On Friday, Feb. 3, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced $333,000 in federal funding for five Hudson Valley farms. Edgwick Farm in Cornwall will receive $120,000; Catskill Dudukju in Wurtsboro will receive $49,000; Food Gems, LTD in Middletown is to receive $35,004; Maple Shade Farm in Delhi is going to receive $49,750; and Dagele Brothers Produce gets $79,425. The money was allocated through the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program. The program is designed to boost farms’ income and productivity by providing access to capital and technical assistance, and developing marketing strategies for independent producers.
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Tags: farms, Sen. Kirsten Gillbrand, USDA
Margaret Roach at the “Away to Garden” blog reports on the new USDA Hardiness Map, and half of the nation’s 80 million gardeners are now a half-zone warmer in the first update since 1990. “The increase in our computing power today allows the research team to build into their algorithms things they knew were important factors in 1990, but couldn’t include,” said Catherine Woteki, Chief Scientist and Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics for the USDA, in an interview yesterday. Factors such as elevation, the slope of land, or how close to a body of water a location is, can cause sharp variation despite close adjacencies. “Taking those into account now provides a lot more detail,” Woteki said, “and people will be able to see islands of heat, and also cool ones, on the new map. As a scientist and a home gardener, I love seeing this so much more clearly.” Read the full story at Away to Garden.
Brian Nearing of the Times-Union writes about local farmers worried that warm December weather poses a risk to their crops. Growers say trees, tricked by a warm December after an unusual winter blast in late November, are showing growth at the buds. Ed Miller, the president of 75-acre Gold Orchards, tells the paper there is no going back if an apple tree starts budding off too early. “A tree can decide that it is spring again already and start budding. When it gets cold again, it kills the bud, and you can lose an entire crop,” he said. But Ian Merwin, a professor of horticulture at Cornell University, says it’s too early to tell whether this mild, snowless start to winter will damage the state fruit harvest. He said an oscillation between unusually warm and normally cold temperatures poses the greatest risk, and that such a pattern is predicted in climatic models used to forecast the direction of man-made climate change. “It is not just how cold it gets; it is whether it was unusually warm before that,” Merwin said. Another crop that could be at risk from this winter’s lack of snow is alfalfa, which is prime feed for dairy cattle. Snow acts as an insulating blanket to protect field crops like alfalfa. Temperatures could bottom out to 4 degrees Thursday night before rebounding to overnight lows in the mid-20s for the weekend. Highs are expected to be just below freezing through Saturday, when clouds gather and the mercury hits 46. Sunday could see a combination of rain and snow, with the high near 37, and the low near 21. Read the full story in the Albany Times-Union.
Tags: agriculture, climate change, farming, farms
Alice Ollstein with Free Speech Radio News reports that overuse of antibiotics in livestock is creating drug-resistant strains of bacteria—or Superbugs—that pose a serious threat to human health by rendering common antibiotics ineffective. But the federal government is moving to weaken regulations. While public attention was focused on the holidays and Congress’ payroll tax cut showdown, the Food and Drug Administration quietly canceled its plans to ban two major antibiotics from livestock feed. The agency said last week it will instead urge pharmaceutical companies to voluntarily restrict sales of their products. Alice Ollstein reports the story here from Washington. 4:36
William Magee, D-Nelson, who represents the 111th District in Albany, in the Utica Observer-Dispatch, has a guest column where he discusses two bills for farmers that did not get passed in the last legislative session. Magee hopes they will gain favor in 2012. One bill would authorize the creation of farm breweries for the manufacture of beer, A.7449-A. Another would enhance farmers’ ability to market their products directly to consumers by encouraging the development of retail farm operations, such as roadside stands and on-farm markets, A.6282.
Tags: agriculture, beer, breweries, farm stands, farms, William Magee
The Farm Bill is up for renewal in Congress next year, something that occurs once every five years. Hunger Action Network’s Mark Dunlea writes in City Limits that the collapse of the congressional “supercommittee” creates an opening for anti-hunger activists and small farmers to shape a bill that promotes health, protects the environment and supports independent farmers. Or helps agri-business maintain the status quo. Dunlea says that while the bill was expected to pass this month, now that the supercommittee plan has evaporated, it may not be voted on until Memorial Day. Dunlea will be a guest on the “WGXC Afternoon Show” Mon., Dec. 19. Read the full story in City Limits.
Tags: agriculture, farm bill, farms
Governor Andrew Cuomo on Friday signed a law giving $50 million in additional relief for areas devastated by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. Cuomo also gave out $1 million to businesses in Broome and Tioga counties as part of the second round of grants from the Main Street Fund; $1.3 million in Agricultural and Community Recovery Fund grants to 143 farms in 21 counties to help cover the costs of lost livestock feed and damaged crops; and an additional $3 million for communities in the Southern Tier to hire unemployed New Yorkers as part of the Neighborhood Rebuilding Corps program. “The new law leverages tens of millions of dollars in funding for communities that are still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee,” Governor Cuomo said. Read more about the flood aid after the jump.
Sen. James Seward’s statement on flood aid. Seward represents Greene County in Albany.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: agriculture, farms, flood aid, flooding, Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee
Kyle Glazier in Capitol Confidential reports that Rep. Chris Gibson (R, Kinderhook), who represents Greene and Columbia counties in Congress, announced Tuesday that disaster funding for farmers hit by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee flooding will be included in a final “minibus” budget bill. The disaster funding had been part of a political fight over budget cuts and taxes. Reps. Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, and Gibson, report $338.6 million will be available for two programs aimed at fixing damaged farmland. They will be included in the budget proposals the House and Senate will vote on Thursday. Read the full story in Capitol Confidential.
Tags: agriculture, Chris Gibson, farms, flooding, Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee
The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) is easing insurance regulations on fresh apple producers, which should save New York farmers some money. “New York State is home to the world’s best apples and the hardest working producers,” Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said in a press release crowing about the change. “They shouldn’t be held back by red tape and bureaucracy. I am pleased we could come to an agreement with the RMA to ease these burdens on our apple producers, helping them to cut costs, cover their crops with the insurance they need, reach new markets and grow their businesses.” Many apple producers were not eligible for fresh apple crop insurance because they did not meet the previous standards of record keeping. New York produces approximately 1.25 billion pounds of apples annually, generating nearly $236 million in revenue for the state, according to Gillibrand.
Tags: agriculture, apples, crop insurance, farm insurance, farms
Kyle Glazier in Capitol Confidential, the Albany Times-Union’s political blog, reports that the 11 members of the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, chaired by Georgia Republican Jack Kingston, are determining if local farms will receive additional disaster relief funds. A $3.65 billion Sept. 21 bill was voted down by both fiscal conservative Republicans — who wanted cuts in Democrat-favored green energy programs — and liberal Democrats — who said the funding was not enough. An $2.65 billion Oct. 5 compromise was signed by President Obama, but that is set to expire Nov. 18. “Following the tremendous damage done to farms by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, I have made it a priority to secure agriculture disaster relief funding in the next federal spending measure,” said Rep. Chris Gibson, R-Kinderhook. Rep. Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, who voted against the bill last time, is more hopeful. “Congressman Tonko welcomes the support from Congressman Gibson and Congressman Welch, which is another indication of the growing bipartisan support for funding he and others have been calling for since the flooding occurred to help farmers who are struggling to recover,” Tonko spokesman Beau Duffy told Glazier. Read the full story in Capitol Confidential.
Tags: agriculture, agriculture disaster relief, Chris Gibson, farming, farms, Hurricane Irene, Paul Tonko
The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced Mon., Oct. 17 a $5 million Agriculture Disaster Program to help farms replace systems and equipment damaged or lost due to Hurricane Irene and/or Tropical Storm Lee. The program provides funding for energy-efficient repair and replacement of damaged electric and natural gas systems and equipment, such as milk processing, cooling, heating, and other farm systems. Garry Brown, Chairman of the Public Service Commission, said: “The destruction caused by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee was unprecedented and the farming communities in the affected areas sustained significant damage. This authorization will provide a dual benefit of offering some relief to those communities in the face of tremendous need and avoiding lost opportunities for energy efficiency gains as those farms begin to repair and rebuild their operations.” Francis J. Murray Jr., President and CEO of NYSERDA, said: “Farmers across New York State are still struggling from damage caused by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, and many of them need to replace critical equipment and systems. The Agriculture Disaster Program will help them rebuild during this challenging time using energy efficient equipment and systems while at the same time reducing their energy costs.” Read more at newsroom.wgxc.org Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: agriculture, farms, Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee
From Wikipedia.
Tags: agriculture, apple cider, apples, farms
WGXC volunteer Elaine Fernandez’s blog “Wi the People” chronicles the stories of folks throughout New York state affected by the current economic downturn. In this interview, she talks with Dutchess County farmer Mike Athanas.
