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September 2023 Enews

September 2023 Enews

Written by Heather Magnan on . Posted in News.

Webcrest Farm is a five generation dairy farm nestled in the hills of Bovina, NY. Ed and Donna Weber are lifelong dairy farmers who have worked with the Watershed Agricultural Council since 1995. Watch their Boots in the Barnyard video here. Visit us at the following upcoming events: : Clean Sweep,  Delhi Harvest Festival, Cauliflower Festival, Corn Dry Down Day and the Catskill Mountain Fall Festival. Learn about Forestry program opportunities and more by reading our September 2023 Enews here.

August 2023 Enews

Written by Heather Magnan on . Posted in News.

Check out local events and happenings this month around the NYC Watershed. The Delaware County Fair is once again being held in Walton, NY, CCE is hosting both Family Farm Day and their annual Ag Tour and Clean Sweep is right around the corner!

Read these stories and more in the August 2023 Enews.

2023-2024 Pure Catskills Guide to Products

Written by Heather Magnan on . Posted in News.

GET THE GUIDE

Welcome to the 2023-2024 Guide to Pure Catskills Products, your one-stop source for where to eat, drink, shop, stay and play in the Catskills! Community is the root from which the Pure Catskills initiative started and continues to grow from. Our membership, as shown throughout this Guide, has reached 350 for the first time since we launched in 2004. Pure Catskills has always been a trusted resource for Catskills residents and visitors alike, but more than that, we continue to be a trusted space for businesses (old and new) to be a part of something bigger and to market their work, products and story. It is also a testament to our farmers that grow and produce high-quality food, and to the consumers who value knowing where their food comes from.

This year, we are proud to highlight our Pure Catskills community through multiple lenses. On each county map you will find a featured town that lists local farms and products, places to eat and stay, places to shop, support organizations, and activities and events. You’ll also find a cultivation of stories from farmers, producers, makers and chefs. We encourage you to shop from Red Kill Mountain Homestead Farms where you can purchase a variety of preserved goods, and River Breeze Alpacas where you can shop for all your raw fiber necessities. If you’re looking for places to eat, visit The Kaatskeller and Maggie’s Krooked Café two restaurants serving locally sourced food year-round. These features, along with all our member listings, are what makes this region so special.
 
 

CHECK OUT THE GUIDE NOW

Your one- stop source for where to eat, drink, shop, stay and play in the Catskills!

July 2023 ENews

Written by Heather Magnan on . Posted in News.

MICRO GRANTS AVAILABLE

We are happy to announce the next round of WAC farm and forest micro-grants is now open. For eligibility, more info, and to apply visit: nycwatershed.org/economic-viability/micro-grants-program

GET THE GUIDE

The 2023-2024 Guide to Pure Catskills Products is here! The Guide features over 355 Pure Catskills members across six counties throughout its 80 pages. Pick one up today to learn where to shop, eat, stay and play in the Catskills this season! Read it online here.

WAC HOSTS BLOOD DRIVE IN WALTON

The Watershed Agricultural Program will once again be hosting our annual blood drive. Please call 1-800- RED CROSS or visit redcrossblood.org to make your lifesaving appointment today!

VISIT US AT THE FAIR

Visit the Watershed Agricultural Council and the NYC Department of Environmental Protection at the 2023 Delaware County Fair!

CLEAN SWEEP 2023

Every year, regional partners for clean water and a healthy environment host a community hazardous waste collection day, known as Clean Sweep. For more information or to register online, visit: cleansweepdelaware.eventbrite.com

Read these stories and more in our July 2023 enews here.

Clean Sweep 2023 to be held September 22 & 23

Written by Heather Magnan on . Posted in News.

DELHI, NY, JULY 7, 2023– Every year, regional partners for clean water and a healthy environment host a community hazardous waste collection day, known as Clean Sweep. Now in its 27th year, Clean Sweep provides a safe disposal venue by collecting chemicals and other materials which pose a threat to public health, water and environment.

Clean Sweep is free to farmers in the eight NYC Watershed counties and free to all Delaware County household residents. Delaware County businesses, municipalities and county agencies are also invited to properly dispose of waste materials. Disposal services for businesses and municipalities are provided “at cost” with a cost estimate based on your itemized disposal list.

Register online at cleansweepdelaware.eventbrite.com by September 15th. If you prefer to register by phone call (607) 865-6474 between September 1-11, Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. or register by email to CleanSweepDelaware@gmail.com to share your list of items; you’ll be assigned a day and time to bring your items. This public service is brought to you by the Delaware County Department of Public Works and the Watershed Agricultural Council (WAC), with funding from Delaware County, WAC, NYC DEP and NYS DEC.

Clean Sweep 2023 schedule is:

  • Businesses & Municipalities: Friday, September 22nd from 10 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
  • Farmers: Friday, September 22nd from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
  • Residents: Saturday, September 23rd from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

For more information or to register online, visit:

cleansweepdelaware.eventbrite.com

Please note: Registration is required.

March 2023 Enews

Written by Heather Magnan on . Posted in News.

Check out the March 2023 News from the Watershed Agricultural Council.

