On the lastest episode of Small Farms Radio, our own Jamie Johnson spoke about all things pee-cycling with Dr. Rebecca Nelson of Cornell’s School of Integrative Plant Science and Ashley School of Global Development and the Environment. They discussed the crop nutrient, financial, and human health contexts of pee-cycling on small farms and home gardens and the future of the circular resource economy.

Inspired by an agricultural community in Niger, Nelson has been studying the use of human urine and excreta as fertilizer for years. Dubbed “pee-cycling”, this practice may sound like a cultivation strategy from The Martian, but Dr. Nelson’s ongoing research on pee-cycling finds it to be more practical than it seems.

After eating, the broken down version of the food you consumed is partitioned into your feces, urine, breath, and sweat. Most magnesium, calcium, and iron are partitioned into your feces while most nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are partitioned into your urine, making the latter both easier to work with and comparable to most commercial N-P-K mixes. “When we have benchmarked urine against synthetic fertilizer we have benchmarked well,” said Nelson about the use of urine as fertilizer in the field.

The Rich Earth Institute in Brattleboro, Vermont is Nelson’s role model of a community pee-cycling operation, providing free fertilizer to local farmers and normalizing the practice. Nelson also cites “pee-powered” compost as a valuable alternative to synthetic fertilizer as the carbon-rich, composted residues are enhanced by the nitrogen and other nutrients in urine. “The nutrients come out of us in plant-friendly form,” Nelson emphasized, “They breathe for us, we breathe for them. They feed us and we can feed them too.”

Pee-cycling isn’t all magic, though, and there are many factors to balance as the process is made safe. “We want to distinguish an ick reaction from technical concerns,” said Nelson as she walked through reliable procedures. Of chief concern is always the presence of fecal matter, which is hazardous. To avoid microbial concerns, urine can be pasteurized or stored for a few months, which raises the pH and kills any germs. In a closed container, urine can be aged, sterilized, and pH adjusted in a variety of ways. If producers are still worried about urine application, both Johnson and Nelson highlighted that pee-cycling can be piloted in non-consumed crops, such as lumber or turfgrass.

“The circular economy is old but bold … people have been doing it forever,” said Nelson, referencing centuries of integration between humans and their agricultural systems. “Circular economy is always matching that little need with that little resource, stitching things together.” As input prices rise, Nelson hopes to give people a chance to learn about pee-cycling and think about implementation on their farms.

Nelson is continuously seeking feedback from pee-cycling users and interested growers on everything from regulation to results.

“Small farmers are probably the most creative people in the world because they have to be and they wouldn’t survive in the business if they weren’t,” she said. “I feel like I have some ideas to share but a whole lot to gain from talking to small farm listeners.”

The post Discover the Power of Pee-Cycling for Plants on Small Farms Radio appeared first on Cornell Small Farms.

By investing in your continued education, you are investing in the long-term success of your farm. Live webinars for this final block of courses will begin in late February.

Our online courses are designed to be flexible and user-friendly. All course materials are stored on our single, easy-to-use web platform, which you can access for life after enrolling in a course. Tune in to weekly webinars to hear from experts and ask questions in real time, and complete all other course reading and assignments when it works for you. We also offer tiered pricing based on household size and income in our effort to make courses affordable, accessible, and equitable for all.

Registration is open now for all courses. Explore the full array of course offerings on our website and secure your spot for live webinars, which begin the week of February 23.

BF 103: Taking Care of Business

Mondays: February 23 – March 30 at 7 p.m.

This course helps early stage farmers assess and manage a variety of risks that they will face. Throughout the six weeks of the course, we will discuss topics essential for operating a viable farm business, including insurance coverage, business structures and tax information.

BF 110: Soil Health

Tuesdays: February 24 – March 31 at 6:30 p.m.

The health and productivity of the soil forms the basis for any farm’s success, profitability, and ecological sustainability. Successful farmers need to develop a holistic approach to preserving and building soil health and fertility. Stewardship of the soil is arguably the most important job of any farmer or gardener.

BF 123: Growing Uncommon Fruit

Tuesdays: February 24 – March 31 at 6:30 p.m.

Do you want to learn more about lesser-known fruit? This course will help you determine whether incorporating uncommon fruit into your operation is the right decision for you. We’ll walk you through all aspects of this decision, from possible fruits and appropriate site selection to marketing and profit potential, plus the advantages to including woody perennials into your farm plan. Many of these fruits can be successful in a forest farming setting, so are attractive to people with an interest in agroforestry. Expand your understanding of these promising crops and how they could improve your farm’s ecosystem while possibly also supporting your bottom line. Note: This course is designed as a companion to the BF 122: Berry Production course, but you do NOT have to take BF 122 before taking BF 123.

