Statement From Commissioner Ball regarding unsolicited packages allegedly sent from China

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New York Dept. of Agriculture Commissioner Ball warns about mysterious seeds sent from China

“Our office has received questions from a few New Yorkers who have received unsolicited packages allegedly sent from China that are marked as containing jewelry (or other items) but which actually contain plant seeds. Similar packages have been received in other states and the United States Department of Agriculture is investigating. People who receive seeds should not plant or handle the seeds. They should store them safely in a place children and pets cannot access and email USDA immediately at erich.l.glasgow@usda.gov for instructions. Seeds imported into the United States are rigorously tested to ensure quality and prevent the introduction of invasive species, insects, and diseases. We will continue to monitor this issue and will pass along guidance as it is received from USDA.”

*Note to newsrooms: Please advise consumers to email USDA with their full names and telephone numbers, pictures of the package and any other relevant information. 

Filed Under: District News

NY Forward Business Safety Plan Support for Farms – Webinars Planned

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Business Safety Plans Required For All Farms

Cornell Cooperative Extension Webinar Series on developing safety plans for compliance and to reduce liability risk

NY Forward Safety Plan Webinar Series Flyer

New York State requires businesses to have a specific business safety plan in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes all farms, both food and non-food producing. In addition, a well-written and executed business safety plan will help reduce business liability risk during and after the pandemic. A Cornell Task Force recently developed materials to directly support farms in the plan writing process.

Cornell Cooperative Extension and Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development are offering a “NY Forward Business Safety Plan Support” webinar series with specialized webinars for Dairy/Livestock/Crop Farms, Fruit/Vegetable Farms, Retail Farms, Equine Farms and Greenhouse/Landscaping/Ornamental Farms.

The webinars, led by Extension specialists, will walk farmers through the need for and process to complete a safety plan as is required by all businesses for compliance with NY Forward, demonstrate project tools developed by Extension to write and complete a plan, share curated resources for specific industries

WEBINAR DATES

Registration is FREE and REQUIRED. The webinars will be recorded and the links will be posted.

For more information visit http://agworkforce.cals.cornell.edu/ny-forward-business-safety-plan/

 

Filed Under: District News

Canceled Work Day: Macyville Woods Nature Preserve June 6th

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This event has been canceled, however, there are ongoing activities where you can help out.  Please read more to view the video.

Macyville Woods Nature Preserve
7474 Seaman Street Sodus Point, NY, 14555 United States (map)

https://www.geneseelandtrust.org/volunteer-events

Other ongoing activities at Macyville Woods:

Japanese wineberry is another invasive that you can safely remove with gloves. Thanks to support from the Finger Lakes Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management, we are removing this and other invasive plants from Macyville Woods Nature Preserve and have begun planting more beneficial shrubs and trees to improve bird habitat. Japanese wineberry looks similar to raspberry and blackberry plants, but its stem has more hairs and fewer thorns. Learn more about wineberry here and watch the short video below with Stewardship Assistant Will Macaluso.

TOOLS REQUIRED: Gardening gloves and trash bags
WHERE TO GO: Macyville Woods Nature Preserve
PLEASE REMEMBER: Stay safe, practice physical distancing, and dress appropriately. We would like to track when and where you volunteer for this project. Please call, text, or email Kevin Farrell at (585) 484-0250 or land@geneseelandtrust.org.

Filed Under: Events of Interest

Building Resilience through COVID-19 Health and Safety

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Reprinted from Cornell Small Farms Program News

Sharing information on how to take care of ourselves, our employees and our customers.

As we move toward reopening our businesses and lives, we need to make sure we are prepared for doing things differently. Taking care of ourselves, our employees and our customers will require planning ahead to make sure we have COVID-19 safety in mind.

We are getting used to wearing our cloth face coverings in public, and maintaining 6-foot physical distance from others. These practices also apply to our farms, and when we are interacting with the public. Health and safety precautions, such as providing hand sanitizer for employees and the public, will take some planning ahead.

Below we share some important resources to help you plan. We will continue to update our farm resilience resource page as new information becomes available.

Cornell Cooperative Extension Distributing Free Hand Sanitizer and Masks to Farms

CCE has been working with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (NYSDAM) throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to find ways to assist farmers with continuing their operations while improving safety precautions.