“It was pelting rain the day I visited Mike Athanas at his farm in Hyde Park. Heavy rain was the last thing Mike needed, after Tropical Storm Lee and Hurricane Irene recently wiped out his crops. The loss cost him thousands of dollars that he can’t recover.
Farming is hard enough in New York, with the cost of gas, freight, taxes, seed, fertilizer, insurance, and everything else a farmer needs to do business – and stay in business. Since the recession, small farmers have lost a lot of business. “People aren’t buying like they used to,” Mike told me. Just last year, Athanas Farm had two tents at local farm markets and an assistant to help with sales. This year, Mike had one tent and no assistant. Like other small farmers, Mike Athanas is hanging on by a precarious thread.
Almost immediately after the devastating storms, New York State and Federal Emergency and Management Assistance (FEMA) offered aid to farmers and others devastated by the storms. Mike breathed a sigh of relief until he learned that farmers could get help for damaged homes and structures, but not for crop loss. Since Mike had no major structural damage but lost all his crops, he does not qualify for any state or federal aid.
Congressman Chris Gibson (NY-20) recently introduced a bill that would help farmers pay for crop loss (H.R. 2905). One caveat, though: in order to receive assistance, farmers would be required to purchase insurance from the US Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency (FSA) for the next three years. The FSA is a federal agency that provides emergency farm loans to help producers recover from production and physical losses due to natural disasters or quarantine (www.fsa.usda.gov). The problem is, the cost of the insurance for three years will most likely be higher than the amount of assistance Mike would get back for his crop loss, as he learned from other farmers familiar with the program. Mike is back to square one.
This is his story.”
Elaine Fernandez helps host the WGXC Afternoon Show Wednesdays live from the Catskill Community Center.
Tags: agriculture, farmers, farms, Hurricane Irene, Mike Athanas, Tropical Storm Lee
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced Tue., Oct. 4, that $1.2 million more in aid from the state’s Agricultural and Community Recovery Fund (ACRF) will be distributed among 127 farms to help them recover from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. Locally those farms in the latest round of aid include:
Greene County Soil & Water District – $69,350
Projects: Debris removal, fence repair, grassed waterway repair.
• Crystal Valley Farm, $9,000
• John Falke Farm, $34,500
• Stoneledge Farm, LLC, $12,500
• John J Farber Farm, $13,350
Columbia County Soil & Water District – $64,000
Projects: Access road, stream crossing, fencing repair, debris removal from crop fields and stream bank stabilization.
• Doyle Mtn. Farm, $26,000
• Klein’s Kill Fruit Farm Corp., $14,500
• Robert Meyer Farm, $10,500
• Buster Creek Farm, $13,000
Albany County Soil & Water District – $34,425
Projects: Reconstruction of access roads, stream crossings, fence repair, and gravel deposition removal.
• Kevin Sisson, $13,200
• Robert Rapp, $8,500
• Windy Hill Farm, $9,725
• Kenneth Crawford, $3,000
Delaware County Soil & Water District – $21,280
Projects: Debris removal; fencing; access road replacement and repair, stream bank stabilization.
• James Hull Farms, $6,000
• Dairy Smith Holsteins, $1,180
• Felice Sulla & Jerry Raeder, $14,100
Dutchess County Soil & Water District – $19,139
Projects: Debris removal from pastures, access road repair, fence repair, downed tree removal and vegetative buffer planting.
• FW Battenfeld and Son, $9,639
• Briggs Hollow Farm, $9,500
Rensselaer County Soil & Water District – $800
Projects: Fence replacement and repair; stream bank stabilization, debris removal, and access road repair.
• Terry Wasielewski Farm, $800
Schoharie County Soil & Water District – $207,950
Projects: Debris removal including gravel piles, whole trees, buildings, fuel and propane tanks in crop fields; milk house waste treatment system replacement; fencing; access road replacement and repair’ stream bank stabilization; cover cropping; field repair, water control structure repair.
• Schoharie Nurseries, $29,200
• Barber Family Farm LLC, $58,000
• John Vanderwerken Farm, $36,250
• James Buzon Farm, $7,000
• Chris Lawton Farm, $8,000
• Fox Valley Vail Farm, $22,500
• Eleanor Reinhart Farm, $2,500
• Rock & Pinkster Farm, $21,500
• River Run Tree Farm, $6,000
• Maurice Downs Farm, $3,000
• Theresa Murphy Farm, $4,000
• Mountain Valley Angus, $10,000
Ulster County Soil & Water District – $102,589
Projects: Stream crossing for equipment repair, critical area seeding, irrigation system repair, fencing, orchard repair, debris removal, access road repair and cover cropping.
• Greiner Bros Farm Inc, $30,860
• Pinegrove Ranch Inc., $1,692
• Woodcrest Farms, $4,734
• Watswyck Farm, $1,170
• J & B Trapani Co Inc, $27,095
• J. A. M. of New Paltz, Inc, $10,736
• Jaway Farm, $25,702
• The Farm, $600
Tags: agriculture, farms, floods, Hurricane Irene
Senate reaches deal to avert government shutdown
Jennifer Steinhauer reports in The New York Times that the U.S. Senate voted Monday, Sept. 26, 79 to 12, to approve funding for the government for seven weeks, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency reported that its $114 million on hand will last the week. It was a possibility that FEMA — with emergency centers currently in Greene and Columbia counties because of the storms associated with Hurricane Irene — would run out of money this week. Both New York Senate Democrats, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, voted for the measure. Read the full story in The New York Times.
Easements protect farmlands in Dutchess, Columbia
Kyle Wind in The Daily Freeman reports that the, “environmental group Scenic Hudson and government officials on Monday announced the shared $3.6 million purchase of development rights to about 700 acres of farmland in Red Hook, Clermont, and Germantown.” The conservation easements are being financed with $1.8 million from the federal Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program, $1.2 million from Scenic Hudson, and $615,000 from the town of Red Hook through an initiative voters approved ten years ago. The Dutchess Land Conservancy is also “contributing toward stewardship and project expenses,” officials said. Eight farms, with 440 acres of easements, are in Red Hook, in Dutchess County. They include Northwind Farm, the Three Pond Farm, Migliorelli Farm, Missing D Farm, Trezza Farm, Panorama Farm, and the Sturges and Karpinski agricultural lands adjacent to two large farms. In Columbia County, the O’Neal Farm in Clermont and the Diehl Farm also are selling development rights. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.
Report from Hudson Common Council special meeting about LWRP
Dan Udell recorded Monday’s Hudson Common Council special meeting to consider a part of the Local Waterfront plan, or LWRP, that is currently being considered. Click here to listen.
Christopher Reed of Friends of Hudson sent this report to the InFoH listserv, and allows us to reprint it here:
“Earlier this evening, the Hudson Common Council voted overwhelmingly to accept the Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement (FGEIS), a key component of the Hudson LWRP. There was one “No” (Chris Wagoner) and one Abstention (Ellen Thurston).
Discussion before the vote was limited to Common Council members, City Attorney Cheryl Roberts and Department of State (DOS) attorney and land use expert William Sharp. Despite this restriction, the discussion provided useful insights into waterfront zoning, one of the key components of the LWRP remaining to be reviewed and voted on. Specifically, Sharp helped clarify the distinction between non-conforming and conditional uses, key zoning concepts for effective public control of the causeway as a transportation corridor.
… I’d like to mention that Cheryl Roberts cleared up a mystery as to why the May 2011 LWRP/GEIS needed to undergo an additional four months of revisions. Roberts cited three developments:
1. The South Bay Task Force’s “Newly Discovered Information” letter to the Common Council on notable species observed in the South Bay (May 17).**
2. The proposed designation by the DOS of major portions of the South Bay as a Significant Coastal Fish and Wildlife habitat (June 15).
3. The paving of the causeway by O&G (June 23) and subsequent use to haul aggregate to the Holcim dock.
Roberts also reported that the error discovered by the South Bay Task Force in one of the key maps (InFoH 9/19/11) has been corrected.”
More dog barking tonight in Stuyvesant
The Stuyvesant Zoning Board meets tonight, perhaps with some resolution to the noise issue surrounding the Glencadia Dog Camp. Dog camp owner Will Pflaum predicts on his “Sunshine on the Hudson” blog that he will lose at tonight’s hearing. But his lawyers recently uncovered at least one document that supports his claim that the epic battle that has taken over the town over his dog camp is somehow about personalities or politics, rather than dog barking. “Here is what our upstanding Family man does on the side. Enclosed are pictures and facts about Will Pflaum aka Emcee Will Ep. He writes and performs all lyrics, and sells albums. For example: My Big Gun speaks of shooting the Pope. Most other songs are x-rated and the lyrics are too obscene to write down,” says the letter in Pflaum’s file. The Stuyvesant Zoning Board meets at 7:30 p.m. at Stuyvesant Town Hall, 5 Sunset Drive, Stuyvesant.
Epic fail?