BF 202: Writing a Business Plan

Mondays: February 23 – March 30 at 6 p.m.

Whether you intend to borrow money or not, heading into a farm venture without a business plan is like setting out on a long-distance journey without a map. Arm yourself with a business plan and you will have a guide to aid your farm decision-making and demonstrate to yourself and your family that your ideas are feasible. This steady-paced course is designed to help you build your plan, including developing financial statements.

BF 205: Social Media & Online Marketing

Thursdays: February 26 – April 2 at 7 p.m.

Are webpages still useful? Does Facebook drive sales in real life? What do hashtags do? What kinds of photos do customers respond to? What are good strategies for low-cost online sales/marketing? What is Square and should I be using it? If you’ve been struggling with questions like these for your farm, this course is a great starting place for you. Taught by farmers and other ag professionals, you’ll get real-life, practical ideas and explanations to help you build a successful online presence, grow your customer base, and sell more product.

BF 220: Season Extension with High Tunnels

Wednesdays: February 25 – April 1 at 7 p.m.

Adding weeks to either end of your growing season can mean attaining a premium for having products available well before (or long after) other local growers. But the structures that make this possible–unheated plastic-covered “high tunnels” or “hoop houses”–can cost a lot of money, and they bring special management considerations that need to be understood in order to be profitable for year-round production.

BF 223: Introduction to Tree Fruit Production

Thursdays: February 26 – April 2 and Mondays: March 16 – March 23, all at 6:30 p.m.

Tree fruit are an important component of the agricultural and homeowner landscape. Planting and management of apple and other tree fruit orchards is a rewarding hobby and business, but you cannot simply plant trees and expect good fruit. There’s a lot that goes into successful orcharding! This course trains beginning tree fruit growers in fundamental concepts in orchard planning and management. Content will include site selection and management, rootstock and cultivar selection, orchard systems, pest management, nutrient management, and harvest considerations for commercial orchards tailored to the northeast region of the U.S.

BF 231: Grazing Management

Tuesdays: February 24 – March 31 at 6:30 p.m.

Grazing is more than simply turning livestock out onto a green pasture and hoping for the best. Sound grazing management is an economical farming practice that helps you reduce your workload, keep your animals happier and healthier, and improve the overall productivity and profitability of your farm. Well-managed grazing systems also provide greater environmental benefits and enhance habitat for many wildlife species. In this course, you’ll learn the key concepts of successful grazing operations that can be adapted and successfully implemented on your own farm. The course focus will be on grazing ruminant livestock, but most of the information will be relevant to non-ruminant animals as well.

In our ongoing commitment to equitable access to education, we have maintained tiered pricing for our courses based on household size and income. We also offer scholarships for eligible farmers in New York who face an entry barrier to farming, and for military veterans in New York State.

You can browse all of our course offerings on our website. You can learn more about our courses, including answers to common questions, on our course FAQ.

The post Grow Your Farm Dreams with Our Online Courses appeared first on Cornell Small Farms.

The purpose of the day was not only to bring people together, but also to identify the highest priority actions to grow implementation of agroforestry practices. Cornell faculty and staff, faculty from UNH, UVM, and SUNY ESF, state and federal agency technical service providers, non-profit leaders, county and regional Cornell Cooperative Extension and Harvest NY staff, and dozens of producers attended this gathering to learn and engage in passionate conversation about strategies for advancing this movement. 

More than 100 committed and passionate advocates for “trees on farms on purpose” gathered for a first of its kind agroforestry summit, hosted by the Cornell Small Farms Program in January 2026.
Kacey Deamer / Cornell Small Farms Program

Agroforestry can look like many different things: thinning forests to graze cattle in dappled shade, planting rows of annual crops between rows of woody perennials, cultivating mushrooms on logs in the woods, and planting multi-storied food forests in urban areas are just a few examples of agroforestry in practice. At the summit participants heard inspiration from three producers describing how they integrate working trees on their farms. Kathie Arnold of Twin Oaks Dairy shared how she is adding trees to pastures to offer shade to her cows during the summer. Garrett Miller of Finger Lakes Cider House discussed planting thousands of black locust trees for shade for a large herd of beef cattle, but also for future timber harvest. And Sara Tyler of Black Squirrel Farms shared how she’s helping landowners find value in mature black walnut trees by building a collection network, a processing facility, and value chains as outlets for nuts and oil. 

All three expressed the challenges they encountered in growing their businesses, including a lack of trained technical service providers, a lack of temperate research data to guide decisions and a lack of “perfect fit” with existing economic development and grant programs that make it challenging to take risks and move forward with growing these agroforestry practices.

