March 30, 2021 Proposed Amendments to New Milford Zoning Regulations Regarding Agriculture. Download below
April 15, 2021 UConn Extension Exploring Beef x Dairy Crossbreeding from 1:00 to 2:00 pm.
With volatility in milk prices and increased availability of sexed semen, many dairy farmers are able to satisfy their need for replacement heifers with fewer purebred matings. Crossbreeding lower-performing dairy cows to beef bulls offers an opportunity for dairy producers to diversify markets and increase revenues. However, much has yet to be learned about genetic selection of beef bulls for crossbreeding, feeding protocols for crossbred calves, and other management strategies that ensure a high-quality, profitable meat product. Join UConn Extension Livestock Specialist Joe Emenheiser on Thursday, April 15th from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.as he presents general information on beef x dairy crossbreeding and provides insight into research that is developing at UConn and with its regional partners.
Register today by emailing MacKenzie White at mackenzie.white@uconn.edu to request the WebEx link.
April 8, 2021 Meat Slaughter/Processing Webinar 6-7:30 PM
On Thursday, April 8 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., the Connecticut Department of Agriculture (DoAg) will present a webinar to address meat slaughter and meat processing. Presenters include Dr. Lynda Lilyestrom, George Slobodjian, Joshua Rupert, John Froelich, and David Brown. The three main presentations, each lasting about 20 minutes, will cover a range of topics such as grants of inspection, custom slaughter and retail butcher exemptions, and COVID-19 funding and loan guarantee programs to improve or establish slaughter and processing capacity. The third presentation will be followed a Q&A session. Interested parties should register for the meeting using the meeting link and password below.
Meeting link: https://ctdoag.webex.com/ctdoag/j.php? MTID=m4cc93983f26e76bdbcbe39ae1774982b
Meeting number: 132 530 9056
March 31, 6-8 PM: By Zoom Connecticut Farm Bureau Association PA 490,”Connecticut’s Current Use Tax Law for Farmland, Forestland, Open Space Land and Maritime Heritage Land”
Joan Nichols, CFBA Executive Director, will present a comprehensive overview of the law, tips for applying for and maintaining the classification, and information on transferring PA 490 land.
Registration is free to all standard CFBA members and $40 for non-standard CFBA members. Join CFBA, or upgrade your membership, and the registration fee will be waived. All registrants will receive a copy of the 2020 CFBA PA 490 Guide. To register, visit www.cfba.org or call 860-768-1100.
April 6 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm: Farmland Mixer II by Zoom.
If you missed last month’s virtual Farmland Mixer, now is the time to register for the next one on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Zoom. This event is geared towards those looking to sell land, lease land, or buy land for farming.
Sign up here: bit.ly/farmlandmixer
If you are a farmer in the state that is looking for land to lease or buy, this is a great opportunity for you to talk to landowners and get other resources from service providers about how to prepare to lease or buy land. To make sure this event has the most impact possible, we are limiting the number of attendees – early registration is encouraged. Some attendees will be asked to give a 3-minute pitch for the day of the mixer. Keep in mind that pitch slots are limited, so some attendees will only be permitted to listen. Developing your own pitch will be a helpful exercise for talking with farmers and landowners you meet at the mixer.
Service providers will also be present on the day of the mixer to answer questions that come up in conversations between farmers and landowners, and to direct you towards resources for taking the next steps.
If you have any questions about the event, please reach out to Will O’Meara at will@landforgood.org
March 26, 2021: American Farmland Trust’s Solar Siting on Farmland: Lessons Learned from Across the Northeast
Hear from experts as to how CT can be thoughtful in solar siting on farmland– this session is primarily for policymakers, but may also be helpful for other government staff, farmers, and those who work with farmers and want to learn more about smart solar siting as it relates to farmland
12:30 pm- Register here.
Ecological Landscape Alliance Free Webinar April 14: Maximizing Space in the Garden: Creating More of a Good Thing, 12- 1pm
No matter if you’re gardening in a close-knit neighborhood or a sprawling estate, you want to garden efficiently, prolifically, sustainably, and beautifully. You need to garden smartly and you’ve got to conserve your resources.
This lecture focuses on all the points on your checklist. When you layer a garden, not only do you maximize space, but you can also create hardworking habitats. You can fulfill a balance between what you need and what nature needs.
Using her own garden that she calls Furthermore as an example, Tovah describes how to create layers in varied habitats including the perennial, berry, and vegetable gardens. The result is visually fulfilling, low maintenance, and mulch-eliminating when plants go wall-to-wall. This lecture shares how that shakes down to serve our needs as well as the needs of pollinators and other creatures. You can expect to hear many innovative ideas beyond the usual solutions.
Tovah Martin is an avid (verging on obsessed) gardener indoors and outside. She is the author of many gardening books. Her latest title, The Garden in Every Sense and Seasonreceived GardenComm’s Gold Medal Media Award in 2019. That book follows The Indestructible Houseplant, The Unexpected Houseplant, and The New Terrarium, and Tasha Tudor’s Garden.
A freelance writer, Tovah’s articles have appeared in publications throughout the country including Country Home, Traditional Home, Martha Stewart Living, New England Home, Flower, Cottage Journal, and many more. Tovah has also had numerous television appearances. She is the recipient of their medal for outstanding literary achievement and received the Gustav Mehlquist Award—the highest honor bestowed by the Connecticut Horticultural Society. She is an accredited Organic Land Care Professional through NOFA With lifelong experience with indoor gardening, she also serves as a houseplant coach.