Last night the Tampa Bay Rays won and the Boston Red Sox lost, USA Today reports, to almost complete one of the most shocking failures in sports history. A few weeks ago, the Red Sox were nine games ahead of the Rays for the wild card position in the American League playoffs, and now they are tied. The Rays have two games against the New York Yankees, who have long-clinched the division title and their spot in the playoffs. The Red Sox, with their 6-19 September record, have two games left with the Baltimore Orioles, who have a long history of little love for the Boston baseball team.
TUESDAY AUDIO
Click on title or PLAY CLIP to listen to audio mp3 recording.
• Occupy Wall Street News Report: 20110927 3:10
Kelly Benjamin reports for WGXC that the Occupy Wall Street protests continued in Manhattan’s financial district for the 11th straight day on Mon., Sept. 26. Things have been relatively peaceful in the occupied public square after the mass arrests and pepper sprayings that took place over the weekend. But today, the Hacktivist group “Anonymous” fanned some flames by releasing documents publicly on the internet related to the NYPD officer the group claims is responsible for the pepper-spraying of a group of protesting women on Saturday. Anonymous claims the officer seen in the widely circulated internet video is Anthony Bologna. WGXC’s Kelly Benjamin is in New York and spoke with Occupy Wall Street’s Patrick Bruner about the incident. PLAY CLIP
Tags: agriculture, Chuck Schumer, conservation easements, farms, Friends of Hudson, Glencadia Dog Camp, Hudson LWRP, Kirsten Gillibrand, LWRP, Occupy Wall Street, Will Pflaum
WikiLeaks cable: Al Jazeera director removed content at U.S. government’s request
Steve Myers at the Poynter Institute’s Romenesko+ blog reports that a WikiLeaks leaked cable shows that Al Jazeera removed content from its news site at the request of the U.S. Government. “The cable, from the U.S. embassy in Doha, indicates that the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency sent regular reports criticizing Al Jazeera content, both on-air and online. A U.S. government official told Khanfar in a meeting ‘that problems still remain with double-sourcing in Iraq; identifying sources; use of inflammatory language; a failure to balance … extremist views; and the use of terrorist tapes.’” Foreign Policy magazine says the portrait painted by the 30-plus cables related to Al Jazeera, “is not evidence of any sort of conspiracy so much as an organization struggling to maintain professional standards.” Al Jazeera English airs on WGXC at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Read the full story at Romenesko+.
Insurance information for storm victims
The New York State Insurance Department Mobile Command Center will be back in Prattsville, Wed., Sept. 21 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the temporary Town Hall there at 14517 Main Street, in Prattsville. The MCC will park to the right of the FEMA tent. Benjamin M. Lawsky, Superintendent of the Department of Financial Services, will also be there, meeting with Assemblyman Peter Lopez, Prattsville Supervisor Kory O’Hara, and other local officials, from 1-2 p.m. The command center takes questions and helps residents with insurance issues.
Disaster recovery centers come to Columbia County
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) brings two disaster recovery locations in Columbia County for residents that have questions or still need to apply for assistance from FEMA as a result of Hurricane Irene. From Sept. 20-22, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., there will be a FEMA center at the Copake Community Center, Sept. 24-26, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., there will be a FEMA center at the Chatham Firehouse. If you have any questions call the Columbia County Emergency
Management Office at 518-828-1212
Hudson Crop Walk Sunday
The annual CROP Walk against hunger steps off this Sunday, September 25, at 2 p.m. from Christ Church Episcopal, 431 Union Street. CROP Walks are community-wide events sponsored by Church World Service to raise funds to end hunger. The Interfaith Council of Hudson organized the Hudson walk. Walkers raise money from supporters with 25 percent of the funds going to local food pantries. For information, call 518 828-1329.
Gillibrand works on farm bill
As the first New Yorker on the Senate Agriculture Committee in nearly 40 years and just held a series of listening sessions with state farmers about how the new national Farm Bill may impact them. “New York is home to America’s hardest working farmers and the world’s finest locally-grown produce,” Senator Gillibrand said in a press release. “But for too long, our farmers have been held back by an outdated and unfair pricing system, and other obstacles to grow their businesses. We need our farmers to thrive if we’re going to have a strong and growing economy in New York. I’ve met with and heard from local farmers in every corner of our state, and now I’m fighting for these proposals in the next Farm Bill to make sure it’s a good deal for our farmers.” New York state contains over 35,000 farms on 7.1 million acres generating approximately $4.5 billion each year. For the Farm Bill, Gillibrand has sveral proposals, including:
• The Dairy Pricing Reform and Farmer Protection Act, legislation that would reform the pricing system to improve transparency and price discovery.
• Reforming the Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) program with the structure of a margin-based insurance policy to provide dairy farmers with a safety net when the cost of feed is high and market prices are low.
• Retain Specialty Crop Block Grants that help ensure long-term viability of specialty crops, which include fruits, vegetables, maple, honey and horticulture products. Congress is cutting many budget items and these are in danger.
• Allow participants of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to use these benefits at farmers markets through mobile technologies.
• A Community Supported Agriculture Promotion Act that would establish a competitive grant program to award federal funds to non-profit organizations, extension services, and state and local government agencies to provide grower support – ranging from marketing and business assistance to crop development – to new or current CSA farmers, as well as assist in the development of innovative delivery and distribution programs.
Tags: agriculuture, CSAs, farmers, farms, food, hunger, Hurricane Irene, storm damage, Tropical Storm Lee
Cornell Cooperative Extension holds an “emergency” meeting for local farmers at 1 p.m. this Tuesday, Sept. 13 at the Agroforestry Resource Center, 6055 NYS Route 23, in Acra. “This meeting is designed to offer farmers the opportunity to access all of the different disaster relief efforts being carried on right now by the different organizations and agencies, and all in one place,” according to their press release. “Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, (FEMA) the Farm Services Agency, (FSA) Farm Bureau, (FB) NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, (NRCS) Soil and Water Conservation Districts, (SWCD) Farm Net, the Department of Labor, (DOL) the Department of Social Services, (DSS) Crop Insurers, the Watershed Agricultural Council, (WAC) Farm Credit East, and Cornell Cooperative Extension will be on hand to help answer your questions, and help direct you to programs within the disaster relief efforts that can best fit your needs.” WGXC will also be on hand air the meeting live on WGXC 90.7-FM and wgxc.org. For more information, please call the Cornell Cooperative Extension at (518) 622-9820. If you have special needs related to program participation, please contact the Agroforestry Center in advance.
Tags: agriculture, Agroforestry Center, Farm Bureau, farming, farms, FEMA, floods, Hurricane Irene
Columbia County election information
Primary votes are being held Tuesday, September 13, from noon until 9 p.m., and every election district in Columbia County will be voting. Depending on the municipality, voters enrolled in the Democratic, Republican, Conservative, or Independence parties may have a primary election in which they may cast a ballot. Eligible voters are those who have been enrolled in those parties for some time or those who changed their enrollment to those parties earlier than mid-October of 2010. The Columbia County Board of Elections is open for absentee voting today, Fri. Sept. 9 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 10, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m., and Monday, Sept. 12, from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.
• There are countywide races on the Republican and on the Independence Party lines for County Judge. Additionally, there is a citywide opportunity-to-ballot race for mayor on the Democratic line.
• An opportunity-to-ballot race is one in which no candidate’s name appears on the ballot, providing an opportunity for enrolled Democratic voters, in the case of the City of Hudson, to write in the candidate of their choice. All other primary races similarly offer an opportunity for write-ins, as well. Commissioners Virginia Martin, Democratic, and Jason Nastke, Republican, confirm that, as New York State is a “voter intent” state, they will recognize as valid votes reasonable variations in candidates’ names as they may be written in by voters, or slight deviations in where on the ballot the voter writes in the candidate’s name. Each ballot provides a separate row, under the party row, that says “Write In,” which is where a write-in name is intended to be entered.
• 108th Assembly District (Chatham, Kinderhook, New Lebanon, and Stuyvesant), Independence, for Judicial Delegates and for Judicial Delegate Alternates
• Hudson 1-1, Democratic, for Supervisor and for Alderman
• Hudson 3-1, Democratic, for Supervisor
• Copake, Independence, for Justice
• Gallatin, Republican, for County Committee
• Greenport, Independence, for Supervisor and Highway Superintendent
• Kinderhook, Conservative and Independence, for Justice
• Kinderhook, Independence, for Tax Collector
• New Lebanon, Independence, for Supervisor
• Stockport, Independence, for Supervisor and Town Council
• Stuyvesant, Independence, for Supervisor and Town Council
• Voters have been notified of the many changes in pollsites in Chatham, Claverack, Copake, Ghent, Greenport, Hudson, Kinderhook, Livingston, Stockport, and Stuyvesant. Updated election-district maps are at columbiacountyny.com/depts/elections/districts.html. The Board of Elections can be reached at 828-3115.
COLUMBIA COUNTY REPUBLICANS WEBSITE
COLUMBIA COUNTY DEMOCRATS WEBSITE
COLUMBIA COUNTY INDEPENDENCE PARTY
COLUMBIA COUNTY CONSERVATIVE PARTY
Greene County’s Board of Election website offers no information about upcoming primary elections.