Participants also heard about Cornell’s 100 years of engagement with agroforestry, which began with Professor MacDaniels’ planting of grafted nut trees in what is now known as MacDaniels’ Nut Grove near Dilmun Hill Student Farm, and continued with the establishment of the Arnot Teaching and Research Forest and Cornell’s Maple Program. Over the decades, agroforestry activity has waxed and waned, and in the last few years there has been a resurgence of interest from farmers driving new projects and research. Check out the Cornell Agroforestry Timeline at cornellagroforestry.org for a more detailed look at the history. 

Mike Gold, faculty from University of Missouri, gave the keynote speech. Mike has been involved since the early years of Mizzou’s Center for Agroforestry, and he shared the diverse collaborations the Center has built and the wide-ranging impacts its work has had on the producers and the landscape of Missouri. He offered a very optimistic long-range assessment for the growth of agroforestry in the US as well as some strategic recommendations to build markets, spur peer-to-peer learning, and make research breakthroughs to catalyze growth in the industry. 

The Cornell Small Farms Program will be synthesizing all of the notes from the Summit discussions into a report.
Kacey Deamer / Cornell Small Farms Program

During the afternoon portion of the Summit, participants divided into groups of 8-10 to examine a list of known gaps and debate the most important steps to take in the next five years to reduce these gaps. It has taken a century of inspiration, hard work and leadership from Cornell extension and researchers for this summit to happen and be meaningful. The human connections that were forged and the priorities that were debated will have a meaningful impact on how agroforestry dovetails with Cornell’s initiatives in the next 100 years. The participants created a consensus path forward, and it is now up to the Cornell community to navigate us there.

We have launched a new agroforestry-focused quarterly newsletter called Give Trees a Chance, where we will keep subscribers updated on events, funding opportunities, new research, and other relevant announcements for fans of working trees on farms. The Cornell Small Farms Program is building out new agroforestry resources on our website, and we co-lead two working groups on campus that meet regularly to learn together and strategize: the Agroforestry Program Work Team (PWT) and the Silvopasture Program Work Team. If you’d like to join either, please reach out to Connor Youngerman (Agroforestry), czy2@cornell.edu, or Erica Frenay (Silvopasture), ejf5@cornell.edu.

The post Small Farms Program Hosts Agroforestry Summit to “See the Farm for the Trees” appeared first on Cornell Small Farms.

On this week’s episode of Small Farms Radio, our Agroforestry and Mushroom specialist Connor Youngerman visited Jesse Marksohn at Yellowbud Farm tree nursery. They discussed how farms like Yellowbud can work to combat climate change and revitalize traditional foods from native species, one tree at a time.

Youngerman describes New York State’s investment in forests like paying for a powerful machine: it eats up carbon, spits out food and building materials for humans to use, and simultaneously provides a home to wildlife that bolster the state’s biodiversity. Yellowbud’s wholesale seedling operation mimics this natural system, replacing synthetic fertilizers with Rich Earth Institute’s pasteurized urine, and a complex irrigation system with strategic mulching.

Marksohn believes that as New York State invests in its new forest “machine,” native species must be centered and further developed. Yellowbud is part of this effort to improve native cultivars; Marksohn’s team does archival research to identify successful legacy plantings, and connects with producers across the region to pilot new cultivars, measuring their performance for years before they begin wholesale production. The cultivars they develop are more resilient and have higher yields than seedlings imported from other regions, giving them an economic advantage in the short term but also ensuring longevity.

Beyond their importance in mitigating climate change, Marksohn believes trees can be  “transformative” for a diverse range of agricultural operations across the region. For livestock producers, trees can offer shade and fodder, reducing heat stress and providing a resilient, perennial feed source. For vegetable operations, trees give natural patchy shade in the hottest months and protect crops from wind. Across the board, trees create habitat for beneficial biota, increasing biodiversity and potentially reducing pest pressure. For any operation, Marksohn recommends starting small and learning the basics of forestry.

Other than the environmental and economic benefits, Yellowbud also works to revitalize the cultural importance of foods from native trees. While hickory and oak trees are valued today for their wood, they historically were an important source of food. Along with the many environmental benefits of native tree production, products like hickory oil and acorn flour can be nutritionally and culinarily superior to alternatives like olive oil. Marksohn shares that hickory nuts are simple to process, and the resulting oil is higher in oleic acid (an omega-9 fatty acid) than olive oil. 

With economic, environmental, and dietary advantages, the integration of native trees can be a triple-win for NYS. Youngerman believes that as New York builds its 25-million-tree forest machine, it’s more than worth it to invest in native species and the small farmers who produce them. Through partnership with conservationists and producers like Marksohn, New York can create a resilient tree landscape that will reap benefits for generations to come.

