who might not like flowers or have allergies.

“You can enter a photograph,” she said in the painting or drawing of a flower or garden class. “Anything in a frame” will be accepted, she said.

“If you have baskets that are thriving, take them down and bring them to fair to show for a week,” she added.

For detailed information and rules for the Flower Show go to cce.cornell.edu/orleans or stop at the Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension Office on the fairgrounds.

Amanda Mrzywka stands with containers which would be suitable to enter in the fun in the sun pedestal or regular urns class.

Soil & Water in Orleans approved for nearly $350K in state grants

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 July 2016 at 11:00 am

File photo by Tom Rivers– A tractor is pictured last August in a field of hay bales on Lakeshore Road in the Town of Yates.

YATES – New York State has approved $13.1 million in grants for agricultural water quality conservation projects, including nearly $350,000 in assistance for work in Orleans County.

The Soil and Water Conservation District grants in Orleans County include:

• $313,904 was awarded for the implementation of best management conservation practices to address agricultural water quality concerns on nine farms in the Oak Orchard, Sandy Creek, and Johnson Creek Watersheds. The farms will be implementing cover cropping systems that will keep nutrients and other pollutants out of the creeks while helping the farms remain economically viable.

• $34,584 was awarded for the implementation of best management conservation practices to address agricultural water quality concerns on one farm in the Oak Orchard River Watershed. The farm will be implementing a silage leachate treatment system that will keep nutrients and other pollutants out of the watershed while helping the farms remain economically viable.

The $13.1 million total state-wide goes to 42 agricultural water quality conservation projects across the state, benefiting over 120 farms. The funding, provided to 25 County Soil and Water Conservation Districts through the Agricultural Nonpoint Source Abatement and Control Program, supports projects that allow farmers to address water quality challenges in priority watersheds.

Together, these projects will work to prevent water pollution, reduce erosion and limit the amount of harmful sediments and other deposits in New York’s waterways. Funding for the program was increased in the FY 2017 Budget to $19 million, which will support future projects.

“Ensuring that New York’s waterways remain pristine is essential to the long-term viability of our booming agricultural industry,” Governor Cuomo said. “This funding will provide farmers with the resources they need to protect our treasured waters and surrounding communities, and foster sound environmental stewardship while supporting more than 120 farms across the state.”

“The Environmental Protection Fund provides our state’s agricultural community with the platform to get conservation on the ground and implement innovative best management practice systems,” said Dale Stein, a Le Roy dairy farmer and chairman of the New York State Soil and Water Conservation Committee. “Investing state funds in these conservation systems not only protects the state’s natural resources through effective environmental stewardship, but provides financial support to local economies.”

Dennis Kirby, manager of the Orleans County Soil & Water Conservation District, said one of the grants “will help farmers improve farms’ soil health and the quality of our county’s waterways by adopting the practice of planting cover crops after the main cash crop has been harvested.”

By keeping a living crop growing on the land as long as possible, the soil biology is improved, helping the next cash crop to grow and yield better, Kirby said.

“The growing cover helps storm water soak into the soil, rather than run off taking sediment and nutrients with it,” he said. “Cover Crops recycle nutrients left after the growth of the cash crop and make them available for the next crop.”

Often, Kirby said, a cover crop will help suppress weed growth and diseases, while fostering beneficial insect habitat. This will result in reduced pesticide use in the future.

This grant covers 9 farms located in the Oak Orchard, Sandy and Johnson Creek Watershed in the Towns of Barre, Albion, Gaines, Clarendon, Ridgeway and Shelby.

The second grant will improve water quality in the Oak Orchard Watershed by helping to implement a silage leachate treatment system that will keep nutrients and other pollutants out of the watershed, Kirby said.

“Runoff from a bunk silo will be captured either in a tank for field spreading or sent to a vegetated treatment area so that the nutrients are used on the farm and not released into a nearby stream which feeds into Oak Orchard River,” he said.

New map on locally produced foods now available

By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 9 July 2016 at 10:00 am

Photos by Kristina Gabalski-Blueberries and cherries currently are available at Hurd Orchards on Ridge Road in Holley. The new Orleans County Food Map makes it easy for consumers to find where and when local fruits and vegetables are available.

A new brochure featuring an Orleans County Local Foods Map makes it easy for consumers to find locally grown fruits and vegetables as well as information on when harvest of local produce takes place.

The map was created by the Orleans County Department of Planning and Development in conjunction with the Orleans County Tourism Department.