Mountain Top Arboretum acquires 156 acres in Tannersville
The Mountain Top Arboretum, in Tannersville, is acquiring 156 acres adjoining its existing 23 acres of nature preserve through a conservation easement with the Department of Environmental Protection of the City of New York. “This land is beautiful and unspoiled Catskill native forest with streams and marsh” said Larry McCaffrey, Chairman of the Mountain Top Arboretum, in a press release. “It fits perfectly in our mission to present varied natural environments from woodland to wetland to forest for our visitors. These diverse landscapes provide perspective on the entire ecosystem and its role in water conservation.”
Cuomo likes Obama jobs plan
Governor Andrew Cuomo made this statement last night after President Obama’s speech about jobs:
“Tonight, President Obama laid out a real plan to jumpstart the economy and put Americans back to work. The President realizes that it is essential that creating jobs be the top priority at all levels of government. As the President said, politics cannot come before the urgent need to put Americans back to work. This is a plan that can and should be supported by officials of all political stripes and we need to see the Congress move this nation forward.”
Cairo history gets political
The Cairo Historical Society dunk tank at the “Temperance & TommyGuns” event Sept. 17 on Main St. Cairo will include all sorts of local political figures. Both candidates for Town Supervisor: incumbent Republican John Coyne and Democrat challenger Ted Banta. There is also John Gallagher facing local dunking, who is on the Zoning Commission, which has faced intense criticism in town, and “Unk” Slater who also seems to arouse controversy sometimes at Cairo town meetings. Here’s the line up: 11:30 a.m.: Unk Slater; noon: John Coyne; 12:30: Heather Maasmann; 1 p.m.: John Gallagher; 1:30 Hillary Higgins; 2 p.m.: Steve Rumph; 2:30: Jerry Buckley; 3 p.m.: Derick Hasenkopf; 3:30: Adam Reese; 4 p.m.: Ted Banta; 4:30: Karey Quinn.
Storm recovery updates
• Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Thu. Sept. 8 that damage from Tropical Storm Lee that last several days will probably match or exceed damage from Hurricane Irene last week.
• Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) announced Thu. Sept. 8 that Columbia County is now eligible for Individual and Public Assistance following the destruction done by Hurricane Irene.
• Greene County Emergency Services announced Greene County schools will stay closed through Mon., Sept. 12, when an announcement will be made if they will open Tuesday or Wednesday, or some other day.
Grants available for agriculture damage
Soil and Water Conservation Districts began assessing damage in agricultural disaster areas to identifying projects to restore farms and farmland this week, part of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s $15 million Agricultural and Community Recovery Fund (ACRF).
There are three parts of the program:
• Farm Operations Match Program: This will match farmers’ dollars for the purchase of feed for animals and produce from other New York producers to allow the farms operations to continue;
• On Farm Capital Needs Program: This will provide grants and deferred and low/interest loans to meet the immediate and long-term needs of farmers devastated by Hurricane Irene; and
• Main Street Business Assistance Program: This will provide a combination of grants and low interest loans to help Main Street Businesses get back in operation in eligible counties.
“The land is a farmer’s greatest resource. The conservation component released today will help farmers who have had their land devastated by Hurricane Irene recover,” said Darrel J. Aubertine, Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets.
Fundraisers/ways to help
• If you want to volunteer in Windham, email helpwindham@gmail.com to register and receive instructions.
• Volunteers are desperately needed to help clean up the Prattsville area. Come with protective clothing, N-95 or higher dust masks, goggles, cleaning supplies, gloves, boots, flat shovels, wheelbarrows and pails. Call 734-4938 to volunteer first and ask where you should report for duty.
• Free Shopping Spree for storm victims at the Catskill Elks Club this weekend, Sept. 9-10 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Anyone in need can get what they want at the Catskill Elks Club, 45 North Jefferson Ave. Call 518-943-0989 for more information.
• Janet Schwarzenegger is organizing a cookie bake for the National Guard stationed in Leeds. If you would like to contribute home-baked cookies for delivery on Friday evening please contact Janet at 622-9647 or pdjanet@aol.com. Cookies can be dropped off at the Cairo Library, Kaaterskill Associates at 517 Main St., in Cairo, or at Janet’s home or arrange for a pick up.
• Performers announced for the Oct. 1-2 fundraiser for Greene County storm victims at the Michael J. Quill Irish Cultural Center in East Durham include the Catskill Glee Club, The Lustre Kings, Michael Packer, Kirsten Thein, Kitty Kelly, Lara Hope & The Champtones, Alexis P. Suter with Connor “The Kidd” Kennedy, Tas Cru, Prof. Louie & The Crowmatix, Phil Brown (of Little Feat) with Rhett Tyler are among the bands Sat., Oct. 1. Solo or duos Saturday include Peter Head, Andrew & Stephanie AKA Lex Ridge, David Kraii, Keith & Joy, Thomas Earl, and Finley & Pagdon. Sunday’s full bands include Michael Farrell School Of Dance, The Michael Louis Band, The Jonny Monster Band, Voodelic, The Five Points Band, Shorty King, John Cerbone, Rhett Tyler Trio, with solo and duos including Abby Lappen, John Holt, Wet Paint, Nick Bukuvalas, Peggy Atwood, and Mike Herman.
Tags: "Unk" Slater, Adam Reese, agriculture, Andrew Cuomo, elections, farming, farms, Heather Maasmann, Hillary Higgins, Hurricane Irene, Jerry Buckley, John Coyne, John Gallagher, Karey Quinn, Mountain Top Arboretum, Ted Banta, Tropical Storm Lee
Hurricane Irene may affect New York
Several computer forecast models predict that Hurricane Irene, now a category two storm bearing down on the Bahamas, might bring wind and rain to our area this weekend. The Albany National Weather Service forecast for this Sunday and Monday includes the possibility of a lot of rain for our region. Hurricane behavior is difficult to predict this far in advance, but Irene is expected to strengthen o a category three storm and skirt the Southeastern U.S. In the next few days.
Hogweed, from DEC website.
Julia Reischel in the Watershed Post reports that CRISP — the Catskill Regional Invasive Species Partnership — says the giant hogweed plant has been discovered in Woodstock. “The invasive weed can grow up to 15 feet tall and its sap causes caustic burns on human skin. It’s been advancing across the Catskills, but hadn’t been found in Ulster County until now,” Reischel writes. From the CRISP press release:
“Giant hogweed, a non-native, noxious weed has been discovered in the Town of Woodstock — the first finding in Ulster County to date. This weed should be taken very seriously because the sap contains toxins that can cause severe skin burns and can even cause blindness. This plant is also very successful at colonizing new areas and crowding out native species. The Catskill Regional Invasive Species Partnership (CRISP) is working with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Giant Hogweed Control Program to manage giant hogweed in the Catskills. The Giant Hogweed Control Program has crews throughout the state that are dedicated to removing the plant from public and private property free of charge. The goal is to eradicate giant hogweed from the region and eventually from the state and they are asking the public to help locate all of the plants. If you suspect you have seen this plant use extreme caution, keep children away from it, and report it.”
Visit the NYSDEC Giant Hogweed website http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/72766.html to learn how to distinguish giant hogweed from other look-alike plants. To report a giant hogweed sighting or for more information, contact CRISP at mtaylor@catskillcenter.org or 845-586-2611.
Commissioner announces grant to promote local foods
Two local industries — bed and breakfast inns and agriculture — should benefit from a new federal matching grant encouraging bed and breakfast operators to feature locally produced food and agricultural products. $73,824 will be awarded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP). Steve Miller of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County said, “This is a great opportunity for New York producers to have visitors from outside the State, as well as New Yorkers, to be able to taste the high quality foods we have to offer and to be able to bring some of these back home with them. The project stands to benefit both the tourism and agriculture industries.” All producer organizations and B&B owners are encouraged to participate in the project which will begin this Fall. For more information on how to participate: contact Steve Miller at sgm6@cornell.edu 315 684-3001 x127 or Jonathan Thomson at jonathan.thomson@agmkt.state.ny.us.
Greenport boil water advisory lifted
The Register-Star reports the boil water advisory issued Saturday for Greenport was lifted Monday morning, Aug. 22, after a water main break on Healy Blvd. Saturday made drinking water dangerous.
Route 143 upgrade in Coeymans
The New York Department of Transportation began work on repaving Route 143 in Coeymans Monday, Aug. 22, according to a press release from Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin (R,C-Melrose), who has been clamoring for something to be done about the four-mile stretch of road there. “Route 143 in Coeymans was, without a doubt, one of the most dangerous roads in this part of the state,” said McLaughlin in a press release. “Drivers were forced to cross into oncoming traffic to avoid obstacles, and children were getting tossed around on school buses because the road had literally crumbled in places.”