Through CCE offices, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (NYSDAM) is distributing 500,000 face masks to essential farm workers across the state. Also being distributed is hand sanitizer, produced in New York State and secured by NYSDAM.

Across the state, CCE offices have mobilized to receive and distribute hand sanitizer and masks to New York farmers, free of charge. Farmers can contact their local CCE office to request masks and sanitizer for their employees and retail areas.

Meanwhile, the Cornell Farmworker Program is also working hard to protect farmworkers. Anyone can get involved with the #4HMaskTask to help make reusable cloth masks for communities in need. These collaborations are evolving and ongoing.

How to Effectively Use Cloth Face Coverings

 

In New York State, there is an Executive Order on the use of face coverings to limit the spread of COVID-19. It mandates that “any individual who is over age two and able to medically tolerate a face-covering shall be required to cover their nose and mouth with a mask or cloth face-covering when in a public place and unable to maintain, or when not maintaining, social distance.”

The CDC recommends that these cloth face coverings should:

  • fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face.
  • be secured with ties or ear loops.
  • include multiple layers of fabric.
  • allow for breathing without restriction.
  • be able to be laundered and machine dried without damage or change to shape.

Providing Face Coverings to Your Employees

New York State has also issued guidance that all employees who interact with the public must wear cloth face coverings. You may have family members that are interacting with the public.

These recommendations apply to them, as well as those paid to work on the farm:

  • Provide employees with cloth face coverings and gloves.
  • Cloth face coverings must be used by employees if they are interacting with customers. These coverings must be provided by the farm.
  • Instruct employees on proper use, storage, and washing of face coverings.
  • It is recommended that one, five-pack of masks should be provided per employee.

Observing the Recommended 6-Foot Social Distancing

New York State’s guidance all states that we must observe a 6-foot physical distance from others. The virus is transmitted person to person through respiratory droplets, which is why this 6-foot physical distancing is so important.

As you prepare for employees and farm customers, you should:

  • Welcome people with a smile and a wave, but at a distance. No hugging or handshakes.
  • Post signs to emphasize physical distancing and hand sanitation.
  • Redesign customer flow to maintain physical distance.
  • Post signs at check-out to emphasize physical distancing while waiting.
  • Employees must maintain a 6-foot distance with each other and customers.
  • Enforce their use of cloth face coverings.
  • Consider installing clear plastic shields or dividers between employees and customers.

Maintaining a Clean and Sanitary Workplace

Establish a cleaning and sanitizing standard operating procedure (SOP) for frequently touched surfaces, such as tables, scale platforms, registers, other electronics, chairs, cash boxes, hand rails and port-a-john handles. Write these down and implement them daily.

For an example SOP that you can adapt to your farm, check out the Sanitation and Postharvest Handling Decision Tree.

Follow this four-step process for cleaning and sanitizing high-touch surfaces:

  • Remove visible dirt and debris.
  • Wash with soap and water or appropriate detergent.
  • Rinse the surface of debris and detergent.
  • Sanitize with a food contact surface approved sanitizer.

Emphasize hand washing and sanitation as recommended for food safety in general.

  • Upon arriving at work, before and after eating, after using the restroom.
  • Provide training on how to properly wash hands.
  • Emphasize hand sanitation between customers.
  • The University of Minnesota created a low-cost hand washing station DIY.

Make sure you have an adequate stock of hand sanitizer:

  • About 750 ‘servings’ (about 5 mls) of hand sanitizer are in a gallon.
  • If one employee uses sanitizer 6 times in a day (at start and end of day, before and after lunch, before and after restroom visit), then a gallon would last approximately 125 days.
  • If you have a farm stand or U-Pick farm, and customers are using sanitizer 4 times (at start and end of visit and before and after checkout), a gallon would be enough for about 190 customer visits.

Instruct employees on proper use of disposable gloves for when dealing with customers or when using gloves as PPE during sanitation practice:

  • Wash hands before putting on new gloves.
  • Remove gloves before breaks, meals or toilet visits.
  • Take off gloves in a way that avoids touching the outside of the glove with either hand and dispose.
  • Wash hands.
  • Put on new gloves before starting work again.
  • If gloves are worn at check in or check out, sanitation between transactions must still be observed.

Encourage employees to arrive each day wearing clean clothes. Also, encourage employees to wash their farm clothes separately from other clothes.

Taking these proactive steps will protect your team and your customers and create a positive experience on the farm during this pandemic.