Sarah Gatti, a planner for the county, says she was inspired with the idea by a similar project in Herkimer County which she discovered while on a camping trip.

In order to determine what information would be most important to include, “I thought about as a consumer, what I would find most helpful,” Gatti says.

The map of 24 producers and farm/produce markets and roadside stands in Orleans County includes the producer’s name and address, the hours of operation and what produce, products and activities each specializes in.

Additionally, the brochure includes a harvest calendar which runs from May through December, agri-tourism points of interest, including the Orleans County Produce Auction in Albion and the 4-H Fair, and four wineries.

Gatti says she began compiling information with help from the Orleans County Farm Bureau, which provided a list of producers.

She went on growers’ various websites, emailed and called them to gather the details she needed.

“The growers are excited” about the map, she says. “Most people think it’s a great idea.”

The Planning Department encourages community members to eat local for the freshest food options and to support local agriculture and the local economy.

Additionally, since local foods are not transported over long distances, they are a more “green” option, officials say.

An interactive version of the map is available on the Orleans County Tourism or the Planning’s Department webpage. Click here to see the guide.

Gatti says the page will be updated throughout the year.

Hurd Orchards on Ridge Rd. in Holley is a 200-year-old family-owned fruit farm, among 24 producers on the new Orleans County Local Foods Map.

The map is also available in PDF format online so that it can be downloaded and printed at home.

The map/brochure is available in the foyer of the Orleans County Administration Building, the Canal Village Farmers Market in Medina, and Gatti says she is currently working to distribute them to each of the producers included on the map.

To promote downtown Medina and local ag bounty, dinner will be served on Main Street

Staff Reports Posted 8 July 2016 at 12:00 am

Photo courtesy of Chris Busch – Medina’s historic Main Street and Downtown Historic District will be the site of the 2016 Farm-to-Table Community Dinner on Aug. 4.

Farm-to-table meal will be fund-raiser for farmers’ market

MEDINA – Farm-to-table community dinners are growing in popularity across the country. Soon, Medina will welcome one of its own.

The first farm-to-table community dinner will be held Aug. 4, with a rain date of Aug. 11. The event is sponsored by Zambistro along with Pride Pak, Inc., which is building a vegetable processing plant on Maple Ridge Road.

According to organizers, Medina’s event will deliver a locally-sourced meal in the middle of Medina’s Main Street Historic District. Proceeds will support the Canal Village Farmers’ Market.

The meal itself will be a full five-course dinner, prepared by chef Michael Zambito, owner of Zambistro. Each course will feature pairings from local Niagara Wine Trail wineries, 810 Meadworks and a WNY brewery.

Farm-to-table dinners often take place on the farm in an intimate field or orchard setting, but many have developed into larger community events.

One such gathering inspired a small group in Medina to formulate plans for their own dinner. Their inspiration came from a captivating photograph published in “Grit” magazine depicting a farm to table dinner in Jonesborough, Tennessee: a long table, white linens, fresh flowers, and soft summer evening light, right down the center of a 19th century historic Main Street with dozens of Jonesborough locals enjoying a fabulous chef prepared meal.

Farm to Table dinner in Jonesborough, Tennessee

Provided photo – This photograph in “Grit” magazine inspired Medina’s dinner event. It shows the farm-to-table dinner in Jonesborough, Tenn.

The Medina group formed with farm market manager Gail Miller, including Medina Business Association President Cindy Robinson, Orleans Renaissance Group President Chris Busch, and Zambito, who has become a well-known WNY chef.

“Medina has the setting, the chef and the farm-fresh ingredients to make such an event happen locally,” said Cindy Robinson. “Medina is the perfect place for a farm-to-table dinner and Chef Zambito is going to create an epic dinner.”

Additionally, organizers expressed their excitement to have Zambistro and Pride Pak, Inc. as corporate sponsors of the event.

“We are extremely pleased with Pride Pak’s comittment, not only to Medina but to this extraordinary community event.” said Chris Busch, ORG President. “And it goes without saying that we are thrilled that Chef Zambito is comitted as well. Pride Pak and Zambistro are perfect partners for Medina and this farm-to-table dinner.”

Pride Pak’s will soon open a state-of-the-art 64,000 square foot facility, across from the GCC campus in Medina. The company is spending about $15 million for the new fresh vegetable processing facility and expects to hire 85 to 100 people in 2016.

Zambistro has received numerous celebrated reviews from both Buffalo and Rochester publications and a devoted clientele from around the region.