Tags: agriculture, Bed and Breakfasts, farms, Hurricane Irene, road work, Route 143, weather
Gillibrand bill addresses Community Supported Agriculture
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand introduced legislation Wed., July 27, that would create a competitive grant program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). CSA members pay for a share of a farm’s produce, and throughout the season, members receive a weekly amount of vegetables. “Community Supported Agriculture can be a key component for providing our families with more locally grown produce,” said Senator Gillibrand in a press release. “Tens of thousands of families have joined CSAs over the years, bringing fresh, vitamin-rich fruits, vegetables, eggs, homemade breads, meats, and cheeses to tables all across America.” Gillibrand says there are 350 CSAs in New York, and several in Columbia and Greene counties. The Community Supported Agriculture Promotion Act’s would award federal funds to non-profit organizations, extension services, and state and local government agencies to provide marketing and business assistance to new or current CSA farmers, as well as assist in the development of innovative delivery and distribution programs.
Are there rattlesnakes in Hunter?
Jim Planck in The Windham Journal investigates whether there are Timber Rattlesnakes in the Town of Hunter. He says the Silver Hollow area down toward Edgewood, may have them, but Kaaterskill Clove does not have the Threatened species. Planck says posts at www.catskillmountaineer.com tipped him off. “While existing Timber Rattlesnake populations occur on Overlook Mountain and Mount Tremper, both in northern Ulster County, the Silver Hollow one — if verified by the NYS Department of Conservation — would be Greene County’s first one, as the Department’s Timber Rattlesnake distribution map shows no populations in Greene County,” Planck writes. “DEC did receive a report, with a photograph, from a hiker last fall,” DEC press officer Lori Severino told Planck, “of a Timber Rattlesnake he found last August in Greene County a few hundred feet from the Ulster County line…. It was on/near Plateau Mountain,” she said — which adjoins Silver Hollow. But the writer does not discover if there is antidote locally. “Asked if there is, in fact, a rattlesnake antidote or treatment, Severino replied, ‘Yes, though the Albany area hospitals may or may not have a supply of it.’” Read the entire story in The Windham Journal.
Is the boss here?
Diane Valden in The Columbia Paper writes that the Ancram Board of Ethics found, “that Highway Superintendent James MacArthur violated the local Ethics Law by appointing his brother Robert to serve as highway boss when he took a vacation in late March of this year,” Valden writes. Superintendent MacArthur, who is directly elected by town voters, explained at the town’s July 21 meeting that at he never used to take a vacation at all, but started to take them after getting re-married about four years ago. He said he had his brother, who “previously worked for the Highway Department,” sworn in by a town justice, so that employees would get more done in his absence. “They say I violated the ethics law for nepotism, and I suppose that is true, but deputy highway superintendent is not a paid job. I can appoint anybody my deputy,” Mr. MacArthur explained. The board said he took action, “without having fulfilled the required prior notice, permissions and clearance from the Town Board” to make the appointment or authorize his brother’s payment. “Because Mr. MacArthur rescinded the appointment and his brother resigned, the ‘primary legal and ethical infraction… was corrected,’ said the decision, which went on to recommend that the draft of the new Highway Employee Handbook be reviewed and finalized as soon as possible, and that a clear and concise job description for highway superintendent be established,” Valden wrote. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.
Tags: agriculture, community-supported agriculture, CSAs, DEC, ethics, farming, farms, James MacArthur, Kirsten Gillibrand, Robert MacArthur, snakes, Timber Rattlesnakes, USDA
County sheds dozens of jobs
Jeff Alexander in The Greene County News reports that Greene County officials will save $1.3 million eliminating 42 county jobs. Twelve of those jobs are lay-offs, while the other 30 are jobs the county is not re-filling. County Administrator Shaun Groden says three jobs will be eliminated from the highway department. “Nobody wants to lay anyone off. We have discussed this with unions about making modest changes in contracts. All the unions said they’d make no changes to contracts,” Groden told the paper. Greene County Legislature Chairman Wayne Speenburgh, R-Coxsackie, said, “I’m really sorry it had to come to this. I thought we had a good dialogue with the union representatives.” Legislature Minority Leader Harry Lennon, D-Cairo, told Alexander, “I feel very bad and I’m disappointed because I did have a positive feeling about those meetings. The tones were very positive and I was hoping the union representatives would accept our proposals.” Read the full story in The Greene County News.
Behind Veneer, Doubt on Future of Natural Gas
Ian Urbina in The New York Times has read over “scores of internal e-mails and documents” from the United States Energy Information Administration, a division of the Energy Department, and discovered that while official policy has steadily increased its estimates of domestic supplies of natural gas, he discovered much internal skepticism about the shale gas industry. “One official says the shale industry may be ‘set up for failure.’ ‘It is quite likely that many of these companies will go bankrupt,’ a senior adviser to the Energy Information Administration administrator predicts. Several officials echo concerns raised during previous bubbles, in housing and in technology stocks, for example, that ended in a bust,” Urbina writes. He quotes one energy analyst at the Energy Information Administration writing, “Am I just totally crazy, or does it seem like everyone and their mothers are endorsing shale gas without getting a really good understanding of the economics at the business level?” Read the full story in The New York Times.
Weather postpones New York vegetables
Doug Ohlemeier in The Packer, a produce industry trade journal, writes that there will be “big delays and shortages of New York vegetables this summer, after spring rains pushed back planting and harmed early production.” Sweet corn, green beans, bell peppers, cucumbers and cabbage could be delayed by up to 10-14 days. Other farmers worried about losses. Maureen Marshall, vice president of Torrey Farms Inc., Elba, N.Y., “We expect a 10-20 percent loss on the early crop of squash, cucumbers and beans,” Marshall said. “It could be higher. This will be an interesting summer.” Read the entire story in The Packer.
Sports scores
14U Coxsackie Owlz 6- Guilderland Bulldogs 4
Tristan Valencia hurled a complete game to pick up the win for the 14U Coxsackie Owlz (6-3, 6-5) Sunday, June 26 over the Guilderland Bulldogs 6-4. Valencia gave up one earned run on eight hits, five walks, and seven strikeouts. Matt McDonald went 2-2 with a double for the Owlz, and Sam Palmateer 1-2 with an RBI.
13U Coxsackie Owlz 23- Kingston 0
13U Coxsackie Owlz 8- Kingston 3
The 13U Coxsackie Owlz (8-1, 10-3) swept a double-header from Kingston, 23-0 and 8-3 Sunday, June 26. In the first game, the Owlz had 14 hits, with Derrek DuPont going 3-3 with four RBIs. Chris Zwoboda 2-3 with four RBIs, and Kyle Roberts went 4-5 with an RBI double. Justin Maldonado went the distance for the win, giving up three hits and two walks while striking out four. In the second game, Kingston tied it at three after two innings before the Owlz pulled away, with Roberts going 2-2 with an RBI double and getting the win, pitching six innings giving up three runs, two earned, on three hits and two walks and eight strikeouts.
Tags: agriculture, Coxsackie Owlz, farming, farms, Harry Lennon, hydraulic fracturing, Natural Gas, Shaun Groden, Wayen Speenburgh
The Daily News, a paper that covers Genesee, Wyoming, and Orleans, NY counties, reports that in 2009 dairy farms in the Northeast lost an average of $386 per cow and that in 2010 they earned an average of $396 a cow, a stunning $782 turnaround. “Milk prices rose $3.90 per hundredweight in 2010, and that helped farms have adequate cash flow for operating expenses, debt repayment, family living, and income taxes. Dairies also were able to catch up on some bills that were carried over from 2009, according to Farm Credit’s Northeast Dairy Farm Summary report,” the paper reports. Debt per cow remained at $3,337, the highest in the 32-year history of the report. The report considered farms in New York, New England, and New Jersey. Read the full story in The Daily News.
Tags: agriculture, dairy farms, farms, milk prices
Prattsville cell tower almost ready for service
Michael Ryan reports in The Daily Mail that Western Greene County might soon have better cell phone service. AT&T will flip the switch on a cell phone transmitter in Prattsville later this month, Ryan reeports, and folks in Lexington may have improved service soon too. JNS Enterprises wanted to build a cell tower in Lexington in 2007 and 2008, along Route 42 behind the municipal hall but residents living near the proposed site protested and the antenna tower was not built. Now the town has another chance. “We have very definitely given thought to developing a site south of Lexington,” Independent Tower Holdings vice-president Kory Fretto said. “It’s been identified on our map as an area of need.” Read the full story in The Daily Mail.
Stephentown ZBA meeting turns into unplanned hearing
Gail Heinsohn in The Chatham Courier reports on the Stephentown Zoning Board of Appeals meeting June 2 where Lebanon Valley Speedway outlined plans to expand its racetrack with an additional day of operation (Tuesday), a proposed camping site, a parking lot for 300 vehicles, vendors, and competitions for all-terrain vehicles. Lebanon Valley only gave its incomplete proposal to the board the day of the meeting, so not much could be done with it so far. But Lewis Oliver, attorney representing some folks opposed to the plan, and others, pointed out that the plan encroaches on wetlands, does not include times at night when racing would end, does not include where vendors, toilets, and generators will be located, and other important details. The Speedway hoped to complete the application within ten days, and Chairman Roland Barth said that if so, they will discuss the proposal at next month’s meeting and hold a public hearing on the matter in August. Read the entire story in The Chatham Courier.
