Connecticut Virtual Farmer Veteran Meet and Green, June 30
Register at https://ctrcd.org/agriculture/farmup/
Virtual Farm Field Day July 15, 2021, 6 PM Establishing a Chestnut Agroforestry, by CT Resource Conservation and Development
Thinking about diversifying your farm? Considering how to incorporate tree crops using agroforestry?
Tree crops such as chestnut and hazelnut in CT are becoming a source of additional farm income and an opportunity to diversify crops and use spaces that aren’t suited to tillage or other activity.
Come learn about establishing chestnut agroforestry from farmers, agricultural, and NRCS service providers. We’ll walk though the process of assessing the property for potential tree crops and agroforestry uses. Look at the steps to establish and maintain the perennial tree crop planting at Adamah Farm which recently planted chestnuts as part of an initial phase of farm expansion. We’ll go through the process in this webinar, hear about lessons learned, and how the newly planted trees are part of the farm’s bigger plan. Hear how farms in Connecticut can get started in improving farm diversity and expand into agroforestry.
This event is FREE. However, donations are welcome in order to support the continued work of the CT Soil Health Initiative.
Click here to register.
Tour Des Farms 2021 registration opens June 1, 2021
2021 TOUR DES FARMS STARTS JUNE 1
Connecticut Resource Conservation and Development’s (CT RC&D) annual Tour des Farms (bicycle, motorcycle or car) ride is returning statewide! On Tuesday, June 1, registration will open for participants to access eight regional routes to farms all around the state.
As a program, Tour des Farms aims to move around Connecticut, ensuring diverse regional agriculture promotion. In 2019, CT RC&D held an in-person ride in Connecticut’s Quiet Corner, and for the ride’s reemergence in 2018, participants biked farms throughout the Litchfield Hills.
Adapting to social distancing guidelines, Tour des Farms pivoted for 2020. As part of the new approach to their annual ride, CT RC&D now hosts a summer-long statewide Tour des Farms event for riders to enjoy at their own pace and schedule. The event includes eight regional routes, each featuring 6-10 farms throughout the state. That’s over 75 farms getting direct support from their communities!
Registration opens June 1 at https://ctrcd.org/tourdesfarms/ and will close on October 1. A $20 registration fee includes access to 8 regional routes and the accompanying Ride with GPS Event Maps with printable cue sheets, a customizable riding bib, a TDF Farm Passport, and the chance to win exciting prizes for completed and returned TDF Passports. Riders are also welcome to offer an additional donation, as 50% of the profit generated for the event will be going toward purchasing farm products which will be donated directly to food security initiatives in the state.
May-June, 2021, 6:30 to 7:30 pm Webinar Series: Connecticut Farmland Trust staff and guest experts will be offering a weekly series to share knowledge and learn from mid-May through mid-June. This series will help land stewards gain what they need about farmland preservation and also elevate how we think about land trusts. You can meet guests who will answer the questions, How does farmland preservation work? and What else can a land trust do in addition to protecting land?
Sessions will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on their specified date. There is no cost to attend, but donations to support the work are welcome.
May 13: Farmland Conservation 101, featuring CFT’s Executive Director Elisabeth Moore
May 20: Meet n Greet Farmers Who Preserved Their Land, featuring three CT farmers
May 27: Understanding Soils: A Key to Stewardship, Land Health, and Climate Resiliency, featuring Conservation Scientist Kip Kolesinskas
June 10: Public Act 490 Overview and Q & A, featuring Joan Nichols, Connecticut Farm Bureau Association’s Executive Director
June 17: How Land Trusts Can Support Food Access, featuring Connie Manes, Executive Director to Kent Land Trust
When you register for the event you can submit questions ahead of time, or submit a question during the talk. Each webinar has a different Zoom link.
To sign up for one of these webinars, visit Connecticut Farmland Trust’s events page: http://ctfarmland.org/site/events/. If you want to register for all five of the “Ask an Expert” webinars at once, email outreach@ctfarmland.org with the subject line “All Webinar Registration” and you will be sent your personal Zoom links and codes.
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.