Aside from providing a historic dining experience in the heart of WNY ag country, the farm-to- table dinner will raise operating capital for the Canal Village Farmers’ Market and showcase the markets’ location in the heart of Historic Downtown Medina.

Medina’s event will not only deliver a sensational meal in a historic and memorable setting, but also a chance to see and learn firsthand how farmers and local chefs capitalize on Orleans County’s number one industry: agriculture. Medina is literally surrounded by fields and orchards brimming with agricultural bounty.

The Orleans Renaissance Group operates the market under its auspices.

“We all felt a farm-to-table dinner in the heart of downtown would be a great way to showcase Medina, the market, and at the same time, raise funds for the market,” said Busch, the ORG president. “ORG would like to further develop both the market and the market site, with the end goal of having a more permanent and legitimate market presence year-round in downtown.”

The market is located at the corner of West Center Street and West Avenue. Throughout its first season in 2015, the market drew an average of 500 people every Saturday morning to downtown Medina.

The farm-to-table event will be located on the north end of Medina’s historic Main Street, between Pearl and West Center Streets. Guests will arrive at 6:30 with the first course scheduled to be served at 7 p.m.

Tickets are limited to 100 at $100 each. They are available online at bentshall.org/tickets, by calling 585-210-9674, or at the English Rose Tea Shoppe, 527 Main St., Medina and at Zambistro, 408 Main St., Medina.

Lack of rain taking a toll on landscape

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 July 2016 at 12:00 am

“We’re going to be in very bad shape” without rain soon

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The trees on the lawn at the Hoag Library in Albion are surrounded by a lawn that has turned yellow and brown due to the lack of rain.Much of the county has only received about 20 to 30 percent of the rainfall the past four months compared to what is normal during that time frame, said Larry Meyer, director of the Farm Service Agency in Orleans County.

The area normally receives about 15 to 16 inches of rain during the previous four months, but 4 inches or less is more common this year for Orleans County, Meyer said. That has left many stunted crops.

Rain is in the forecast for later this week, and Meyer said it is desperately needed for farmers to have a chance at a viable crop for harvest season.

“If this continues we’re going to be in very bad shape,” Meyer said today. “We need rain and it needs to be soon.”

Many farmers have been irrigating which has helped some of the crops. Meyer praised the Canal Corp. for working to reopen the canal quickly after the repair of the culvert in Hulberton. About 25 farms have siphon permits for canal water between Brockport and Middleport.

The U.S. Drought Monitor last week declared that nearly all of Orleans County is suffering from “Moderate Drought” conditions. Meyer said he looked at agency records and the amount of rainfall the past four months is the least amount in about 40 years.

Teaching Kitchen opens at Fairgrounds

Posted 30 June 2016 at 12:00 am

Press Release, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orleans County

KNOWLESVILLE – In 2013, the Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension Board of Directors set a goal of transforming the 40-year old Trolley Building kitchen into a modern, commercial grade teaching kitchen.

Three years and $60,000 later, the kitchen is ready for food and nutrition education, small batch food processing, and large scale cooking for events that can be held in the adjacent 50′ by 70′ space.

The kitchen features stainless steel countertop table units with an ample 3-bay sink, hand wash sink, and two prep sinks – each in one of the large stainless steel work islands.

It includes a commercial dishwasher, 54″ two-door refrigerator and freezer units, a chest freezer, and four floor to ceiling stainless storage cabinets. Additional items include a 10-burner range with two 36″ ovens, a fire suppression hood, and the honorary butcher block table refinished by Albion dairy farmer, Jeremy Neal.

New flooring, RFP board along the south wall, and a stainless steel serving window were installed as well.

A majority of the upgrades were funded through grants from local foundations and a recent award of $25,675 from the Genesee Valley Regional Market Authority. Private donations, including support from the Fern Blackburn Memorial and Mrs. Ann Preston, along with funds raised by the Orleans County 4-H Fair Committee and Leaders’ Association helped as well.

As funds were raised, work was completed. The hardest part was closing the kitchen for new plumbing and electrical installed in the concrete floor to the island units.

Extension staff and volunteers were ready for the new kitchen and have already held food preservation workshops and pie-making workshops to prepare for the annual 4-H Fair to be held July 25-30 this year. They are also planning for 4-H Cooking Camp, July 18 & 19, along with using the kitchen to host concessions and dinners for 4-H activities. The nutrition program uses the kitchen as well to prepare foods for workshops held throughout Orleans County.

While the kitchen supports Extension work, it is intended to achieve a greater goal of increasing the consumption of local fruit and vegetable products. Growers or food entrepreneurs are encouraged to consider the kitchen for processing foods into ready-to-eat products or hosting workshops for consumers.