Ritchie sponsors ‘ag-gag’ measure
Brian Amaral in the Watertown Daily Times reports that secretly videotaping the abuse of farm animals would be illegal if a bill in the state Senate passes. The New York Farm Bureau says the measure will protect consumers. “The Department of Homeland Security has alerted the agricultural industry to secure their operations as much as they can,” Farm Bureau spokesman Peter A. Gregg said. “This bill falls into that category.” Others disagree. “The intent is to silence whistleblowers and to prevent undercover investigations,” said Nathan D. Runkle, executive director of the animal rights group Mercy for Animals, based in Chicago. “We view that as a real problem.” The bill is sponsored by the chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Sen. Patricia A. Ritchie, R-Heuvelton. The law would make filming on farmland a misdemeanor crime with up to a year in prison or up to a $1,000 fine. Read all about this issue in The Watertown Daily Times.
Tags: agriculture, cell phone service, cell towers, farms
USDA Raises Dairy-Price Forecast But Keeps Food Inflation Steady
Tom Polansek in The Wall Street Journal reports the U.S. government raised its forecast for retail dairy prices Thu. May 26, but left its food-inflation prediction at 3 to 4 percent for 2011. “Officials said the overall forecast didn’t increase because higher prices for dairy products were offset by lower prices for other goods. The USDA didn’t adjust the forecast range for any category except dairy. Yet the government did note pork prices slipped 0.3 percent last month, while its fresh-vegetable index dropped 3.5 percent,” the story noted. Retail prices for dairy products are now forecast to jump 5 percent to 6 percent in 2011, up from an April forecast of 4.5 percent to 5.5 percent, due to higher prices for milk. Greater demand linked to the global economic recovery, and rising fuel prices, are cited as factors in the price spikes. Read the full story in The Wall Street Journal.
GOP announces slate of candidates for county positions
John Mason in the Register-Star writes that the Columbia County Republican Party Committee nominated candidates for fall elections Thu. May 26. Among the candidates:
•District Attorney Beth Cozzolino was nominated for the county judge seat recently vacated by Paul Czajka.
•Czajka was chosen to run for Cozzolino’s district attorney seat.
•County Judge Jonathan Nichols will run for state Supreme Court.
•P.J. Keeler, county Emergency Medical Services coordinator and owner of KD Hallmark, will run for county treasurer, the post Ken Wilber is leaving after four terms.
•And former Sheriff Jim Bertram was nominated for county coroner.
Hudson City Judge Mark Portin was on hand, Mason reports, hoping to challenge Cozzolino for the judgeship, but no one made the nomination for Portin. “I’m really pleased with our slate. We have experienced, proven vote-getters in Beth Cozzolino, Paul Czajka and Jim Bertram and well-known local businessman Paul ‘PJ’ Keeler running this year. I think they are all winners,” county Chairman Greg Fingar told the paper. Read the entire story in the Register-Star.
Familiar faces, one newcomer make up Dem slate
John Mason also covered the Columbia County Democratic Committee nominations at Space 360 in Hudson Thu., May 26. Nominations included:
•Hudson City Judge Richard Koweek, was nominated for county judge.
•Gene Keeler was picked to run for district attorney. In 2008, Keeler lost the DA race to current DA Beth Cozzolino.
•Newcomer to politics Peter Stoll was chosen to run for county treasurer.
•George Davis will seek re-election as county coroner.
Read the full story in the Register-Star.
Misdemeanor against Valentines tossed out
Doron Tyler Antrim in The Daily Mail reports that the misdemeanor charge against Keith Valentine, the Greene County Legislature’s Republican majority leader, and his wife Cynthia, for unlawfully dealing with a child, was dismissed Wed. May 25 according to Columbia County First Assistant District Attorney Michael Cozzolino. The Valentines were arrested last August on a class A misdemeanor charge and violation of a county local law after police determined alcohol was available to teen-agers at the couple’s Catskill home during a Fourth of July party and graduation celebration in 2010. Cozzolino said completion of a state Alcohol Training Awareness Program, which the Valentines completed May 9, allowed for the dismissal. Defense attorneys have also filed a motion to also dismiss the local law violation. The Columbia County District Attorney’s Office has until June 29 to respond to the motion. Mr. Valentine voted for the Greene County Local Law No. 1 of 2007 as a legislator: “No person having control of any residence shall allow an open house party to take place at said residence if such person knows that any alcoholic beverage is being unlawfully possessed, served to or consumed by a minor at said residence.” The case is in Hunter Town Court. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.
Hudson River Historic Boat Restoration and Sailing Society elects officers
The Hudson River Historic Boat Restoration and Sailing Society Inc. elected officers at a meeting Wed. May 25: Louise Bliss, President, Joseph Rapp, Vice President, Marjan Schiereck, Recording Secretary and Katrina McEwan, Treasurer and a Board of Directors including Bennett McEwan, Joseph Kenneally, Maryellen Reidy, Leo Ponter, Mike Aquier, Nick Tipple, and Casson Kennedy. The group is working to restore the sloop Eleanor along the Hudson waterfront. The next meeting of the Board of Directors will be held on June 30 at 7 p.m. at 609 Warren St.
Tags: agriculture, Beth Cozzolino, dairy, dairy farmers, elections, farms, Jim Bertram, Jonathan Nichols, Keith Valentine, P.J. Keeler, Paul Czajka
$6.3M budget with 2% tax hike adopted
Doron Tyler Antrim in The Daily Mail reports the Catskill Village Board of Trustees on Mon., May 23 approved a $6.3 million budget for 2011-12 with a $91,000 increase in spending and and a two percent tax levy increase. “We worked very hard as a board to say ‘two percent is all we have to work with,”’ Village President Vincent Seeley was quoted by The Daily Mail reporter, about the very real possibility that the state may pass a two percent property tax cap. The budget includes a $162,000 increase in costs for employment benefits, and trustees added almost $82,000 more this year for debt service. The budget also includes cuts to the two highest-funded departments, police and public works. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.
Fire chief plans run for town supervisor in Nov.
Bob Green in the Register-Star reports that Jeff Seymour, the chief of Stockport Volunteer Fire Company #1, wants to be on the ballot this fall for Stockport town supervisor on the Conservative, Independence and Republican lines. “I spend a ton of time as it is right now serving the town,” he said in the Register-Star. He was elected fire chief three times since 2006, and a local firefighter for 15 years, as well as an EMT for 20. “My ability to supervise, find common ground, and communicate with the many different personalities within the fire company as well as the residents of my fire district will certainly aid me in the position of supervisor,” he said in his letters to the Stockport political parties. Read the entire story in the Register-Star.
Hochul beats Corwin in NY-26
Jimmy Vielkind in Capitol Confidential reports that Democrats won a usually Republican seat in Congress in the western New York special election to replace Rep. Chris Lee. Erie County Clerk Kathy Hochul beat Assemblywoman Jane Corwin 48-42, with industrialist Jack Davis taking 9 percent of the vote. “Democrats are casting the win as a referendum on the GOP plan to replace the current system of Medicare with one based on vouchers for private insurance,” Vielkind wrote. “Republicans point to Davis, and his use of the “Tea Party” name for a ballot line that drew votes. There’s also a lot of Republican blame-mongering going on about how the campaign was run.” Read the entire story in the Albany Times-Union’s political blog.
NYS Supreme Court Grants Preliminary Injunction, Blocks Sale of Dirty Outdoor Wood Boilers in NYS
The Supreme Court of the State of New York Tue. May 24 granted a preliminary injunction to stop the sale of outdoor wood boilers that do not meet the Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) new, improved standards. The court’s ruling restrains the DEC from implementing its April 15 “emergency” rule allowing the sale of the older model wood boilers until July. The court will make a determination on June 20. “New Yorkers from Buffalo to the Bronx can breathe easier today thanks to the Supreme Court of the State of New York’s decision to block the sale of dirty outdoor wood boilers,” said Ross Gould, Air and Energy Program Director, Environmental Advocates of New York. “The Department of Environmental Conservation’s fake ‘emergency’ has been called off, and everyone who cares about clean air is grateful.” The DEC originally passed new regulations for the heating units as of April 15, then extended the old laws, citing unsubstantiated economic reasons.
