Poolville

Why Subscribe to the Madison County Courier Weekly?

August 25, 2011 By margo Leave a Comment

By Mike Bova, publisher

Did you know the average visit to a news site is 3-4 minutes? That tells me people are not reading their newspaper online. They are only reading a story or stories of interest.

There is nothing better that sitting down with a cup of coffee and flipping through the pages of a local newspaper. You can peruse the paper at your leisure. There is not a computer to fire up and it’s easy on the eyes…no glare.

Plus, you’d have to click on 70-80 pages of www.MadisonCountyCourier.com to read what is in one issue of the Madison County Courier Weekly.

The Weekly is so good, it will even be seen in Steven Soderbergh’s blockbuster movie, Haywire, which is opening Jan. 20, 2012.

Also, you should really purchase a subscription to the Weekly, which supports your local newspaper and keeps the newspaper in business.

Lastly, we just made it a little less expensive for everybody. Until Sept. 30, 2011, a 13 week subscription is only $10 (normally $13.) A 26 week subscription is only $15 (normally $20) and a 52 week subscription is only $25 (normally $35.)

If you buy a subscription to the Madison County Courier Weekly, I promise you won’t be sorry you did. Thank you for supporting your county newspaper.

Filed Under: Bouckville-Solsville, Bridgeport-Lakeport, Brookfield, Business & Finance, Canastota, Cazenovia, Chittenango, Clockville, DeRuyter, Earlville, Eaton, Erieville, Fenner, Georgetown, Hamilton, Kenwood, Kirkville, Knoxboro, Lebanon, Lenox, Leonardsville, Lincoln, Madison, Morrisville, Munnsville, Nelson, New Woodstock, North Brookfield, North Chittenango, Oneida, Oneida Castle, Opinion-Editorial, Perryville, Peterboro, Poolville, Pratts Hollow, Randallsville, Rippleton, Sheds, Sherburne, Smithfield, Stockbridge, Sullivan, Top Stories, Wampsville, West Eaton, West Edmeston, Whitelaw Tagged With: madison county courier, mike bova

Fiver Children’s Foundation Wins National Summer Learning Award

August 24, 2011 By margo Leave a Comment

Central New York summer camp recognized as one of the best summer learning programs

(Hamilton, Poolville, NY – Aug. 12, 2011) The Fiver Children’s Foundation, a New York City-based youth development organization with a camp in Hamilton, has been chosen as one the recipients of the 2011 Excellence in Summer Learning Awards.

All Fiver students in grades three through 12 attend Camp Fiver, a residential summer program aimed at helping at-risk kids develop strong character, improve literacy and develop healthy decision-making habits.

Fifteen percent of Fiver’s participants live in upstate New York in the areas surrounding Camp Fiver. The organization makes a 10-year commitment to each participant from ages 8 to 18, which allows for focus on long-term character development.

Camp Fiver’s curriculum aims to promote healthy life choices, enhance self-efficacy and leadership skills, motivate the participants to succeed in school, and increase their employability. Participants are encouraged and aided in developing a sense of self and ways to relate to the world around them through the foundation’s Whole Self curriculum.

“One of the main reasons Fiver is successful is because its immersive culture becomes embedded in kids’ hearts,” says Executive Director Christie Ko. “It is more than a program to the 550 children enrolled and more than 100 alumni. Fiver is an extended family. We are incredibly proud to have created a program that is worthy of this distinction from the NSLA.”

Research has established that low-income students are disproportionately at risk to lose academic skills during the summer. Excellence Award winning programs strive to curb these losses, but also employ other research-based practices to build 21st Century skills, confidence, parental engagement and future aspirations.

This annual award recognizes summer programs demonstrating excellence in accelerating academic achievement and promoting healthy development for young people, demonstrating exemplary practices in overall programming, including supporting staff, schools and other program partners in fulfilling shared goals.

“This year’s Excellence Award winners are nothing short of inspiring,” said Sarah Pitcock, the Association’s senior director of program quality. “This diverse crop of programs is evidence that regardless of subject matter or setting, young people thrive when summer learning programs build relationships, self-efficacy and knowledge in equal measure.”

Filed Under: Announcements, Hamilton, Poolville, Top Stories, Youth Tagged With: Christie Ko, The Fiver Children's Foundation

Louisiana, Cajun Music Celebrated at EOH

August 17, 2011 By margo Leave a Comment

(Earlville, NY – Aug. 2011) The high energy rocking Cajun music of Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys returns to the stage of the Earlville Opera House this Saturday Aug. 20 at 8 p.m. in honor of the EOH 40th anniversary.

Steve Riley, of Mamou (pronounced Mam-moo) Louisiana, is a widely acknowledged master of the Cajun accordion and its singularly powerful sound.

The Mamou Playboys include some of the finest musicians in south Louisiana: Kevin Wimmer is one of Cajun music’s most eloquent voices on the fiddle. Sam Broussard generates a cyclone of guitar. Kevin Dugas on drums and Brazos Huval on bass are a Cadillac V-8 of a rhythm section.

General admission is $20 and $18 with an EOH membership. Students are discounted to $15. For more information, call 691-3550.

Filed Under: Announcements, Calendar of Events, Dining & Entertainment, Earlville, Poolville, Sherburne Tagged With: Earlville NY news, Earlville Opera House

Earlville Residents Ignore Water Project Workshop

August 16, 2011 By margo Leave a Comment

By Chris Hoffman

(Earlville, NY – Aug. 2011) On Monday Aug. 8, the Village of Earlville offered a workshop for residents to explain in detail the debt service payment plan for the new water system. The workshop was suggested by Jeff Smith, President and CEO of Municipal Solutions, the company hired by the Village to come up with a solution for paying back the low-interest USDA Rural Development loan that funded the water project after the trustees learned that the loan payments had to come out of the Water Fund and not the General Fund.

Present were Mayor Mark Doeberl; Trustee and Deputy Mayor William Excell; Trustees Henry Moore, Gerald Hayes, and Tom Taylor; Clerk-Treasurer Kelly Beach; and Smith. Despite notice of the workshop in local papers and the Village Office, only one Village resident attended.

