SYRACUSE, October 21, 2009 – James Barber, State Executive Director for USDA’s Farm Service Agency in New York announced today that USDA has designated Dutchess, Lewis, Monroe, Ontario, Oswego, Otsego, Seneca, Suffolk, Ulster, Washington and Wayne Counties in New York as Ag-disaster areas due to excessive rain and hail which occurred May 1, 2009 and continuing.

Also named in the declaration because they are contiguous are Cayuga, Chenango, Columbia, Delaware, Essex, Genesee, Greene, Herkimer, Jefferson, Livingston, Madison, Montgomery, Nassau, Oneida, Onondaga, Orange, Orleans, Putnam, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schoharie, Schuyler, St. Lawrence, Steuben, Sullivan, Tompkins, Warren and Yates Counties.

All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas on October 19, 2009, making all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for low interest emergency (EM) loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), provided eligibility requirements are met.  Farmers in eligible counties have until June 21, 2010 to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses.  FSA will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.

Interested farmers may contact FSA Office at 1024 Rte. 66, Hudson, NY for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs.  Farmers may also call 518-828-4385 for more information as well.  Information is available online at:

http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/webapp?area=home&subject=diap&topic=landing.

Youth Connection October 2009

Youth Connection Nov-Dec09

9:30 – 11:00am

Cornell Cooperative Extension, 479 Rte. 66

Hudson, NY  12534

The Columbia County Master Gardeners are offering a variety of horticulture classes this year.  Registration fee is $15.00 (materials cost extra). Please call (518) 828-3346 to pre-register.

Creative Seasonal Designs, November 7, 2009.

Instructors: Susan Charbonneau, JoAnn Concra & Gina Torre – Learn how to make seasonal designs and make something to take home.  $10 additional material fee.

• Mondays, 2,9,16,23,30: “10 Basic Principles of Good Parenting”, 7-8:30pm at the Betty Young Meeting House. Please call to pre-register by Oct. 30.
• Wed. 11: OFFICE CLOSED FOR VETERAN’S DAY.
• Thurs., 26 & Fri. 27: OFFICE CLOSED FOR THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY.

Some of these volunteers are available by phone in our office, for a few hours each week.  The phone number for the office is 518-828-3346.  When volunteers are in the office, they generally are there from 9:00 A.M. to 12:00 noon. If you leave your name, address, and phone number and a brief description of your question/problem with the receptionist, someone will get back to you. We may even be able to send/give you a fact sheet right away.  You may also Email the master gardeners your question as well.  The best Email address to use to get in touch with a volunteer is columbia@cornell.edu.

Want Soil Tested?

General fertilization and lime recommendations can be done at the Extension Education Center. To help defray the cost of providing this service, there is a charge of $1.00 for one sample and 50¢ for each additional sample for the same address.  More information about soil testing is available at this site as well.

A great publication on marketing from Rutgers University titled To Market to Market (PDF).

Business Planning:

Purdue bulletin on Strategic Planning (PDF)

If you would like to assess your business management skills (PDF),  a bulletin from Purdue University can assist you.

Tax Publications and Forms:

Internal Revenue Service:

Pubication 225 “Farmers Tax Guide” (PDF)

Publication 51 “Agricultural Employers Tax Guide (PDF)”

NYS Dept. of Taxation and Finance:

NYS Guide for New Businesses Publication

Form ST 125 – Sales Tax Exemption for Agricultural Purchases

Real Property Tax Forms for Agriculture

Variety of forms and publications available from NYS Office of Real Property Services

Agricultural District Information

A variety of information about agricultural districts can be found at NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets

Sample Lease Forms

Midwest Plan Service provides a fairly comprehensive farm lease form as an example of what might be used.

Lets Preserve Apples

Lets Preserve Blueberries

Lets Preserve Cherries

Lets Preserve Jams and Jellies

Lets Preserve Peaches and Apricots

Lets Preserve Pears

Lets Preserve Peppers

Lets Preserve Snap Beans

Lets Preserve Strawberries

Lets Preserve Sweet Corn

Lets Preserve Tomatoes

4-H Clubs:
Clubs hold meetings on a regular basis, elect officers, complete and submit enrollment forms. Each member completes at least one project a year, and projects, programs, and special activities are based on the interests of members.

Community Clubs are usually small groups with five to 15 members in grades 3-12. One to three volunteers are involved.

Cloverbud Clubs are small groups with five to eight members in grades K-3 from the same area. They usually meet bi-weekly. Two to four volunteers are involved.

Special Interest Clubs are small groups with five to fifteen members who have a common interest and focus, such as rabbits or horses. One to three volunteers are involved.

4-H Special Interest Groups:
Special Interest Groups are set up to study one subject for a short period. Usually there are no officers; the group is led by a volunteer skilled in the subject the group will be studying. The group generally ends when the project is completed. Some groups last three weeks, others — three months, depending on what’s being done. Dog Obedience, Tractor Safety Certification, and Super Sitter are examples.

School and Community Groups:
Many teachers and youth group leaders throughout Columbia County utilize 4-H staff, kits, project materials and videos to enhance their existing curriculum. Informational flyers are available.