The kitchen rents at $125/day and meets all food and safety codes. Information about using the kitchen can be found on Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension’s website under Facility Use at cceorleans.org or requested at 585-798-4265.

Farmers want some water left in canal for irrigation when draining starts next week

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 June 2016 at 9:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers– The state Canal Corp. will begin draining a section of the canal on Monday. New York Farm Bureau is asking the Canal Corp. to leave enough water in the canal so farms can continue to siphon water for crops. This picture shows one of the siphons just west of the Keitel Road bridge in Albion.

ALBION – The draining of the a section of the Erie Canal starting next week comes at a bad time for many of the farmers with land by the canal, agricultural operations that rely on canal water to help nourish crops.

The state Canal Corp. will drain water beginning Monday from Brockport to Middleport so the Canal Corp. and a contractor can make an emergency repair to a culvert in Hulberton. After the initial closure of the canal, the drained portion will be isolated between Albion and Holley.

There are 27 permitted irrigation siphons between Brockport and Middleport, including 25 for farms and two for commercial golf courses, said Shane Mahar, Canal spokesman. The section between Albion and Holley has 14 permitted agricultural siphon permits.

A farm uses canal water today to irrigate a field in Albion between Keitel and Butts roads. There are 14 farms between Albion and Holley with agricultural permits to siphon canal water.

New York Farm Bureau is asking the Canal Corp. to leave some water in the canal for farmers to siphon water, particularly during this difficult stretch of weather with so little rain, Farm Bureau officials told the Orleans Hub.

Mahar said the Canal Corp. won’t be “bone dry” after the draining beginning next week. The Canal Corp. is in “daily conversations” with the Department of Agriculture and Markets, NY Farm Bureau and its engineering team about how much water should be left in the canal.

“This stretch of the canal is so vital to the agriculture community for irrigation purposes,” Mahar said. “There may be extra pumps and siphons, but it won’t be at the full volume they typically get.”

The Canal Corp. announced last week the section of the canal needed to be closed to allow for the repair of a leaking culvert in Hulberton. Mahar said that notice was intended to give farmers, boaters and other canal users time to adjust how they use the canal and to perhaps make other plans.

The Canal Corp. said the closure could last several weeks, but Mahar said it could be reopened sooner, depending on the extent of the work needed. That scope of work won’t be known until the canal is drained and contractors and engineers can better assess the damage, Mahar said.

“We are cautiously optimistic the repair could be done sooner,” he said. “We’re trying to figure out how to make this as minimally impacting as possible.”

Farm Bureau seeks to defend farmers in lawsuit for collective bargaining

Posted 21 June 2016 at 12:00 am

Press Release, NY Farm Bureau

New York Farm Bureau seeks to intervene in the farm labor lawsuit filed against the State of New York and Governor Cuomo. The grassroots farm organization will file a motion today in State Supreme Court of Albany County to gain intervenor status in a lawsuit filed by the New York Civil Liberties Union Foundation.

The NYCLUF seeks to create a constitutional right for farmworkers to collectively bargain. The ultimate goal of NYFB with Monday’s motion is for the court to dismiss the lawsuit.

NYFB is taking this major step to defend farmers, who feel they have been abandoned by the Governor and the New York Attorney General. Both leaders have made public statements supporting the lawsuit and refusing to defend state law, despite its importance to agriculture in New York State.

NYFB believes it has the right to intervene because the interest of its members will not be represented by the defendants – the Governor and Attorney General – and the ability of the organization’s members to continue to produce food for New York residents would be harmed in the event the plaintiffs prevail in this action.

The motion reads, “Farm Bureau is uniquely situated to represent the varied perspectives of its member farms and to zealously defend the constitutionality of the challenged farm labor exemption.”

Farm Bureau believes that the exemption of farmworkers from collective bargaining rights is constitutional, and that the exclusion of farmworkers from the State Labor Relations Act law is based on decades of rational public policy and legal precedent that will be outlined in NYFB’s motions to intervene and to dismiss.

New York Farm Bureau believes that the legal precedent is clear. This is not a question for the courts, and the NYCLUF is attempting to make an end-run around the legislature, which has not approved collective bargaining for farmworkers despite numerous opportunities.

“New York Farm Bureau has a century long record of defending the state’s family farms, and today’s action is one of the most important in our long history,” said Dean Norton, New York Farm Bureau President from Elba. “If we can’t count on our state leaders to do the right thing in this case, we are prepared to stand up for our members in court to protect their rights.”