Smith’s projections indicate that beginning in January 2012, individual users will pay $200 per year in debt service payments in addition to their water consumption. That figure will increase about $4 a year over time in order to build a balance in the Water Fund. Future loan payments will then be paid out of the Water Fund. The first payment of $17,000 is due in November 2011 and is already included in the current budget.

Certain water project costs can be legally paid from the General Fund, including: Access Road ($54,000), Tree Removal ($37,312), Sidewalks ($317,200), Engineering ($75,000), and Administrative ($32,000). The total amount of these costs is a little over $515,000, and will be paid in full by 2028 out of grant monies deposited in the General Fund. The remaining loan debt of $2.465 million will be paid in semi-annual payments out of the Water Fund as its balance grows from users’ debt service payments. That portion will be paid in full by 2050.

This payment plan, which requires contribution by all Village water users in the amount of a little over $200 a year (less than $17 a month), will allow the Water Fund to accumulate the funds to meet the repayment schedule. This payment plan also treats all users equally and shares the burden equitably.

Trustee Moore pointed out that many municipalities that choose to upgrade services are doing the projects piecemeal with significant periods of time in between each step. By doing the water project all at once, the Village Trustees are actually saving residents money in the long run.

Also discussed at the workshop were additional ways to raise money for the Water Fund. During work on the water project, a significant leak was discovered on South Main Street that was losing 65,000 gallons of water a day. That leak has now been fixed, and it was suggested that that volume of water could be sold to the gas companies for drilling operations if permitting in the state begins. No decisions have been made, but the suggestion will be further discussed and considered at future Board meetings.

The Village has posted its Water Rules & Regulations policy on its website at http://www.villageofearlville.com/ourvillagewater.htm. Beginning in September, regular Board meetings will be held on the second Tuesday of the month. The next meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Sept. 13. Clerk-Treasurer Beach can be reached at 691-2121.

Chris Hoffman is a freelance writer/reporter for the Madison County Courier. She can be reached at Madnews@m3pmedia.com.

Filed Under: Earlville, Government & Politics, Poolville, Sherburne Tagged With: Chris Hoffman, Earlville NY news, Gerald Hayes, Henry Moore, Jeff Smith, kelly Beach, madison county courier, Mayor Mark Doeberl, Municipal Solutions, Tom Taylor, village of earlville, William Excell

Amplify Your Savings: Think, Shop, Live Madison County

August 4, 2011 By margo Leave a Comment

(Madison County, NY – July 2011) Shopping near home not only helps keep taxes down and your family, friends and neighbors at work, it is good for the environment.

Supporting local businesses means saving gas (hovering around $4 a gallon), saving steps and reducing emission pollutants that compromise the integrity of our air quality.

If you can’t find what you need from the folks who maintain their businesses here, ask them to stock what you like, and if it’s a specialty item, get friends who use the same item to commit to buying there, too.

It’s handy for you, and you’re providing a guaranteed market for a product or service someone previously hadn’t provided.

Think – shop – live Madison County!

Find us on Facebook and share your business news at facebook.com/pages/Think-Shop-Live-Madison-County/131080236971309. For more information on profiling your business in the Madison County Courier, email MadNews@m3pmedia.com.

Filed Under: Bouckville-Solsville, Bridgeport-Lakeport, Brookfield, Business & Finance, Canastota, Cazenovia, Chittenango, DeRuyter, Earlville, Eaton, Economics, Fenner, Georgetown, Hamilton, Hubbardsville, Kirkville, Lebanon, Lenox, Lincoln, Madison, Morrisville, Munnsville, Nelson, New Woodstock, North Chittenango, Oneida, Perryville, Peterboro, Poolville, Pratts Hollow, Randallsville, Rippleton, Smithfield, Stockbridge, Sullivan, Wampsville, West Eaton, West Edmeston, Whitelaw Tagged With: madison county courier, madison county ny news, Think Shop Live Madison County

Da Pooch – A Thrilling Tale!

August 4, 2011 By margo Leave a Comment

(Earlville, NY – Aug. 2011) The Earlville Awesome House presents a free Family Series Event that starts with the adventures of Da Pooch on Sunday afternoon Aug. 7 at 3 p.m. Master story teller and Touchstone Theater co-founder, Bill George, enacts the amusing tale of Poochie’s birthday with music, audience participation and joyful silliness.

Meet the artist in a post-show Q&A with the actor. Immediately following the performance, come to an Ice Cream Social hosted by the Earlville Free Library.

Representatives from Wanderer’s Rest share tales of animals in search of new friends and the volunteers who help them find these happy endings.

The event is free but reserve tickets.

For more information, call 691-3550 or visit earlvilleoperahouse.com.

Filed Under: Calendar of Events, Dining & Entertainment, Earlville, Poolville Tagged With: Earlville NY news, Earlville Opera House

Panel Discusses Hydrofracking

July 28, 2011 By margo Leave a Comment

Who Do You Believe – Industry Scientists or Environmental Scientists?

By Chris Hoffman

(Hamilton, NY – July 2011) On July 19, the Southern Madison County Gas Coalition (SMCGC), a group of landowners allied to garner the best outcome for leasing and environmental protection should hydrofracking be allowed, held an informational meeting at Hamilton Central School.

Presentations were made by Dr. Donald Siegel, Professor of Earth Sciences at Syracuse University, and Dr. Scott Cline, a petroleum geologist and engineer. A panel discussion followed, moderated by David W. Keefe, CEO of international oil and gas consulting company Petro Enterprises, Inc., former employee of Exxon Mobile, and a long-time resident of Madison County. All three panelists have posted to the website of the organization Friends of Natural Gas NY.

Siegel’s presentation was titled, “Shale-Bed Methane: A Critique of Perceived and Real Hydrologic Problems,” and culminated in his statement that “fracking will not create systemic water problems.” He stated that only about 10 percent of the 2 to 5 million gallons of water used per well comes back out, and “what doesn’t come out does not move or flow underground.”

He cited data from the US Geological Survey’s gauged streams project that shows 500 million to 2.5 billion gallons of water now flowing, and called using 5 million gallons of water per well for hydrofracking “very minimal.” He noted that the “fracture zone” takes place 2,000 to 3,000 feet below potable water levels, and the energy released during hydrofracking is “less than that released by an air gun.”

