agriculture

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the opening of the 2020 scholarship application cycle for the USDA/1890 National Scholars Program.

The program aims to increase the number of students studying agriculture, food, natural resource sciences, and other agriculture-related disciplines. The program is available through the USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement (OPPE).

The USDA/1890 National Scholars Program was established in 1992 as part of the partnership between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the 19 1890 Land-Grant Universities (PDF, 1.2 MB).

The program provides full tuition, fees, books, room and board to students pursuing degrees in agriculture, food, natural resource sciences, or related academic disciplines. When the student has completed the academic and summer work requirements of the scholarship, USDA may convert the student to a permanent employee without further competition.

Currently, USDA and 1890 Land-Grant Universities are providing scholarships to 109 students.

“The Scholars Program is an important way to collaborate with historically black land-grant universities and train the workforce for 21^st century agriculture.” said Mike Beatty, director of USDA’s Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement.

This program is among several USDA efforts to build the capacity of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Since the passage of the Second Morrill Act of 1890, USDA has supported scholarships, research, education, extension activities, and grants for facilities and equipment at these institutions.

The USDA/1890 National Scholars Program is available to high school seniors entering their freshman year of college, and college sophomores. General requirements include U.S. citizenship, a GPA of 3.0 or higher, a score of 1080 or more on the SAT or 21 or more on the ACT, and acceptance to, or currently attending an 1890 University to study agriculture, food, and natural resources.

The scholarship is renewable each year and is contingent on satisfactory academic performance and normal progress toward the bachelor’s degree. Additional requirements are listed in the application package.

All application materials must be postmarked by Friday, Jan. 31. See the 2020 high school application (PDF, 337 KB) and the 2020 college application (PDF, 347 KB) for details. For other questions, email: 1890init@usda.gov

Press release:

The Genesee Country Farmers' Market @ The Downtown Batavia Public Market will close for the season at 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 25th.

It is located on the corner of Bank Street and Alva Place in the Downtown Batavia Business District. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. -- today (Oct. 24) and tomorrow.

The season began June 7. Though locations have changed, the market has been provided the freshest locally grown fruits and vegetables as well as specialty artisnal items to the greater Batavia area and Genesee County for 45 years.

The Market would like to thank everyone that helped to make the 2019 market a success: our loyal customers, generous sponsors, the City of Batavia, and the Downtown Batavia Business Improvement District (BID).

Press release:

On a conference call with reporters and in the midst of an industrial hemp explosion across Upstate New York — triggered by a Schumer-championed provision in the recently passed Farm Bill — U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue guidance and allow producers to fully take advantage of the popular cannabidiol (CBD) market and also protect consumers.

Even though CBD products have gained popularity since the 2018 Farm Bill legalized the farming, manufacturing, and selling of industrial hemp, Schumer explained that the FDA has yet to set regulations or safety requirements for CBD derived from hemp.

According to Schumer, the lack of federal guidance and clarity is sowing chaos for both consumers and in the rapidly-emerging Upstate New York industrial hemp industry, which saw sales of CBD products surpass $200 million nationally in 2018.

To address this lack of clarity, to protect consumers, and to allow the industrial hemp industry to maximize job creation from this cash crop, Schumer urged the FDA to expediently issue guidance on the classification, labeling, quality, marketing, and sale of CBD products.

“CBD is brimming with potential to be a billion dollar industry across New York State, bringing along countless jobs and truly meaningful economic development with it. But before that can happen, farmers, growers, producers, consumers and vendors need to know exactly what the rules of the road are and right now they’ve got no idea,” Senator Schumer said.

“That’s why I’m calling on the FDA to do its job in a timely manner and issue guidance related to CBD classification, labeling, quality, marketing, and sales. And once the feds spell out these ABC’s of CBD, the industry will seed and grow from one corner of the state to the other, many jobs will be created in the industrial hemp space, and farmers will be able to safely cash in on this cash crop.”

