Watershed Wake-up Call

REMINDERS: Get in the Guide! Enrollment open for new and renewing Pure Catskills members through April 30 (lots of perks) 

1. We want to know what you think about an online store for Pure Catskills products. Visit our Facebook Page and give us the thumbs up/down and product suggestions. 

Did you know...the Watershed Agricultural Council has a YouTube Channel? Check out the soils commentary by Dan Kittredge, speaker at the upcoming March 8 workshop at Rainbeau Ridge Farm.  

 

SPOTLIGHT ON PURE CATSKILLS MEMBER: Silver Heights Farm Nursery, 216 Eggler Rd., Jeffersonville, 12748, (845) 482-3608, www.silverheightsfarm.com

They specialize in annuals, perennials, seedlings and starters suitable for the Catskills, herbs and flowers, heirloom and open-pollinated vegetables and fruit. Certified organic, they also offer over 300 varieties of tomatoes. Their growing practices are simple: insecticide free, certified organic, low-spray, pesticide-free and heirloom varieties. They are open Thursday through Saturday, 10 am - 4 pm; by chance Monday through Wednesday, 10 am - 3 pm. Closed Sundays.

They also have a farmstand and a greenhouse nursery where they will be hosting the next Catskills CRAFT meeting on March 3 at 1 p.m. Nursery owner Trina Polonero and her crew will show CRAFT members:

• How to seed up lettuces and greens using small hand tools that can be home-made and speed up the jobs many-fold;
• The difference of seeding up and planning for the field versus for a retail situation, as these are quite different; and
• The importance of record-keeping in greenhouse situations.

The Catskills Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training (CRAFT) provides opportunities for beginning farmers to connect and learn from existing farmers who offer up their time, talents and experience to help prepare the next generation of agricultural entrepreneurs. CRAFT provides farmer-to-farmer learning and access to the social network and culture of local farmers. Catskills CRAFT 

• Delivers a broader experience to beginning farmers than they can receive alone;Provides a peer base to help beginning farmers connect with others who share similar goals;
• Increases the skill base in sustainable agriculture.

The first CRAFT program was founded in upstate New York in 1994. In 1997, ten farmers from northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin founded a second CRAFT program in the Upper Midwest. Since then, many more local farmer-led CRAFT alliances have sprouted up across the US and Canada.

MORE ON EVENTS:

www.shapingyouth.org

FEBRUARY 23 & MARCH 1: Investments and Managing Windfalls at CCE Resource Center in Hamden from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cost is $10 and includes lunch and materials. Sponsored by CCE-Delaware County and the Council, contact Judy Morse, CCEDC (607) 865-7161 to register.  These two classes to help farmers and individuals manage assets and income.  Today's class is introductory and helps you learn more about various kinds of investments, review the terminology and definitions of various products, investigate individuals’ risk tolerance and be of a general nature so that a basic understanding is gained.  Owen Kennedy, Farm Family Life and Insurance, will lead this session.

Next week on March 1 again from 11 a.m.. to 3 p.m., Managing Windfalls talks about how to manage lumps of money that individuals may receive through one-time payouts such as easements, inheritances or land sales. Al Davino, Delhi, will outline the basis for developing a plan to make sure that large windfalls are managed properly using his years of experience in financial planning. In addition, a tax professional will be on hand to answer questions about income taxes.

FEBRUARY 22 & 24: Group Housed Dairy Calf Symposium at two locations (Tally Ho Restaurant, Richfield Springs and Holiday Inn Southside, Oneonta).Sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension and Cornell PRO-DAIRY, cost is $30. Mail in registration or contact Kim Holden, CCEDC (607) 865-7090.

FEBRUARY 28: Dairy Farm Barn Meeting at Albano Dairy from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Free but RSVP to Kim Holden, CCE-DC (607)865-7090.

MARCH 1: Easement Program Committee Meeting, 44 West Street, Walton from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. (Agenda)
 

MARCH 10: Landowners and Your Woods: A Forest Management Primer at the Agroforestry Resource Center in Acra from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.. Cost is $10/person, $15/family. Mary Spring, professional forester, will provide basic concepts of best forestry management practices, forest management planning  and the value of working with a forester. Come dressed for the weather, as the outdoor component is held in the Siuslaw Model Forest. To register, contact CCE Greene County (518) 622-9820.

MARCH 22: Are You Ready for the Next Disaster? Public Officials Workshop at Margaretville Fire Hall, 3rd Floor. Sponsored by Catskill Watershed Corp., this session is open to regional public officials. (845) 586-1400.

SAVE THE DATE:  April 19 at SUNY-Delhi the screening of Living Downstream followed by a discussion panel. From 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. in the Okun Theater in Farrell Hall on the SUNY-Delhi campus. Living Downstream is a cinematic feature-length documentary based on the acclaimed book by ecologist and cancer survivor Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D.
 

Environmental Film Series at 76 Main! in Stamford every Thursday at 7 p.m. Price of admission is freewill donation.

 

Thursday, May 3: Vanishing Bees

Thursday, May 10: What's On Your Plate?
Thursday, May 17: Tapped
Thursday, May 24: Dirt! The Movie
Thursday, May 31: Windfall (I believe you said this one would be available)
Thursday, June 7: The Greenhorns
Thursday, June 14: Reclaiming Our Water
Thursday, June 21: Good Wood
Thursday, June 28: Truck Farm

Catskills FarmLink has an 83-acre share/partnership property available in Berne (just above Rensellearville). Acreage includes 18 acres of open fields, some limited maple sugar bush and about 65 acres of woods available. The landowner is open to a number of working situations including lease, trade and partnership opportunities. Their only requirements are that potential partners use organic growing methods. Rustic seasonal housing is available for the right person with options for year-round living. Shoot them a call to discuss other options such as produce, small livestock or poultry operations, even a micro-brewery and growing hops or grains.

Tune in every week, Thursday at 7:15 a.m., on WIOX Community Radio 91.3FM. In the meantime, follow us on Facebook for the latest on the Watershed Agricultural Council and Pure Catskills or visit our blogs, You & Your Watershed and Pure Catskills Local.