Siegel stated that Ian Urbina’s series in the New York Times on hydrofracking was misleading because “past waste disposal and well sealing practices have no bearing on the future” and that new rules and best practices allow for wastewater to be processed and re-used in drilling.

Cline’s presentation focused on the proposed regulatory changes in the draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Study (dSGEIS), stating that these new proposed regulations will “ensure safe development at every step” and that NY regulations will “mitigate most of the incidents experienced in PA,” such as methane migration, site spills, and failure of blowout prevention.

Additionally, Cline’s research has led him to believe that hydrofracking does not cause either aquifer contamination or methane migration.

Background

The original dSGEIS was released on September 30, 2009, with a 90-day public comment period. The DEC received 13,000 comments. The preliminary revised draft SGEIS (prdSGEIS) was released on July 8, 2011, and is nearly 1100 pages long. It can be accessed by visiting dec.ny.gov/energy/75370. By the end of this month, socioeconomic and community impact studies will be added to the prdSGEIS and are expected to be available for public access by Fall 2011.

The public comment period for the prdSGEIS is currently set for 60 days. Publication of the final SGEIS is anticipated by December 2011.

Questions and Comments from the Audience

How can we be assured of protection against shoddy operators?

Panel Response: More stringent regulations and higher standards; no permits will be issued beyond the DEC’s oversight ability; permitting fees to DEC from gas companies will fund additional DEC staff; constructing the wellheads is very expensive, which limits involvement to large, well-capitalized operators.

Keefe added that the SMCGC proposed lease for its members would hold the gas companies accountable for all actions associated with construction and drilling.

According to one attendee whose profession is disaster recovery and reconstruction, “Bradford County, Pa. looks like one of the worst disaster sites I have ever seen since hydrofracking has commenced there.”

He cited white dust on everything, residual wastewater being sprayed on the roads to keep the dust down, gas lines in people’s back yards, constant noise and hum from machinery. Upon inquiry during his visit there, he learned that the workers were not local people, but were brought in from Canada.

Panel Response: Construction is “initially disruptive, but it moves on.” The gas companies repair the roads at their own cost; the promise of a domestic gas supply instead of foreign oil is worth the inconvenience. This man’s inquiry, “where is the gas going?” was not answered by the Panel.

A woman stated that she had learned that there are currently 15 banks and several insurance companies in CNY that will not mortgage property with or near a well pad. Panel Response: We are unaware of this.

Another attendee asked if hydrofracking speeds up production. Panel Response: Hydrofracking makes it possible to extract larger quantities of gas in a shorter period of time.

The meeting ended after 10 p.m. with existing opinions unchanged. Those in favor of drilling dismiss the environmental concerns of those opposed, and those opposed don’t believe that industry or regulators can be trusted.

Catskill Mountainkeeper Cites Ongoing Concerns

On July 20, Catskill Mountainkeeper, an independent, not for profit, community based environmental advocacy organization, released its initial observations after reviewing the dSGEIS, citing ongoing major issues:

The DEC will leave tracking of the solid and liquid wastes generated by fracking to gas industry operators and does not classify as hazardous some of the waste that normally qualifies as hazardous, meaning that fracking waste could be sent to ineffective treatment facilities.

The DEC proposes to prohibit fracking in primary aquifers that serve as public drinking water supplies, but this “prohibition” is limited to a couple of years, after which the state could “reconsider” the bans. In addition, the DEC does not specify the conditions under which “reconsideration” would be reviewed.

The state will prohibit well pads above ground on state-owned lands, but would allow drilling under these same lands.

The DEC plans to allow permits to be issued before legally enforceable new regulations are finalized.

Requirements regarding the cumulative impact of multiple wells lack a comprehensive, focused plan to review and analyze consequences.

The DEC has not addressed fracking in areas of special geological risk, such as those with fault lines that are potential pathways for the upward gradient of contaminants into aquifers, because they claim that contaminants can’t rise into aquifers. However, according to Mountainkeeper, independent scientific studies have proven that upward migration of contaminants is not only possible, but also likely, and the DEC’s assertion is based on industry studies that examined just 5 days in the fracking process.

Instead of prohibiting open storage pits, the DEC has relied on industry’s assertion that they are “unlikely” to use open pits for storage of wastewater, and has proposed a system whereby a lone DEC employee could grant approval without an environmental impact study.

Mountainkeeper asserts that the prdSGEIS “presents the industry with a clear road map for fracking in the Catskill Park, the Delaware River Watershed, and throughout the Southern Tier of New York.”

IndustryViolations Continue in PA

The PA DEC reports 1,750 violations (dep.state.pa.us) by gas companies from January – May 2011, including:

Discharge of industrial waste and pollutants into waters of the Commonwealth – 140

Failure to achieve permanent stabilization of earth disturbance activity – 68

Failure to adopt pollution prevention measures – 57

Failure to prevent migrations into fresh groundwater – 3

Failure to plug a well on abandonment – 200

Failure to properly control, store, transport, process, or dispose of industrial waste – 81

Failure to remove equipment or restore site within nine months of completion – 59

Improper casing to protect fresh groundwater – 14

Improperly lined pit; pit/tanks insufficient to contain pollutants – 62

Pollution incident not reported – 13

Chris Hoffman is a freelance writer/reporter for the Madison County Courier. She can be reached at Madnews@m3pmedia.com.

Filed Under: Brookfield, Cazenovia, DeRuyter, Earlville, Eaton, Environment and Nature, Georgetown, Hamilton, Hubbardsville, Lebanon, Leonardsville, Madison, Morrisville, New Woodstock, North Brookfield, Poolville, Randallsville, Top Stories Tagged With: Chris Hoffman, David W. Keefe, Dr. Donald Siegel, Dr. Scott Cline, Friends of Natural Gas NY, gas consulting company, Hamilton Central School, Hamilton NY news, hydrofracking, madison county courier, Perto Enterprises Inc., Southern Madison County Gas Coalition, supplemental generic environmental impact study

Farmshed Named Official Application of Buy Local Week

July 22, 2011 By margo Leave a Comment

Madison County Buy Local Week News

(Madison County, NY – July 2011) Farmshed, an iPhone directory of 1,200 local farms and food producers, has been named the official travel application for 2011 Madison County Buy Local Week.