CBD is one of the two main chemical compounds that can be found in the cannabis plant. However, CBD is not psychoactive, meaning that it cannot get a person high—like tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the other chemical compound found in many types of cannabis plants, primarily marijuana. CBD products have become exceptionally popular in the marketplace, with estimated sales of CBD-containing products, such as oils, gummies, balms, lotions, and capsules, surpassing $200 million in 2018.

According to the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, there are currently just under 500 people, businesses, and organizations spread across New York State licensed to grow and process industrial hemp.

According to news reports, roughly three-quarters of those licenses were approved for the purposes of cultivating and extracting CBD. Currently, there are 18,000 acres of land licensed for industrial hemp growing in New York State, with 14,000 designated for CBD cultivation and extraction.

Furthermore, of New York’s 62 counties, 56 are home to industrial hemp farms and related growing operations. Schumer says these figures show just how much potential CBD products have to boost the economy across New York State, should clear guidance on CBD be issued by the FDA.

Schumer pointed out that the FDA is responsible for protecting public health, and guidance related to CBD is desperately needed to ensure that products on the market are safe. He also said that consumers rely on the FDA to conduct timely and appropriate oversight of new and emerging ingredients, like CBD, and that guidance from the agency would provide crucial direction for manufacturers seeking a pathway to develop safe and credible products for consumers.

Schumer argued that the market for CBD products is rapidly growing and that the agency must expedite its efforts to promote accuracy and transparency within the CBD industry. Specifically, Schumer called on the FDA to provide an outline of its plans for a regulatory framework related to CBD, as well as a timeline for when comprehensive enforcement policies for CBD products will be finalized and implemented.

The Schumer-backed Hemp Farming Act of 2018 was introduced by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Ron Wyden (D-OR). It passed and was signed into law as part of the 2018 Farm Bill. This legislation:

• Removes industrial hemp from Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act;
• Empowers states to be the principal regulators of hemp;
• Allows hemp researchers to apply for competitive federal grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA); and
• Makes hemp farmers eligible to apply for crop insurance.

Industrial hemp is a type of cannabis plant that is grown largely for industrial uses, but it can also be used for food, oil, and cosmetic products. Hemp contains a very small amount of THC, typically between 0.2 and 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis, and while from the same species of plant as marijuana, the two plants have varied widely in use.

However, due to the existence of THC in hemp, Schumer explained, both plants were considered “controlled substances” under federal law, meaning the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was the primary regulator for hemp production.

Schumer argued that this narrow view has undermined the crop’s agricultural and economic potential. With the Hemp Farming Act of 2018 passed by Congress and signed into law last year, this unnecessary roadblock has been lifted, and industrial hemp’s significant potential to become a cash crop in Upstate New York’s will be unleashed.

Below is the full text of the letter Schumer sent to Acting Commissioner Norman Sharpless.

***************

Dear Acting Commissioner Sharpless:

We write today to ask that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urgently clarify and implement regulations for cannabidiol (CBD) derived from hemp. Since the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill (P.L. 115-334), which paved the way for industrial hemp cultivation and marketing, farmers, processors and retailers across the country are eager to enter this new market and leverage its potential. With new products containing CBD becoming available nearly every day, your agency’s lack of an official stance on this ingredient remains confusing to manufacturers and potentially dangerous to consumers. It is now imperative that the FDA finalize and implement a comprehensive regulatory framework for CBD, including guidance on the classification, labeling, quality, marketing, and sale of CBD-containing products, to ensure each manufacturer is producing safe and effective products for consumers. In accordance with your agency’s July statement regarding CBD oversight, we expect an update on your activities no later than 90 days from today’s date.

The CBD industry has exploded in recent years. Estimated annual sales of CBD-containing products were over $200 million in 2018, and CBD oils, gummies, balms, lotions, capsules, and other products are broadly available and widely advertised in stores and online. However, as the CBD industry expands, the lack of clarity and regulation around CBD use has created significant confusion and uncertainty among stakeholders in every segment of the supply chain. It is crucial that the FDA remain proactive in its duty to safeguard public health, protect consumers from potentially unsafe products, and provide a predictable pathway to market for producers and manufacturers.