For Additional Information:

The NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets has created an official COVID-19 resource page offering details and latest guidance as it relates to agriculture in the state.

The Cornell Small Farms Program is keeping a list of resources for farms to build resiliency through potential impacts from COVID-19.

The Cornell EDEN website is the hub of information for COVID-19 issues and resources.

The Cornell Ag Workforce is a great resource for updates on labor management issues and programs and policies related to ag workforce issues and COVID-19.

The Institute for Food Safety at Cornell University answers questions around the risks associated with food production with useful links to expert resources to ensure that a safe and robust food supply is maintained.

Kacey Deamer

Kacey Deamer

Kacey is the Cornell Small Farms Program’s communications specialist. In this role, she manages all storytelling and outreach across the program’s website, social media, e-newsletter, magazine and more. Kacey has worked in communications and journalism for more than a decade, with a primary focus on science and sustainability.
Filed Under: District News

Volunteer Opportunity – Sodus Point Beach – Friday May 22nd Saturday May 23rd

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As part of the Lake Ontario REDI project, the Village of Sodus Point, located in Wayne County is presently beginning a beach nourishment project to build dunes for natural shoreline protection. This Friday & Saturday there are volunteer opportunities six feet apart to plant dune grass. Families are encouraged as they can work in a group. You must wear a facemask for protection. Groups will be spaced apart. Registration is required.

To register please visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sodus-point-beach-grass-planting-tickets-105807904290

When:
Fri, May 22, 2020, 12:00 PM – 3:30
Sat, May 23, 2020, 3:00 PM – 5:30

Where: Sodus Point Beach, end of Wickham Drive, Sodus Point, NY – meet up at the beach.

Please see the registration form below
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sodus-point-beach-grass-planting-tickets-105807904290

  • Sodus Point Dune and Beach Restoration
    Dune and Beach Restoration Along the Numbered Streets West of Sodus Bay Channel funded by the New York State Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative, Follow this link to read more about the Lake Ontario Dune and Beach Restoration Project
  • The District, working with Wayne County is also assisting in the management two REDI projects, for more information on (Click here)
Filed Under: Events of Interest

Earth Day-a self guided activity walk at Huckleberry Swamp April 22nd – April 25th

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With NYS on PAUSE, Huckleberry Swamp, located in North Rose, is offering a self guided activity walk to celebrate Earth Day.

From April 22nd -April 25th the public is invited to take a walk along the boardwalk trail at Huckleberry Swamp and view fun facts along your walk.

Earth Day has been celebrated every April 22nd since 1970. The main aim of Earth Day is to raise awareness of the impacts that our actions as mankind have on our environment and earth as a whole . Take the day to learn more about the environment we live. Think about the actions everyone can take to make it better.  Make Earth Day, every day. 

Huckleberry Swamp is located at 9190 Catchpole Road, North Rose, NY 14516

The Huckleberry Swamp volunteers invite guests to bring a hand-painted rock and participate in the  “Take A Rock-Leave A Rock”.  Scattered around the area are hand-painted rocks with inspirational messages, The public is invited to take a rock leave one of your own for the next person. Add a little joy to anyone that may need a lift. Visitors can also participate in fun scavenger hunts.

Can you find these items?  Click the photos for larger view and printing. (images open in a separate tab)

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For more information about Huckleberry Swamp and to see other activities and events, please visit www.ofofinc.org

Filed Under: Events of Interest

Invasive Species Activity Guide Teacher Meeting Wednesday April 15th

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Invasive Species Workbook

Wayne County Soil and Water and FL-PRISM will host a teacher meeting focusing on a newly created Invasive Species Activity workbook for the classroom. Grab a lunch and join by Zoom. Teachers that register will receive a printed workbook along with other invasive species educational materials.

Date: April 15th
Time: Noon – 1 P.M.

For Zoom information and registration please visit  https://waynecountynysoilandwater.org/IS/

For questions and more information please email drew@waynenyswcd.org

 

Filed Under: Events of Interest

Financial assistance for farms facing COVID-19 Early options available for farms to support cash flow

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Photo Credit Morning Ag Clips

Farm businesses and operations have been deemed essential and will continue to remain in operation producing high-quality, safe food products for consumers all across the world. However, with market disruptions, employees’ family obligations, and low commodity price projections, farm profitability uncertainties are an added source of concern. There have been early announcements of assistance that can ease cash flow issues and help farmers keep employees on payroll while maintaining their highest standards of quality, environmental stewardship, and animal wellbeing. Please keep in mind that this is a rapidly changing situation, and we can hope for additional funding announcements in the near future.

