Interested in Raising Chickens?
Click here for a pretty good little primer on how-to and what to expect.

Eggs from hens raised where they can eat seeds, grass and bugs are far more nutritious than eggs from confined hens in factory farms. MOTHER EARTH NEWS research shows that eggs from hens raised on pasture have:

• 1⁄3 less cholesterol
• 1⁄4 less saturated fat
• 2⁄3 more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta carotene
• 4 to 6 times more vitamin D

For detailed information on the attributes of over 75 chicken breeds, check out this link.

Here's another thing to know about homegrown chickens -- they are more nutritious and flavorful than store-bought chickens, but require different cooking techniques. Learn different methods of cooking both different ages and different breeds of chickens here.


 Planning the Garden: A Self-Paced Workshop on CD 

Developed and presented by Diane Green in 2011, this CD shares planning information when you most need it and outlines it in such a way that you don’t have to read an entire book to figure out what you need to do to plan for a successful gardening season.  www.greentreenaturals.com/products.htm


 Inter-planting Crops for Variable Harvest is Easy! 
The folks at the Seed Library share some tips with you on how, what and when to plant to keep your crops productive all season long!
http://www.seedlibrary.org/wp/sow-now-what-20-seeds-to-sow-for-summer


 Small-scale Grain Growing 
This book review and other links will give you some "food for thought" on growing grains in your own backyard!    www.ethicurean.com/2009/02/04/small-scale-grain-raising


 Food, Cooking & Nutrition 
Food traditions brought to you by the Weston A. Price Foundation.  www.westonaprice.org



Learn about the various products that do and do not contain GMO’s. www.nongmopoject.org

A tutorial and tips on GMO's and how to avoid them as much as possible.  Includes a Shopper's Guide of companies and products committed to being GMO-free, by category of foodstuff.  Print-able 20 page guide from The Center for Food Safety is here:    http://truefoodnow.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/cfs-shoppers-guide.pdf.  The Shoppers’ Guide is also on a free app for iPhone and Androids (see page 20 of Guide).

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...BEFORE IT HAD A NAME:
Click here to view a five minute video foray to Vietnam, where 28 generations over 300 years have developed this 2-acre food forest garden that feeds the family and provides all the medicinal plants they need.

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"Value Added" means foods that are processed (canned, frozen, dried, smoked, etc.)
in order to add the value of selling the food product on the market as packaged goods.


    New York State Small Scale Food Processors Association
www.nyssfpa.com
NOTE: The Sustainable Living Project is one of the local "1000 Islands Region" representatives for the SSFPA and is active on their Board of Directors.

   NYS Farmers' Direct Marketing Association
www.nysfdma.com

   Northeast Center for Food Entrepreneurship at the New York State Food Venture Center
www.nysaes.cornell.edu/necfe.html


    Here are several excellent resources from the 2011 Value Added Institute of the NY Small-Scale Food Processors Assn.  (see link above)

HELPFUL WEB SITES FOR PRESERVATION OF HARVEST
The following resource list was suggested to our Preserving the Harvest class by instructor, Elizabeth Beals of Beth’s Farm Kitchen
 

1. The National Center for Home Food Preservation is a GREAT resource at http://nchfp.uga.edu/
   
   
2. The pH meter that is inexpensive and easily ordered is called a Checker pH meter.  You can order it online or at Amazon: http//www.amazon.com/Hanna-instruments- Inc-Hl98103-Checker/dp/B000WTELF4
   
   
3. The Book of Yields is indispensable in giving weight measure to volume conversions for non-water like substances. It gives you average yields on produce, depending on how you process them. Very valuable and recommend everyone get one. http://www.amazon.com/Book-Yields-Accuracy-Costing- Purchasing/dp/047145785X
   
   
4. Canned Acidified Foods  Link with explanation of why food establishments have to register their facility and low-acid foods (while tomato products are not low-acid and don’t need to be registered with FDA, you STILL need a scheduled process for them): http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/Product-SpecificInformation/AcidifiedLow-AcidCannedFoods/EstablishmentRegistrationThermalProcessFiling/Instructions/ucm125439.htm#part4
   