The post Small Farms Radio Shines a Spotlight on the Power of Trees appeared first on Cornell Small Farms.

Join educators, organizers, farmers, and earth-workers for an introduction to the practices of Leadership Embodiment at the beautiful Light on the Hill Retreat Center in Van Etten, NY. This workshop, held the weekend of February 27th, is informed by the Japanese non-aggressive martial art of Aikido, mindfulness practices, and posture awareness.

Much of the effect we have on others is communicated non-verbally by our body language, tone and gestures. Some believe as little as 7% of our communication is conveyed by words. How we show up and the physical postures we hold are the key to lowering emotional reactivity, while increasing our power, resilience, and flexibility. Leadership Embodiment introduces participants to straightforward practices to effectively enhance our embodied leadership.

This 2 day, in-person workshop equips participants with tools that enable us to: 

• Project a powerful, open, and expansive leadership presence.
• Create an inclusive space for collaboration and teamwork, especially in challenging situations.
• Receive feedback and listen from a place of open curiosity without taking the feedback personally, and
• Stand our ground and speak our truth in the face of pressure and resistance.

Leadership Embodiment practices are based on principles from the Japanese non-aggressive martial art of Aikido, mindfulness practices, and posture awareness. Through simple physical exercises that apply light pressure, you will learn to recognize your personal patterns that arise when you are in stressful situations. Once familiar with your unique pattern, we apply centering practices to help you shift to a more creative, inclusive, compassionate, and skillful state. Working with a partner, the learning exercises are examined step by step to create a lasting imprint in the body. Partner debriefs and group conversations create a dynamic, experiential, and supportive learning container. Participants will refine their personal declaration during the workshop and leave with a renewed commitment to offer their gift to the world.

Starts: Friday, February 27, at 4 p.m.
Ends: Sunday, March 1, at 1 p.m.
Location: Light on the Hill Retreat Center, Van Etten, NY
Cost: This program is normally offered at a registration cost of $400, with an additional $350 in food and lodging costs. However, thanks to *grant support, we are able to make this workshop retreat available for only $100. If cost is a barrier, please don’t hesitate to reach out for a full scholarship.
Apply here: This opportunity is open primarily to New York State. Space is limited to 25 participants. All participants are invited to attend a 45-minute virtual meet and greet prior to the retreat.
Deadline: Open Until Filled

Apply Now

About the Venue

Inner Light Lodge offers spacious, light-filled accommodations with panoramic views extending to Pennsylvania. Participants may request single or double occupancy rooms with shared bathrooms, or opt for a private cottage. The dining room looks out on the beautiful view and offers plenty of space for enjoying gourmet meals and meaningful conversation. The fully equipped commercial kitchen is stocked with healthy, organic, often locally grown food for vegetarian meals that feed the body and soul.

 About the Workshop Hosts

Graham Hall, Instructor. Graham has been practicing Leadership Embodiment (LE) since 2007. In 2012 he attained his Leadership Embodiment Associate teaching certificate. He engages Leadership Embodiment practices as a foundation in his coaching practice to help his clients connect with their innate inner power and to manifest their hopes and dreams. Through use of LE practices such as shaping their declaration, clients manifest their unique gifts into the world. His interest in coaching and LE evolved from working on complex projects with extremely diverse communities to deploy new technology and processes for Cornell University. Leadership Embodiment practices have had a profound impact on his personal journey. Currently, he is transitioning from his 45 year career in Information Technology/Project Management to assisting others in their purposeful journeys via LE workshops and personal coaching. To relax and appreciate the abundance and beauty of nature he has a thriving, expanding dahlia garden (currently in hibernation in his basement!)  He marvels and is inspired by the humble dahlia tuber. Each tuber bursts forth their stored energy when summer’s warmth returns. Graham experiments with new dahlia varieties which delight and support his passion for contemplative photography!

Damon Brangman & Amara Steinkraus, Special Saturday Evening Sound Healing Program. Sound Healing is an ancient practice using vibrations from instruments like singing bowls, gongs, and chimes, or the human voice, to promote relaxation and balance the body’s energy, aiming to reduce stress and anxiety by restoring vibrational harmony. Damon is a farmer/educator and musician and founded Roots Rising Farm to offer hands on garden education through school and community gardens. He has been on a personal healing journey since being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. His passion for sound healing arises from wanting to assist others on their own healing journey. The earth is healing itself, and we play an important role in allowing the process to heal us, if we can only stop for a moment and listen.