Purveyors of CBD-containing products attribute a wide range of health benefits to this ingredient, including relieving pain and anxiety, preventing seizures, treating post-traumatic stress disorder, and easing inflammation. But consumers still lack answers to questions about the potential risks, including adverse side effects and drug interactions, associated with CBD.

Consumers rely on the FDA to conduct timely and appropriate oversight of new and emerging ingredients, and guidance from the FDA would also help manufacturers to develop safer, more effective, and more credible products for consumer use. The market for CBD products is rapidly outpacing the FDA’s current regulatory efforts, and your agency clearly must expedite its efforts to promote accuracy and transparency within the CBD industry. It is imperative that any comprehensive regulatory framework for products containing CBD provide straightforward guidance to manufacturers and retailers who wish to incorporate CBD into new products.

Consumers and manufacturers of this fledgling industry are counting on regulatory oversight and certainty that only the FDA can provide. Your efforts to date have been woefully inadequate. Within 90 days please provide our offices with an outline of your agency’s current plans for a specific regulatory framework related to CBD along with a timeline for when comprehensive enforcement policies for CBD products will be finalized and implemented.

Thank you for your attention to this matter and we look forward to your response.

U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer

Hemp could be big business in Western New York, the way Sen. Chuck Schumer sees it, but right now bank regulators are standing in the way.

As part of the most recent Farm Bill, Schumer teamed up with Sen. Mitch McConnell to take hemp off the list of Schedule I drugs and make growing it for cultivation legal. Farmers can even qualify for crop insurance when they grow it.

But banks have been unwilling to extend credit to farmers who want to start or expand hemp operations.

Today, Schumer was at Mills Family Farm on Ham Road in Basom to announce a new push by his office to get bank regulators to hurry up and write guidelines for banks seeking to do business with hemp growers.

"Hemp is harmless and in fact it's useful," Schumer said. "It's a very versatile and vital crop and it has much, much less THC, which is the active ingredient in marijuana, than marijuana."

He said besides producing CDB oil, it's used in cosmetics, construction materials, side doors of cars, and several other uses, he said.

"You know, everyone thought hemp was just for ropes but it is for much more," Schumer said.

Banks want to lend to hemp farmers, he said, but they're worried about getting in trouble with banking regulators, because of the association with marijuana, without specific, written guidelines.

"They know it's profitable loaning lending for them but they need this clearance from the regulators and today I am starting a major push to get the regulators to put out their guidelines about lending to hemp farms," Schumer said.

Brad Mills started growing hemp this year but he said without access to credit, it will be hard to expand hemp acreage next year, and hemp, in the current market, has attractive profit margins.

"On a small family farm, we had the equipment, we obviously had the land -- some of the best land in the state, and I would argue the nation for growing hemp at our disposal  -- but as we began to move along we saw obstacles," Mills said. "We really do need financing for things and that includes sophisticated equipment for the growing of hemp that a corn or dairy farmer just doesn't have along with that, the costs of buying clones, buying seeds, buying sprouting equipment to get those seeds going.

"None of that your average small dairy farmer or crop farmer would have. And that's very necessary equipment for moving forward in this industry. Our profits from this year's crop likely won't be enough to both establish that equipment and then move forward with a larger planting from next year. So we really need financing in place for that.

"And beyond that, you know moving forward, there's a real shortage of drying and processing facilities in the state as well. As we advance this farm ideally in the future, we would like to get into our own drying and processing. But you know these are all obstacles to overcome. We need financing."

New York farmers, Congressman Chris Collins and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue applaud today's announcement that the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers have agreed to rescind the 2015 Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule.