Using Farmshed, visitors to this year’s Buy Local Week festivities can learn about, locate and get turn-by-turn directions to participating farms, restaurants and farmers markets on their iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches.

For 2011 Buy Local Week, Farmshed has been updated to provide detailed information on and geo-located directions to the 40 farms and three farmers markets participating in Open Farm Day, Saturday, July 23, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the six restaurants participating in the week-long Taste of the Country celebration (Circa Bistro, Cazenovia; Colgate Inn, Hamilton; Copper Turret Restaurant & Tavern, Morrisville; Hamilton Inn, Hamilton; Ye Olde Landmark Inn, Bouckville; and Poolville Country Store, Poolville).

Farmshed is available as free iPhone application in the Apple iTunes Store.

For more information on Buy Local Week, visit madisoncountyagriculture.com/buylocalweek/.

Farmshed CNY, a food technology startup located in New Woodstock, maintains the Farmshed directory of 1,200-plus family farms, farmers markets, food producers, wineries, restaurants and more in Central New York and the Finger Lakes region.

For more information, contact Neil Miller, owner of Farmshed CNY, at (315) 560-1580 or neil@farmshedcny.com.

Filed Under: Agriculture, Bouckville-Solsville, Business & Finance, Cazenovia, Dining & Entertainment, Hamilton, Madison County Agencies and Organizations, Morrisville, Poolville Tagged With: Farmshet, Madison County Buy Local week, madison county ny news

Open Farm Day is Saturday

July 21, 2011 By margo Leave a Comment

(Madison County, NY – July, 2011) Madison County’s Fourth Annual Open Farm Day will be held on Saturday July 23, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to visit many of the participating farms, talk with farmers about their unique operation, enjoy samples, tour the farm, and purchase products. It’s recommended that you bring a cooler with you on Open Farm Day for purchases of meats, cheeses, produce and dairy products.

This year, 40 farms and three farmers markets will participate in Open Farm Day. A list of the farms, with maps, directions, and descriptions, can be found at http://madisoncountyagriculture.com/buylocalweek.

Visit three farms and receive your choice of a Buy Local reusable cloth bag or hat. Visit one farm in each of the four designated regions of the county and you’ll be entered to win the Grand Prize. This year’s Grand Prize is a VIP tour of Owera Vineyards, a night’s stay at Greyrock Farm B&B, and a VIP tour of Greyrock Farm CSA.

Open Farm Day is an annual event, but you can purchase products from these farms year-round at the local farmers’ markets in Madison County or through CNY Bounty (reopening soon).

• Local produce is picked fresh.

• Trucked in foods are often picked before they are ripe and forced to ripen during shipping.

• Fresher food is more nutritious.

• Fuel consumption is lowered when food is grown locally.

• Air quality is higher when fuel usage and packaging are reduced.

• Keeping local farms in business preserves open space and wildlife habitat.

• When you buy directly from farmers, the farm family receives more of the food dollars

spent.

• Every dollar turns over many times in the community when farmers buy supplies, equipment, and fuel.

Open Farm Day is sponsored by: Price Chopper Grocery Stores, Madison County’s Agricultural Economic Development Program, Central New York Bounty, Cornell Cooperative Extension, National Grid, Cazenovia Equipment Company, the Gifford Foundation, the Gorman foundation, CaroVail, Farm Credit East, the Central New York Community Foundation, Farm Bureau of New York, Owera Vineyards, Empire Brewing Company, the Harvest Moon Cider at Critz Farms, Serendipity Caterering, Shapna Tea and Coffee, and Off the Path Media.

For more information, please visit: http://madisoncountyagriculture.com/buylocalweek/.

Filed Under: Agriculture, Bridgeport-Lakeport, Brookfield, Business & Finance, Calendar of Events, Canastota, Cazenovia, Chittenango, Clockville, DeRuyter, Earlville, Eaton, Erieville, Fenner, Georgetown, Hamilton, Hubbardsville, Kirkville, Lebanon, Lenox, Leonardsville, Madison, Madison County Agencies and Organizations, Morrisville, Munnsville, Nelson, New Woodstock, North Brookfield, North Chittenango, Oneida, Perryville, Peterboro, Poolville, Pratts Hollow, Randallsville, Rippleton, Smithfield, Stockbridge, Sullivan, Wampsville, West Eaton, West Edmeston, Whitelaw

Madison County Agriculture Weekly E-Newsletter

July 20, 2011 By margo Leave a Comment

July 19, 2011

UPCOMING EVENTS

************************

Buy Local Week’s Taste of the County this week July 19-July 23

(MADISON COUNTY, NY) – Madison County’s 4th Annual Buy Local Week is proud to feature six locally-owned restaurants in this year’s Taste of the County—Circa in Cazenovia, Colgate Inn in Hamilton, Copper Turret in Morrisville, Hamilton Inn in Hamilton, Poolville Country Store in Earlville, and Ye Olde Landmark Tavern in Bouckville—from July 18 – 23. Each of the participating restaurants has crafted special menus with an appetizer, main course, dessert, and beverage that are prepared with ingredients grown locally.

Central New York in late July offers a cornucopia of fresh ingredients, so the chefs of Madison County have created a wide variety of dishes that showcase how flavorful local eating can be. This year we are providing restaurant-goers with yet another reason to attend this week-long event. For every customer that orders from the Taste of the County menu, he or she will receive a complimentary cookbook, which is a compilation of recipes from each of the participating restaurants. If you loved the shiitake and arugula flatbread at Landmark Tavern, or the 18-hour beef short ribs at the Copper Turret, try replicating the recipe in the comfort of your home! And don’t forget to purchase your sweet corn from Mosher Farms and your shiitake mushrooms from Fruit of the Fungi.

This year it seems as though short ribs are the ultimate taste of summer! Three of our restaurants will be serving them as the main course, featuring beef from Meadows Farm at the Colgate Inn, Drover Hill Farm at Ye Olde Landmark Tavern, and Stone Brook Farms at the Copper Turret. To further educate yourself on where the beef came from, stop by Meadows Farm or Drover Hill Farm on Open Farm Day (July 23) to see the cattle grazing in the fields.

