Extension Business Management Information for Fruit and Vegetable Farms in Eastern New York

News : Research You Can Use : Tool of the Week : Funding Opportunities : Upcoming Programs

Updated Information to NYS Grant (see Grants Section below for more info)!

We would appreciate your input into two surveys that will help CCE educators give good data to farms in NYS.  The first is to help us have better data on cash rents and on custom farming rates (tillage, fertilizer and chemical application, seeding, and harvest/combining).  The second is a survey on employee compensation.  

It’s Here – Complete Our 2024 Cash Rent and Custom Rates Survey Today!!! 

Almost daily, CCE Ag Staff receive calls and requests for average rates in our region for land rents and custom farming activities. To help us answer these questions CCE put together a survey, funded by New York Farm Viability Institute.  Please help us help you by completing this survey.  You can share the love by forwarding the survey link to other farms. If you have any concerns, please email landrental@cornell.edu or contact Katelyn Walley kaw249@cornell.edu or Nicole Tommell nt375@cornell.edu. 

Time is running out to share your data and participate in the 2024 Farm Employee Compensation Benchmark!  

Cornell Ag Workforce Development will run the 2024 Farm Employee Compensation Benchmark until April 30th. All farm participants who enter valid, usable data about one or more of their farm's employees will receive a report and be invited to participate in a follow-up webinar to discuss the findings.  All information that you enter will be kept confidential. Only aggregate data, with no way to identify farms or individuals, will be published or shared.  The process is easy and only takes about 10 minutes per employee to enter.  We will collect information from many farms of all types in New York and other states, and we will be able to separate the data by farm type (dairy, fruit, vegetable, greenhouse, etc.) to provide more specific and customized reports.   

Using Farm Assets for Retirement 

“Don't get stuck in what I call the "five-year trap." The five-year trap is a common syndrome among farmers and non-farmers alike. The five-year trap is this: when I ask a farmer when he or she will retire, they say, "oh, in five years." When I ask the same question five years later, can you guess what the answer is? "In five years!" By not setting a firm date, retirement planning may never get done. “Retirement planning starts by picking a date for retiring from day-to-day farm duties and then planning what you need to do to be able to achieve that goal. 



This immensely helpful and well-written guidebook by Steve Richards, published by NY FarmNet, lays out concrete strategies for planning for retirement.  The guidebook is useful if you plan to transfer to the next generation, sell the farm or somewhere in-between.  It includes lots of worksheets and discussion prompts for you to work through in making concrete plans. - Highly Recommended! 

Update USDA Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program 

Here is some updated information about this program. Applications are not being accepted yet, but there is now a little more information about how the program will work. 

Using RFSI funding, NYS Ag and Markets will partner with Farm and Food Growth Fund (led by Todd Erling of HVADC), to administer the grant program to fund projects that expand statewide capacity and infrastructure for the aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storage, transporting, wholesaling, or distribution of targeted local and regional agricultural food products (excluding meat and poultry products). 

NYS Ag and Markets will also partner with Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust to provide technical assistance to producers and conduct supply chain coordination activities.  

Two grant opportunities will be available for New York agricultural businesses: 

Infrastructure Grants: This competitive opportunity is focused on funding infrastructure for the aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, or distribution of locally produced agricultural food products (excluding meat and poultry products). Applications may be submitted for projects ranging from $100,000 - $3,000,000. Applications must include match funds of 50% or 25% for historically underserved groups. 

Equipment-Only Grants: This competitive opportunity is focused on funding equipment for the aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, or distribution of agricultural food products (excluding meat and poultry products). Eligible applicants may request awards in the amount of $10,000 - $100,000. No match is required for Equipment-Only Grants. 

As I know more, I will send information out. Applications will be taken this spring!    

