Food Industry Virtual Office Hours Thursday, April 25, 2024 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Online Event Join us Thursday, April 25th for Food Industry Virtual Office Hours. This session will focus on Heavy Metals as a food safety hazard, including FDA’s Closer to Zero initiative. The session will start with presentations from two experts in the field:1. Dr. De Ann Davis (Western Growers) will present on the presence of heavy metals in soils and how atmospheric deposition, natural occurrence, and also some soil amendments add to the problem. Her presentation will focus specifically on cadmium and how the fresh produce industry can approach this problem, including introducing some of the pragmatic and cost-effective cadmium mitigation strategies. 2. Dr. Tom Neltner (Unleaded Kids) will review the risks posed by lead, cadmium, and inorganic arsenic and why baby food has become the priority. He will provide an update on FDA's Closer to Zero program and complementary California laws as well as FDA's legislative proposals. Finally, he will summarize opportunities for best practices to reduce contamination. Following the presentations, the speakers will join an expert panel to address questions during a moderated Q&A.Food Industry Virtual Office Hours are hosted in collaboration with the New York Integrated Food Safety Center of Excellence and the IFS@CU.Intended audience: Open to anyone in the food industry from farm to fork. $0 Registration: https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJApcOuvqjMvGNHvt7NhBAtGEkSlaJ45mE5N#/registration ========================================= USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Veterans Webinar Tuesday, April 30, 2024 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm Register for a free webinar series for military veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses on how to work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to prepare for a career in agriculture. This webinar series is designed to provide information about USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher programs and resources for the military community.Each week, a different topic will be covered. See the listing of dates and topics below. Tuesday, April 23, 2024: USDA Military Veterans Agricultural Liaison overview, Boots to Business, and Veteran Business Outreach CenterTuesday, April 30, 2024: Veterans Administration loans, Rural Development loansTuesday, May 7, 2024: Urban Agriculture, USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher programsTuesday, May 14, 2024: Natural Resources Conservation Service programsTuesday, May 21, 2024: Farm Service Agency loans and programs, Risk Management Agency programsOnly one registration is needed for all five webinars. It’s highly recommended to attend all five webinars. However, the webinars will be recorded and available for viewing later.All veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses interested in farming, ranching, or forestry should visit their local USDA Service Center for more information. Service Centers house the Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service and other USDA agencies when located in those communities. More information for beginning farmers and ranchers is also available at farmers.gov/your-business/beginning-farmers. $0 Registration: https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_phaQxT_mS92FmrkfwDKMXA ========================================= USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Veterans Webinar Tuesday, May 7, 2024 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm Register for a free webinar series for military veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses on how to work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to prepare for a career in agriculture. This webinar series is designed to provide information about USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher programs and resources for the military community.Each week, a different topic will be covered. See the listing of dates and topics below. Tuesday, April 23, 2024: USDA Military Veterans Agricultural Liaison overview, Boots to Business, and Veteran Business Outreach CenterTuesday, April 30, 2024: Veterans Administration loans, Rural Development loansTuesday, May 7, 2024: Urban Agriculture, USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher programsTuesday, May 14, 2024: Natural Resources Conservation Service programsTuesday, May 21, 2024: Farm Service Agency loans and programs, Risk Management Agency programsOnly one registration is needed for all five webinars. It’s highly recommended to attend all five webinars. However, the webinars will be recorded and available for viewing later.All veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses interested in farming, ranching, or forestry should visit their local USDA Service Center for more information. Service Centers house the Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service and other USDA agencies when located in those communities. More information for beginning farmers and ranchers is also available at farmers.gov/your-business/beginning-farmers. $0 Registration: https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_phaQxT_mS92FmrkfwDKMXA ========================================= USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Veterans Webinar Tuesday, May 14, 2024 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm Register for a free webinar series for military veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses on how to work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to prepare for a career in agriculture. This webinar series is designed to provide information about USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher programs and resources for the military community.Each week, a different topic will be covered. See the listing of dates and topics below. Tuesday, April 23, 2024: USDA Military Veterans Agricultural Liaison overview, Boots to Business, and Veteran Business Outreach CenterTuesday, April 30, 2024: Veterans Administration loans, Rural Development loansTuesday, May 7, 2024: Urban Agriculture, USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher programsTuesday, May 14, 2024: Natural Resources Conservation Service programsTuesday, May 21, 2024: Farm Service Agency loans and programs, Risk Management Agency programsOnly one registration is needed for all five webinars. It’s highly recommended to attend all five webinars. However, the webinars will be recorded and available for viewing later.All veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses interested in farming, ranching, or forestry should visit their local USDA Service Center for more information. Service Centers house the Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service and other USDA agencies when located in those communities. More