'If you haven't heard already...
$50 Million Available for Organic Farming: Interested New York farmers must apply by May 29 for funding and assistance
New York farmers are eligible for funding and assistance through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) to help tap into the growing market for organic agriculture products.
According to the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, the NRCS has created a special $50 million pool of funding for a new Organic Initiative under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The Initiative will provide payments and technical assistance to transitioning and existing organic farmers who adopt NRCS conservation practices used in organic production systems.
Eligible Farmers:
• Farmers just beginning or in the process of transitioning to organic production;
• Existing certified organic farmers who want to transition additional acres or animals;
• Existing certified organic farmers who need to adopt additional conservation measures;
• Producers who sell less than $5,000 in agricultural products and are thus exempt from formal certification are still eligible for Organic Initiative payments.
For full article go here: [WWW]![[WWW]](http://wikispot.org/wiki/eggheadbeta/img/sycamore-www.png){kind=small}
http://www.nysenate.gov/press-release/50-million-available-organic-farming [[Image(circle.jpg, thumbnail, 300,
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FOOD AND RESOURCE GROUPS
PURE CATSKILLS
Pure Catskills is a Buy Local Campaign with 2 parts: FARM and FOREST
Visit http://www.buypurecatskills.com/ for our 200 FARM BASED businesses who are MEMBERS of our programs
UPCOMING EVENT:
Pastureland Dairy Tour: July 25, 2008, 10 am Join us for this special roadtrip to a model grass-based dairy in Central New York. Topics include:Grazing management and profitability. Converting vacant lands to productive pastures. Herd management
http://www.catskillwoodnet.org/ for our 65 FOREST BASED businesses who are MEMBERS of our programs: a regional network of businesses that harvest and manufacture wood products from New York's Catskill Mountain Region. Through improved land stewardship in the New York City Watershed, our goal is to encourage a working landscape that connects people with local forest resources.
At PURE CATSKILLS We aim to EDUCATE OUR COMMUNITY about opportunities to support farm- and forest-based businesses across this region: Delaware, Greene, Otsego, Schoharie, Sullivan and Ulster counties. We've printed the Buy Local Guide for five years! Businesses listed in the annual Farm Fresh guide and online include farms, farmers market, restaurants, retailers and community organizations. The Pure Catskills website includes all member listings, a web calendar, an interactive web based member map (will be up in a few weeks) and media achives. We help to BRAND local products, and to EDUCATE farmers in value added products, help NEW farmers to get started and assist EXPERIENCED farmers and farm managers.
UPCOMING EVENTS: We'll have a creamery tour this fall. We are examining the challenges of local bottling. We give out scholarships! Our grant program, in its second year, gave out $70, 000 this year (CADE received one of these grants, more about CADE below)
CADE
CADE, Center for Agricultural Development and Entrepreneurship. Chris Harmon, Director, Sarah Manchester, Steven Holzbaur, and Allison Bennett http://www.cadefarms.org/index.htm : A non profit organization GUIDING, EDUCATING AND SUPPORTING local farmers in agriventures, marketing, business planning, helping farmers to learn skills like bookkeeping. ***New Land Link Program*** Matchmaking program connecting landowners with idle farmland with farmers in need of additional acreage to expand their business. Introductory Workshops in Otsego County: Saturday, March 14 (1-3pm at the Springfield Center Community Center); Thursday, March 19 (6-8pm at the Meadows Complex in Cooperstown); Tuesday, March 24 (1-3pm at the Butternuts Grange, Gilbertsville). Details available at our website, www.cadefarms.org. CHECK IT OUT! NEW YORK FARM BUREAU
Otsego County Chapter of the NY Farm Bureau, President Steve Sinniger
Farm Bureau is a non-governmental, volunteer MEMBERS organization financed and controlled by families. We LOBBY to solve economic and public policy issues challenging the agriculture industry. Farm Bureau's "grass roots" policy development process continues to ensure that the organization represents the majority position of its membership.
Otsego County Farm Bureau is active within the political system on a broad range of issues that concern every rural New York landowner, from taxation to conservation. We work hard to promote public policy that protects an owner's right to use land. We believe that a strong, viable agricultural industry is beneficial not only to our economy, but also to our local communities and our consumers.
Our Board of Directors usually meets at the Otsego County Farm Bureau Office, Route 28, Milford, NY, on the second Tuesday of the month at 7:30 pm. Otsego County Farm Bureau is in District 9 and is represented on the New York Farm Bureau Board of Directors by John Radliff. The field advisor is Bambi Baehrel who can be reached at 518-634-7852.
Otsego County Farm Bureau President Steve Sinniger: stevensin@catskill.net
Delaware County Farm Bureau President Roger Hamilton: rpdhami@catskill.net
Chenango County Farm Bureau President Brad Vickers: Bradd@ccfbny.org
New York Farm Bureau programs and services are available only to Farm Bureau members within New York.