American Farmland Trust, a national organization dedicated to keeping our rural lands in agricultural production, has announced their “Farmer Relief Fund” initiative. This program will offer direct-market producers cash grants of $1,000 each to help ease the effect of market disruptions caused by the coronavirus. This can include the closure of farmers markets, decreased or interrupted sales to restaurants and institutional buyers, or to makers who use farm products as inputs.

The deadline to apply is April 23rd with grants awarded by May 1st. For more information, visit farmland.org/farmer-relief-fund.

Farm Service Agency (FSA) has made changes to their farm loan, disaster, conservation, and safety net programs to make it easier for customers to conduct business. While their county service centers are closed to the public, their staff are available to continue to work with the farming community by phone appointment. FSA has relaxed the loan-making process by extending the deadline for applicants to complete farm loan applications and preparing Direct Loans documents even if record searches cannot be completed because of closed government offices. FSA will continue to offer farm loans, commodity loans, farm storage facility loans, disaster assistance programs, safety net programs, conservation programs, and acreage reports with modifications meant to benefit the farmer and this situation’s unique challenges. For more information, contact your local service center or visit fsa.usda.gov.

The CARES Act’s recent Paycheck Protection Loan Program announcement will also provide emergency funding to farms via Small Business Administration loans. This low interest, forgivable loan program will be available starting April 3rd to cover payroll costs, utilities, mortgage interest, and/or rent. Farm owners should work with their existing lenders, if they are participating in the PPL program, to determine their eligibility and complete the expedited application. For more information on this program, visit sba.gov.

This situation can bring a lot of stress and anxiety for farm owners and managers. It is important to remember that managing and addressing risks early on, rather than avoiding them, will provide decision makers more time to make sound action plans to manage cash flow and long term profitability. The only way to make accurate decisions is to know the farm’s current financial situation which will involve record-keeping and business analysis. For more information on creating financial statements for your farm, contact your lender or Katelyn Walley-Stoll, Farm Business Management Specialist. Additionally, NY FarmNet recently released a helpful guide to “Managing Financial Stress on the Farm in Uncertain Times” and their consultants are available for free and confidential financial and personal counselling. For more information, call 1-800-547-3276 or visit nyfarmnet.org.

Beth Claypool, Cornell Cooperative Extension’s office in Wayne County has put together an extensive list of programs for Farmers related to farm operations during the pandemic. Visit http://ccewayne.org/environment/emergency-preparedness/up-to-date-information-on-the-corona-virus . These resources include recordings of recent agriculture related webinars related to COVID.  You can find other ag recordings on production practices, etc on the Ag Specialist Teams website.

If you would like more information please contact Cornell Cooperative Extension Wayne County at 315-331-8415 or email Beth at eac9@cornell.edu

(portions of content from this article was reprinted from Morning Ag Clips )

 

Filed Under: District News

New York’s Outdoors Are Open! Message from NYS DEC

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Williamson Town Park Loop Trail

a message from NYS DEC:

During the current COVID-19 public health crisis, getting outdoors and connecting with nature is a way to help maintain our mental and physical health. Scientific studies show that time outside in nature, especially among trees, significantly reduces stress and anxiety, lowers blood pressure, improves mood, energy, and sleep, and boosts the immune system.

Hiking

While indoor spaces and restrooms at NYSDEC environmental education centers, hatcheries, and other public facilities are closed out of an abundance of caution to prevent community spread of COVID-19, the grounds and trails are open to welcome visitors during daylight hours, seven days a week. Any entry fees are waived. Public trails in the Adirondack and Catskill Parks and State Forests throughout the state are also always open (please note: there is still snow in many areas, please check local conditions). Find a location near you on the DEC’s website. As always, State Lands and facilities are being monitored by DEC Forest Rangers and other staff, though interactions with visitors will incorporate social distancing to limit the potential spread of COVID-19.

Families with children at home during this time are encouraged to visit DEC’s education webpage to find activities to help explore nature and fun outdoor activities under “Kids G.O (Get Outside)” and “Nature Activities,” plus lesson plans on a variety of topics for different grade levels in “Educator Lesson Plans” and “Hudson River Lesson Plans.” In addition, students can read about nature in “Conservationist for Kids.”

