Upcoming Education & Events
The majority of our educational programming takes place during the Winter season. Check back soon for details, and make sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter so you don’t miss out!
A Farmer Perspective on Grant Programs: VAPG and NRCS Programs
January 28 | 7:00-8:30 PM | Virtual
Presenter: Sarah Ficken, New Moon FarmsteadJoin Sarah Ficken, seasoned farmer and grant awardee, in a discussion on how grants really work, and common pitfalls to avoid. Sarah will discuss how to find grants that fit with your farm goals, tips for making the writing process easier, and how to manage a project once you receive the funding. She will base her talk on her experience with NRCS programs, the USDA Value Added Producers Grant, and local business incubators.
How to Pay Yourself as a Business Owner: Tax Strategies for Stress Reduction
February 5 | 12:30-2:00pm | Virtual
Presenter: Wholehearted BookkeepingGetting paid as a business owner isn’t as simple as issuing yourself a W-2 at the end of the year. Join us for a webinar recording + live Q&A with Wholehearted Bookkeeping to hear about strategies for how to pay yourself while staying on top of income taxes and navigating profitability as a business owner.
Food Safety Lunch and Learn Series
Part One: What's Going on with Food Safety?
February 11 | 12-1p | Virtual
Presenter: Robert Hadad, Cornell Cooperative Extension Vegetable ProgramNYSDAM FSMA inspectors are expected to step up farm visits this season. Why are they showing up on the farm asking about FSMA? Aren’t we exempt? This noontime hour we will discuss the purpose of the farm visits and what produce farmers need to know.
Part Two: What Counts as Food Processing?
February 18 | 12-1p | Virtual
Presenter: Robert Hadad, Cornell Cooperative Extension Vegetable ProgramIn this session we will discuss what counts as processing and what doesn’t. Stories of inspectors coming to farmers markets and auctions telling some growers certain products can't be sold usually without much explanation. We will try to make some sense of things and clear up some misunderstandings so hopefully the upcoming season goes smoothly.
Part Three: Traceability - Benefits for Food Safety and Beyond
February 25 | 12-1p | Virtual
Presenter: Robert Hadad, Cornell Cooperative Extension Vegetable ProgramCan having a traceback process for your produce (and other farm products) make good business sense regardless of FSMA regulations? We will (try to) make the case for farms to have some sort of traceability mechanism in place.
