NORWICH – Chenango County may not have gotten any of the state’s recent $5 million allocation for ag industry growth in the Southern Tier, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be a local impact, according to the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chenango County.
The first two major projects under the state’s $5 million Southern Tier Agricultural Industry Enhancement program were announced in March. They include $500,000 to the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County for a one-stop agriculture development center and Taste NY market in Broome County, and $627,055 to Cornell University’s stocker cattle initiative for training and research in the growing cattle and beef industry.
“It’s good news for the entire area. The stocker cattle initiative especially is important for our region because realistically, beef cattle is a growing industry in Chenango County,” explained Ken Smith, executive director for the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chenango County. “We’re capable of being one of the biggest beef producing counties in New York State.”
Cornell’s stocker cattle initiative will help promote beef as a viable career option for new farmers, as well as veteran farmers who are looking to diversify. The program will include informational seminars and training for farmers entering the stocker cattle industry, and provide personnel to assist in the grading and marketing process.
In Chenango County, where the dairy industry is shrinking, Cornell’s stocker cattle project provides lots of opportunities for many farms to stay viable, Smith said.
“Even though dairy has shrunk in terms of number of farms in it’s footprint, it has left behind a lot of infrastructure, like barns, land and fencing, and a lot of people with livestock experience that can be translated into the beef market,” he said. “It really takes advantage of the resources we have in this county.”
As for the regional market funded under the Southern Tier Ag Industry Enhancement Program, there’s opportunity there too, Smith added.
“We have some farmer’s markets here, but this creates more opportunities for farmers in Chenango to sell and market their products,” he said.
The Southern Tier Agricultural Industry Enhancement program is part of an original $30 million plan announced by the NYS Commissioner of Ag and Markets to bolster the state’s ag resources. The remaining $25 million will help farmers increase ag production on farms and improve profitability.
Cornell Cooperative of Chenango County is also encouraging local farmers to pursue funding under the state’s $100 million Upstate Revitalization Initiative. Smith said that while there aren’t currently plans to apply for funding through the Southern Tier Ag Enhancement program, the Co-op still has an eye on upcoming opportunities through both resources.
“We’re glad to see this $5 million is helping projects in the region, but we are working more with farms to pursue projects in the Upstate Revitalization Initiative,” he said. “It’s a bigger pot of money that we think could have more benefit for our county.”