Taste of the County has recipes that appeal to all palates, not just beef-lovers. Each of the items on the three-course menus has something different, exciting, and of course, local, to offer. Ye Olde Landmark Tavern will be serving: grilled flatbread with Heamour Farm’s fresh mozzarella, Fruit of the Fungi’s Shiitake mushrooms, and Landmark’s own arugula; braised Drover Hill Farm short ribs with pickled red onion and In-Between’s crushed new potatoes; and frozen raspberry mousse from Mosher Farms topped with fresh whipped cream. The meal will be accompanied by a Cabernet Franc from Fox Run Vineyards (Finger Lakes, NY) and is priced at $35 per person.

At the Colgate Inn, your culinary experience will begin with a sweet corn soup, continue with BBQ Meadows Farm Kobe Short Ribs served with Common Thread Farms three onion potato hash and sautéed Swiss chard, and finish with a delightful Mosher Farms berry tart. Try all three courses for $30 per person.

Another night, enjoy a dinner at the Hamilton Inn nestled against Seven Oaks Golf Course and Lake Moraine. They will be serving Baked Goat’s Milk Cheese with Garden Lettuces, Roasted Figs, Pears, and Toasted Almonds, followed by Meadow’s Farms bacon wrapped Colby meatloaf set on Yukon Gold mashed potatoes finished with a Finger Lakes Mirage red wine reduction, and a mixed berry mascarpone napoleon for dessert. This special menu is available for only $25 per person.

The historic Copper Turret in Morrisville is proud to feature Alambria Springs fresh farm salad with a creamy green garlic dressing, followed by 18-hour slow braised Stone Brook Farms beef short ribs over their own fresh herb pappardelle pasta made from Gianforte Farm flour, roasted local mushrooms, caramelized Alambria sweet onions, and grated fresh horseradish, and for dessert, a carrot cake ice cream sandwich filled with in-house made cream cheese ice cream. Also included is a glass of Hunt Country (Finger Lakes) Hunter Red wine, which is a deal at $28 per person.

When you are in the Cazenovia area, be sure to stop for dinner at Circa located in the heart of downtown Caz. All year they use exclusively local ingredients, and they have created a special set menu for the occasion. Your dinner begins with a local tomato jam crostini with herbed Meadowood bribis and crunchy frenched onions; for the main course, you will enjoy a Heritage Breed Pork Chop with a red currant compote, new potatoes, and green onion flan. For dessert, look forward to a Local Blueberry Compote served over Kimberly’s Vanilla Ice Cream with a Ginger Crisp.

And of course, be sure to visit the Poolville Country Store for a gourmet dining experience at a reduced price in celebration of Buy Local Week. For your first course, Charles and Roger prepare you Smitty’s Market Farm Field Greens Salad with “our own” wild blackberry vinaigrette. The second course includes your choice of either a Pan Grilled Ingallside Meadows Sirloin Steak with carmelized onion butter or “Our Own” Herb Brined Pan Grilled Chicken Breast, both served with roasted root vegetable medley from Common Threads. Finally, finish your gourmet dinner with a Homemade Berry Sorbet using either the freshest blueberries, blackberries, mulberries, or strawberries; all three courses are only $30 per guest.

Before the Taste of the County begins, you will not want to miss this year’s Fresh! Gala on July 17 from 2 – 6 pm at Monanfran Farm in Canastota; last year we had over 200 people in attendance. Dinner at the gala will be prepared by Serendipity Catering with foods supplied by local farms. Wine, hard cider, and beer will be provided by Owera Vineyards and Critz Farms from Cazenovia and Empire Brewing Company of Syracuse, along with hops lemonade provided by Foothill Hops Farm of Munnsville and coffee and tea from Shapna. Bluegrass music will be performed by the Kellish Hill Players, and a silent auction and raffle will also be included in the festivities.

More information on this year’s 4^th Annual Buy Local Week, including maps and directions to farms participating in Open Farm Day on Saturday, July 23 and tickets to the Fresh! Gala on July 17, can be found at www.madisoncountyagriculture.com/buylocalweek. Don’t forget to follow Madison County Buy Local Week on Facebook and Twitter!

Madison County Agricultural Development is proud to announce this year’s sponsors of Buy Local Week: Price Chopper Grocery Stores, Cazenovia Equipment, National Grid, Rosamond Gifford Foundation, Gorman Foundation, Central New York Community Foundation, Eastern Carolina-Vail, Farm Credit East, Madison County Farm Bureau, Empire Brewing Company, Owera Vineyards, Shapna Tea & Coffee, Serendipity Catering, Off the Path Media, Critz Farms, Madison County Tourism, Madison County Agricultural Economic Development Program, CNY Bounty, and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County.

****

Diversifying the Family Farm with NOFA-NY Farmer of the Year

Thursday, July 21st

1:00pm – 3:00pm

Engelbert Farms

182 Sunnyside Rd.

Nichols, NY 13812

(Tioga Co.)

FREE for NOFA-NY Members / $15 All Others

Join NOFA-NY, PASA, Lisa Engelbert, and NOFA-NY Farmer of the Year Kevin Engelbert at Engelbert Farms, LLC for a look at the first certified organic dairy farm in our country. When the Engelberts’ sons decided to return to the farm after college, Kevin and Lisa didn’t rapidly expand their dairy herd to support two additional families. Instead, they decided to diversify their operation. Today, Engelbert Farms produces certified organic beef, pork, cheese, grains, and vegetables, which the Engelberts market through their farm store, farmers markets, and several local retail outlets. Kevin and Lisa will discuss how they got started in organic farming, the steps they took to diversify their farm, and how they manage such a diverse operation today. Refreshments will be provided.

Engelbert Farms, LLC is a 5th generation dairy farm in Nichols, NY, owned by Kevin and Lisa Engelbert & family. Engelbert Farms has been certified organic since 1984, making it the first certified organic dairy farm in the country. The Engelbert family has been farming in the Southern Tier of New York since 1848 and in Nichols since 1911.

Supported by the USDA Risk Management Agency Small Sessions Program.

