Slides from today’s webinar are at: http://blogs.cornell.edu/cornellcea/
Some questions are asked and answered live and will be available when the video is available – at the same site.
ESDC link to guidance on essential businesses. At the bottom of the link you can find the “apply for an essential business designation here” button which will give you some guidance. But essentially, anything related to food production and supporting the food system is allowed. The grey area becomes when you have essential and non-essential items in your place of business.
https://esd.ny.gov/guidance-executive-order-2026
Are there any solutions or proposals to redistribute excess of food from GH producing food which now have surplus due closing of restaurants and schools?
Here is the link to the NYS food donation tax credit. If you have excess produce and donate to a food bank, this will tell you how to obtain a credit on your taxes (filed next year; so not immediate, but helpful) https://www.tax.ny.gov/bus/farm-donations-credit.htm
U-line is out of sanitizer, can you suggest any sources for hand sanitizer or recipes for sanitizer?
Here is the link to distillery information about handsanitizer:
This is the link to the SBA Emergency Economic Disaster fund, NYS received a declaration from the federal government that we are a disaster area, and green industry businesses should be eligible for this fund. Note for farms: USDA has a disaster package coming but it’s not clear yet what or who will receive assistance from the USDA funds yet, which do specify as eligible specialty crops and dairy. https://www.sba.gov/disaster-assistance/coronavirus-covid-19#section-header-3
Can you speak on Payroll Protection Act and how it applies to ag/greenhouse?
Link to Farm Credit East webinars – both those coming and those recorded. Tax and Payroll Provisions of federal acts. Paycheck Protection Program (April 7 11:00 AM EST) https://www.farmcrediteast.com/webinars
Getting questions from Nurseries about trying to develop online sales resources and manage safe pick-up time/method. Good resources?
Links for online sales, most of these seem more food related, https://www.youngfarmers.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Farm-direct-sales-software-1.pd
https://tilth.org/education/resources/online-sales-platforms-for-farmers/
Could you clarify specifics for allowable landscape maintenance activities?
Landscape maintenance and pest control is actually found on the NYS Ag and Markets guidance for horticulture facilities (which again is different from previous guidance). Click here, and then scroll down the page to the Horticulture section. https://agriculture.ny.gov/coronavirus
In terms of keeping plants alive that are non-food plants, you can find that on the ESDC website. It’s not specific to plants – but point number 5 allows maintenance for the infrastructure of the facility or to maintain or safeguard materials or products therein
Where is grant for handwashing station?
NYCAMH resources for hand washing stations
https://www.nycamh.org/programs-and-services/john-may-farm-safety-fund.php
Would a horticulture business that delivers soil to urban community gardens be considered essential? Their customer was told the business had been asked to re-apply for their essential status. Other parts of their business may be considered non-essential.
Would installing new fruit trees in a landscape be considered as essential?
Can a landscaper install a new vegetable garden?
All these qualify as relating to food production and so are considered essential.
Do you have any recommendations on how to handle cash during sales at the nursery?
Use gloves, and handwashing, and sanitize as much as possible. Also encourage the use of credit cards or other payment systems.
Many resources from previous emails to the greenhouse list servs are archived at: https://blogs.cornell.edu/ornamentalcropsipm/
If you would like to be on the listserv, please contact Betsy Lamb at eml38@cornell.edu