Agriculture Energy Audit Program - NYSERDA 

NYSERDA offers free energy audits to identify energy efficiency measures for eligible farms and on-farm producers, including but not limited to: dairies, orchards, greenhouses, vegetables, vineyards, grain dryers, and poultry/egg. In addition, greenhouse facilities can receive a free benchmarking report that describes their energy use intensity and benchmarks their facility against an anonymous aggregate of peer facilities. Farms must be customers of a New York State investor-owned utility and contribute to the System Benefits Charge (SBC). Please check your current electricity bills. Due Date: Continuous 

E-commerce 101: Setting-up, Managing & Marketing Online Shopping. April 15, 2024 12:00-1:00 (online). Is e-commerce something your business should pursue? What goes into setting up and operating an online store? And how do you market your products to reach your customers? In this 60-minute class, we will discuss Shopify, one of the most popular e-commerce platforms. This will include are view of the Product Database and the product information you will need to build and manage your online store. Offered by Mid-Hudson Small Business Development Center. Presented by: Erik Bunaes, Endorphin® Digital Marketing, Constant Contact Local Expert and Adjunct Professor of Marketing. Free. 

What Entrepreneurs Need to Know About Contracts. April 17, 2024 4:30-5:30pm (online). Many aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners don’t know where to start when it comes to protecting their personal and business assets. This lack of knowledge can cost them their most important resources: money and time. Attend this virtual presentation to understand the importance of executing contracts. The Brooklyn Public Library's Business & Career Center is partnering with the City Bar Justice Center’s Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project (NELP) and Pace SBDC to offer this opportunity for entrepreneurs to learn about important contract provisions. Free but registration required.  

Reaching Your Customer through Email Marketing. April 22, 2024, 12:00-1:00 (online). What's the most efficient, effective and affordable way to stay connected with your customers? Email marketing. Among all the digital channels available to your business, email marketing boasts the strongest return on your investment. Join us as we discuss using email marketing to your business's advantage, and what email content will resonate most with your audience. You will walk away from this webinar with several valuable resources on email and digital marketing to use in your own business. Offered by Mid-Hudson Small Business Development Center. Presented by: Erik Bunaes, Endorphin® Digital Marketing, Constant Contact Local Expert and Adjunct Professor of Marketing. 

Farmers’ Markets 101, May 1, 2024, 5:00-7:00pm. Franklin County Courthouse, 355 W. Main St. Malone, NY 12953 (Zoom Option Available). Ever wanted to sell at a farmers' market? Join Jane Desotelle, former President of the Adirondack Farmers' Market Cooperative and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Franklin County to learn the ins and outs of selling at a farmers' market. Free, registration is required by April 30. 

Finding and Opening a Profitable Location – 10 Steps to Negotiating a Great Deal on Commercial Space. May 2, 2024, 10:00-11:00 (online). With so much uncertainty in the economy, it is becoming more and more difficult for small business owners to find affordable commercial space. Rooftop Realty Group has over 15 years of experience helping business owners open profitable locations. In this workshop we are going to talk about: The best way to find a space that will make you more profitable, more quickly, how to get property owners to want to work with you and the key terms to negotiate for the long-term viability of your business. Offered by Mid-Hudson Small Business Development Center. Free but registration is required. 

Contracts & Risk Management for Small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs. May 8, 2024, 1:30-2:30 (online). The Pace University Small Business Development Center will host a webinar with Dr. Jessica A. Magaldi, Professor of Business Law at Pace University, to introduce small business owners and entrepreneurs to issues related to contracts and risk management, including the importance and significance of: Contracts and mutual assent; Risks and responsibilities of the contractual relationship; Assessing business risk for working with Letter Agreements, Memoranda of Understanding, Letters of Intent, and other less formal contract documents; Understanding key contractual elements and clauses to mitigate risk and spot issues on which to seek legal assistance; Working effectively with counsel. Free, registration required. 

Ongoing 

2024 Agritourism Webinar Series: second Tuesday of every month from Noon - 1PM (online) 

Join CCE Extension educators for a series of lunchtime webinars on agritourism topics! This series is free, and you can register for one or more of the webinars. 

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