News

Earthworms: Interesting and Unusual Facts about a Gardener’s Best Friend

Worm from http://openclipart.org/detail/82867/worm-by-neo1012

By: Carol Sitarski, Master Gardener, Cornell University Cooperative Extension (CCE)

“The worms crawl in the worms crawl out, the worms play pinochle in your mouth”. Remember that song from childhood? Well, those are not the worms we gardeners so love. This fall while I was putting in some last minute bulbs on a cold fall day I was surprised to find our little friends still close to the surface and it started me thinking about what earthworms do in the winter. During my research I discovered some facts about earthworms that were very interesting. We all know earthworms dramatically alter soil structure, water movement, nutrient dynamics and plant growth. Right?!

Tags:

Soil

Worms

Dig up the dirt on your soil with Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners

Did you know, the best time to test your soil and adjust its pH level is NOW, in the fall, NOT in the spring! Any amendments you add to your soil can take up to 6 months to work their magic (i.e., lime or sulphur).

Cornell University Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners are hosting fall pH clinics starting Sept. 15^th.

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Soil

Campus to Farm Guide Released by Cornell

Cover of A Small Farmers "Campus to Farm" Guide by the Cornell Small Farms Program

Cornell Small Farms Program just released a new guide for small farmers that lists research projects from the Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

USDA Announces Conservation Reserve Program Sign-Up

Landowners and Producers Can Now Enroll in Continuous CRP with General Sign-Up to Follow

May 14, 2013 - Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack today reminded farmers and ranchers that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will conduct a four-week Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general sign-up beginning May 20 and ending on June 14. Vilsack also announced the restart of sign-up for continuous CRP, including the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement Initiative, the Highly Erodible Land Initiative, the Grassland Restoration Initiative, the Pollinator Habitat Initiative and other related initiatives. Sign-up for continuous CRP began on May 13 and will continue through Sept. 30, 2013.

The Women, Food and Agriculture Network is offering a FREE webinar to discuss the upcoming Conservation Reserve Program's eligibility requirements, ways to increase acceptance into the program, annual payment rates and CRP practices and management options.

See the video about the Farm Service Agency's Conservation Reserve Programs.

Tags:

Farm

Conservation

Erosion

Right-to-Farm Ordinances Session from STW's Local Government Conference

Get the handouts and presentations from the Right to Farm Ordinances Session, Southern Tier West's Local Government Conference on May 8, 2013.

Article on the expansion of Yogurt production in New York State

The following linked article was shared by Cornell's small dairy educator Fay Benson (607-753-5077, afb3 [at] cornell.edu):

Good Reading for March

Some good reading on methods of grazing, crop rotation and more with the following articles and video.

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Naturally Grown

Hello World!

We're working on the Ag site for Cattaraugus County and we'll be adding a lot of content over the coming weeks to get to a grand launch date. If you happen to stumble upon the site and have an idea for the site then we'd like to hear what ag-related content that you would like to see on here.