Violet Stone, Workshop Coordinator. Violet Stone leads a wide range of retreats and workshops for the agricultural community drawing on themes of connection, wellness, purpose, integrity and courage. She sees this work as contributing to a more inclusive ‘culture’ of agriculture. In this highly technological age of automation and artificial intelligence, we have much to gain from the act of offering one another genuine listening, open-hearted attention, and wonder. Violet is a passionate life-long gardener, growing ever more appreciative for the beauty, joy, sustenance and healing that our non-human relatives so generously gift us. Violet has led programs for the Cornell Small Farms Program since 2007 and also serves as the New York Northeast SARE Professional Development Coordinator.

*This program is supported by the Equitable Farm Futures Initiative funded by New York State Agriculture and Markets and the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under sub-award number SNE23-010-NY funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The post Rare Opportunity: Apply for Leadership Embodiment Workshop Held Late February appeared first on Cornell Small Farms.

Our online courses are designed to be flexible and user-friendly. All course materials are stored on our easy-to-use web platform, which you can access for life after enrolling in a course. Tune in to weekly webinars to hear from experts and ask questions in real time, and complete all other course reading and assignments when it works for you.

Registration is open for all courses, with live content starting in mid-January for our third block of courses.

​Access to Capital​

Mondays: January 12 – February 16

It can be very difficult to navigate the process of getting grants or loans, especially if you did not come to farming with a background in finance. This course will cover the various aspects of seeking funding for a farm enterprise.

​​Goat Production​​​

Tuesdays: January 13 – February 17

Interested in incorporating goats for dairy, meat, or fiber? Goats can function as a profitable stand-alone enterprise or can be integrated into your existing farm structure to provide a variety of products and make use of marginal lands that would otherwise go unused.

​​Indoor Specialty Mushroom Production​​​​

Tuesdays: January 13 – February 17

Mushrooms are an emerging niche crop and can easily be grown. This course trains new and experienced farmers in the background, techniques, marketing, and economics of farm-scale indoor commercial production.

​​Mercados y Rentabilidad​​

Martes: 13 de enero – 17 de febrero

¿Tiene una idea para una empresa agrícola pero no está seguro de si es factible? Este curso le ayudará a explorar los mercados potenciales y la rentabilidad de sus ideas, retomando el punto donde lo dejó BF 101: Como Iniciar su Negocios Agrícola. (Si no tomo BF 101, no hay problema, aun así puede tomar BF 102).

​Holistic Financial Planning​

Tuesdays: January 13 – February 17

If you’ve been struggling to make your farm operation profitable without driving yourself into the ground, this financial planning course is for you. You will learn how to make financial decisions toward farm and family values and goals.

Silvopasture

Wednesdays: January 14 – February 18

Discover the many ways of combining trees, forage, and animals in useful, efficient, practical, and profitable arrangements on your farm. When you take this course, you’ll be able to describe, plan for, and evaluate particular silvopasture practices and understand their place in the broader categories of Silvopasture and Agroforestry.

​​Vegetable Production II​​

Wednesdays: January 14 – February 18

Continue where Vegetable Production I leaves off – expand upon production from transplanting to harvest, including information on in-season fertility, integrated pest management, weed control options, harvesting strategies, and tips for marketing your products.

​​Exploring Markets and Profits​​

Thursdays: January 15 – February 19

Have an idea for a farm enterprise but not sure if it’s feasible? This course will help you explore the potential markets and profitability of your ideas, picking up where BF 101: Starting at Square One (not a prerequisite) left off.

​Sheep Production​

Thursdays: January 15 – February 19

Have sheep or thinking about getting a flock? Producers of all experience levels will find something for them in this lively, wide-ranging course. There is no one right way to raise sheep — this course covers many of these different options.

In our ongoing commitment to equitable access to education, we have maintained tiered pricing for our courses based on household size and income. We also offer scholarships for eligible farmers in New York who face an entry barrier to farming, and for military veterans in New York State.

A new course being offered this year is “Silvopasture: Integrate Trees, Livestock, and Forage for Multiple Wins on Your Farm” which begins live instruction on Wednesdays, January 14 – February 18. This course will give you the tools to create silvopasture plans for your farm, and to engage with the topic of silvopasture as a practitioner and experimenter.

In recent years we added “Growing Uncommon Fruit,” which will help you determine whether incorporating uncommon fruit into your operation is the right decision for you, “Goat Production,” which will guide beginning farmers through the production and marketing of goats for dairy, meat and fiber, and “Identifying and Partnering with Mushrooms in Farms, Gardens and Forests” to teach you basic ID, species, life cycle, and potential applications of mushrooms to solve community-level challenges.