information for beginning farmers and ranchers is also available at farmers.gov/your-business/beginning-farmers. $0 Registration: https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_phaQxT_mS92FmrkfwDKMXA ========================================= Seasonal Webinar Series from SLELO PRISM Friday, May 17, 2024 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Online Event We’re hosting a series of Zoom webinars will be held beginning in January 2024 through May. The webinars are free and continuing education credits are available. Registration is required to receive a link to the Zoom webinar and recordings will be sent to registrants. See below for a current schedule and registration links.January, 4th, 1 PM-2:15 PM- Invasive Species to Watch For in the New Year. Learn about invasive species encroaching on our region and how you can aid early detection efforts.February, 2nd, 1 PM- 2:15 PM- Swallow-wort Biocontrol Research. Hosted by SLELO’s Eastern Lake Ontario Swallow-wort Collaborative. Learn how researchers are using natural predators to aid the control of invasive swallow-wort plants and get updates on field applications occurring in the state and beyond.March, 1st, 1 PM- 2 PM- What You Should Know About Jumping Worms. Jumping worms reduce soil health and can be easily and unknowingly spread by gardeners. Learn how to recognize jumping worms and prevent their spread.April, 10th, 1 PM-2 PM- Enhancing the Health of Riparian Ecosystems Through Restoration and Invasive Species Management. Get an overview of our multiyear Riparian Restoration Initiative. Learn about the ecological importance of the project areas, invasive species impacts, control & restoration methods used, selected plants, community involvement, and future plans.May 17th, 1 PM-2 PM- Birds as Habitat Health Indicators. Conservation Director of the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission, Neil Gifford, will discuss a bird banding and tracking program used to determine ecosystem health on the preserve, the impacts invasive species can have on bird habitat, the benefits of invasive species management, as well as ways homeowners and land managers can support birds. $0 ========================================= USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Veterans Webinar Tuesday, May 21, 2024 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm Register for a free webinar series for military veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses on how to work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to prepare for a career in agriculture. This webinar series is designed to provide information about USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher programs and resources for the military community.Each week, a different topic will be covered. See the listing of dates and topics below. Tuesday, April 23, 2024: USDA Military Veterans Agricultural Liaison overview, Boots to Business, and Veteran Business Outreach CenterTuesday, April 30, 2024: Veterans Administration loans, Rural Development loansTuesday, May 7, 2024: Urban Agriculture, USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher programsTuesday, May 14, 2024: Natural Resources Conservation Service programsTuesday, May 21, 2024: Farm Service Agency loans and programs, Risk Management Agency programsOnly one registration is needed for all five webinars. It’s highly recommended to attend all five webinars. However, the webinars will be recorded and available for viewing later.All veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses interested in farming, ranching, or forestry should visit their local USDA Service Center for more information. Service Centers house the Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service and other USDA agencies when located in those communities. More information for beginning farmers and ranchers is also available at farmers.gov/your-business/beginning-farmers. $0 Registration: https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_phaQxT_mS92FmrkfwDKMXA ========================================= New York State Fiber Conference Sunday, June 9, 2024 9:30 am - 4:00 pm Butternut Hill Campground, 6893 US Route 20 , Bouckville, NY 13310 Sunday, June 9, 2024 9:30 am to 4:00 pm (sign in 9:00 am) Butternut Hill Campground, 6893 US Route 20, Bouckville NY 13310 Theme for this year: Quality Matters Beginners as well as the more experienced fiber producers are sure to gain valuable hands-on skills, and knowledge with respect to fiber quality, and what to look for. You will be physically touching, feeling and seeing the difference between various fiber and fleece types in the presence of an instructor. The instructor will show and demonstrate what you need to look for in a quality fleece or fiber. You will also learn how to skirt a fleece and what the best uses are for the different fibers. There will be a sheep shearing demonstration with a commentary on what needs to be done at this stage to ensure the best quality. Participants will go away with an understanding of the different certification programs and how they might be beneficial to their farm business.  Topics to be covered:Challenges and Rewards of Raising Animals for High Quality Fiber  Cornell University Small Ruminant Program - What to Expect •Wool and other Fibers Certification Programs – What’s Out There, Advantages and Disadvantages  Impacts of Certifications – Panel Discussion: Farmers and Retailers  Quality Exploration with Animal Fibers For conference agenda and registration https://caahp.ccext.net/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=193Registration opens April 1, 2024. Fee $30 per person.  Advance registration required by June 3, 2024. Conference is limited to the first 50 participants. New York Veterans will have their registration fee reimbursed by the Farm Ops Program. Registration questions contact Dara Boudreaux tff24@cornell.edu Registration fee includes free admission to the Central New York Fiber Festival (see below) on Sunday to explore during your 1 ½ hour lunch break. Food venders will be on site for you to purchase food. Overnight accommodations: https://www.reservations.com/hotels/bouckville-nyand https://cnyfiberarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/...The Central New York Fiber Arts Festival is on June 8 & 9, 2024 at the same location as the NYS Animal Fiber Conference. They expect a full complement of 120 booths filled with fleeces, yarns, fiber equipment, fiber animals and all manner of finished fiber products. They will have a full schedule of exciting lectures and workshops, a weaving competition, fleece sale, shearing demonstration, weaving booth, and children’s activities. For additional information regarding the Fiber Arts Festival: https://cnyfiberarts.org $30 Registration: https://caahp.ccext.net/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=193 =========================================