New York Farm Viability Institute Website Press Releases
January 30, 2006
Contact:
R. David Smith, Executive Director, 315-453-3823
Project List: online at www.nyfarmviability.org or by request to karalynn@gisco.net
New York Farm Viability Institute Announces $2,764,567 in Grant Funding,
Projects Cover Diverse Scope of NY Agriculture
The New York Farm Viability Institute, Inc. (NYFVI) has announced $2,764,567
in grant funding for 33 diverse projects, ranging in focus from dairy, crops
and horticulture to maple, equine, fallow deer and environmental management
on Amish farms.
NYFVI Chairman John Lincoln said, “These grant projects represent the
diversity of New York agriculture and illustrate the innovative leadership
that the New York Farm Viability Institute is taking to strengthen
agriculture’s future in New York.”
The approved projects include a study of ammonia air emissions on dairy
farms, an evaluation of on-farm pasteurization of waste milk for calves,
accelerating the production of sod and the release of new varieties of
apples, reducing spray drift in orchards, applying business planning and
analysis, extending horticultural crop production by use of high tunnels,
enhancing the marketing maple and organic products, and selling products
direct to consumers via an online farmers’ market.
Each project includes producer-partners and focuses on results at the
farm/enterprise level. Projects address overcoming barriers to production
and profitability, enhancing value-added opportunities, and applying new
production technology and innovative business management systems.
Ten projects relate to NY’s dairy sector either exclusively or in
combination with crop production. The projects include: nitrogen management
for corn, manure solids as bedding, anaerobic digesters, pasteurizing waste
milk for calves, air quality/ammonia air emissions, measuring the
profitability of new dairy practices, quality of wide swathed haylage, and
organic milk as value added opportunity.
Six NY fruit industry projects are: processing for value enhancement of NY
fruit, grower testing of new apple varieties, orchard factors affecting
storage ability of apples, best management practices for vineyards,
statewide fruit extension program and a training course on spray techniques
to reduce drift in orchards.
Barriers to growth and profitability in NY’s green industry are being
addressed by research projects related to enhancing greenhouse
profitability, managing broadleaf weeds in commercial nurseries, and
developing accelerated sod production techniques.
Vegetable producers will benefit from research involving fungicide
strategies for common rust of sweet corn, cucumber mosaic virus on snap
beans, weed management on cruciferous crops,
online farmers markets and distribution strategies to link farmers and with
new markets.
Projects on high tunnel production of organic raspberries, vegetables and
cut flowers will benefit a large number horticultural producers. Business
planning assistance and business structuring projects have the potential to
benefit all NY producers.
The New York Farm Viability Institute, Inc. is an independent, non-profit
organization led by farmers. The Institute works with agricultural and green
industry producers, farm organizations, educators and researchers statewide
to increase the sales of NY agricultural products and the profitability of
the businesses that produce them. The Institute is working to reduce the
barriers and maximize the opportunities for growing NY’s agricultural and
green sectors with direct, measurable benefits at the producer-level. Its
objectives include increasing sales of NY farm products and profitability of
NY farm businesses, and enhancing the personal and community rewards of
farming.
A full list of the funded projects is found online at www.nyfarmviability.org.