From the New York Farm Bureau:

Repeal of the 2015 Waters of the United States rule is a victory for clean water and clear rules, according to New York Farm Bureau.

“Farmers share the goal of protecting the nation’s water, but the 2015 Waters of the United States rule was unreasonable and unworkable,” said New York Farm Bureau President David Fisher.

“It made protecting water quality and conservation efforts more difficult and created huge liabilities for farmers, especially when what waters would be regulated under the old rule could not be clearly defined. This turned farming into a guessing game on which land use required federal permits and what did not.”

The administration’s repeal announcement follows a multi-year effort by the American Farm Bureau, New York Farm Bureau and an array of allies to raise awareness of overreaching provisions of the rule.

“No regulation is perfect, and no rule can accommodate every concern, but the 2015 rule was especially egregious,” Fisher said. “We are relieved to put it behind us. We are now working to ensure a fair and reasonable substitute that protects our water and our ability to work and care for the land.”

From Congressman Chris Collins:

Congressman Chris Collins (NY-27) praised EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler’s signing of the repeal of the Obama-Era Clean Water Rule, commonly known as the, “Waters of the United States.”

The signing of the repeal is part of a two-step process ordered by President Donald Trump in February 2017. This first step overturns the Obama-era regulation and reenacts rules established prior to 2015. The second step of process is for the EPA to propose a replacement rule, which is expected before the end of this year.

“This was nothing more than a giant power grab by the Obama Administration that had real and harmful consequences on America’s hardworking farmers and small business owners,” Congressman Collins said.

“This rule has serious implications for our local farmers, it allows bureaucrats to determine if small divots or puddles were considered ‘navigable waters’. President Trump made a promise to farmers across the nation and I applaud him for keeping it by repealing these outrageous regulations. &rdquo

In 2014, Congressman Collins attempted to block the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) from expanding federal control under the Clean Water Act by leading a letter to the EPA Administrator and the Department of Army Secretary urging them not the move forward. A majority of Congress signed on to Congressman Collins’ letter.

Congressman Collins additionally was a cosponsor of H.R. 5078, the Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act, which would prevent the EPA and the Army Corp of Engineers from implementing the proposed rule that would redefine “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act. This legislation passed in the House but was not taken up in the Senate.

The repeal is expected to be challenged in court by a number of environmental groups.

From U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue:

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today praised the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for taking another step to fulfill President Trump’s pledge to repeal and replace the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule.

Information from New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health:

Genesee County is one of the state's top five farming counties by sales, with more acreage dedicated to corn for grain and silage than any other local crop. And this is the time of year motorists can expect to begin sharing the road more frequently with tractors, combines and other farm equipment.

So it's an especially good time to pay attention on rural roads to reduce the likelihood of accidents.

A fatal accident involving farm equipment occurred this year in Genesee County. In any given year, there are also accidents here involving farm equipment and motorists that result in minor or serious injuries.

Though only 19 out of every 100 Americans live in rural areas, more than half of fatal roadway accidents take place in rural areas, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that agriculture, forestry, and fishing as an occupational group has the third highest rate of work-related roadway crashes.

Collisions involving tractors and other farm equipment are the deadliest rural road accidents in New York.

In fact, crashes involving agricultural vehicles were found to be five times more fatal than that of non-ag crashes, according to the Rural Road Accident Study by the New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health (NYCAMH).

The study was funded by Columbia University Center for Injury Science and Prevention and published recently in the Journal of Agromedicine. It was conducted because although agriculture-related crashes have been explored in the Midwest and South, little was known about agriculture-related crashes in the Northeast, specifically in New York.

NYCAMH released its findings this week in advance of National Farm Safety & Health Week (Sept. 15-21) and as the harvest season approaches.

For the study, electronic records from the NYS Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) Accident Reports (MV-104) for 2010-2012 were analyzed. Agricultural cases were identified using variables for the vehicle body type and vehicle registration.