Organizational Chart for NYACDDEP: Department of Environmental Protection
Otsego County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board
New York ASSOCIATION of CONSERVATION DISTRICTS NYACD
USDA (US Department of Agriculture) NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service)
READ MORE ABOUT THESE FARMLAND AGENCIES: http://oneonta-region.wikispot.org/FARMLAND_AGENCIES
RE LOCALIZING GROUPS
These groups have in common a purpose of creating and supporting local infrastructure, skills, communication, community and autonomy. We are working for peace and preparing today within our communities for times ahead which may be more difficult. Some of our concerns and actions revolve around: Food, Energy, Transportation, Protecting Our Environment, Activism within and beyond our community, Peace and Education.
FRANKLIN PEAK OIL
Mission Statement
The mission of the Powerdown Project is to bring the urgent issues of energy vulnerabilities to communities and their policy makers, through education, outreach and research, and to offer alternative and viable responses to address energy consumption, production and distribution.
The ENVIRONMENTAL WORK GROUP
Environmental Workgroup
| The ENVIRONMENTAL WORK GROUP includes residents in and around Oneonta, NY responding with positive action to threats to our environment, and to the changes of global warming and peak oil. The group supports learning, living and teaching a more sustainable life for ourselves and our children. Contact Ed Lentz edlentz@mac.com 263-5425 or Colleen Blacklock 433-4729 |
 PANEL DISCUSSION: In the first year of EWG's existence we concentrated on creating educational events that raised consciousness on peak oil and global warming. |
Recent events: FARMER'S SPEAKOUT: in the coming year we will work with other groups to create and support our food and transport infrastructure Thank you all for making the FARMER'S SPEAKOUT a big success! The Farmers' Speakout event held Feb. 16th at the First Presbyterian Church, was a most remarkable gathering of 200+ people with 37 farmers and others coming forward to the microphone to speak. The event lasted 3 hours and everyone who came forward and signed up to speak had a chance at the mike.
In July, the speakout was followed with the FOOD SUMMIT, in which we shared the film and SPEAKOUT survey results with some of our local organizations and listened to what we can do as an organization to assist existing local food groups.
NEXT MEETING DATE AND TIME:
JohnPaul Sliva has FINISHED editing the video of the Farmer's Speakout. It is now compiled in chapters and can be viewed easily. Thank you John for your great work!
If you would like to order a copy of the DVD video, contact JP Sliva at: johnpauljoseph1@yahoo.com
May the surging energy of Spring and new life be with you,
Colleen Blacklock
Hartwick College Grassroots Environmental Club
 |
This is a student organization at Oneonta's private college that deals with college and local issues. Grassroots runs two major events: The Organic Dinner which is usually run in November and open to the community for $5, and EcoArt Fest which offers hands-on workshops for sustainability and permaculture at the Pine Lake Environmental Campus. |
Sustainable Otsego
Protect Your Environment
This is a student organization at SUCO that works on college and local issues. The group does various trail cleanups throughout the year and has adopted part of the highway here in Oneonta to help keep clean. There is usually an end of the semester organic dinner at Dr. Tracy Allen's home. Contact Cate Augustine at: augucj34@oneonta.edu
Oneonta Community Garden
This is a free community-cooperative garden sharing. We have garden plots available at 247 Chestnut Street. If you would like to participate and reserve a row to grow your own,
contact either Annie Avery 432-0730 or Nathan Batalion 267-8901.
POLITICS
Contacting Oneonta City Government
http://www.oneonta.ny.us/government/directory.asp
OTSEGO COUNTY BOARD OF REPRESENTATIVES
http://www.otsegocounty.com/depts/bor/
Otsego County PLANNING DEPARTMENT
http://www.otsegocounty.com/depts/pln/NaturalGasLeasing.htm Good page on hot NATURAL GAS LEASING in our county!
DON BARBER
Betsy Jay <bjay3326@hotmail.com> wrote: I had opportunity to meet Don Barber, candidate for state senate for our district. he is currently supervisor for the Town of Caroline, Tompkins Co (Ithaca is in the same county). Town of Caroline is working towards wind energy that benefits the town; no outside company coming in. How do we help Otsego Co and the towns within to build towards the same? Barber mentioned as well a law passed by the state legislature and awaiting the governor's signature which would allow businesses and municipalities to sell electricity back to the grid.Net Metering
On the energy front, bills to expand New York's net metering policies passed both houses. Net metering is the practice that credits consumers for the clean energy they generate themselves. The new laws will encourage consumers, both large and small, to install renewable energy systems and offset their utility bills.
The new policy expands net metering for three types of clean energy systems: solar, wind and farm waste. Residential customers will now be able to install solar systems of up to 25 kilowatts in size. Commercial and industrial customers will be able to install solar systems of up to 2 megawatts, or the customer's peak load, whichever is less. Non-residential customers to net meter wind energy systems of up to 2 megawatts, or the customer's peak load, whichever is less.
Not sure if Governor has signed this yet or not. Martha
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