11/02/2022
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๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฝ๐พ๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐๐:
โข Statewide News
โข Taste NY Updates
โข NYS Grown & Certified Updates
โข Funding Opportunities
โข Job Opportunities
โข Spotlight: New York Farm Bureau Farm Tour
๐๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ ๐ง๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ๐๐ด๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด!
For me, November marks the gradual transition from the last days of the harvest season into winter. New Yorkers are certainly no strangers to the coldโ we are a hearty bunch โ and we recognize the earlier sunsets and gusty days as signs of the holiday season, when we turn to delicious, festive meals with friends and family to keep us warm and nourished.
As we turn the page on another bountiful harvest season and plan our Thanksgiving celebrations, I urge us all to take a moment to feel grateful for our hardworking agricultural community. I am proud to work alongside the one percent of the population that feeds the remaining 99 percent with delicious, high-quality foods and beverages.
This Thanksgiving, I encourage you and your families to help support farmers and producers across New York State by sourcing locally for your meal. Between community farmersโ markets, local farms, Taste NY Markets, and more, you can find everything you need for a complete Thanksgiving dinner brought to you from the hardworking farmers here in New York.
Wishing you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving!
Commissioner Richard Ball
๐ข๐๐ฒ๐ฟ $๐ญ๐ฏ ๐ ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ
Last month, Governor Kathy Hochul announced over $13 million was awarded through the State’s Agricultural Nonpoint Source Abatement and Control program to protect clean water across New York State and help New York’s farmers continue their work to mitigate the impacts of climate change. The funding supports agricultural water quality conservation projects, which will benefit 50 farms, enhance water quality in priority watersheds, and protect the environment.
Funding has been awarded to 24 county Soil and Water Conservation Districts, on behalf of the farms, which will support on-farm environmental planning and the implementation of best management practice (BMP) systems to keep nutrients and other potential pollutants from entering waterways. BMPs include a variety of measures, including installing vegetative buffers along streams, planting cover crops, enhancing nutrient management through manure storage, and other conservation measures.
๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ด๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ต
The Census of Agriculture is taking place this month! Every five years, the USDA takes a Census of Agriculture to update its complete count of Americaโs farms and the hardworking people who run them.
The census provides valuable information used at the local, state, and national levels to plan for the future and help ensure our countryโs agricultural community receives the resources it needs. Participating helps inform decisions about policy, conservation programs, infrastructure, education, and more. It is also the only source of uniform, comprehensive, and impartial agricultural data for every county and state in the country. Make every voice count in the future of agriculture by participating in the census!
For more information on the Census of Agriculture, visit: nass.usda.gov/AgCensus.
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ก๐ผ๐ ๐ข๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป: ๐ญ๐ต๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ป๐ป๐๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ด๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฆ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ด๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐บ
Registration for the 191st New York State Agricultural Society Annual Meeting and Forum opens today, November 1. The Forum will take place on Thursday, January 12, 2023 at the Syracuse OnCenter and offers an opportunity for farmers and other key stakeholders to discuss some of the biggest issues facing the food system and natural resource industries.
At the Forum, Commissioner Ball will deliver the 2023 State of Agriculture Address and provide an update on New York Stateโs ongoing efforts to support New York farmers and agricultural businesses. For more information, a look at the agenda, and to register, please visit https://www.nysagsociety.org/
๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐น๐ $๐ฎ๐ฒ ๐ ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ง๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐’๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ฃ๐๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ถ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ด๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ
The Department has been awarded $25.8 million from the USDA through the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement (LFPA) program to purchase locally grown and produced food to support New York farmers, including those who have been traditionally underserved, and to distribute those goods to food insecure communities. Stay tuned for application details in the coming days.
In addition to the LFPA, the USDA awarded nearly $8 million to the New York State Education Department to provide schools with additional resources to purchase local foods and beverages to serve children during the school day through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program.
๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐บ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ฃ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ญ๐ต
Reminder: The Department is encouraging members of New Yorkโs agricultural community to submit written comments regarding the 2023 Federal Farm Bill. Comments may be submitted at: farmbill@agriculture.ny.gov. The deadline to submit written comment is December 19, 2022.
The Farm Bill is an omnibus, multi-year law that governs an array of agricultural and food programs. The most recent Farm Bill, the Agricultural Act of 2018, expires at the beginning of 2023. With many important programs being funded by the Farm Bill, written comments from New Yorkโs agricultural community will help shape the agricultural policies and programs that New York State will support in the 2023 Farm Bill, as will the public comments received at a series of listening sessions conducted over the summer.
๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐’๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ด๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ก๐ผ๐ ๐ข๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป
Dairy producers can now enroll for 2023 coverage through USDAโs Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) Program. This important safety net mitigates some of the risks involved in dairy farming and helps producers manage changes in milk and feed prices.
Last year, USDAโs Farm Service Agency took steps to improve coverage for smaller dairies by offering a new Supplemental DMC program and updating its feed cost formula to better address retroactive, current, and future feed costs.