For more information about the content or details of this field day, including scholarship opportunities for beginning and aspiring farmers, contact the education office at (585) 271-1979. Pre-registration is encouraged! To do so, visit our online shopping portal by clicking on the event at our online events page (www.nofany.org/events/field-days or by calling Katie at (585) 271-1979 ext. 512.

****

FREE- Compost with Confidence Class

Saturday July 30, 10:00 AM -11:00 AM

Local composting experts provide information and give hands-on demonstrations to help you set up and manage a compost system in any setting! Classes are the last Saturday of the month, June – October. Each class of this FREE series covers composting basics, and special topics are added each month. Classes will help you address any compost issue you may encounter! Take one or all classes! Bring your composting questions! RSVP recommended. erf59@cornell.edu

****

THE 2011 NOFA SUMMER CONFERENCE

Haven’t gotten around to registering yet for the NOFA Summer Conference? Don’t miss the Early-Bird discount. Register by July 11th. REGISTER NOW ONLINE http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=tfyau9bab&et=1106337323951&s=8824&e=001QLKH-qlgS02_ovBBriaScg-pYhL5UO2ykfp1RqRvKiSfnoczxCN2TaVoyuXNJvmh7o8yY1kpORF7qxEe07xk0Pt8JTKOJVztX5eXZsfydQaYMQfeSqZFvTxjNxQLZp48aI-JBt1Z7Wy0ZkxhiqPM8Q== NOFA Summer Conference August 12-14, 2011 UMass Amherst Registration Questions? Contact Kathleen or Siedeh, Registration Coordinators, at registration@nofasummerconference.org or call our Registration Line: 413-230-7835 General Conference Questions? Contact Ben Grosscup, Conference Coordinator at ben.grosscup@nofamass.org or call 413-549-1568

www.nofasummerconference.org

http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=tfyau9bab&et=1106337323951&s=8824&e=001QLKH-qlgS02OsK0xAYgoKtcncd6sC8xiAVg56PlK63dEAub45yTKEryQjMXdXkzG8qYCWlac6-8V0n9JJvVriWkHVHXvGu8y7xYRHySD4qyufpVwA8AniHVyJV9ViUFR

KIDS AT THE SUMMER CONFERENCE

The NOFA Summer Conference proudly offers a diverse array of workshops and hands-on activities for children, ages 5-12, which take place concurrent to adult workshops.A full slate of teachers, farm educators, artists and musicians engage kids with lessons on growing and healthy living. The Saturday afternoon Country Fair is designed for kids, families and the young at heart. With games such as apple bobbing, cow plop, corn cob knaw, veggie art, pie-eating contest….the NOFA Summer Conference is a weekend kids will not soon forget! Some workshops include: Driving Miss Daisy Rabbits! Mr. Guitar Man Eco-Art The 1-2-3 of Bees Mini-Draft Horses for Kids Creative Cuisine and more! CLICK HERE FOR A COMPLETE LISTING OF CHILDREN’s CONFERENCE OFFERINGS http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=tfyau9bab&et=1106337323951&s=8824&e=001QLKH-qlgS011CwHWm7NFj0gQ1uGQwfh0trfHItieMLfQ0UgPfO4j6bsFE580ySD8x0LVPTllTlwJMa2bqpvd2vsQ7FYD1r4mIdMKmawqo0YWEPddgfenrYYA6m_fDneyGoMYGZofJcjQ98c7fFY1q3P6Go0kEsX_

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN GROW??

THIS YEAR, THE NOFA SUMMER CONFERENCE PRESENTS OUR FIRST ANNUAL ”SO YOU THINK YOU CAN GROW?” CONTEST Calling all organic farmers, gardeners, growers and food enthusiasts! Do you believe you have the most succulent cantaloupe at the market? Do your neighbors beg for your growing tips on raising delicious tomatoes? Then the “So You Think You Can Grow” contest, part of the Summer Conference Fair, on SATURDAY, AUGUST 13th, is for you! Here’s what you need to know: The contest is a tasting competition, open to anyone brave enough to submit their produce to the most selective of judges…our own fair goers! All entries must have been personally grown by the submitting contestant. Four categories will be judged: Tomatoes Carrots Sweet Peppers Cantaloupe Contestants may submit in more than one category. Fair attendees will have the opportunity to taste-test samples throughout the fair and provide their scores. Winners will be announced 15 minutes prior to the conclusion of the fair. Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places. For those interested, contest managers will measure the brix of your entries. At the end of the contest, the taste ratings that each entry receives will be compared to its brix rating. So start talking to those tomatoes and giving the cantaloupe a little extra care, and plan to enter your best at the fair on August 13! For more information or to enter, please contact Laura Shafovaloff at laura_ma_photo@yahoo.com.

****

Perennial biofeedstock tour and speakers at the BIG FLATS PLANT MATERIALS CENTER

WEDNESDAY, August 3rd 2011

Tour the Plant Materials Center and observe research and demonstration plots of many warm and cool season grasses including, seeding techniques, time of seeding and cutting studies, breeding nursery, cultivar and seed treatment studies, seed production fields and plant pathology studies. Observe soil pit and discussion of potential carbon sequestration. View the willow trial and presentation on breeding, establishment and management of hybrid willows.

Registration 9:30 am – 10:00 am

Field Tour 10:00 am – 12:30 pm

Speakers 1:15 pm – 3:30 pm

Curt Dell- USDA-ARS, The effects of warm season grass roots on carbon sequestration

Brian Richards- Cornell Dept. of Biological and Environmental Engineering; sustainable development of perennial grass bioenergy on marginal soils of New York

Larry Smart- Cornell Plant Breeding Department, willow breeding project

Gary Bergstrom and Christine Layton- Dept. of Plant Pathology, switchgrass disease management

Hilary Mayton- Cornell Plant Breeding Department, summary of bioenergy grass cultivar study

Philip Kear- Cornell Plant Biology Department, the role of plant enzymes for cellulosic ethanol

Calvin Ernst – Ernst Conservation Seeds, pellet plant development at Ernst Conservation Seeds

Philip Hopke- Clarkson University, Dir. Institute for Sustainable Environment, air quality testing of pellet boilers

Phillip Christiansen- Clarkson Univ. Chemistry Dept., the effects of leaching on pellet composition

Kim McNight- Summerhill Biomass System, demonstration of powdered biomass burner

Paul Lawson- Biomass Solutions, small scale and mobile pellet mill

Bob Houser- Full Circle Farms Enterprises, seed oil portable press demonstration

Demonstration of portable canola press, mobile pellet mill, powdered biomass burner

Please RSVP with the number attending and purchasing lunch by Tuesday, July 26 by calling

607-562-8404, or emailing shawnna.clark@ny.usda.gov. This will assist us in planning the details. If special accommodations are required, please use the above contact 5 days before the field day.

