Small farms seek closer ties to consumers [Ithaca Journal 2/28/2012] – 150 farmers and farm educators from across the state met both physically and virtually Wednesday at the Cornell Small Farms Program’s biennial New York Small Farms Summit to prioritize the organization’s efforts. “Small farms support their local communities as part of the fundamental fabric of the state,” says Anu Rangarajan, the program’s director. In a pre-summit survey, the program found that the top areas of concern for small farmers was creating new food distribution strategies, a better documentation of the impact of small farms, advocating for greater investment in small-farm support networks like Cooperative Extension and reducing the effect of livestock processing regulations on small farms.
Climate warming will lead to better wine [Cosmos 2/28/2012] – It may in some places, but not others says Terry Bates, director of the Lake Erie Research and Extension Laboratory. “Quality is a subjective term in the grape industry. Advancing maturity in warm production regions may be negative, but the same advancement in cool regions may be positive to the wine maker.”