During this three-year time frame, NYCAMH researchers identified 203 agriculture-related accidents involving 381 vehicles and 482 people.

Of the agriculture incidents, 91.6 property caused property damage, while 36 percent caused injury.

Incidents involving farm vehicles or equipment tended to be more severe than non-ag crashes in terms of the number of vehicles involved, the extent of the injuries, and the number of resulting deaths.

Of the agriculture-related incidents, the most common event was a collision with another vehicle (80.8 percent). The second most common was a collision with a fixed object such as a ditch or embankment (10.3 percent), followed by an overturn/non-collision event (3.4 percent).

Poor weather conditions were rarely a factor in these events.

The study found straightaways tend to be most common crash site and crashes on straight roads with a grade were twice as common in ag-related crashes than in non-ag crashes.

NYCAMH deputy director Erika Scott speculates that this is due to non-agriculture vehicles attempting to pass slower-moving agriculture machinery on straightaways.

Although one likes being caught behind a tractor or other slow-moving farm vehicle, waiting a minute or two before you pass could make a lifetime’s difference.

NYCAMH has worked with the New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee on issues surrounding slow-moving vehicle use. These initiatives have brought together the farming community, safety professionals and emergency services to raise awareness of slow-moving vehicles on the roadway.

If you’d like more information on this research, please contact the NYCAMH information specialist at info@nycamh.org. The abstract for this article can be found here.

A bright orange triangle-shaped Slow Moving Vehicle (SMV) emblem, by law, must be mounted on any machinery that travels less than 25 mph on public roads.

NEW: A Speed Identification Symbol (SIS) is newly required by NYS law for equipment that moves between 25 and 40 mph.

Examples of slow-moving vehicles that these regulations apply to include tractors, self-propelled agricultural equipment, implements of husbandry, road construction and maintenance machinery, and animal-powered vehicles.

Seconds Count -- Tips for Sharing the Road with Farm Equipment during the Growing Season:

Motorists:

• Slow down. The faster you drive, the longer the stopping distance. When speed doubles from 30 mph to 60 mph, the stopping distance more than triples.
• Never pass with limited visibility or in a no-passing zone.
• Be alert for farm equipment that may be turning left. Tractors not only turn onto roads or into driveways but can also turn into fields.
• Slow down and increase following distance if you come upon equipment with an SMV emblem.

Farmers:

• Machinery must display a slow moving vehicle emblem when traveling under 25 mph. In addition to the SMV emblem, tractors and machinery must also display a speed-appropriate speed identification symbol (SIS) when travelling between 25 and 40 mph. Never exceed the top-rated speed of any trailed implements.
• Use proper lighting on farm equipment, including flashing amber lights in the front and rear. Use lights and flashers at all times of the day for increased visibility. Use of lights on tractors is required after dark and during times when visibility is reduced under 1000 feet.
• Stay in the lane, do not drive equipment half on the shoulder and half on the road. A tractor can easily lose control on a soft shoulder. Ditches that parallel most rural NY roadsides can cause potentially fatal rollovers for tractors.

Both:

• Look down the road as far as possible to be aware of what is coming and increase your warning time. At 60 mph, a vehicle is covering 88 feet per second.
• Distractions can double your reaction time. Pay attention and keep your phone shut off while driving. Hands-free phones are legal to use but can still be a distraction.

Top photo -- file photo from accident scene on April 13, 2017 on Route 20, Bethany. The wrecked tractor-trailer passed another tractor-trailer on a hill only to come upon a farm tractor towing a manure spreader. The farm tractor had just made a left-hand turn into a driveway, but the manure spreader was still in the roadway and the passing tractor-trailer clipped the rear of it and tore off the spreader's rear axel. Loaded with 80,000 pounds of cargo, the big rig continued off roadway into a guard rail and down a deep culvert into a creek filled with water. The trucker suffered a big bump on his forehead. Citations were issued. They had a lot of manure to clean up on Route 20 as a result of the accident.