Please bring $10.00 to cover the cost of lunch and refreshments (exact change would be appreciated). Posters and demonstrations will be available to look at during lunch.

Directions: Take Route 17 (I 86) to Exit 48 (East Corning/Route 352). Follow Route 352 east for 1.5 miles. PMC entrance is on the left. For more info call 607-562-8404.

3.0 CCA.

The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

****

Nut growers workshop in Trumansburg, NY

The New York Nut Growers Association will hold its summer meeting at the BWW Farm, 8144 Searsburg Road, Trumansburg, NY 14886, (near Ithaca) on Saturday, August 13, from 8:45 to 3:00. Topics will include finding suitable English walnuts for the Northeast, heartnuts, hazelnuts, chestnuts, and pawpaws. Ernie Grimo and John Gordon, well-known plant breeders, authors, and nursery operators, will be the featured speakers. We will tour a walnut and a chestnut planting.

Registration is $15, which includes a light breakfast and a lunch at the Rongonian Embassy Restaurant. Make a check payable to “NYNGA” and send it to Rick Monheim, NYNGA Treasurer, 1023 County Road 6, Phelps, NY 14532. Please indicate your choice for lunch from the following: goat, beef, OR sausage burrito; tilapia taco; vegetarian quesadilla; cheeseburger.

For more information and/or directions to the BWW Farm, contact John Wertis, NYNGA President, at (607) 387 – 4331, bwwfarmtoday@aol.com

****

Hands-on, On-Farm Pastured Poultry Processing

Event Details

Date:

August 16, 2011

Location:

Ever Green Farm: 5942 Old Lake Rd., Rock Stream, NY 14878 (Yates Co.)

Time:

8:00am – 11:30am

Join NOFA-NY and Ever Green Farm for a great opportunity to get some hands-on training in on-farm poultry processing! Joe and Joely Zerbey harvest about 400 birds per year, and they’ll walk us through their entire process. Topics covered will include appropriate equipment, sanitation procedures, minimizing stress on the birds, regulations, and step-by-step instructions of how to slaughter chickens on the farm. The cost of registration includes 1 organic chicken, which you will slaughter and take home at the end of the day. Space in this workshop is limited, so register soon!

Ever Green Farm is a diverse organic family farm run by Joe and Joely Zerbey. In addition to a variety of vegetables, fruits, and flowers, they raise 400 broilers, a small flock of turkeys, and pork. Their chickens are marketed primarily through an optional chicken share for their CSA members.

Please register for this event by visiting the NOFA-NY Shopping page https://netforum.avectra.com/eweb/shopping/shopping.aspx?site=nofany&cart=0&shopsearch=&shopsearchCat=Event or by calling Katie (Membership & Registration Coordinator) at (585)271-1979 ext 512.

Funded by the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA, Grant # 2009-49400-05878, and support from Farm Family Insurance.

****

IN THE NEWS

************************

New Healthy Food Enterprise Awards for 2011 Announced

ARLINGTON, Va. (July 14, 2011) – The Wallace Center at Winrock International today announced 17 new awards it will grant under its Wallace Healthy Urban Food Enterprise Development (HUFED) Center. A total of $630,000 in awards will be granted to 17 groups who propose innovative and entrepreneurial approaches to resolve barriers to healthy food access among the poorest in the country.

The 17 grantees will focus on a variety of strategies to strengthen or build access to healthy and regionally produced food in communities that are traditionally underserved and experience the highest rates of diet-related and preventable diseases, such as obesity. The strategies include improved processing and distribution options that are scale appropriate, improved aggregation and marketing with food hubs, mobile markets for rural and urban areas, and large-scale Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) models – benefiting both producers and consumers while bridging the gap between urban and rural areas to enrich regional economies and employment opportunities.

“The HUFED program has proved to be invaluable in LA CAUSA’s efforts to create a community-based approach to addressing issues around food access,” says Robert Zardeneta, Executive Director of LA CAUSA, a 2010 HUFED grantee that is working on a “market makeover” called PALOMA, which aims to increase the availability of fresh, locally grown produce in East Los Angeles corner stores.

The 17 enterprises span the United States and total $630,000 in support over the next two years:

· Black Oaks Center for Sustainable Renewable Living – Greater Chicago Area

· Center for Agricultural Development and Entrepreneurship (CADE) – South Central New York

The Center for Agriculture Development and Entrepreneurship (CADE) will investigate several models including buyer co-ops, buying clubs, and innovative CSA models. The research will include the economic analysis of each of these models, including marketing, consumer and socioeconomic research of targeted underserved neighborhoods in Binghamton and the region, as well as the operations and supply chain analysis of aggregation at the farm level, distribution from the farm to the city, and distribution within the city. http://www.hufed.org/cade/

· Detroit Black Community Food Security Network – Detroit, Michigan

· My Brother’s Keeper – Jackson, Mississippi

· Santee Sioux Nation – Santee Sioux Nation, Nebraska

· The Samaritan Women – Baltimore, Maryland

· Corbin Hill Road Farm – Schoharie County, New York and Bronx and Harlem, New York

Corbin Hill Road Farm <http://www.corbinhillfarm.com/> (CHRF) will initiate a unique Farm Share model (adapted CSA) that is appropriate to the community’s economic and cultural needs, made accessible through the community organizations (strategic partners) who serve them. They work with a network of farmers in upstate New York to aggregate produce to fulfill Farm Share needs, minimizing the risk for their downstate shareholders and increases economic opportunity for our upstate farm partners… The model is innovative in that it focused on strengthening cold chain aspects of distribution, and will increase supply from participating farmers to meet demand.http://www.hufed.org/corbin-hill/

· Detroit Economic Growth Association – Detroit, Michigan

· Lake County Community Development Corporation – Northwest Montana

· Puerto Rican Cultural Center – Chicago, Illinois

· Center for Innovative Food Technology (CIFT) – Northern Ohio Region

· Centro del Obrero Fronterizo – El Paso, Texas

· East Baker Historical Society – Southwest Georgia

· Farm to Family Naturally, LLC – St. Louis, Missouri

· Franklin County Community Development Corporation – Western Massachusetts

· Gourmet Gorilla, Inc. – Chicago, Illinois

· Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health – Santo Domingo Pueblo, New Mexico

The Healthy Urban Food Enterprise Development Center, a USDA program created through the 2008 Farm Bill, is important to the Department’s efforts to increase access to healthy and affordable food, including locally produced foods. According to Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan, “We’re proud of the work being carried out by our partners like the Wallace Center and many other organizations in both urban and rural communities. These investments in healthy food access are creating jobs while contributing to healthy communities.”

