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Extending the Growing Season in Northern NY

Spring is here which means local greenhouses and high tunnels are filling quickly. Some businesses focus on growing transplants of flowers, vegetables, and herbs for sale to the public and others plant into the ground for a bountiful harvest later in the season. 

Last month, 19 farmers and gardeners participated in the final 2023 Ag and Food Producer Academy course organized by Cornell Cooperative Extension, Planning and Maintaining a High Tunnel or Greenhouse. The group was eager to learn how to incorporate protected structures on their own property, to extend the growing season and grow crops that otherwise might be challenging in northern New York. 

A wealth of experience was shared throughout the three online sessions and field trip day to local greenhouse businesses and high tunnels. Here are a few tidbits we gleaned from our course instructors and field trip hosts. 

  1. Determining Your Structure Size and Soil Management Plan

Judson Reid, Course Instructor and Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Vegetable Specialist emphasized proper structure size and soil management tools. Jud explained that it’s sometimes easier to start with a larger high tunnel or greenhouse so you can grow into it, rather than trying to scale up from a smaller one as your operation evolves. He walked course participants through considerations to determine the correct structure size for their business. Jud also strongly recommended having a soil management plan.

A man stands in a high tunnel between plants, speaking to a group.
Jud discussed air circulation in high tunnels and greenhouses during the field trip.

Soil tests are crucial to manage soil health and he suggests including a fertilizer injector into your system as a cost effective and efficient way to make adjustments to grow robust plants.

2. Finding Funding

Lindsey Pashow, Guest Instructor and Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Agriculture and Business Development and Marketing Specialist, discussed searching and applying for grant funding based on your farm and high tunnel or greenhouse needs. She suggested making a list of your needs and starting with internet searches, finding the past timings and deadlines of grants, and looking at past projects to see if your project is similar and a good fit. 

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Developing Skills with New Food Entrepreneurs

Every business owner comes to their work with unique strengths. Some folks start with a solid background in planning and business, while others know kitchens and food safety well. One business owner might have building and design experience, while others are proficient at developing marketing materials and outreach. Each one of these skills and many more are required when running a food business. One aspect of my job as manager of the shared-use Harvest Kitchen at the Extension Learning Farm is offering technical assistance to food entrepreneurs. Part of the technical assistance equation is understanding  a person’s strongest foundational skills and filling in with supportive information and resources where needed.

This winter, based on the most common questions I was fielding throughout the year, I designed a 3-week class called Creating or Renting a Commercial Kitchen for Your Food Business for the Ag and Food Producers Academy. In January, the group met together online in the evenings for three sessions, and we all came together for a field trip at the close of the course. 19 businesses participated and had wide ranging business ideas including dehydrated products, baked goods, prepared foods, and more.

At the close of our month together, Extension asked the class participants which aspects of the course were most valuable for them as they move forward in diversifying an existing business or starting fresh with a new idea. We had so much fun together unraveling this important and complicated topic, I wanted to share some of their comments below alongside photos of the course experience.

1. Making Connections
“I gained some new friends and I learned what others are doing locally with commercial kitchens.”

group picture
During the field trip participants toured three different facilities of varying scale and use including Kent Family Growers in Lisbon, the Harvest Kitchen at the Extension Learning Farm in Canton, and Big Spoon Kitchen in Potsdam.

2. Learning about Recipe Approvals
“It really demystified the scheduled process for me and the whole process is much less daunting than I originally imagined.”

picture of sauerkraut
Many food products require approval before being produced for sale to the public. One aspect of the course was walking through that process, and the course participants got a chance to learn directly from a process authority at the Cornell Food Venture Center.

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5 Takeaways for Building an Agritourism Experience

The second course in the 2023 Ag and Food Producers Academy, Building an Agritourism Experience on Your Farm, concluded on February 18th, with a wonderful day of field trips after three online evening sessions. 

The online sessions offered an opportunity for the 10 participating agriculture businesses to dig into the nitty gritty of creating and running an agritourism activity. Instructor Mary Godnick, Communication Coordinator for Adirondack Harvest, and guest instructor Lindsey Pashow, CCE Agriculture Business Development and Marketing Specialist, guided us through goal setting, insurance and liability considerations, and how to effectively market to your desired audience.

Two women standing in front of a window and nature exhibit.
Course Instructor Mary Godnick and Local Foods Team Leader Flip Filippi enjoying the lunch break at Nicandri Nature Center.

Our field trip time got us out into the community seeing the course materials applied by local businesses. In mid-February, we visited Kaneb Orchards in Massena, had lunch at the Nicandri Nature Centure with a special guest speaker Dillon Klepetar of Farmstead Catering at Echo Farm, and ended the day at Martins Farmstand in Potsdam. 

We covered a tremendous amount of information over the past few weeks and want to share some takeaways with farm and food business owners or new entrepreneurs who’d like to create an agritourism experience, or further develop their current one. Find several great resources at the close of this post to help with your agritourism planning.

1. Determining Goals and Boundaries

Whether you’re an existing farm or are in the planning stages of your business, consider your goals, how an agritourism enterprise might help you achieve your goals, and your boundaries. 

As important as it is to determine what your goals are for an agritourism venture, it’s equally important to determine what boundaries you have regarding your time, effort, and facility capacity. Essentially, what do you not want to do? In our first class, Mary discussed her experience with hosting on-farm meals because she knew it would be a popular option for consumers. But in practice, to run these experiences she was in the kitchen for long periods of time on those beautiful summer days, so she decided not to offer these anymore. 

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