Inset photo of SMV/SIS sign and bottom photo on rural road courtesy of New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health.

NYCAMH, a program of Bassett Healthcare Network, is enhancing agricultural and rural health by preventing and treating occupational injury and illness.

​

Press release:

ELBA -- Elba Central School has been awarded a $10,000 grant to enhance its curriculum for STEM -- Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

By working with farmers, America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education Program, sponsored by the Bayer Fund, awarded $2.3 million in grants nationwide this year to strengthen STEM education in rural schools.

The schools that received grants were nominated and selected by farmers in their communities and Elba's farmers answered the call to strengthen STEM education.

Elba's grant will allow it to produce and broadcast video announcements.

There will be a check presentation at the Monday, Sept. 9 Board of Education meeting at 7 p.m. at the Elba Central School Library Media Center. (The school is located at 57 S. Main St. in Elba.)

​Grow Rural Education has distributed more than $18 million in grants to more than 1,000 rural public school districts since 2011. 

For each grant-winning school, teachers, students and, oftentimes, community members develop plans to create more engaging and innovative STEM programs.

Grow Rural Education grants have helped schools purchase an array of STEM-related materials, such as augmented-reality sandboxes, weather-forecasting and robotics equipment.

To qualify for a Grow Rural Education grant, farmers nominated a school or school district to compete for a merit-based grant of either $10,000 or $25,000. School districts that were nominated then submitted a grant application describing their STEM-focused project.

Grow Rural Education’s Farmer Advisory Council, consisting of approximately 30 farmer leaders from across the country, reviewed the finalist applications and selected the winning school districts, including Elba Central School.

About America’s Farmers

The America’s Farmers campaign highlights the importance of modern U.S. Agriculture through communications and community outreach programs that partner with farmers to impact rural America. To learn more, visit America’s Farmers at www.AmericasFarmers.com.

About the Bayer Fund

The Bayer Fund is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the overall health and wellbeing in communities where farmers and Bayer employees live and work. Visit the Bayer Fund at www.monsantofund.org.

GO ART! is hosting a Farm to Table Dinner on Sept.14^th.

This fits with its mission of expanding the culinary arts and cultural richness of farms in Genesee and Orleans counties.

Farm to Table events have become extremely popular in the last few years. GO ART’s! event is expected to be just as popular as the many other similar events held around the country in rich and diverse farming communities like ours.

The splendid diversity of the local food and expert preparation by the Genesee Valley Education Partnership Culinary Program, led by Executive Chef Tracy Burgio, are not to be missed.

Guests will enjoy live music and food that could not possibly be any fresher in the magical restaurant without walls at GO ART! at Bank and Main streets in Downtown Batavia. It is sure to please all who attend.

The four-course feast costs $105 per person and will feature local produce, beef, chicken and a vegetarian option. Click here to see the menu.

Because this is the debut farm to table dinner in Batavia hosted by GO ART!, as a special thank you for those attending, diners who book this year will be able to pre-purchase tickets for next year's event before tickets are available to the public.

For information on purchasing tickets, please click here.

A portion of the proceeds will go to the Culinary Arts Club at GVEP.

Photos courtesy of DixieLand Images | Marcy Morgan.

Press release:

SYRACUSE -- The 51st Annual Butter Sculpture at the New York State Fair was taken down, but it didn't go to waste.

American Dairy Association North East, in conjunction with Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners and Noblehurst Farms, dismantled the 800-pound sculpture today at the New York State Fairgrounds.

Ultimately, the inedible butter will make its way to Noblehurst Farms in Pavilion (and Linwood), a "Dairy of Distinction," where it will be recycled in the farm’s methane digester and converted into renewable energy to power the dairy farm and produce liquid fertilizer for crops.

Noblehurst Farms has been recognized for achievements in sustainability and community partnerships to divert food waste from local landfills. (For previous coverage of an example of these efforts, click here.)

