Thursday, June 10th at 5:00 is a presentation on the Wayne County Coastal Lakeshore Economy and Resiliency (CLEAR) initiative including information on public survey #1. A recording of the presentation will be made available after the event.
        Join the Zoom webinar June 10th 5:00-5:45 pm
Or by Telephone: +1 301 715 8592 or
+1 312 626 6799
Webinar ID: 845 5617 4596
For more information, please visit: https://www.waynecountyclear.com/

Join the Ontario-Wayne Stormwater Coalition and the Ontario County Soil & Water Conservation District for a rain barrel workshop. We will start with a short presentation with a demo on how to build your barrel. We will then help you build your own 55-gallon rain barrel. Installing a rain barrel is an easy way to protect our environment and save money.

A rain barrel collects and stores rainwater from your roof that would otherwise be lost to runoff and diverted to storm drains or streams. The water from your barrel can be used for watering gardens and lawns, washing cars, cleaning outdoor furniture, and the list goes on.

To register, contact Alaina at 585-396-1450 or email alaina.robarge@ontswcd.com

PathStone Corporation is currently accepting applications for their 2021 On-Farm Housing Grant

This program is a matching grant of up to $2000 to repair and upgrade existing farm labor housing. Examples of eligible repairs include, but are not limited to: bathrooms, plumbing, laundry facilities, recreation rooms, upgrading kitchens and appliances, heating, windows, ceilings, doors, and other major structural components.

Farm Owners must agree to provide $1 for every $1 provided by PathStone Corporation. This grant is available in Monroe, Wayne, Ontario, Seneca, Orleans, Wyoming, Livingston and Genesee counties. If interested, or if you have questions, please contact Susan Lerch at 585-261-1779 for an application.

Applications will be due March 1, 2021 and the work will need to be completed by May 21, 2021. Please help us spread the word as we want to assist as many farms as possible!

The program is limited to farmers and growers who own existing farm labor housing that is in need of repairs and upgrades that will have a direct impact on the safety and health of farmworkers.

Typical Examples
• Bathrooms and plumbing systems
• Kitchens and replacement of appliances
• Heating and insulation
• Interior walls, floors, and ceilings doors, windows, and other major structural components

Click here to download a brochure /2021-Farm-Housing-Grant/

Gift Wrapping Ideas

Here are some Gift Wrapping Ideas.
Try the Japanese tradition of furoshiki fabric wraps.

To make it easy, use fabric squares made from machine washable 100% organic cotton that can be reused in a wide variety of ways. Make your own art! Your gift recipients can either re-gift or hang it in their home or office as wall art, use it as a face mask or grocery bag, style it as a scarf, and more. Here is a furoshiki guide to wrapping

Newspaper is another great material that is frequently recommended for wrapping.

Newspapers are printed that morning in the same city and are recyclable, making them more affordable and sustainable than typical wrapping paper. Get creative and buy newspapers from other countries, many bookstores carry these or shop antique stores for print media with memorable dates.

Wrap your presents as usual, but add the twine or ribbon. Grap that gathering bag and collect items like fresh pine cones, beautiful white birch bark, twigs, moss, and greens make your gift extra special. Look in the cupboard for bay leaves and cinnamon sticks. Use floral wire to attach kumquats, holly sprigs.

wooLand Owner Workshop for property owners who have Eastern hemlocks growing on their properties is scheduled for Saturday, December 3, 2016 at the Naples Village Hall, 108 South Main Street (Rte. 21), Naples from 10 am until noon.

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) is an aphid-like insect native to Asia. It was first recognized in the Eastern U.S. in Virginia in 1950’s, and reached New York in the 1980

The HWA is spread by the wind, by birds, or by humans or other animals- infestations do not spread by flying HWA. HWA produce two generations a year, and all are female and reproduce asexually. The HWA is active during the winter, which allows it to avoid predators (which are generally active during the summer) and to take advantage of the hemlock’s increased energy intake during the winter.

Read more: http://www.canandaigualakeassoc.org/get-involved/events/

Composting Workshop “Easy Steps to Black Gold” with Master Gardener, Barb – our Composting Queen!

Leaves, garden debris, veggie scraps and more…a few easy steps will turn these into “black gold” for your plants! This workshop will provide instruction on how to be successful with home composting, including troubleshooting problems, what can be composted, container types, and composting with worms (vermicomposting). Plus question and answer session.

What: Composting Workshop for Consumers – “Easy Steps to “Black Gold”
When: Sept. 22nd, 9am to 11am
Cost: $3.00 and pre-registration is required
Where: Cornell Cooperative Extension of Wayne Co. 1581 Rte. 88 North, Newark NY 14513
Save the date: Sept. 22nd 9am-11am.

Registration is $3.00 per person and is required by Sept. 18th. To register, stop by our office or mail your payment along with your phone number and/or Email to CCE Wayne County, 1581 Rte. 88 N. Newark, NY 14513. Limited spaces available. Registration will be confirmed via phone call or e-mail, so please remember to include your phone number or e-mail with your registration. Registration Deadline Tuesday, September 18th.

