A3B-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 10, 2003
NESARE Announces $660,000 For Research, Education
ITHACA, N.Y. The Northeast
Sustainable Agriculture Research
and Education (NESARE) program
located at the University of Vermont
in Burlington has announced its re
search and education awards for
2003. Funds will support a total of 16
research, demonstration, and educa
tion projects support the long-term
viability and sustainability of farms
and farming in the northeast region.
NESARE characterizes sustain
able agriculture as profitable, envi
ronmentally sound, and making im
portant contributions to the
community in which it resides.
Seven farmers will share approxi
mately $42,600 to conduct on-farm
research. The grants were awarded
based on their relevance, innovation,
and promise to contribute to sustain
ing farming operations across the
northeast. NESARE awarded a total
of $268,744 to farmer/grower proj
ects in the Northeast. Awards for
New York are Peter Anderson; Long
Eddy, N.Y.; compost mounds and
no-till for pumpkins; Michael Glos;
Berkshire, N.Y.; season extension for
organic culinary herbs; Ron Khosia;
New Paltz, N.Y.; low cost electric
seeding and culivating tractor; Bi-Co
View Farm; Munnsville, N.Y.;
heated beds for dairy cows; Chris Pa
welski, Goshen, N.Y.; commercial
spring salad mix for Muckland; Mat
thias Reisen; Avoca, N.Y.; organic
high production of medicinal herbs;
Fred Forsburg; vinegar as an organic
herbicide for garlic.
NESARE awarded $2,255,075 to
19 researchers in the Northeast who
will explore topics as diverse as ex
ploring reduced tillage techniques for
vegetables, controlling mites in
honeybees, and linking local food
sources with local schools both in the
cafeteria and the curriculum.
Awards totaling approximately
$568,000 will support four projects in
New York:
• Soil health assessment, manage
ment, and training: Vegetable pro
duction systems. George Abawi, New
York State Agricultural Experiment
Station, Cornell University, Ithaca,
N.Y. As soil is depleted, growers in
crease their use of fertilizers, pesti
cides, tillage, and irrigation to main
tain acceptable yield, all of which
have led to more interest in soil as
sessment and improvement to save
money and labor. The project leader
will assess the soil health on SO to
100 vegetable farms and establish
demonstration trials in the adoption
of sustainable, biologically based soil
management. An assessment proto
col, Website, and materials kit for
educators will be developed, and
farmer adoption and economic im
pact will be tracked and analyzed.
• Determining the commercial vi
ability of an exclusionary production
system using disease-resistant col
umnar apple and sweet cherry culti
vars. Peter Jentsch, Cornell Univer
sity’s Hudson Valley Lab, Highland,
N.Y. Apples are pesticide-dependent,
and costs for pesticides run $4OO an
acre in the Hudson Valley. The proj
ect manager will grow disease-resis
tant columnar apple and dwarfing
sweet cherry trees in five different
orchards using a v-trellis high-densi
ty system, integrating mulches, irri
gation, a fixed-canopy spray system,
and supports for barrier netting.
These sites will be use to familiarize
fruit growers with an integrated sys
tem that will protect against hail and
discourage pests without the use of
synthetic pesticides.
• Optimizing reduced tillage sys
tems for vegetables grown in the
upper Northeast. Anusuya Rangara
jan, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.
The cool climate in the northern part
of the region often makes no-till dif
ficult, since the soil takes a long time
to warm. The project manager will
use on-farm and experiment-station
research, workshops, and field dem
onstrations to promote reduced-till
age strategies specific to the climate
and soil of this area. At least five
techniques will be tested,
and vegetable farmers f
wiH leam about and
adopt the ones best suit-
ed to their farms. Case
studies will capture the
experiences of individual
farmers as they adopt re-
duce tillage practices and
will be used for further
outreach and education.
• Beach plum: A new
crop for new markets.
Thomas Whitlow, Cor
nell University, Ithaca,
This continues a
N.Y.
previous SARE project.
LNEOI-153, which focuses on beach
plum as a low-input sustainable crop
suitable for adding value. The project
leader will build a marketing consor
tium and focus on market research,
business planning, and producer,
chef, and processor workshops. A
Beach Plum Consortium Council will
support and oversee marketing, and
the emphasis will be on quality niche
markets and responding to consumer
preference for a wild-flavored jam
with a distinctive regional identity.
The overall goal is to continue build
ing product quality and consumer in
terest in beach plum products.
NESARE partnership grants are
awarded to agricultural professionals
who work directly with fanners. The
grants are for demonstration, re
search and marketing projects that
relate directly to the long-term sus
tainability of farming and agriculture
in the northeast region. In 2003 16
grants totaling $150,000 were award
ed. Six Cornell Cooperative Exten
sion Educators received grants total
ing $48,000 for work in New York
State;
• Alternative continuous cover
forage crop systems for the North
east. Paul Cerosaletti, Cornell Coop
erative Extension of Delaware Coun
ty, N.Y., and Lisa Fields, Cornell
Cooperative Extension of Schoharie
County, N.Y. Dairy fanners in
south-central New York often grow
their own forage, but struggle to es
tablish cover crops needed to mediate
soil loss. The project leaders will see
whether sorghum sudangrass, inter
seeded with small grain cover crops
and perennial forages, will provide a
continuous cover, and whether win
ter rye and triticale will reestablish
sods in no-com, conventional-till
fields. Four cooperating farmers will
plant and harvest various mixes, and
the results will be analyzed in terms
of production costs, plant success,
and milk production.