This year’s sculpture, “Milk. Love What’s Real,” featured a grandfather and child dunking cookies into milk and a young couple sharing a milkshake, illustrating how our love for real dairy connects many cherished moments in our lives.

Here's a link to a time-lapse video of the sculpture's deconstruction, which actually took 90 minutes to do.

About American Dairy Association North East

The American Dairy Association North East (ADANE) is the local affiliate of the National Dairy Council^® and the regional consolidation of three promotion organizations including the American Dairy Association and Dairy Council Inc., Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association and Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program.  Committed to nutrition education and research-based communications, ADANE provides science-based nutrition information to, and in collaboration with, a variety of stakeholders committed to fostering a healthier nation, including health professionals, educators, school nutrition directors, academia, industry, consumers and media.

Funded by dairy checkoff dollars from more than 12,000 dairy farm families in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and Northern Virginia, ADANE works closely with Dairy Management Inc.™ to bring a fully integrated promotion program to the North East region. For more information, visit AmericanDairy.com

From the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce:

The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce will host the 30th annual Decision-makers Ag Tour on Wednesday, Sept. 18.

It is open to the public.

The initial tour begins at 8 a.m. at the Kennedy Building at the Genesee County Fairgrounds, 5056 E. Main Street Road, Batavia.

After registration / check-in, breakfast and a quick welcome and discussion with Bill Schreiber, of ​O-AT-KA Milk Products Co-Operative Inc., attendees will board the bus and be transported to the next location.

The bus will return to the fairgrounds once the tour ends at 12:30 p.m.

The tour will include:

• Autumn Moon Farm Winery, 7585 W. Bergen Road, Bergen
• Black Creek Cidery, 6885 Warboys Road, Byron
• Sweet Life Country Store, 100 S. Main St., Elba

Register

Via email at:   kbermingham@geneseeny.com

Online by visiting the chamber website's events page here, then click on the button for the ag tour.

Or call the chamber office 585-343-7440.

Submitted photo and press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) toured several farms in Genesee, Orleans and Monroe counties yesterday, speaking with farm owners and employees on their concerns and trepidations with the recently passed the Farm Labor Bill.

Hawley is the former owner and operator of his family’s farm in Batavia, a longtime member of the Assembly Agriculture Committee and past President of the Genesee County Farm Bureau.

“I want to thank all the farm owners and their families for having me on a tour of their facilities,” Hawley said.

“I understand how detrimental these new labor regulations can be to our agriculture sector and I will be pushing very hard to have a seat at the table for the Commissioner of Agriculture and Farm Bureau members on the new wage board.”

  “As a former farm operator, it was great to meet so many dedicated families that are driving New York’s agricultural sector here in Western New York,” Hawley said.

“A consistent theme at all of the farms we visited was the new labor regulations pushed by Downstate politicians and their detrimental effect on family farms throughout the state. Many owners are concerned about labor shortage during an already short growing season and the possibility of migrant workers leaving to earn more money in other states.”

Photo: Assemblyman Hawley on his first stop of the farm tour at CY Farms in Elba, a second- and third-generation family farm where sod, spinach, corn and onions are grown.

Top photo: Genesee Dairy Challenge Team – Genesee County 4-H Dairy Challenge Contest participants, from left: Bing Zuber, Wyatt Uberty, Chase Zuber, Otto Uberty, Renee Uberty.

Submitted photos and press release:

SYRACUSE -- Members of the Genesee County 4-H Dairy Club took their skills to the New York State Fair in Syracuse earlier this week.

4-H Dairy Challenge and Dairy Judging Contests were held to test the youth’s knowledge on judging skills, animal nutrition, agronomy, feed identification, farm safety, and business management.

Below are results from the contests that included more than 150 participants.

New York State Fair 4-H Dairy Challenge Contest:

Genesee Novice Team – Second-place Team. Team members were: Otto Uberty, Wyatt Uberty, Bing Zuber and Chase Zuber.