Cutting hay in the heat

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 June 2016 at 12:00 am

RIDGEWAY – Dave Tuohey of Tuohey Farms was out on in 90-degree heat on Monday harvesting this field of hay on Beals Road.

The high temperatures will fall the next few days with a high of 77 today, followed by highs of 75 on Wednesday, 72 on Thursday and 80 on Friday, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

Many of the local farmers have been out the past week cutting hay. They would welcome some rain.

18 ag organizations ask governor to defend industry against NYCLU lawsuit

Staff Reports Posted 7 June 2016 at 12:00 am

File photo by Tom Rivers – A cow bellows at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds in Knowlesville in this photo from July 2013. Dairy is the biggest sector of agriculture in NY.

A coalition of 18 farm organizations on Monday sent a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, insisting that he defend a state constitutional statute that makes it difficult for agricultural workers to collectively bargain.

The governor last month announced the state would not contest a lawsuit filed by the New York Civil Liberties Union. The governor’s position was cheered by advocates for farmworkers, but criticized by farmers and ag organizations who say collective bargaining could threaten the industry.

“As representatives of the approximately 35,500 family-operated farms in New York and supporting agribusinesses, we are extremely disappointed in your decision to abandon the families growing and raising food across this state by not defending the state’s labor laws against the NYCLU constitutional lawsuit,” the coalition of leaders wrote to the governor on June 6.

“Our organizations represent the vast diversity of New York’s agricultural community and have partnered with you for the better part of six years to continue to strengthen New York’s rural communities through the good jobs and opportunities provided by farms. We have worked together on reducing government red-tape that was strangling economic development and growth. Together, we have lauded new processing businesses and the emersion of new agriculture-related industries.”

The letter was signed by leaders from the following organizations: New York Farm Bureau, Agri-Mark, Inc., Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. (Northeast Area), Empire State Forest Products Association, Empire State Potato Growers, Inc., Farm Credit East, Harness Horse Breeders of New York State, NY Apple Association, Inc., NY Corn and Soybean Growers Association, NY State Agribusiness Association, NY State Grange, NY State Maple Producers Association, NY State Turfgrass Association, NY State Vegetable Growers Association, NY Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc., Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance, Northeast Dairy Producers Association, Inc., and Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc.

“The reasons that agriculture was exempt from collective bargaining by the state in 1937 are still valid today,” the ag leaders wrote in their letter. “Agriculture is reliant on Mother Nature and not the controlled climate of a factory. Farm schedules are determined by the weather forecast, the ripening of crops, and the needs of livestock. The current law recognizes this, and the need for food to be grown right here in our state. Combined with already higher taxes, a stifling regulatory environment, and a minimum wage increase this year, collective bargaining would make the continued operation of many family farms untenable. Farmers, who we have always contended are tied to the land, are now seriously investigating moving their businesses out of state and closing their doors. Your actions this year have left them feeling abandoned by the state they call home.”

Agriculture remains a bedrock of the rural economy with $5.5 billion in sales of farm products state-wide in 2012, including $150 million in Orleans County. However, the ag leaders say the industry faces many challenges.

“We strongly urge you to reconsider your position regarding the NYCLU lawsuit and instead defend and uphold the laws of this state, which recognize the unique and very challenging circumstances that farmers in the Northeast, and in particular, New York State, must already overcome in order to produce food for our residents,” the letter concludes.

Farmers’ market kicks off season in Medina

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 June 2016 at 12:00 am

MEDINA – The Canal Village Farmers’ Market kicked off its second season today with 11 vendors at 127 West Center St., across from the Post Office.

Baker Farms from Beals Road in Medina is among the new vendors this season. The farm specializes in pork products, eggs, garlic and herbs in containers that are the bottoms of pop bottles. The Bakers include Ken, right, and his wife Rose. Their niece, Bethany Pfenning, joined them for the day at the market.

The Orleans Renaissance Group manages the market. Every Saturday there should be 11 to 13 regular vendors. Additional vendors will rotate, including wineries taking turns each week of the month. Altogether, market manager Gail Miller said there will be about 20 vendors throughout the market season, which continues through October.

Gail Miller center, is manager of the Canal Village Farmers’ Market. She is pictured with Jackie Lonnen of Lyndonville, left, and Gina Miller of Carlton. They both completed a master food preservation program. They gave demonstrations today on canning strawberries. The Cornell Cooperative Extension has workshops throughout the year in home food preservation, including a workshop Monday on strawberry jam from 6 to 9 p.m. at the fairgrounds.