Register here.
Ecological Landscape Alliance Free Webinar: Proper Planting Practices: Are We Landscaping in a Deficit Model? April 7, 12-1 pm
In the Nursery and Landscape Industry, there is an overabundance of clouded misinformation that is passed down to the general public on how to design and maintain their landscape. From every direction, inaccurate or antiquated information flows. From big box stores and local Mom and Pop nurseries to examples, images, and text on the internet.
There are visual examples that exist everywhere of ill-managed landscapes in both commercial properties and private residences.
There are significant differences in training and quality between companies that offer services based on best practices. So how do we improve our company standards or how do you, as a consumer, know if you’re getting the best quality for your money?
In this presentation, Richard McCoy will provide information on current techniques of proper planting, how to correct unseen issues that are borne in the landscape nursery, the importance of the plant root collar, plant placement by matching site conditions to a plant’s cultural needs, and how these efforts add value vs. “cheap’ alternatives.
Discussion points:
• Are We Landscaping in a Deficit Model?
• The Root (collar) of the problem
• Right Plant – Right Place
• Proper Planting B&B and Container plants
• Value vs. Cheap – You get what you pay for
Richard McCoy has over 30-years’ experience in the green industry. He is the visionary behind Richard A. McCoy Horticultural Services Inc., which he established in 1993. Since transitioning from conventional to organic and ecological methods in 2005, McCoy Horticultural has been offering environmentally and sustainably responsible, fine-gardening ecological design, green infrastructure installations, maintenance, and organic lawn care.
Richard’s work includes Stony Wood Garden, a 3.5-acre private woodland garden in Princeton, NJ, that has been recognized by The Smithsonian Institute’s Archives of American Gardens.
Richard is an advisor and practitioner council member for The Organic Landscape Association, a nationally recognized organization. Additionally, Richard is a member of Rutgers University’s Organic Land Care Working Group. He holds a Certificate of Organic Land Care through the Rutgers Organic Land Care Program, is a certified Natural Turf and Landscape Manager, is an organic Lawn Care Accredited Professional, and a NOFA (Northeast Organic Farming Association) Accredited Organic Land Care Professional.
Register here.
Foliage & Focal Points: Ideas for Budgets and Gardens of All Sizes, Ecological Landscape Alliance Free Webinar March 30, 12- 3:30 pm
We all have sections of our garden that we are less than satisfied with, yet understanding what has gone wrong can be frustrating. Instinct sends us shopping for more plants and we typically gravitate towards whatever is blooming that day in the hope that the injection of fresh color will solve the problem. Yet as we add in these new treasures, the sense of dissatisfaction quickly grows, especially when the flowers finish blooming and we are left with a muddled sea of nondescript leaves.
In this presentation, Karen Chapman will explain the importance of establishing focal points, a key component of good garden design, and analyze three areas where they play an important role. This presentation will explore the use of containers, structures, water features, and artistic sculptural elements as focal points and discuss how to frame and enhance these with interesting foliage to create a memorable vignette.
With ideas for budgets and gardens of all sizes, you will quickly gain the confidence and knowledge to transform your own landscape into a cohesive series of eye-catching scenes.
Karen Chapman was born in England and grew up with a trowel in her hand.
After moving to the Pacific Northwest in 1996 she joined one of the leading nurseries as a garden plant specialist. Ten years later she established Le jardinet, a custom landscape design company specializing in creating artistic plant combinations with a four-season foliage framework, functional outdoor living spaces, and deer-resistant designs.
Karen teaches both container and landscape design in workshops and seminars across the country as well offering a range of online learning opportunities.
When she’s not teaching garden design Karen is usually writing about it, her articles and designs being featured in many national gardening publications including Fine Gardening, Country Gardens, Sunset, and Garden Design magazines. She has co-authored two books: the award-winning Fine Foliage (St. Lynn’s Press, 2013) and the highly acclaimed Gardening with Foliage First (Timber Press, 2017) while her latest book, Deer Resistant Design: Gardens that Thrive Despite the Deer was released in 2019 (Timber Press) much to the relief of deer-challenged gardeners nationwide.
Register here.
NOFA Mass Perennial Gardens and Edible Hedges, Free Webinar March 30 from 7- 8:30 PM.
Do you want to be surrounded by a landscape that provides wildlife habitat, fosters healthy soils and provides a variety of edible fruit? Join NOFA MASS for another event from their Resilient Garden Series. Bringing perennial plants into the garden can help your garden become more resilient and beautiful. Ruth Green of Green Arts Gardens in the Berkshires will inspire us to consider the ecological benefits and design ideas when planning our perennial plantings. During this event we will learn how to:
Instructor:
Ruth Green owns Green Arts Gardens in Monterey, Massachusetts. She specializes in design, installation and ongoing care of residential and historically appropriate native, vegetable, and ornamental gardens in South Berkshire County. Ruth is a NOFA-Accredited Organic Land Care Professional and holds degrees in art, history, and landscape architecture. Her main concerns include soil restoration and stewardship, pollinator protection and native plantings, and heirloom vegetable varieties.
Register here.