Jefferson County Agricultural Economic Development

For Immediate Release: 3/23/2021 GOVERNOR ANDREW M. CUOMO GOVERNOR CUOMO ANNOUNCES $52.5 MILLION AVAILABLE TO PROTECT NEW YORK FARMLAND State Dedicates Highest Level of Funding Ever to Protect Valuable and At-Risk Farmland ...Continue reading

Thanks to Cornell Cooperative Extension for providing the following information: Announcing Armed to Farm 1.0 for Military Service Members and Veterans Application Deadline March 12, 2021... New York and New Jersey veterans accepted into the training will be funded thought the Canandaigua VA Medical Center. The Farm Ops project is pleased to announce our participation again with the popular Armed to Farm program for military veterans, run by The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT). NCAT is moving their multi-day intensive training online to make it accessible during COVID-19 restrictions. The Virtual Armed to Farm will cover topics essential to farm success, including business planning, budgeting, recordkeeping, marketing, and USDA programs, as well as specific enterprise discussions. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet and network with other beginning farmers from across the country. The training will also include breakout sessions for region-specific networking and resource-sharing. Virtual Armed to Farm will include an engaging blend of interactive online instruction and video farm tours via Zoom. Participants will be expected to be involved in virtual activities, complete assignments, and interact with other attendees. NCAT Sustainable Agriculture specialists will teach the training sessions. Staff from partner organizations, USDA agencies, and experienced crop and livestock producers will provide additional instruction. Virtual Armed to Farm topics will be applicable to all beginning farmers regardless of location in the U.S. Military veterans interested in farming are encouraged to apply. Spouses are welcome to participate as well but must submit a separate application. The number of participants will be limited to facilitate effective online interaction. NCAT will notify selected participants by March 19th, 2021. Virtual Armed to Farm will consist of two-hour sessions from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Eastern time on the following dates: April 1 / April 8 / April 15 / April 22 / April 29 / May 6 To apply go to https://www.ncat.org/armed-to-farm-events/#ATF-virtu and look for the apply now box. The Virtual Armed to Farm training is free. While participants may join the live sessions via phone only, access to a computer, tablet, or mobile device and internet is required in order to watch recorded sessions and complete online assignments.

Very exciting to see more opportunities for the public to learn about and understand agriculture! This not for profit is off to a fantastic start! Press Release For Immediate Release Contact: Jay Matteson Date: February 12, 2021 Phone 315-783-2251 Sackets Harbor Agricultural Education and Awareness Center...Continue reading

Hemp milk Pea milk Almond milk Coconut milk Soy milk... Oat milk Rice milk Cashew milk It’s getting crazy out there with the number of plant based beverage options! What does the future hold for all of these products? Perhaps you would like to learn more about the new meat substitutes that are on the market and what impact they’ll have on livestock farmers? You are invited to join me for our live Farmers’ Luncheon webinar this Thursday, October 22 at 12pm. I’ll be talking with Dr. Cheryl Mitchell, Senior Vice President of Steuben Foods in Elma NY about the development of plant based food substitutes. Dr. Mitchell is recognized as a world authority in the processing of grains, nuts and seeds into a variety of food products. Dr. Mitchell is helping lead the way in the development of plant based food products. We will talk with Dr. Mitchell about where this industry is going and its impacts on traditional agriculture. You will have the opportunity to submit questions during our conversation which I’ll integrate into the program. The webinar is free and open to anyone with an interest in the topic. To register, or learn more, go to https://www.agricultureevents.com/path-to-2025-agricultural. And here’s one of my favorite recipes: Peas in milk! Can of tender sweet peas 2% or whole milk Black pepper Butter Drain peas from water in the can. Pour peas into stove pot. Pour in one 1 to 1 cans of 2% milk into pot with peas. Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter in pot with peas. Sprinkle with black pepper to taste. Heat peas according to directions on can. I like them better cooked on the stove than in microwave. They are soooooo good.