In addition, New York State sporting licenses for anglers and hunters are available on DEC’s sporting license webpage.

DEC will provide updates periodically via email, social media, and at www.dec.ny.gov. We will also be available to respond to questions or concerns regarding visitation opportunities at contact@dec.ny.gov.

While enjoying outdoor spaces, please continue to follow the CDC/NYSDOH’s guidelines for preventing the spread of colds, flu, and COVID-19:

  • Try to keep at least six (6) feet of distance between you and others.
  • Avoid close contact, such as shaking hands, hugging, and kissing.
  • Wash hands often or use a hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available.
  • Avoid surfaces that are touched often, such as doorknobs, handrails, and playground equipment.

The NYSDEC recommends avoiding busy trailheads. Find the trails less traveled and visit when trails may not be as busy during daylight hours. Remember to always be safe and sustainable when recreating outdoors. Learn more about how you can protect natural spaces when exploring outdoors by following the seven principles of Leave no Trace. Please note that campgrounds, boat launches, and other gated facilities that do not typically open until late spring or early summer will open and operate as usual. Visit the campground and day-use area webpage for more information.

Please visit nature and the outdoors responsibly and stay safe.

Thank you.

Filed Under: Events of Interest

Novel Coronavirus Prevention & Control for Farms

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The U.S. is confronting an outbreak of a novel coronavirus that causes serious respiratory disease and may be deadly for older people and those with weakened immune systems. The World Health Organization is now calling the outbreak a global pandemic because it is affecting countries all over the world. People and organizations can still fight coronavirus by taking steps to prevent transmission of the disease, the whole point of widespread cancellation of events is to create “social distancing” to lower the infection rate and prevent health care systems from being overwhelmed. New York State Department of Health also has a Coronavirus Website with English and Spanish posters for preventing coronavirus infection (https:/health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/coronavirus/).

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and prevention (CDC) provides clear guidance about preventing infection in both English and Spanish. They also provide a number of printable factsheets and posters in English and Spanish suitable for use in the workplace. (Download at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/communication/factsheets.html)

Employer Actions Steps

Your farm workforce is not immune to coronavirus, please begin taking steps to protect yourself and your employees.

  1. Talk with your employees about coronavirus, how it spreads, and how to prevent getting infected.
  2. Print the CDC factsheets and posters, post in your workplace and employee housing facilities.
  3. Provide guidance to help employees clean and disinfect employer-provided housing. Follow up with employees and manage the process to be sure that this happens. Set up a regular weekly and daily schedule for cleaning.
  4. Clean and disinfect your workplace. The employee breakroom and bathroom are great places for virus to be transmitted. Clean and disinfect any areas where employees congregate or routinely touch items such as doorknobs and computer keyboards. Set up daily and weekly cleaning schedules.
  5. Provide cleaning supplies such as cleaning solutions, buckets, mops, brushes, etc for cleaning at work and for those living in employer-provided housing. (CDC list of approved antimicrobial cleaning products: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2020-03/documents/sars-cov-2-list_03-03-2020.pdf)
  6. Review your sick leave policy. The first advice for people who are sick is to stay home except to get medical care. Do you provide paid sick leave for your employees? If you do not, will employees feel financially obligated to come to work even if they are sick?
  7. Communicate with employees that they should stay home if they are sick. Employees sometimes come to work believing they will face punishment or firing if they miss work. Be sure your employees understand that their health and that of their co-workers’ comes first. Communicate and make a plan to cover for sick employees. CDC provides posters in English and Spanish covering symptoms of novel coronavirus.
  8. Prepare your disaster contingency plan. What will you do if 50% of your employees become sick and unable to work? Are there neighboring farms who might be able to share resources in an emergency? Who will manage for a few weeks if you or another key manager are unable to leave your house or are hospitalized?

At minimum, share the guidelines below from New York state with your employees and family.

New York State Department of Health Prevention Tips

While there is currently no vaccine to prevent this virus, these simple steps can help stop the spread of this and other respiratory viruses:

  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • Stay home when you are sick.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

_________________________________________________________________________________
By Richard Stup, Cornell University. Permission granted to repost, quote, and reprint with author attribution.
The post Novel Coronavirus Prevention & Control for Farms appeared first in The Ag Workforce Journal 

Filed Under: District News
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