The Supplemental DMC Program allows dairy producers to protect their operations by enrolling supplemental production. The signup period ends December 9, 2022. Find out more about the program and enrollment:
fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/dairy-margin-coverage-program/index
๐๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐๐ ๐ง๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด
Last month, the Department collaborated with the New York State Police to hold a Technical Large Animal Emergency Response (TLAER) Awareness training at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse.
The training, which was led by the Departmentโs Divisions of Animal Industry and Emergency Management, was offered to New York State County Animal Response Teams (CARTS) and first responders, including fire fighters, emergency medical service providers, law enforcement, and public safety officials. TLAER trainings provide awareness-level training knowledge to participants in large animal emergency response, behavior and restraint, decontamination awareness, transportation, and rescue considerations. The training was a great success, and we thank everyone who participated.
๐๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ฑ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐จ๐ฟ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ด๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ
In partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension, the Department is conducting a study of urban agriculture to better understand this important part of New Yorkโs agricultural industry and to advance opportunities for urban farmers.
The Department is asking for interested parties to submit reports, recommendations, surveys, studies, or other documents about urban farming to yg88@cornell.edu, or join a special working session tomorrow to share insights and experiences. Learn more and RSVP: https://agriculture.ny.gov/news/new-york-state-agriculture-department-announces-statewide-study-urban-agriculture
๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ณ๐น๐ ๐จ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ
As the winter season approaches, the Department is urging New Yorkers to shift their focus from looking for adult Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) to looking for egg masses. Egg masses can be found on trees, cars, and any outdoor equipment and if any are found, the Department encourages residents to scrape and destroy them. A good resource is this video: https://extension.psu.edu/how-to-remove-spotted-lanternfly-eggs
In addition, you can reach out to the Department at anne.mills@agriculture.ny.gov for a SLF scraper card (photo to the right), which can be used to scrape egg masses off of surfaces before they hatch.
Additionally, please be aware! In the effort to combat SLF, some have been using sticky traps as a non-chemical control. However, this is causing accidental harm to songbirds, beneficial insects, and small mammals. Please DO NOT use sticky traps to deal with SLF in your area. Instead, consider using circle traps (pictured here), which do not use sticky tape, preventing unintentional catches of creatures other than SLF. Learn how to properly install this type of trap at extension.psu.edu/how-to-build-a-new-style-spotted-lanternfly-circle-trap
๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐๐น๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฟ
The Great New York State Fair is a showcase of all that New York State has to offer, including agriculture! So, if feedback from Fair attendees is any indication, then New York State might be best known for its top-notch entertainment, agriculture (including plants and animals), and of course, its delicious food and beverage selections.
When asked to identify their favorite things about the Fair, surveyed fairgoers in all age groups were in agreement:
โข Respondents ranked โConcerts at Chevy Court and Chevy Parkโ as #3;
โข โAgricultural Exhibitsโ as #2, and;
โข โFood and Beveragesโ as the #1 draw on their lists
More specifically, seven out of 10 people surveyed ranked โFood and Beveragesโ as their favorite thing about the Fair.
The offerings were provided among eleven selections, which also included โArts and Crafts Exhibits,โ โNon-musical Entertainment,โ Cultural Experiences, including โPan African Villageโ and โLatino Village,โ and the Midway.
The survey also looked at who comes to the Fair and where they are coming from. Nearly 90% of respondents attend the Fair at least once annually, and more than 25% of those surveyed say they attended three times or more during the Fairโs 13-day run. The data also found about 40% of fairgoers live in Onondaga County, the county where the Great New York State Fair is held, but 44% drove more than 50 minutes!
In total, nearly 2,000 people were surveyed โ reflecting a sampling of the nearly 900,000 people who attended the 2022 Fair.
Planning is already underway for the 2023 Great New York State Fair, which begins Wednesday, August 23 and continues through Monday, September 4, 2023.
๐ฆ๐ต๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ง๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ก๐ฌ ๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ป!
The holiday season is just around the corner, and itโs never too early to start planning your seasonal shopping! This year, the Department is challenging New Yorkers to help support local farmers and producers by incorporating as many locally produced items into their holiday meals as possible.
From produce like apples, squash, brussels sprouts, and potatoes to artisan cheeses and poultry, New York producers can provide nearly everything you need for a delicious Thanksgiving meal. Plus, you can find craft beverages, cozy teas, and locally crafted gift items to enjoy the holiday spirit to the fullest.
Tag the Department on Instagram at @nyagandmkts or @tasteny with pictures of the holiday bounty on your table! Find a nearby market at taste.ny.gov.
๐ก๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ป & ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ง๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐น๐ผ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฒ & ๐๐น๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฆ๐ต๐ผ๐
In October, the Department was excited to take part in the Global Produce & Floral Show in Orlando, Florida and promote New Yorkโs specialty crops to buyers from around the world under its NYS Grown & Certified label. Growers including Fowler Farms, Hudson River Fruit Distributors, the New York Apple Association, Brooklynโs Gotham Greens, Smallhold, Minkus Family Farms, Red Jacket Orchards, and Intergrow Greenhouses joined us for this major show.