Other newer additions include “Stress Reduction for Farmers,” which offers strategies for streamlining your farm; “Access to Capital” for anyone seeking funding for a farm enterprise; “Cut Flower Production” on the business of flower farming; a course on “Beef Cattle Management;” a primer on “Social Media & Online Marketing” for your farm business; and a 4-week intensive in how “Reading the Land” can help you monitor its health.

You can browse all of our course offerings on our website. You can learn more about our courses, including answers to common questions, on our course FAQ.

The post Grow Your Farm Dreams and Cultivate New Skills with Online Courses appeared first on Cornell Small Farms.

Small farms are managed by diverse people integrating multiple enterprises to meet personal, local, environmental, and food systems goals. The Cornell Small Farms Program is dedicated to uplifting small-scale farming as a dignified and viable livelihood by providing intentional, innovative, and inclusive services. We envision a future where small farms are valued, respected, and supported for the vital role they play in creating a stronger and more resilient food system.

We often host listening sessions to hear directly from farmers about their challenges and needs. This one-day Summit will bring together farmers, extension educators, university faculty, and other service providers at multiple sites across the state.

A few locations will focus on different topics, including specialty mushrooms (New York City) and veterans in agriculture (Central NY). Each summit site will connect virtually in the morning to hear from agricultural leaders in the state. Subsequent in-person conversations will explore topics on small farm entrepreneurship, resilience, support networks, and priorities moving forward.

You can choose the location or topic area that is best suited to your farm interests, and register now. This Summit is free to attend, with lunch provided and refreshments served throughout the day. Therefore, seating will be limited, and we will open a wait list once registration is filled.

Albany County

Voorheesville, NY

This site will bring together farmers in the Capital Region. Learn more and register.

​

Allegany County: Agroforestry Gathering

Alfred, NY

Whether for fruit, nuts, fodder or shade, trees can be an integral part of your farming system. This site will focus on the opportunities for resiliency that come from adding tree crops or managing wooded areas of your farm for an agroforestry or silvopasture system. Learn more and register.

​

Cornell University Gathering

Ithaca, NY

At this site, we will bring together farmers in the Finger Lakes Region. Learn more and register.

​

Essex County

Westport, NY

This site will bring together farmers in the North Country and will discuss the unique markets of the Adirondacks. Learn more and register.

​

Madison County: Veterans Gathering

Chittenango, NY

Veterans interested in or actively pursuing an agricultural or food system operation are invited to this Summit site. As a collaborative group, veterans and service providers will engage in an exploration of new farm enterprises, building small farm resilience, and farmer veteran networks of care. Learn more and register.

​

New York City: Mushroom Gathering

Lexington Ave, NYC

This site will convene a regional network of mushroom farmers and educators from indoor, outdoor, and community production systems and others in the food network. We will work together to determine grower research and marketing needs, interdisciplinary collaboration opportunities, and community building initiatives. Learn more and register.

​

Washington County

Argyle, NY

At this site, we will bring together farmers to explore topics on small farm entrepreneurship, resilience, support networks, and priorities moving forward. Learn more and register.

We look forward to meaningful engagement and conversations focused on how we can be stronger together as we build a future for small farm success across New York.

The post Join Us for the 2025 New York Small Farms Summit: Stronger Together appeared first on Cornell Small Farms.

Join our second block of online courses, starting live instruction next month, and gain the tools to get started in a new enterprise, from site assessment, to growing techniques, to marketing and sales.

Our online courses are designed to be flexible and user-friendly. All course materials are stored on our single, easy-to-use web platform, which you can access for life after enrolling in a course. Tune in to weekly webinars to hear from experts and ask questions in real time, and complete all other course reading and assignments when it works for you.

Registration is open now for all courses. Make sure to enroll for our first block of classes, which will run for six weeks beginning November 3.

BF 120: Vegetable Production I

Wednesdays from 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. ET

This course helps new and aspiring vegetable producers answer basic questions about site, soil and planning up through planting. Topics covered include soil health, crop layout and rotation, equipment, and financial aspects of vegetable production. Don’t miss BF 121: Vegetable Production II, the continuation of this course, which takes you through the growing season from planting to harvest.

​

BF 122: Berry Production

Tuesdays from 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. ET

If you’re exploring the idea of adding berries and bramble fruits to your farm, this course will help you consider all the aspects of this decision, from varieties and site selection all the way through profit potential and marketing.

​

BF 130: Poultry Production

Tuesdays from 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. ET

Many new farmers get started with poultry, because it’s a relatively low-investment enterprise with a fairly quick turnaround time from start-up to revenue. The margins can be slim though, and farmers need to develop the necessary skill set to produce a product that is both safe and profitable. This course will help you get started with all the basic information to build a successful poultry enterprise.

