A34-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 29, 2002
Regional Farm And Food Project Summer Tour Series Set
ALBANY, N.Y. The Re
gional Farm & Food Project has
announced its seventh annual se
ries of farm tours for the sum
mer. These events are free and
open to all members of the farm
ing community. The tours typi
cally last about two hours.
While not required, reserva
tions are appreciated. To make a
reservation or for further inform
ation, please contact the Regional
Farm & Food Project office at
(518) 427-6537 or farmfood@ca
pital.net or Christopher Reed,
Director of Education, at (518)
672-7743.
• 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Tuesday,
July 9. Soil Restoration and Man
agement for Organic/Biodynamic
Vegetable Production, Roxbury
Farm at Owl Hill, 2501 Route
9H, Kinderhook (Columbia
County), N.Y.
In this program for vegetable
and crop fanners, Jean-Paul
Courtens of Roxbury Farm will
discuss regenerating and optimiz
ing diverse soils using cover crop
ping, rotation sequences, mineral
supplements, composting, and
tillage practices.
• 1 to 3 p.m. Friday, July 19.
Farmstead Cheese-making in the
N.Y. Bill To Assist
Fanners In Rabies Control
ALBANY, N.Y. A bill
sponsored by Assembly Agri
culture Committee Chair Bill
Magee (D-Nelson) to assist in
protecting farmers, farm em
ployees and the general public
against the scourge of rabies
has passed the Assembly.
“Clearly, rabies is one of the
most petrifying and deadly
diseases both from a livestock
and human point of view,”
Magee said. “So there should
be a clear mandate from New
York State that we are ready,
willing and able to assist farms
and farmers in stopping it be
fore it becomes a public health
crisis.”
The bill would specifically
create a voluntary program
under which the Department
of Agriculture and Markets
would purchase the vaccine
and distribute it for free to vet
erinarians who would in turn
administer it to cattle and live
stock. As part of that, the vet
erinarians would be prohibited
from charging for the vaccine
and would have to agree to a
fee schedule set forth by the
Commissioner for what they
can charge for inoculating the
animals.
The summer issue of Foraging Around, the newsletter of the
Pennsylvania Forage and Grassland Council, is scheduled July 13 in
Lancaster Farming. v
The section is scheduled to include feature information about
Project Grass. Included; grazier features, grass-fed beef reports, \
and news and notes for the grazier and hay grower. ' —->
Central European Tradition,
Brovetto Dairy & Cheese House,
1677 County Route 29, Harper
sfield (Delaware County), N.Y.
The Brovetto tour is intended
primarily for dairy farmers and
others who are interested in
farmstead or small-scale cheese
production. The prime focus will
be die squeaky clean facility
which the Brovettos designed and
built to produce their acclaimed
Harpersfield Cheese, a robust,
semi-hard cheese similar to a
type originating in Tilsit, Ger
many.
• 6:30 to 8:30 p.m„ Thursday,
Aug. 1. Growing a Family-Oper
ated Pastured Poultry Enterprise,
Gippert’s Farm, 266 Churchland
Road, Saugerties (Ulster Coun
ty), N.Y.
Erich and Cindy Stein will
conduct a tour of their small
scale, yet profitable, pastured
poultry operation. Gippert’s
Farm is a 60 acre multi
generational enterprise focusing
on the raising, processing, and di
rect marketing of meat chickens
and turkeys, as well as eggs from
250 layers. Anyone interested in
starting or already involved in a
pastured poultry operation will
find their tour of interest.
“This bill recognizes and
balances the need to keep ra
bies vaccinations under the
professional supervision of a
veterinarian to be sure it is
properly stored, used and ad
ministered while substan
tially reducing the cost so that
more and more fanners are
able to vaccinate their herds,”
Magee remarked.
While a relatively small
number of cows are ever diag
nosed with rabies they can still
be exposed to it from, for in
stance, a rabid raccoon. While
the overall cost of the program
to the state would be approxi
mately $2 million to purchase
the vaccine, the cost of post
exposure treatment for hu
mans can be as much as
$l,OOO per person.
“This will cost the state
some up-front money to actu
ally purchase and distribute
the vaccine, but the fact is that
it is an enormous investment
in preserving and protecting
the overall health of the gener
al public and that is what real
ly matters,” Magee concluded.
The bill is sponsored in the
Senate by Senator John R.
Kuhl Jr. (R-Hammondsport).
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• 6 to 8 p.m., Thursday, Aug.
15, and 3 to 5 p.m., Saturday,
Aug. 17. Organic Gardening at a
Therapeutic Community, Tri
form Camphill Community,
Claverack (Columbia County.)
Martin Gitt, head gardener at
Triform Camphill Community,
will lead a tour of several acres of
organic/biodynamic gardens and
a barnyard of farm animals. He
will discuss how the farm and
gardens serve as educational set
tings for young adults with spe
cial needs. This tour is open to
all. For further information and
to RSVP, call Jill at Triform,
(518) 851-9320.
• 1 to 3 p.m., Saturday, Aug.
17. Small Can Be Profitable:
Overview of an Organic Dairy
Farm, Tilldale Farm, Route 7,
Hoosick (Rensselaer County),
N.Y.
