County funds CCE grazing specialist for another year
NORWICH – A county funded position at the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chenango County will exist for another year after getting approval from the county’s Planning and Economic Development Committee on Tuesday.
The position of grazing specialist at the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chenango County (CCE) was put into play in 2012, when Chenango County government agreed to help fund the position at a cost of $17,000 per year for three years. With the third year of that agreement starting this month, CCE sought authorization of the release of the remaining funds to keep the position going until August, 2015.
According to Ken Smith, Executive Director of the CCE of Chenango County, the grazing specialist has been influential in ag economic development in the county. With a slight uptick in small dairy farms over the last year that led to more than a dozen new farming operations in Chenango, there’s evidence the position is fulfilling its purpose, Smith said.
“There has been a lot of coming and going of manufacturing and different businesses in the county, but over the last 150 to 200 years, dairy farming and grazing-based farming have been the cornerstone of our local economy,” he added. “One of the things we have been working on lately is promoting Chenango County as a destination for farmers.”
The grazing specialist is active in retaining farms in the area, particularly small operations, Smith told committee members. In addition to promoting grazing techniques to farmers, the position has also been responsible for marketing farming opportunities in the county to outside beef and dairy producers, and soliciting farmland via a database of local farmland that’s for sale or rent in the area.
According to Smith, a small farm can bring in approximately $250,000 every year. On average, a farm in Chenango County yields approximately $500,000 per year, he said. And with an aging population of farmers across the state, it’s helpful that CCE have a position that can assist with farmland preservation.
“There’s two aspects to the position. One is to keep folks here, and the other is trying to attract new folks,” Smith said. “We feel that it has been successful in keeping farmers in Chenango County in business.”
Despite the slow rise in small dairy farms over the last year, Chenango County has seen a dramatic loss in the number of farms since 2007. From 2007-2012, the number of farms in the county dropped from 908 to 828, according to data from the 2012 U.S. Census of Agriculture. Meanwhile, available farmland has also decreased from 177,200 acres to 167,200 acres while the average size of a farm has increased from 195 acres to 202 acres.
County officials may hear the case to keep CCE’s grazing specialist again next year, though the original three-year agreement for the position is set to expire in 2015.
The position of grazing specialist at the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chenango County (CCE) was put into play in 2012, when Chenango County government agreed to help fund the position at a cost of $17,000 per year for three years. With the third year of that agreement starting this month, CCE sought authorization of the release of the remaining funds to keep the position going until August, 2015.
According to Ken Smith, Executive Director of the CCE of Chenango County, the grazing specialist has been influential in ag economic development in the county. With a slight uptick in small dairy farms over the last year that led to more than a dozen new farming operations in Chenango, there’s evidence the position is fulfilling its purpose, Smith said.
“There has been a lot of coming and going of manufacturing and different businesses in the county, but over the last 150 to 200 years, dairy farming and grazing-based farming have been the cornerstone of our local economy,” he added. “One of the things we have been working on lately is promoting Chenango County as a destination for farmers.”
The grazing specialist is active in retaining farms in the area, particularly small operations, Smith told committee members. In addition to promoting grazing techniques to farmers, the position has also been responsible for marketing farming opportunities in the county to outside beef and dairy producers, and soliciting farmland via a database of local farmland that’s for sale or rent in the area.
According to Smith, a small farm can bring in approximately $250,000 every year. On average, a farm in Chenango County yields approximately $500,000 per year, he said. And with an aging population of farmers across the state, it’s helpful that CCE have a position that can assist with farmland preservation.
“There’s two aspects to the position. One is to keep folks here, and the other is trying to attract new folks,” Smith said. “We feel that it has been successful in keeping farmers in Chenango County in business.”
Despite the slow rise in small dairy farms over the last year, Chenango County has seen a dramatic loss in the number of farms since 2007. From 2007-2012, the number of farms in the county dropped from 908 to 828, according to data from the 2012 U.S. Census of Agriculture. Meanwhile, available farmland has also decreased from 177,200 acres to 167,200 acres while the average size of a farm has increased from 195 acres to 202 acres.
County officials may hear the case to keep CCE’s grazing specialist again next year, though the original three-year agreement for the position is set to expire in 2015.
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