Farm Bureau wants Farmers Regulatory Relief Act passed
The New York Farm Bureau is lobbying for the Farmers Regulatory Relief Act in the New York State legislature, a bill to ease regulation and lower taxes on farmers. “New York’s business climate needs to improve to help our farmers thrive,” said Dean Norton, president of New York Farm Bureau and a dairy farmer in Elba, N.Y. “Our farmers are subject to unreasonable regulations, fees, taxes and utilities costs—perhaps more than any other farmer on the globe,” Norton said. Sponsored by Sen. Patty Ritchie and Assemblyman Bill Magee, the bill includes a refundable investment tax credit, toll exemptions, fee changes, with other reductions in regulations for agricultural interests.
Wednesday audio clips
(Click on names to play mp3 audio clips.)
•Evelyn Trebilcock from Olana interview on WGXC Afternoon Show.
Interview by Richard Roth and Ellen Thurston. Curator of Olana Evelyn Trebilcock introduces the new exhibition there, “Rally ‘Round the Flag: Frederic Edwin Church and the Civil War.” Twenty-six minute interview, though beginning could be excerpted.
•Howard Zar from Athens Cultural Center
Interview by Richard Roth and Ann Forbes Cooper on WGXC Afternoon Show. Three-minute excerpt from beginning of interview with the President of the Board of the Athens Cultural Center, about the “prom” fundraiser they are holding Sun. May 29.
•Peter Paden from Columbia Land Conservancy
Interview by Richard Roth and Ann Forbes Cooper on WGXC Afternoon Show. Paden is Executive Director of the Columbia Land Conservancy, which holds it’s annual Country Bar-B-Q Sun., May 29.
•Amari Hayden interviewed about Catskill Community Center youth activities.
Interview by Cory Fischer-Hoffman. Interview at groundbreaking for WGXC studio in the Catskill Community Center, about the centers youth activities, by a local youth who uses the facility.
•Poet Bill Shute at Upstate Artist Guild.
Recorded by Sam Sebren. An 11-minute poetry performance from Bill Shute. Shute will be in Hudson Sat., May 28 at the Spotty Dog Books & Ale, performing on a bill with Eric Hardiman and Ray Hare of Century Plants.
•Century Plants performance at Upstate Artist Guild.
Recorded by Sam Sebren. Show presented by Albany Sonic Arts Collective. 16-minute performance.
Tags: agriculture, Albany Sonic Arts Collective, Athens Cultural Center, Columbia Land Conservancy, elections, Farmers Regulatory Relief Act, farms, Jeff Seymour, Olana, outdoor wood boilers, Vince Seeley
Bill would give farmers break on tolls
Senate bill S742A-2011 is on the Floor Calendar in Albany for Tue. May 24 and would, “Provide that farmers shall receive an exemption from tolls when transporting product to N.Y. city for consumption in the city.” The bill is sponsored by Catherine Young (R, C, I-57th), who represents an area south of Buffalo. The bill says, Farmers are stressed with the price of gas to transport their products to the city for consumption to make little profit after the cost of gas and tolls are included. To help offset these expenses, farmers should be exempt from tolls when transporting product to NYC for consumption in the city.”
Ichabod adopts budget — minus football
John Mason in the Register-Star reports the Ichabod Crane Board of Education voted Mon., May 23 to approve a contingency budget of $33,795,494, after voters rejected their original proposal of $33,837,503 in May 17 school elections. The $42,009 savings comes from cutting football ($31,000) and other items mandated by contingency budget rules ($11,009). When voters reject a budget, boards can pass a contingency budget that is equal to or lower than the cost of living increase, or Consumer Price Index. The board already trimmed $3.9 million from the 2011-2012 budget by closing two elementary schools and cutting staff and programs. “On April 12, the board passed its budget, but in a 5-3 vote added $31,000 for football,” Mason writes. “Football had been funded for the past three years by the Booster Club in a pilot program.” Community members asked at the meeting Monday if football could remain funded by the booster club, and the board punted, postponing that decision until a later meeting, Mason reports. Read the full story in the Register-Star.
Vitaliy Bobkov's proposal to turn the Friar Tuck Resort into a magical place.
Vitaliy Bobkov of the B&B Lounge in Catskill is floating a proposal on his website and a Facebook page to turn the now-vacant Friar Tuck Resort into a magic theme park. Bobkov’s business is a little north of the empty Friar Tuck on Rt. 32 in Greene County, and his proposal hopes to also revive the Catskill Game Farm and Carson City attractions in the same area.
Details: Hudson River School Art Trail and Catskill, N.Y.
Becky Krystal in The Washington Post last Thursday has a thin travel piece about Catskill and the local “art trail.” She visits the Thomas Cole House in Catskill and Olana just across the Hudson River, as well as Catskill’s The Post Cottage, Bell’s Cafe, and Village Pizza II. Read the entire story in The Washington Post.
Saugerties comedian on NPR
Jimmy Fallon, who grew up in Saugerties, was interviewed on National Public Radio by Fresh Air’s Terry Gross on Mon., May 23. On May 11 he gave a shout-out to Woodstock radio station WDST on his Twitter feed: “Listening to 100.1 WDST Woodstock Radio. Good morning guys!”
Tags: agriculture, Bell's Cafe, farm, farms, Friar Tuck Resort, Ichabod Crane School District, Olana, schools, The Post Cottage, Thomas Cole House, Village Pizza II
WGXC volunteer Kate Blofson interviews Ross Rogers of Turtle Tree Seeds at Camphill Village in Copake about how to save, dry, and store seeds. Click here or on image to listen to the mp3 interview.
Tags: agriculture, farming, farms, interview, local audio, seeds, Turtle Tree Seeds
Fiske declared winner of 3rd open board seat
Jim Planck in The Daily Mail reports that William Fiske was indeed elected to the Catskill School Board Tuesday. Fiske was leading Ward Osborn by six votes at the end of election night, with 14 affidavit ballots (the voter was not on the district’s voter registration roll, but cast a provisional ballot) left for the Greene County Board of Elections to sort out. Wed. May 18, they ruled eight valid, and counted those with these results: Karen Haas, went from 578 votes to 582, Michael Maloney increased five from 511 votes to 516, Fiske went from 490 to 494, and Osborn also added five votes from 484 to 489. So Fiske remains the winner. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.
Cool, wet Spring raises potential for late blight in tomatoes, potatoes
New York State Agriculture Commissioner Darrel J. Aubertine warned gardeners and growers Wed. May 18 that the never-ending rain this Spring makes conditions ripe for late blight. Late blight is a plant disease that spreads rapidly from plant to plant in wet, cool weather and causes tomato and potato plants, primarily, to wilt and die. “The exceptionally cool, damp spring we are experiencing throughout New York State this year heightens our concern for late blight,” Aubertine said in a press release. “We saw the devastation it can do to a tomato crop in 2009, and we have already received reports of early late blight detection in neighboring states. Therefore, we want to remind our growers of this possible plant disease and alert them of the precautions they can take and how we, as a regulatory agency, are working to protect our plants.” More than 150,000 tomato plants have been inspected in New York this year with no signs of late blight detected, according to Aubertine’s press release.
Columbia County DA confirms candidacy for County Judge
WNYT reports District Attorney Beth Cozzolino confirms she is running for Columbia County Judge, which fellow Republican Paul Czajka vacated last week. He announced he was running for Cozzolino’s job; a job he held for seven years before being elected judge in 1994. Cozzolino became DA in 1995.
Farm bill update
On Wed. May 18, New York State Agriculture Commissioner Darrel J. Aubertine announced updates on his series of Farm Bill work groups and changes to two previously announced sessions – the commodities and nutrition titles. Since late April, the Commissioner has been hosting a number of discussions with stakeholders to help identify and prioritize New York’s areas of concern and interest with the upcoming 2012 Federal Farm Bill. The Federal Farm Bill is negotiated every six years and sets the parameters for America’s agriculture, nutrition, forestry and conservation policies and affects New York’s 36,000 farm families in the dairy, apple, vegetable, and wine industries.
Friday, May 20, 2011 – Commodities Title (including Milk Pricing)
This session will meet from 10 a.m. to noon. During that time, invited stakeholders will have an opportunity to present, which will then be openly discussed with a panel of subject-matter experts. Members of the public may also participate and may submit written questions during the session in the Bistro of the Arts and Home Building at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse.
Friday, May 27, 2011 – Nutrition Title
There will be two sessions to cover the wide range of nutrition provisions included in the Farm Bill. Panel member and invited stakeholder discussions will address, but are not limited to, the following topics. Members of the public may also participate and may submit written questions during the sessions in the Bistro of the Arts and Home Building at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse.
• Morning Session – 10 a.m. to noon – food stamps and food distribution program issues, community food security grants
• Afternoon Session – 1 to 3 p.m. – fruit and vegetable promotion, farmers’ markets and community programs, school meal issues
Sessions are open to the public, RSVP by calling 518-457-8876. The information gathered at the sessions will be compiled into a working document that the Commissioner will use to communicate New York’s positions on federal agriculture policy.