Dairy fanner Dan Tilley will
lead an overview of his organic
cow dairy operation. This farm
er-to-farmer tour will be geared
for commercial dairy and live
stock farmers and others with an
interest in organic dairy and ro
tational grazing.
• 6 to 8 p.m., Monday, Aug.
26. A Large Organic Crop Farm
Producing Direct Marketed Ani
mal Feeds, Lightning Tree Farm,
Kennels Road, Millbrook (Dut
chess County), N.Y.
Farm manager A 1 Eamhart
will lead a tour of Lightning Tree
Farm. Livestock, dairy, and crop
fanners and others interested in
organic practices and holistic
Kozel’s Wins Beef Backer Award
WESTMORELAND, N.Y.
Kozel’s Restaurant, a well-known
steakhouse in Ghent, N.Y., re
ceived the Beef Backer Award on
May 30 presented by the New
York Beef Industry Council on
behalf of New York State beef
producers. The award, which has
been given in the Empire State
since 1989, recognizes restaurants
for their innovations in menuing
and merchandising beef.
In business for 66 years, Ko
zel’s brings in 40 percent of its
profits from beef, purchasing ap
proximately 3,500 pounds per
month. The restaurant was estab
lished in 1936 by Frank and Eva
Kozel. Its current owners, Ed
ward “Gus” Kozel and his wife
Helen, attribute the longevity of
the restaurant to the dedication
of the kitchen and wait staff.
Many of the employees have
been employed by the restaurant
for over 20 years, and the two
head chefs, Ronnie Glover and
Tom Kardash, have a combined
total of 69 years in the Kozel
kitchen.
According to Steve Walker,
dairy farmer and vice chairman
of the New York Beef Industry
Council (NYBIC), Kozel’s is well
deserving of the award.
“Kozel’s Restaurant has 14
beef entrees on its regular
menu and for decades has
been well-known for its
prime quality beef selec
tions. As producers, we de-
management will find his
achievements to be of interest.
His operation produces barley,
oats, rye, shelled com, soybeans,
wheat as well as hay and straw
for livestock feeds, which are
milled and blended on farm and
direct marketed with minimal
advertising. The grains are cus
tomized as nutritionally balanced
rations for beef cattle, dairy,
chickens, hogs, and turkeys.
• 5:30-7:30 p.m., Tuesday,
Sept. 10. A Sanctuary for the
Embattled Honey Bee, Apple
Tree Lane off Rodman Road,
Hillsdale (Columbia County),
N.Y.
This tour will be of special in
terest to farmers and gardeners
interested in conserving honey
bee populations for pollination.
The bee sanctuary project is lo
cated on 6SO acres of farmland,
225 of which are being renewed
with biodynamically treated
cover crops of clover, buckwheat,
and phacclia. Ron is experiment
ing with innovative hive shapes,
linings, and paints to more close
ly approximate natural condi
tions. The goal of this unique ini
tiative is bee health and ultimate
survival, rather than honey pro
duction.
• Third week of September.
Farm Workshops on Livestock
Evaluation with Gerald Fry. Lo
cations (and times) to be an
nounced.
Gerald Fry, livestock breeder,
consultant, and principal of bo
vine engineering (Rosebud, Ark.)
Edward “Gus” Kozel and his wife Helen are the 2002
recipients of the Beef Backer Award. NYBIC Vice Chair
man Steve Walker, right, presented the award at Kozel’s
Restaurant on May 30.
pend on establishments such as
Kozel’s to continue the quality
we strive for on our farms.”
Consumer demand for beef has
been on the upswing since 1999,
making the beef industry one of
the most dynamic segments of
the U.S. agricultural economy.
More than ever, American con
sumers look to restaurants for
their dinner needs. In fact, 41
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will demonstrate his technique of
measuring cattle for functional
efficiency. For over 25 years,
Gerald Fry has advised cattle
breeders throughout the country
using a system of evaluation
called linear measurement This
method can predict the reproduc
tive and functional performance
of cattle (male and female) at an
early age. Fry’s fascinating work
is particularly geared toward the
identification of cattle that will
thrive on grass feeding.
For information, call the Re
gional Farm & Food Project of
fice at (518) 427-6537 or Christo
pher Reed at (518) 672-7743.
• 5 to 7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct.
2. Abundance on Small Acreage:
Innovations at a Vegetable CSA,
Sisters Hill Farm, Stanfordville
(Dutchess County), N.Y.
Small and medium-scale grow
ers, whether beginning or experi
enced, will find this farm to be
impressive. Sisters Hill Farm is in
its fourth year as a Community
Supported Agriculture (CSA)
with 160 members in Dutchess
County and Bronx, N.Y. Owned
by the Sisters of Charity of St.
Vincent de Paul of N.Y., Sisters
Hill Farm dedicates 25 percent of
what it produces to soup kitch
ens, pantries, meals-on-wheels
programs, and to families in
need. This abundance is accom
plished on four acres, with 140
beds and 250 varieties of organi
cally grown vegetables, herbs and
flowers. The farm also produces
poultry.
percent of all food dollars are
spent in restaurants and in 2001
there are seven billion beef serv-
ings in commercial restaurants in
the United States.
Thirty-eight percent of restau
rateurs list beef as their most
popular center-of-the-plate din
ner entree in 2000.
Joe Speicher
175 North Imler Valley Rd.
Imler, PA 16655