   
5. FDA Facility Registration  Here is the website to register your facility with the FDA (unless you are exempt) https://www.access.fda.gov/oaa/
   
   
6. Label Laws  Here is the food label law packet link. It’s 122 pages, but really exhaustive and well explained information packet on how you properly label your product. You don’t have to pay money to a fancy label maker to comply.  http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/GuidanceDocumets/FoodLabelingNutrition/FoodLabelingGuide/UCM265446.pdf

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SPIN-Farming® 2.0 Guide

SPIN-Farming 2.0: Production Planning & Crop Profiles quantifies exactly how much money a farmer can generate for 40 crops grown on less than an acre.  SPIN stands for “small plot intensive,” and it is a system that combines intensive production with a direct marketing business model.  The book is available on the website, either as a download or hard copy.  The SLP isn't endorsing this system (we haven't used it), but it does sound interesting.  Here's the site for more information:  http://www.spinfarming.com/

A FREE online course for beginning farmers, "Acquiring Your Farm" takes farm seekers through a comprehensive,step-by-step investigation of options and strategies focused on access to land and farms.  There are 7 topic modules. Each topic is loaded with content, plus stories and resources. Every topic includes tools, worksheets and checklists. The course is designed so that each learner can come away with a customized farm acquisition action plan.


Start2Farm.gov is a new (March 2012) website for beginning farmers, a USDA-Farm Bureau collaboration to develop a Curriculum and Training Clearinghouse for new and beginning farmers.

 Marketing Resources 

Selling to to Restaurants  ATTRA Guide #IP255, 2004  an informative outline on Direct Marketing to Restaurants

Glynwood Guide to Serving Local Food on Your Menu  an invaluable resource according to restauranteurs.  As a farmer, you need to read these things as well, so you can connect on the same level with your customers.

"Selling Produce to Restaurants", Diane Green, 1999

www.GrowingForMarket.com a trade publication with news, advice and resources for market farmers

www.LocalHarvest.org a listing service of farms, CSA's, stores, restaurants, etc. relating to local foods.

NY Market Maker a blog by NY Cornell Cooperative Extension that helps educate on "why" local foods.

   Agricultural Market Service at USDA : www.ams.usda.gov

   Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is a comprehensive working lands conservation program designed to protect and improve natural resources and the environment for generations to come. CSP provides technical and financial assistance to farmers to actively manage and maintain existing systems and to implement additional conservation activities on land.
http://sustainableagriculture.net/publications/grassrootsguide/conservation-environment/conservation-stewardship-program

   Cornell Cooperative Extension:

• http://www.cce.cornell.edu  (See local SLC Extension link above)
•  www.nybeginningfarmers.org
  
• www.smallfarms.cornell.edu

   Farmers Market Federation of New York: www.nyfarmersmarket.com

   National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition: http://sustainableagriculturecoalition.org

   National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service: The latest in sustainable agriculture and organic farming news, events, and funding opportunities. www.attra.ncat.org

   New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets: www.agmkt.state.ny.us

   Northern New York Agricultural Development Program: The site offers informational resources, press releases and fact sheet for a wide variety farming topics. www.nnyagdev.org

   NY Farms!: www.nyfarms.info

   North East Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NESAWG):  The Northeast's food and farm network — a 12-state collaborative working for a sustainable, healthy and secure regional food system.  www.nefood.org

   Small Farm Resources: www.smallfarms.cornell.edu/pages/resources/organizations/orgs.cfm

   Sustainable Farming: Know your Farmer, How the USDA Can help: USDA programs/grants can be confusing and most Farmers and rural conservation / development groups are unaware of what the USDA has to offer.        

• Know your Farmer, Know your Food: www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/knowyourfarmer?navid=KNOWYOURFARMER
• Farmers Market Promotion Program: http://sustainableagriculture.net/publications/grassrootsguide/local-food-systems-rural-development/farmers-market-promotion-program
• Organic Certification Cost Share: http://sustainableagriculture.net/publications/grassrootsguide/organic-production/organic-certification-cost-share

   United States Department of Agriculture: www.usda.gov

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