The master food preservers will do other demonstrations at the farmers’ market this year.

Lindsay Heck and her father Tom represent Herbalty Cottage, a Main Street business in Medina that sells organic products, including vinegars, olive oils, teas and other products, including Himalayan lamps (in front of Tom Heck).

Herbalty Cottage is one of the new vendors at the market. The Hecks said they wanted to reach out to more customers by coming to the market.

Bob Renko of Kendall is back for another season at the market. He has run a meat processing business the past 15 years, after working 27 years at Kodak.

The market gives customers access to locally grown produce and other farm products as well as WNY wines, mead and craft beers.

“We are thrilled to be opening our second season with so many terrific new additions,” said Miller, the market manager. “As the season progresses, we will have even more to offer.”

Provided photo

New signs have been added to the entrances of the village to promote the farmers’ market.

Garlic farmer tends to field in Murray

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 June 2016 at 12:00 am

HOLLEY – Randy Piedmonte was out with a cultivator this morning at the family’s garlic farm at the corner of North Main Street Road and Lynch Road.

Piedmonte is working an organic field of garlic. He said weeds have been a problem, and required lots of manual labor in the past. But this year he tried something new, outfitting the tractor with a cultivator that eliminates weeds, reducing labor costs.

The Piedmonte field is next to the Holley Junior-Senior Central School.

Randy works the farm with his father David, who started growing garlic about 40 years ago. Randy said last year was difficult due to an abundance of rain. This year is off to a better start, although the recent rain has weeds growing strong.

Piedmonte said growing a niche crop like garlic is a way for a smaller farm to stay viable as bigger farms acquire more land.

“It’s a way of life,” Piedmonte said. “I love it.”

NY adds revolving loan fund for farms

Staff Reports Posted 24 May 2016 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers – A farmer works a field by an orchard on Route 31 in Ridgeway last week.

New York has created a new $3 million revolving loan fund to assist the agricultural industry in the Finger Lakes region. The “Growing the Agriculture Industry Now” Revolving Loan Program includes $280,000 for farms in Orleans County.

That is not a huge amount, considering the multi-million-dollar capital projects at many farms. But it could help farmers pursue some initiatives, including energy projects such as solar installations and more efficient refrigeration systems, said Jim Whipple, CEO of the Orleans Economic Development Agency.

The state funds for the Growing the Agriculture Industry Now initiative will provide loans to capitalize on local agricultural businesses utilizing new technologies and expanding operations.

This new program fills a gap where new businesses who do not meet traditional financing organizations’ underwriting standards will be now be able to get started, according to a news release from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office.

The first advance of $1.2 million has been released to the Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council, which in coordination with local development corporations, represents the nine county regions managing the loan program.

“Farming in the Finger Lakes region is an important industry and a key driver of the regional economy,” Governor Cuomo said. “By encouraging the use of innovative technologies and creating more opportunities for farmers, this new loan program will help shape the future of the region’s agricultural industry and ensure its vitality for years to come.”

GAIN is a Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council priority project. The $3 million in state support provided by Empire State Development, the state’s economic development agency, will leverage an additional $300,000 plus in local investment. The total investment fund of more than $3,300,000 million will provide loans to qualifying businesses in Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming and Yates counties, all of which are in the top ten agricultural counties in New York State. It is anticipated that the fund will create 150 direct jobs and 450 indirect jobs in the agriculture and good processing industry.

“Growing our agriculture and food processing industry is one of the utmost priorities of the FLREDC as it represents a crucial part of the region’s economy,” said Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council Co-Chairs, Monroe Community College President Anne Kress and Wegmans Food Markets CEO Danny Wegman. “GAIN’s revolving loan pool to support the capital needs of agriculture and food processing companies, including new technology, diversification and expansion, will further advance the needs of the industry.”

The GAIN revolving loan program will give priority to agricultural and related business projects, including food processing and operating farms, which support job creation and job retention, as well as farm diversification (i.e., participate in farm-based retail and wholesale markets).

The program will also support businesses that invest in new technology, including renewable energy projects and new processing equipment, as well as ones that demonstrate growth in net revenue for agriculture enterprises; leverage other sources of funding; and provide secondary economic multipliers such as business expansions.

Loans can be up to $200,000 at an interest rate of one percent.

Those interested in learning more about the application process and the program can contact David Zorn at Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council, 50 West Main Street, Suite 8107, Rochester, NY 14614; 585-454-0190 x14; or at dave.zorn@gflrpc.org.