For more information contact: 315-331-8415

The NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets announced the 1st annual NYS Grown & Certified scavenger hunt! Find the #NYSCertified seal on a product at your local grocery store, farmers’ market, or Taste NY market, email them a photo of the product – and they will send you a NYS Grown & Certified hat so you can let everyone know that you care about shopping for local, sustainable NY foods!

Here are the rules

1. Visit your local grocery store, farmers’ market, or Taste NY market.
2. Look for the NYS Grown & Certified seal on a product (hint, check produce, and dairy items).
3. Take a picture of the product showing the seal.
4. Email the photo and the store name and location to NYSgrownandcertified@agriculture.ny.gov.
5. The first 20 entries will receive a NYS Grown & Certified hat! (They will email you back to ask for a shipping address.)

On your marks, get set…hunt!

Image from Empire farm days 2017

Beef producers – Winter Green Up Conference 2018 – Save the date.

This year’s Green-Up is sure to be one of our best yet! Please contact Hank Bignell at Cornell Cooperative Extension, hdb48@cornell.edu/(518)649-0267 or Tove Ford at cce-caahp@cornell.edu/(518)765-3518 for more information about The Winter Green-Up Grazing Conference, January 27, 2018 at The Century House, 997 New Loudon Road, Latham, NY 12110.
The Winter Green-Up Grazing Conference is hosted by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Albany County and Black Queen Angus Farm, LLC.
Register at https://pub.cce.cornell.edu/event_registration/main/events_landing.cfm?event=WGU2018_201

Join the Wayne County Master Gardeners at a Vegetable Gardening Workshop on Saturday, May 21st from 9 to 11:30 a.m. This includes two topics.

To register, send $5.00 per person, payable to CCE Wayne County, or stop by our office M-F, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Masks are required at this event.
IMPORTANT: Write Veg. Workshop and your phone number on your check, so that we register you for the correct workshop.

The topics:
“Vegetable Garden Planning -The Time-Space Continuum” – get the most out of your garden space gardening space through garden planning. Topics covered include space saving techniques, amount to plant, spacing/variety selection, when to plant, succession planting, and crop rotation.
And, “Growing Sweet Potatoes at Home” – learn everything you need to know from propagation to storage and go home with a sweet potato plant to grow in your garden or a large container. (We’ll also have a few additional sweet potato plants for purchase)
For special needs, please contact us two weeks prior to this event.

Location: Cornell Cooperative Extension of Wayne County, 1581 Rte 88 N. Newark, NY 14513 Spaces are limited and filled on a first paid basis.

AEM$19 Million Will be Provided through the State’s Climate Resilient Farming Grant Program and the Agricultural Non-Point Source Abatement and Control Program, applications Due March 2 and April 13

New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets announced two grant opportunities totaling $19 million for projects that will help New York’s farmers reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote energy savings, mitigate water and soil quality concerns, and increase on-farm resiliency to climate change.

Agricultural Non-Point Source Pollution Abatement and Control Program

A total of $15 million is available to support agricultural water quality conservation projects across the State through Round 26 of the Agricultural Nonpoint Source Abatement and Control Program.

The Agricultural Nonpoint program awards projects that focus on either environmental planning or the implementation of best management practice systems to protect New York’s watersheds. Projects include conservation measures, such as nutrient management through manure storage, vegetative buffers along streams and conservation cover crops.

The District can apply on behalf of farmers for the competitive grant program, which is funded through the New York State Environmental Protection Fund.  Project proposals are due at 4:30 pm on April 13, 2020.

To apply or receive more information, please contact Ron Thorn or call our offices at 315-946-7200

In addition to the Agricultural Non-Point Source Pollution Abatement and Control Program, the State has funding available under the Climate Resilient Farming Grant Program.

Climate Resilient Farming

These funds help farms reduce their operational impact on the environment and address the impacts of extreme weather events resulting from climate change. Through four rounds of funding, awarded projects are estimated to deliver the equivalent of 15,513 metric tons of CO2e per year emissions reductions, equivalent to removing 3,294 cars from the road for one year. The 2019-2020 State Budget, through the New York State Environmental Protection Fund, provided for an additional $4 million in funding for this fifth round.

Funding will support agricultural projects and equipment purchases that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help agricultural producers prepare for and better manage impacts of climate change, including increased heavy storm events, overall rainfall, and periods of drought.

For the first time, the Climate Resilient Farming Grant Program includes funding specifically for the Healthy Soils NY initiative. Applications must be for one of the following project categories: Track 1 – agricultural waste storage cover and flare systems; Track 2 – water management systems; and Track 3- Healthy Soils NY, soil health management practice systems.

Track 1 – $2 million is available for manure storage cover and flare systems to reduce methane emissions from the farm and increase the farm’s resiliency to major precipitation events.
Track 2 – $1 million is available for water management projects to prepare agricultural producers for flood events and drought.
Track 3 – $1 million for the Healthy Soils NY initiative to improve soil health on farms and enhance a farm’s resiliency to the impacts of climate change, including drought and wet weather. Soil health management practice systems can also create carbon sinks, increase water holding capacity, and improve the recycling of nitrogen by crops, mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.

To apply or receive more information, please contact Ron Thorn or call our offices at 315-946-7200. Project proposals are due at 4:30 pm on March 2, 2020.

The application and additional information are available on the Department’s website at https://www.agriculture.ny.gov/funding-opportunities.

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