​

BF 151: Outdoor Mushroom Cultivation

Tuesdays from 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. ET

Mushrooms are an emerging niche crop with many benefits, including improving farmer stewardship of forested lands and the ability to offer a unique and highly desired product. With a bit of practice, mushrooms can be easily grown outdoors on many materials and in alignment with the seasonal and cyclical nature of outdoor growing. This course trains new and experienced farmers in the background, techniques, and economics of outdoor mushroom production. Students will learn the basic biology of mushrooms, cultivation techniques for shiitake, oyster, lion’s mane, and other easy to grow mushrooms, proper conditions for fruiting outdoors, managing pests and other issues, and harvesting and marketing strategies.

​

BF 152: Intro to Maple Syrup Production

Mondays from 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. ET

Maple syrup production is rapidly growing around the Northeast and offers a sound financial opportunity to utilize woodlots. This course explores the range possibilities of maple sugaring on your land – be it for supplemental income or for your livelihood. Also discussed are “alternative” trees for production, including Birch and Black Walnut. The content presented assumes the student has little past knowledge of sugaring, but a background in agriculture or forestry will be very helpful.

​

BF 170: Cut Flower Production

Thursdays from 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. ET

Fields of flowers are dreamy and bursting with joyful color, but unless you have background knowledge on production techniques and a solid plan for selling them, those flowers can be more costly than profitable or enjoyable. This course will introduce you to the topics, resources and questions you’ll need to answer if you intend to operate a flower farm or add flower production as one component of an established business.

​

In our ongoing commitment to equitable access to education, we have maintained tiered pricing for our courses based on household size and income. We also offer scholarships for eligible farmers in New York who face an entry barrier to farming, and for military veterans in New York State.

In recent years we added “Growing Uncommon Fruit,” which will help you determine whether incorporating uncommon fruit into your operation is the right decision for you, “Goat Production,” which will guide beginning farmers through the production and marketing of goats for dairy, meat and fiber, and “Identifying and Partnering with Mushrooms in Farms, Gardens and Forests” to teach you basic ID, species, life cycle, and potential applications of mushrooms to solve community-level challenges.

Other newer additions include “Stress Reduction for Farmers,” which offers strategies for streamlining your farm; “Access to Capital” for anyone seeking funding for a farm enterprise; “Cut Flower Production” on the business of flower farming; a course on “Beef Cattle Management;” a primer on “Social Media & Online Marketing” for your farm business; and a 4-week intensive in how “Reading the Land” can help you monitor its health.

You can browse all of our course offerings on our website. You can learn more about our courses, including answers to common questions, on our course FAQ.

The post Learn How to Grow Your Agricultural Business with Our Courses appeared first on Cornell Small Farms.

Brett Grant first heard whisperings of a calling toward growing food, community and healing back in his childhood on a trip with his father to Mount Pleasant, Texas. As they made their way through the tall Texas prairie grass, keeping a nervous eye out for snakes, it moved Brett to know that the land beneath their feet was once in his family. Many years later, during college, Brett started studying Booker T. Washington and learned that the agricultural curriculum at Tuskegee was based on the needs of the surrounding community. Washington’s educational philosophy emphasized the interconnectedness of “head, hand, and heart,” advocating for a holistic approach to learning and development. The approach resonated with Brett, and he continued to explore holistic education through his subsequent dissertation.

Brett’s first livestock on the farm included two inherited goats and then a small flock of chicks from a neighbor he’s now raising in the screened-in porch. Kacey Deamer / Cornell Small Farms Program

When he finished his PhD, he made a promise to himself: “I don’t want to just do this theoretically. I want to put this into practice.” He started dreaming of a farm and wellness center that could be intellectually, practically and emotionally uplifting for the community.

Brett started looking for land with like-minded collaborators in the greater Minneapolis region. He felt the location of the land didn’t matter as much as the people he was partnering with. But ultimately the right opportunity did not materialize, and Brett eventually made his way to New York City to begin a post-doc position at Columbia University. On some of his early car excursions leaving the city to explore rural Upstate New York, he was touched by the beauty of the landscape.

He discovered a website that helped match aspiring farmers with existing farms, and came across a listing in Chenango Forks, a hamlet in Broome County, New York, situated where the Chenango and Tioughnioga rivers meet. Like the meeting of rivers, threads from Brett’s past experiences and future aspirations seemed to easily converge at his first farm visit. The owners had built a spacious indoor pool in a heated building which brought back joyful memories of childhood swimming and invited the possibility of reviving his past work as a hot yoga instructor. The farmhouse, pastures, livestock barns and solar panels offered all the infrastructure he hoped for.