Join us as we welcome our new Agricultural Program Manager, Connor Young. Since early 2019, Connor served as the Director of Agriculture and Environmental Programs for Cornell Cooperative Extension Columbia and Greene Counties where he worked with diverse partners across the Catskill/Hudson Valley Region. Connor’s past experience also includes overseeing livestock operations for a statewide land conservation organization in Massachusetts in addition to private farm management. As a former WAC Easement Stewardship Program Coordinator, Connor wholeheartedly supports the WAC mission and is excited to deliver innovative and impactful projects throughout the NYC Watershed. 

Connor has a Bachelors of Science in Natural Resource Conservation from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a Masters in Environmental Law and Policy from Vermont Law School, and two non-profit management certificates from Cornell University.

Connor lives with his wife and dogs in East Meredith. Having grown up in Vermont, there’s a good chance you’ll find him outside in all seasons. Connor is an active hunter, woodworker and enjoys producing food for his family ranging from meat and eggs, to maple and mushrooms. 

Read this story and more in the March 2023 Enews here.

Columbia Announces Funding for Climate Action Plan to Ensure New York City Water Quality

Written by Heather Magnan on . Posted in News.

Walton, NY, January 25, 2023– The Watershed Agricultural Council (WAC) is pleased to announce that Columbia University’s Center for Climate Systems Research (CCSR) and Agricultural Modeling Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP) have been awarded $2.95 million in Congressional Community Project Funding from Congressman Nadler and Senator Schumer for “Addressing Climate Challenges to Agriculture and Water Quality in the New York City Watershed.”
 
This project provides an opportunity for WAC to collaborate with a global alliance of agriculture and climate modelers, scientists and economists to address recommendations from the National Academy of Science’s 2018 review of the Watershed Protection Plan. CCSR and AgMIP, with support from NYC DEP, will provide WAC support to develop a climate action plan, assess BMP performance and program metrics and develop landscape modeling to assist with BMP prioritization. This project will enhance WAC’s work with farmers and agriculture within the watershed to implement management practices to protect water quality and support the economic viability of farming and rural communities.
 
“Good data provides the basis for informed decisions, which eventually leads to action,” Ryan Naatz, WAC Executive Director, said. “WAC applauds Columbia’s research goals and we look forward to working collaboratively with a long-term goal of incorporating science-based recommendations into our mission”
 
More information about the project can be found here: Columbia University Press Release

2022 Annual Report

Written by Heather Magnan on . Posted in News.

The Watershed Agricultural Council not only recognizes change, we embrace it. This year, long-standing efforts in Agriculture, Forestry, Economic Viability and Conservation Easements proved resilient to restore programming and find new ways to support the regions’ working landscapes. We are proud to be a vital part of the watershed community and look forward to aiding landowners as their operations expand, evolve and transition, as we resume full program implementation in 2023. Read through the pages of our  2022 Annual Report here

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Agriculture: Precision Feed Management Program Expands

Written by Heather Magnan on . Posted in News.

Beef cattle production in the NYC Watershed is a major agricultural enterprise which makes up 57% of the farms enrolled in the Watershed Agricultural Program, is a third of the total animal units, and takes many forms. While cow-calf production is the most common, stocker, backgrounder, grass-fed, freezer, finisher and dairy breed beef operations are all represented. Not surprisingly, the freezer beef business is expanding rapidly as a result of food supply concerns driven by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Compared to typical beef herds in the rest of the US, the herds in the NYC Watershed are relatively small. The size of the NYC Watershed beef industry is steadily increasing as many farmers slowly shift from dairy production to beef production. As a result, there is a significant opportunity to manage the nutrient mass balances on these farms to protect water quality in the NYC water supply system.

Given this, the newly initiated Beef Precision Feed Management (PFM) Program was created as a companion to our existing Dairy PFM Program. The program currently includes 18 active farms in the NYC Watershed. Beef PFM as a best management practice nearly doubles the number of animals enrolled in PFM, and further enhances the program’s capacity to protect water quality. The PFM planning team’s primary focus is to increase the adoption of ‘precision oriented’ management practices on the participating farms, such as routine laboratory analyses of their feeds, and matching those feeds to the appropriate groups of cattle.

Minimizing the overfeeding of nitrogen and phosphorus is key to the PFM Program, as they are the primary nutrients of water quality concern. The routine benchmark analyses utilized by PFM planners is an effective tool for assessing the feeding precision of the beef herd, and ultimately reducing nutrient excretions. Accurate determination of the body weights of cattle is critical for achieving the precision necessary for meaningful dietary analysis. Thus, fine-tuning the process of gathering weight data is a primary goal of planning staff.

It was learned early on by the planners that mineral supplementation was inadequate amongst beef producers, providing an opportunity to enhance their economic viability by growing animals more efficiently without overspending on unneeded feed inputs. To meet this need, the PFM team set out to create a mineral mix specifically designed to match the feeds produced by our beef producers. With the help of an independent nutritionist and the support of local feed mills, a customized mineral mix was formulated and brought to market in June 2022. This product meets the nutritional needs of their cattle, but most importantly protects water quality in the NYC reservoir system by providing a mineral mix without excess nitrogen or phosphorus. Beef Precision Feed Management in the NYC Watershed is truly a science-based win-win endeavor. Read more of the 2022 Annual Report here.

Program Stats:

  • 244 Active Farms
  • 145,000 Acres
  • 35 Educational Events
  • 1,875 Projected Cover Crop Acres