Individual Results – Bing Zuber -- third High Novice Individual; Renee Uberty -- 19^th Junior Individual.

New York State Fair 4-H Dairy Judging Contest:

Genesee Novice Team A – Fourth Place. Team members and individual rankings were: Chloe Lamb -- 14^th, Bing Zuber -- 16^th, and Chase Zuber -- 18^th.

Genesee Novice Team B – Third Place. Team members and individual rankings were: Evan Winspear -- third, Wyatt Uberty -- 17^th, Otto Uberty -- 20^th.

Genesee Junior Team – Fourth Place. Team members and individual rankings were: Maggie Winspear -- fifth, Jillian Brewer -- eighth, and Renee Uberty -- 36^th.

Genesee Senior Team – 13^th-place. Team members and individual rankings were: Carolyn Sybertz -- 23^rd and Amelia Brewer -- 29^th.

Congratulations to all of the 4-H’ers competing at the New York State Fair this week!  For more information on the Genesee County 4-H Program, please contact the 4-H Office at genesee4h@cornell.edu or (585) 343-3040, ext. 131.

Bottom photo: Genesee County 4-H Dairy Judging Contest participants, from left, back row: Amelia Brewer, Carolyn Sybertz, Jillian Brewer, Renee Uberty, Maggie Winspear. From left, front row: Wyatt Uberty, Evan Winspear, Chloe Lamb, Bing Zuber, Otto Uberty, and Chase Zuber.

Press release:

Now is a great time to start a 4-H Club in the Genesee County 4-H Program. The new 4-H Club Year begins Oct. 1 and runs through Sept. 30, 2020.

The 4-H Program teaches youth life skills through hands on activities in a variety of project areas. Youth ages 5 to 18 years are always welcome to join.  Adult volunteers and new 4-H Clubs are always welcome as well. 

Starting a 4-H Club is fun and easy. You can start a 4-H Club in five easy steps!

How to Start a 4-H Club in 5 Easy Steps:

1.  Complete the New 4-H Volunteer Enrollment Form.

2.  Attend an orientation meeting with 4-H Staff.

3.  Enroll 5 youth in your club (age 5 – 18).

4.  Have members choose a club name.

5.  Plan monthly club meetings and projects with parents and youth.

For more information on starting a 4-H Club or joining the 4-H Program, please contact the 4-H Office at genesee4h@cornell.edu or (585) 343-3040, ext. 131.

Submitted photo and press release:

Shoppers may have noticed the bearded gentleman with the ear-to-ear smile at the Batavia Public Market. Mike Vickner and his wife, Jan Goodenbery, of “Rooted in Joy” sell the best of the season harvested from their farm located in Oakfield.

They have fruits, vegetables (especially garlic!), flowers and delicious baked goods. They also provide “pet-the-bunny therapy,” he says with a grin.

Dedicated to providing food grown in an environmentally sustainable manner (no chemicals, only natural fertilizers, and “chickens that live a chicken’s life”) Vickner believes in preserving the Earth and her bounty with his own Hippocratic oath of “do no harm.“

In addition to his passion for farming, Vickner is committed to his role as a caregiver at Crossroads House here in Batavia and its Board of Directors has graciously proclaimed Rooted in Joy as their official market farm.

As members of the Crossroads family, Mike and Jan will provide information at their stand about upcoming community events and fundraisers to support the Crossroads mission of providing the very best in comfort care for residents in Genesee, Wyoming, and surrounding counties.

“We’ll see you at the Market!”

In an interview with The Batavian following an event at the Genesee County Fair Grounds, where Lt. Kathy Hochul participated in the announcement of a new workforce development program (more later), Hochul defended passage of the farm labor bill.

She said it was needed, even though it was opposed by farmers and farmworkers, because it will improve working conditions for farmworkers and help farmers attract more qualified job candidates.

Hochul said what's missing in complaints about the farm labor bill is that farmers participated in crafting compromise legislation.