But while it seemed serendipitous in many ways, just as the ownership transition was underway, Brett’s post doc position ended. His vision had made it this far, and he wasn’t willing to give up. Noting the farm’s 1-hour drive away from Cornell University, he sent some feelers about job openings and was delighted when an opportunity arose at the Cornell Nutrition Liberation, Food Sovereignty, and Justice lab. Now in a more secure position, Brett proceeded to navigate the purchase and transition, which involved many months of visits with the owners, learning about the land and infrastructure.

Though Brett is relatively new to farming, he’s learning quickly on the job and through a network of farmers and educators he’s connected with. Kacey Deamer / Cornell Small Farms Program

Now as the new owner, Brett has begun the process of building relationships with other growers and collaborators who will eventually become co-owners on some of the lower 52 acres as the Chenango Forks Collective. Building trust, writing bylaws and understanding how the cooperative will function takes time.

“It’s going to be really difficult because now we’re moving from me to we, and working as a group under Democratic control and governance,” Brett said.

But he feels farming within a community and partnering with others as equal farm owners is the best way.

“I do not have the skills to fix a tractor, to know how to plant, or to put up fencing, but there are other people around who know,” Brett explained. “The universe will connect me with those people and I’ll figure it out. All I have to do is set myself in motion and not give in to the fear.”

As he is relatively new to farming and this land, there are plenty of challenges and uncertainties. When asked how he resists giving in to fear, he shares that spiritual practices are important. Prayer, stillness, and fasting for spiritual clarity are practices he prioritizes.

“I see so much fear in my own family and community — people not trying something because they were too afraid,” he said. “I don’t want to live that way.”

He describes a fire pit near the crest of the hillside where he sometimes sits at night appreciating the silence and stillness, a welcome contrast to the ongoing problem-solving and critical thinking required for farm maintenance and planning.

Brett has begun the process of building relationships with other growers and collaborators who will eventually become co-owners on some of the lower 52 acres as the Chenango Forks Collective. Kacey Deamer / Cornell Small Farms Program

Wellbeing is at the center of Brett’s vision for this land. In addition to the Chenango Forks Collective, he is creating Hidden Pearls Healing Center to provide opportunities for visitors to enjoy beauty, healing, nourishment and community. He is seeking schoolteachers and students to work with as co-facilitators, co-designing learning experiences centered on growing food, cooking, exploring and playing together.

Inspired by a book called “Liberating Teaching and Learning,” he says he wants children visiting the farm to see, feel and taste freedom “I think offering space for emergence is really important,” he said. “What can emerge if I just help to facilitate the environment?”

At the end of my conversation with Brett, I invite him to reflect on the gifts he brought to the manifestation of his dream. He said that the landscape of his family home in northern California helped him see possibility.

“I had oceans and mountains and rivers and lakes. And it just gave me this sense of awe and wonder,” he shared. “That never went away.”

As our conversation winds down, we walk back outside, looking down over the river valley and the pastures, now lush and tall, that will eventually be stewarded by the Farming Collective. My conversation with Brett has left me reflecting on awe and wonder, and how it can lead a child visiting ancestral Texas prairie eventually to a river valley in upstate NY.

Having learned of Brett’s dreams for this land makes the valley all the more beautiful.

Brett Grant is the steward and visionary of Hidden Pearls Farm & Healing Center. To reach Brett, send an email to hiddenpearlshealingcenter@gmail.com.

The post Head, Hands and Heart: Hidden Pearls Farm & Healing Center appeared first on Cornell Small Farms.

Small farms are managed by diverse people integrating multiple enterprises to meet personal, local, environmental, and food systems goals. The Cornell Small Farms Program is dedicated to uplifting small-scale farming as a dignified and viable livelihood by providing intentional, innovative, and inclusive services. We envision a future where small farms are valued, respected, and supported for the vital role they play in creating a stronger and more resilient food system. 

We often host listening sessions to hear directly from farmers about their challenges and needs. The NY Small Farms Summits create regional gatherings of small-scale farmers and service providers who work together to analyze challenges and prioritize responses to improve small farm success. 

This one-day Summit will bring together farmers, extension educators, university faculty, and other service providers at multiple sites across the state. A few locations will focus on different topics, including specialty mushrooms (New York City) and veterans in agriculture (Central NY). Each summit site will connect virtually in the morning to hear from agricultural leaders in the state. Subsequent in-person conversations will explore topics on small farm entrepreneurship, resilience, support networks, and priorities moving forward.

We look forward to conversations focused on how we can be strong together as we build small farm success. 

The post Save the Date: New York Small Farms Summit This December appeared first on Cornell Small Farms.