• Regional compost network.
Aaron Gabriel, Cornell Cooperative
Extension, Hudson Falls, N.Y. One
of the challenges of composting is lo
gisticalconnecting composters with
waste generators, moving organic
waste, and developing the commu
nity infrastructure needed to make
composting viable. The project leader
will develop case studies of compost
facilities on area farms as well as
profiles of waste generators. The
leader will also recruit participants
for a regional composting network
and seek out economical ways for
municipalities to transport yard
waste and leaves to farms for com
posting. A directory of composting
resources will be developed for the
Cornell cooperative extension Web
site and will also be distributed in
printed form.
• Development of improved con
trolled-atmosphere storage tech
DEP Kicks Off
Watershed Awareness
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) Department of Environ
mental Protection (DEP) acting secretary Kathleen A. McGinty
today joined legislators, educators, students and a host of envi
ronmental groups to help declare May as Watershed Awareness
Month in Pennsylvania, encouraging residents to leam more
about their local watersheds and participate in environmental
activities to enhance their natural surroundings and commu
nities.
“Watershed Awareness Month is a unique opportunity for
every Pennsylvanian to expand their awareness and apprecia
tion for our valuable water resources through educational activ
ities, watershed hikes and tours throughout the month of May,”
McGinty said.
Local watershed organizations and schools from across the
Commonwealth also joined Acting Secretary McGinty to cele
brate the event.
The purpose of Watershed Awareness Month is to promote
the importance of watersheds by encouraging and supporting
volunteer community organizations, educators and other
groups that conduct watershed education and awareness activi
ties throughout the month of May.
AVitfOl
For The Control Of
• Starlings • Pigeons
• Sparrows • Crows
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RRI, Box 8
717*536*386
niques for gooseberries and red cur
rants. Steven McKay, Cornell
Cooperative Extension, Hudson,
N.Y. Gooseberries and currents have
shown promise as alternatives to tra
ditional fruit crops, and can diversify
a farm. The project leader will ex
plore how to best use controlled-at
mosphere (CA) storage techniques to
make the most of the berry crops,
and the trials will specifically com
pare traditional CA pallet-storage to
self-conditioning poly bags, which
are reusable and require no external
machinery. Several varieties of ber
ries will be tested, and the results will
be disseminated through extension
publications, a farm newsletter, and
the Website of the International
Ribes Association.
• Grass-based poultry production.
Lynn O’Brien, Cornell Cooperative
Grumbine Designated Fair Executive
MYERSTOWN (Lebanon Co.)
Dennis L. Grumbine, former
executive director of the Pennsyl
vania Farm Show and Pennsyl
vania Farm Show Show Commis
sion, has been designated a
Certified Fair Executive (CFE)
by the International Association
of Fair and Expositions (lAFE).
The certification is based upon
a rigid scorecard of management
skills, education, and leadership.
The award designation was made
May 4 in Williamsburg, Va. dur
ing the lAFE Annual Spring
Management Conference.
Drawing from more than 3,200
organized fairs in the U.S. and
Canada, 20 fair executives quali
fied for the CFE award in 2003.
Dennis L. Grumbine is a native
of Myerstown and has been with
the Pennsylvania Farm Show
since 1978. Previously, he served
as a commission member for 17
years.
Grumbine served as executive
director during the $9O million
dollar expansion project that was
accomplished in 11 months.
Under his directing, the annual
Farm Show experienced a
75 percent growth in at- T*
tendance. Grumbine is well I
known in the agriculture 7
community and has re- V
ceived numerous awards T
from major agriculture and f
livestock organizations. He Z
is also a member of the I
Pennsylvania Livestock I
Hall of Fame. 1
Starlicide
For the Control of
Starlings & Blackbirds
Less Diseases
Saves Feed
33 Lb. Pail
*89.00
In Supply
37, Blain, PA 17006
1 or 717*536*3933
Extension of Allegany and Cattarau
gus Counties, Belmont, N.Y. Con
sumer preference for quality food is
constrained by a lack of local and af
fordable processing capacity. The
project leader will develop and dem
onstrate, in conjunction with two
skilled farmers, a portable poultry
processing lab as an education and
outreach tool. The goal is to support
diversification and competitiveness.
Flock management and hands-on
processing training will be offered,
and the results will be disseminated
to extension and directly to farmers.
• Developing successful direct
marketing strategies for agricultural
producers in Washington County.
Paula Schafer, Cornell Cooperative
Extension of Washington and Sara
toga counties, Hudson Falls, N.Y.
Producer interest in direct marketing
Dennis L. Grumbine, former executive'director
Pennsylvania Farm Show, right, received a special
nation from lAFE. At left is Marla Calico, CFE, lAFE
chair.
Randall G. Renninger
Certified Public Accountant
Specializing in agriculture and construction industries
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is growing, and the project leader
will identify and support fanners
who are interested in adopting new
techniques. Ongoing effortswork
shops, a culinary event, and a pro
gram for part-time farmerswill be
supplemented by the creation of a
county farm guide that lists farms,
products, contact information, and
other information for consumers.
The publication will be distributed at
farmers’ markets, festivals, through
tourism offices, and electronically.
Results will be tracked through
changes in sales and farmer feed
back, and will be reported in the ag
ricultural media.
Additional information is at (607)
255-7286. For information other
grant opportunities and small farms,
visit the Cornell Small Farms Web
site at www.smallfarms.comell.edu.
of the
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board