What happened to the beef? Will we ask that question 10 years from now when we go to order a nice juicy burger at our favorite burger joint???? Join us for our upcoming webinar for answers! It is free. Check out this article with lots of information about the webinar -https://www.morningagclips.com/what-happened-to-the-beef/

Thanks to the USDA Farm to Trunk program through the USDA Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, people in need were able to receive free milk, dairy products, meat products, and produce in June July, August and September. Distribution events were held at Salmon Run Mall and Jefferson Community College in Watertown. Events were also held at Fort Drum, Clayton and Cape Vincent. The American Dairy Association Northeast managed the overall logistics for the events, coordinating... with Renzi's Food Service, Glaziers, Upstate Niagara Dairy Cooperative and Byrne Dairy. Jefferson County Economic Development coordinated with American Dairy Association Northeast on volunteer resources and site logistics for many of the events. Hundred of volunteers were involved in helping with the distribution events. Boy Scouts of America Scout Troops, FFA, Jefferson and Lewis County's Dairy Princesses, Girl Scouts of America, Dairy Farmers, community libraries, students from Jefferson Community College, NY State Police, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Environmental Conservation Officers, teachers, HP Hood employees, Great Lakes Cheese employees, Afgritech, Jefferson County Economic development Board members and employees, Congresswoman Stefanik and her staff, NYS Assemblyman Mark Walczyk and staff, NYS Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush's staff, NYS Senator Patty Ritchie's staff, United Way of Northern NY, AgBotic's employees, and many others stepped up to help! Together, they helped distribute over 18,347 gallons of milk, 56,650 pounds of meat products, 77,660 pounds of dairy products and 95,238 pounds of produce to people who needed a helping hand! Great job everyone!!!

Glad folks from AgBotic were part of our audience today!!!

Today we had a fantastic conversation with three young women about their careers in agriculture! This was part of the Farmers Luncheon Webinar series by Jefferson County Economic Development. Luckily we recorded the program so that you can check it out. There are a few glitches where the audio breaks up due to the internet connections. We apologize in advance for those. But we think there are some great inspiring and powerful message delivered by our guests! https://youtu.be/bY3gF_HCvEQ

Looking forward to a great conversation today with Ashley Willits, Casey Porter, and Allyson Jones Brimmer. You can still register by going to www.agricultureevents.com and clicking on the Farmers Luncheon Banner! The program starts at 12pm

Photos from some of the food distribution events held this summer! Thousands of people received assistance through this program. Special thanks to American Dairy Association Northeast, Renzi's Food Service, HP Hoop in LaFargeville, Glaziers and others who put the program together. Jefferson County Economic Development helped organize some of the "on the ground" logistics. Most importantly, he volunteers who helped with these events were spectacular!!!

Join me Thursday September 24, 2020 at 12pm for a conversation on women in agriculture! to learn more visit https://www.agricultureevents.com/path-to-2025-agricultural

Jay Matteson's August Agribusiness Column in NNY Business Magazine. http://www.nnybizmag.com//food-distribution-programs-and-/

Sharing the July Agribusiness Column in NNY Business Magazine authored by our own, Jay Matteson! http://www.nnybizmag.com/index.php/2020/08/03/milk-is-back/

Sorry for so many attempts - bound to get it right one of these times (wrong phone number before). Looking for full time employee immediately. Please share (again)!!! Thank you for your help! (Cheese curd should be ready by 2 today and gelato ready by late tonight or tomorrow morning)

Aerial Spraying for Mosquitoes to Begin Friday Night in Northern Jefferson County The Jefferson County Public Health Service Office has informed us that they pl...an to begin aerial spraying to kill mosquitoes that might carry Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) on Friday August 21, 2020 at approximately dusk. The spraying is designed to contain or eliminate the possibility of EEE being spread to humans. There are several cases of horses in the area of Perch Lake Wildlife Management area contracting EEE and requiring euthanization. It is possible that EEE can be transmitted through mosquitoes to humans and it can be fatal. For more information on the spraying for EEE, please visit www.agricultureevents.com Every effort has been made to identify certified organic farms within the potential spray zone. Identified farms will be avoided with spray with a 100 feet buffer area around the farm. Spraying is conducted at dusk to take advantage of minimal winds and to minize impacts on bee populations.

Interview with some of the youth volunteers at the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program food distribution event at Jefferson Community College today. It is inspiring to see so many youth volunteering to help out people in need. These kids are giving back to their community in a major way!!!!