Hello Everyone,
I am so sorry that I have not posted in a while-, but things have been pretty busy in the office.
Here are a few updates:
- I attended the Farm Bureau annual meeting at the end of October, and learned about some of their success in 2017.
- The 2018 Officers: President- Tim Marbot, Vice President- Paul Moleski, Seats- Chuck Peters, Matt Grab, Matt Trzcinski, and Sandy Washburn
- We had our annual recognition banquets where we acknowledged our youth and Volunteers on a fantastic 4-H year.
- I took my first trip to the amazing Cornell University to attend the Agriculture, Food and Environmental Systems In-service (which is the main purpose of this post).
This 3 day conference is full of worships that are designed to bring together faculty, educators, and industry professionals from a variety of agricultural fields to discuss the latest developments in research and practice. This was an incredible opportunity! I not only got to meet people who work with CCE at the University and other counties, but I learned a lot. Below are a few highlights.
- Grown and Certified: An evolution of the Pride of NY Program. This It promotes NY AG products while addressing consumer awareness of food and safety environmental issues.
- Motivating on-farm change and Improving Client Engagement: To motivate change, we too must change- We talk too much, we are eager to provide recommendations when it is about supportive and collaborative learning. We need to understand the client, communicate, and use motivational interviewing.
- The “10 Commandments of Pastured Pork Production: The presenter of this workshop did an incredible job of explaining what needs to be kept in mind when being a part of the pork industry, and he did it in a quick and simple way. I would love to do a session similar to this in the future-Please, let me know if you or someone you know would be interested in this.
- AG Protection: Farmers can apply for their land to become an AG District. Meaning that their land is protected by a set of laws.
- Equine Welfare: That horse slaughter is not illegal, it is just defunded. Along with the viewing of horses as livestock vs. pets.
I found the AG protection and Equine Welfare workshops the most fascinating. Why? Well, I think it is awesome that there are a set of laws that better protect a farmer and his or her land. It also made me want to research if Tennessee has a similar set of laws. As for Equine Welfare- that is just one of my favorite “hot” topics in the AG industry.
I would like to know your view on the subject: Do you view horses as livestock or as a pet and why. Leave a comment below.
Like I’ve said before, I am always open to ideas. If anyone has any suggestions for programs or blog posts, please do not hesitate to contact me! Also, reach out to me if you have any questions related to livestock, and if I do not know the answer I can help point you in the right direction. You can reach my by email, kls342@cornell.edu, or by phone, at (518) 272-4210 ext. 105.
Thanks Y’all,
-Kayela Statom