Tags: agriculture, bear hunting, bears, Beth Cozzolino, black bears, Darrel J. Aubertine, DEC, farm, farm bill, farms, Federal Farm Bill, hunting, Karen Haas, late blight, Michael Maloney, Paul Czajka, Ward Osborn, Wayne Speenburgh, William Fiske
The Albany Business Review reports that net earnings per cow for dairy farms in our region rose $782 per cow last year, according to the Farm Credit’s Northeast Dairy Farm Summary report. In 2009, by comparison, cows in New York, New Jersey, and New England were costing farmers $386 each, rather then earning them money. The news this year was not all good: Debt per cow was at $3,337, the highest in the 32 years the report has been compiled. Read the entire story in The Albany Business Review.
Tags: agriculture, business, cows, dairy farms, farming, farms
Alyssa Sunkin in the Times Herald-Record says this spring’s rainy weather might be a little much for Hudson Valley farmers. “For the last few weeks, a southeasterly wind emanating from high pressure sitting off the New England coast has been picking up moisture from the Atlantic Ocean, bringing us sprinkles, clouds and chilly daytime temperatures,” she writes. “This week we have to contend with a stalled front that will bring warmer weather to the region, but carries the risk of showers and thunderstorms every day until Thursday.” She quotes several farmers who all say the downpours mean they are behind schedule with their crops. Cheryl Rogowski of Rogowski Farm in Pine Island is a month behind schedule. Pete Taliaferro is 11 days late, and planted lettuces, spinach, beets, and carrots that sprouted their baby leaves but then stopped growing, according to Sunkin. In Ulster County, the bloom period for orchards may be two or three days late this year, according Mike Fargione, an educator and commercial fruit-tree specialist with the cooperative extension in Ulster. Read the full story in the Times Herald-Record.
Tags: agriculture, farms, rain
CADE (Part 1): Building Artisan Slaughterhouses to Feed the Demand for Grass-fed Meat from SkeeterNYC on Vimeo.
Locally, the need for slaughterhouses to process local meat has often been discussed in agricultural and business circles. Yesterday, regional and national media also covered the story. In the Watershed Post blog — which covers the Catskills including Greene County — Lissa Harris posted an interview with Chris Harmon, the director of the Oneonta-based Center for Agricultural Development and Entrepreneurship (CADE), was posted Thu., Apr. 7 about the need for more slaughterhouses. In the video above, Harmon explains how his group has been working with Larry’s Custom Meats, a meat processor based in Hartwick (in Otsego County, west of Greene County), to build a new USDA-certified slaughterhouse. In The New York Times Thursday, the lack of slaughterhouses in a rural, agricultural setting is not unique to the Hudson Valley. David Ferry in The Times writes about the San Francisco area where, “Only one slaughterhouse remains… in Petaluma, and there are just a smattering of them in all of Northern California. Ranchers must often truck their grass-fed cattle hundreds of miles to the nearest plant, and they face backlogs in the busy season that can lead to waits lasting many months. This means fewer — and more expensive — local skirt steaks at the butcher shop, and more carbon with that grass-fed burger.” In 2009 in the Register-Star, Andrew Amelinkcx reported, “There are two USDA certified slaughterhouses in Columbia County, Van Wie in Stockport and Hilltown Pork, Inc.,” and he talks with Robert Beckwith, co-owner of Hilltown Pork, who says they were at full capacity, and anyone who wanted an animal slaughtered would have to join a waiting list. Last year, Ecklund’s Farm in Delaware County added a mobile slaughterhouse because of the demand in the area.
Tags: agriculture, cows, farms, meat-processing, slaughterhouses
Carey Gillam reports for Reuters that a consortium of U.S. organic farmers and seed dealers filed suit Tue. March 29 against global seed company Monsanto, because of the company’s genetically modified crops. The Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT) filed the suit on behalf of more than 50 organizations challenging Monsanto’s patents on genetically modified seeds. The group is seeking a ruling that would prohibit Monsanto from suing the farmers or dealers if their organic seed becomes contaminated with Monsanto’s patented biotech seed germplasm. Monsanto is known for its zealous defense of its patents on a range of genetically altered crops, according to Gillam. The company genetically alters seeds to withstand herbicide treatments, droughts, and other blights on crops. The Reuters story also says, “Monsanto has filed scores of lawsuits and won judgments against farmers they claimed made use of their seed without paying required royalties.” Some farmers have claimed that their fields were inadvertently contaminated with genetically modified seeds without their knowledge. “This case asks whether Monsanto has the right to sue organic farmers for patent infringement if Monsanto’s genetically modified seed should land on their property,” said Dan Ravicher, executive director of PUBPAT, a nonprofit legal services organization, which filed the suit in federal court in the southern district of New York. Monsanto called the lawsuit misleading and a “publicity stunt” and said it has never sued and has committed to never suing farmers over the inadvertent presence of biotechnology traits in their fields.
Tags: agriculture, farms, genetically modified seeds, Monsanto, seeds
From the Senator's website.
Tags: agriculture, farmers, farms, Kirsten Gillibrand
WGXC volunteer Tanya Blue interviewed Donna Willliams, who is starting Field Goods, a new business designed to deliver food from area farms directly to local and regional consumers. So far they are working with Otter Hook Farm in Greenville, and Hudson Locale in Hudson. So far the new business only has two drop-off locations, Elliott Acupuncture & Chinese Herbal Medicine at 876 Columbia St. in Hudson, and at Sleepy Hollow Lake, just north of the Village of Athens, but they hope to connect with large companies in Albany. Field Goods operates much like any other multi-farm community-supported agriculture farm with drop-off sites, pre-paid shares. Like a CSA, subscription customers receive a delivery each week of fruit and vegetables. The contents of the delivery will vary each week depending on what is in season and crop conditions. Click here to listen to the interview with Williams.
Tags: agriculture, csa, farming, farms, local audio
Milk Thistle Farm will move from Ghent to Stuyvesant as part of its growth to include a new organic interstate dairy.
Tags: agriculture, dairy, dairy farmers, farms
Urban farming envisioned for Detroit, as pictured on the Gas 2 website.
Tags: agriculture, farming, farms, organic farming
The New York State Agricultural Society just awarded Hudson Valley Fresh, 2011 business of the year. The dairy collective includes Taghkanic’s Triple Creek Farm, Ancramdale’s Tollgate Farm, and Walt’s Dairy and Langdonhurst Farm in Copake, and five others. In this YouTube clip from CNN, Hudson Valley Fresh founder Sam Simon from Plankenhorn Farm in Dutchess County explains why the struggling dairies needed to band together to survive.
Tags: dairy farms, farms, Hudson Valley Fresh, Langdonhurst Farm, Tollgate Farm, Triple Creek Farm, Walt's Dairy
Local farmers might benefit from a new US Department of Agriculture proposal to cut the sodium and fat in school lunches, Ron Plants at Buffalo TV station WGRZ reports. Linda Muldoon, Director of Food Services for the Hamburg Central School District, says her cafeteria staff has been preparing items like nutritious wraps and serving up vegetables and fruits for some time. They also offer healthier soup options for students in the cafeteria, and they try to partner with local farmers to save money and get children healthier vegatables. The federal government may try to provide an extra six cents per meal for districts which comply with their guidelines, the station reports.
Tags: farmers, farms, school lunches
A staff report in The Columbia Paper says the U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated Columbia, Greene, Dutchess, and Rensselaer counties in the state as natural disaster areas due to losses caused by a drought that began June 13, 2010 and continues. Columbia is also among 19 counties around the state designated by the USDA last week as natural disaster areas due to losses caused by frost, freezing, high winds, hail, excessive snow, excessive rain and cold temperatures that occurred from February 15 to May 12, 2010. “President Obama and I understand these conditions caused severe damage to a wide variety of crops including fruit and vegetable crops, and we want to help,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a December 20 press release announcing the drought declaration, as reported in The Columbia Paper. “This action will provide help to farmers who suffered significant production losses,” said the secretary. He visited the region earlier this year during the campaign season at the request of Congressman Scott Murphy. All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas December 17, 2010, 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. Local farmers have eight months from the date of the declaration 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. FSA has a variety of programs, in addition to the EM loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from adversity. Interested farmers may contact their local USDA Service Centers for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs. Additional information is also available online at http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov. The Department of Enviromental Conservation says current drought conditions are normal.
Tags: agriculture, drought, farms, loans
On The Air
WGXC is on 90.7-FM now, at full-power, 3300 watts. We cover all parts of Greene County except parts of the mountaintop, and all of Columbia County except for a bit of Western Columbia County south of Germantown. WGXC also covers a large part of southern Albany County. We have heard reports that the signal is getting from Delaware County to Great Barrington, from Selkirk to Saugerties, from Pine Plains to the I-90 extension.
Local weather/webcams
National Weather Service, Albany
Hawthorne Valley Farm Weather Page
When the computer is turned on, the Hawthorne Valley Farm Weather Page reports weather information in Harlemville. Check dates and times to see whether reports are live or from when the computer was turned off.
Greene County webcams:
Catskill webcam: Thomas Cole House Claude Mirror
Nearby webcams:
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