Visit www.HUFED.org http://bit.ly/r3atqT for information about the program or grantees. The website also serves as a resource center for tools, research, lessons learned, networking, and more on the topic of healthy food access for underserved communities.

The Wallace Center supports entrepreneurs and communities as they build a new, 21st century food system that is healthier for people, the environment, and the economy by focusing on making good food – healthy, green, fair, affordable food – an everyday reality in every community. www.wallacecenter.org http://bit.ly/qmgWum

Winrock International is a nonprofit organization that works with people in the United States and around the world to empower the disadvantaged, increase economic opportunity, and sustain natural resources.

Filed Under: Agriculture, Bouckville-Solsville, Canastota, Cazenovia, Earlville, Hamilton, Hubbardsville, Lenox, Madison County Agencies and Organizations, Morrisville, Munnsville, Poolville, Sullivan

Galumpha! – Comedic, Kinetic Modern Dance at the EOH

July 19, 2011 By margo Leave a Comment

(Earlville, NY – July 2011) The Earlville Awesome House presents a free Family Series Event with the goofy modern dance of “Galumpha!” on Sunday afternoon, July 24 at 3pm. Combining stunning acrobatics, striking visual effects, physical comedy and inventive choreography, Galumpha brings to life a world of imagination, beauty, muscle and merriment. The performance is about an hour long.

Enjoy a summer afternoon interlude with the arts and be inspired to consider the human body as a dynamic art form! THIS EVENT IS FREE – but please call to reserve your tickets!

For more information, call 315-691-3550 or go to www.earlvilleoperahouse.com.

The Earlville Opera House is on East Main Street in Earlville at Route 12B.

Filed Under: Calendar of Events, Dining & Entertainment, Earlville, Poolville, Youth Tagged With: Earlville NY news, Earlville Opera House

Thanks and Congratulations to all at the Madison County Fair

July 15, 2011 By margo Leave a Comment

The Human Condition

By Martha E. Conway

(Brookfield, NY – July 7 – 9, 2011) I would like to thank all the organizers of the Madison County Fair for their hard work and assistance during my three days on the grounds this year.

I don’t think the public can fully appreciate the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to pull off an event of this magnitude. Congratulations and thank you to the army of volunteers who helped pull it off – you are all amazing, and your dedication is admirable.

First of all, the facilities looked fantastic – bright, clean and inviting. Traffic seemed much heavier than the past two years I have attended, and I heard nothing but praise from the people who stopped by my “camp” at the Town of Brookfield Republican Committee booth; people were excited with the midway attractions, variety of livestock and sheer number of horses on the grounds this year.

I would like to thank the Brookfield GOP for hosting the Courier once again; special thanks to Supervisor John Salka, who scrounged around and found an extension cord and surge protector so we could plug in all forms of technology from laptop to cell phones and digital camera docks.

Thanks also to Committee Chairman Gail Abrams for allowing us to populate his space with voting machine manuals and voter registration cards, acquired from the ladies at the Madison County Board of Elections … with minimal abuse.

Annette Tanney did a spectacular job with publicity again this year, and plans are underway to expand that effort for 2012. The Courier was proud to have weekly updates about the Fair’s offerings weekly for at least three months leading up to the event.

The Courier had anywhere from one to four people (that’s pretty much all of us) on the grounds Thursday through Saturday taking photos so we could post them to MadisonCountyCourier.com in hopes of promoting the event and enticing people to take every opportunity to visit this past weekend.

The food also was unparalleled, and everything was very affordable.

Much appreciation to Supervisors Russell Cary (R – Fenner), Rocky DiVeronica (R,C,I – Lenox) and former Supervisor Walt Jaquay (R – Hamilton), none of whom appears to be afraid to be seen with me in public (occupational hazard in my line of work).

Special thanks to Supervisor Ron Bono (R – Madison) who was a good enough sport to abandon his wife and stand still for an ambush interview.

Thank you to everyone else, too, who stopped by the booth to visit – it was great meeting up with old friends and making new ones.

Martha E. Conway is Managing Editor for the Madison County Courier. She can be reached at 315.813.0124 or by emailing martha@m3pmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/marthaeconway or become a friend on Facebook at facebook.com/meconway.

Filed Under: Agriculture, Bouckville-Solsville, Bridgeport-Lakeport, Brookfield, Canastota, Cazenovia, Chittenango, Clockville, DeRuyter, Earlville, Eaton, Fenner, Georgetown, Hamilton, Hubbardsville, Kenwood, Kirkville, Lebanon, Lenox, Leonardsville, Lincoln, Madison, Madison County Agencies and Organizations, Morrisville, Munnsville, Nelson, New Woodstock, North Brookfield, North Chittenango, Oneida, Opinion-Editorial, Perryville, Peterboro, Poolville, Pratts Hollow, Randallsville, Rippleton, Smithfield, Stockbridge, Sullivan, The Human Condition, Top Stories, Wampsville, West Eaton, West Edmeston, Whitelaw Tagged With: Annette Tanney, Brookfield NY news, Gail Abrams, john salka, Madison County Board of Elections, madison county courier, Madison County Fair, madison county ny news, martha e conway, Rocky DiVeronica, Ron Bono, russell cary, The Human Condition, Town of Brookfield Republican Committee, Walt Jaquay

Recent Posts