2022 Field Day Season

We look forward to seeing you at the farm!

NOFA-NY’s Field Day Season will offer a mix of in-person, on-farm field days and webinars. Stay tuned for all of our upcoming events or sign up for our eNews to stay in the loop.

Upcoming Events

Tuesday, September 27
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Fair Farming Meetup
@ Stony Creek Farmstead
1738 Freer Hollow Road, Walton, NY 13856

Join Stony Creek Farmstead and the Agricultural Justice Project for a fair farming meetup! This gathering will be potluck style to share more than just a meal. Together we plan to exchange stories on cultivating our social justice values in our farms and build connections to keep supporting each other in this work.

Potluck: Please bring a dish to share. We will have cards for labeling ingredients to help those who have dietary restrictions.

COVID & Wellness: We’ll meet outdoors, weather permitting. In a spirit of community care, we ask attendees to wear masks when you’re inside, close to other people, or near the food serving area. Please refrain from joining us if you are feeling sick or have been potentially exposed to anyone with COVID-19 within the same week of the event. If you have any concerns or special needs, please reach out to us and we will try to accommodate you.

RSVP: Email Jon Magee if you think you’ll be there, but please come if you can, even if you didn’t RSVP. If you can’t make it but you would like to be included in further discussions on the topic, please drop us a note at jon@agriculturaljusticeproject.org.

Email Jon to RSVP

Tuesday, October 4
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Fair Farming Meetup
@ Rock Steady Farm
41 Kaye Road, Millerton, NY 12546

Join Rock Steady Farm and the Agricultural Justice Project for a fair farming meetup! This gathering will be potluck style to share more than just a meal. Together we plan to exchange stories on cultivating our social justice values in our farms and build connections to keep supporting each other in this work.

Potluck: We invite you to bring a dish that you and your farm team enjoy to nourish you throughout the season. A good potluck guideline is to bring 3x the amount of food you would eat on your own. Please clearly label the ingredients for your dish and designated serving utensils so people can make their choices and we avoid cross contamination. Cold served foods are preferred because we do not have the capacity to heat food.

COVID & Wellness: This event will be held outdoors and we ask everyone to bring a mask. We encourage you to wear a mask when in close proximity to each other and while serving food. We will provide multiple wash stations for hand washing and hand sanitizer throughout the farm. Please refrain from joining us if you are feeling sick or have been potentially exposed to anyone with COVID-19 within the same week of the event.

Email Jon to RSVP

Monday, October 10
4:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Garlic and Inter-Cropping Discussion
@ Biophilia Farm
211 Manor Lane, Riverhead, NY 11901

At 4:30, please join NOFA-NY and Phil Barbato for a meet and greet at Biophilia Organic Farm. The farm is a 14-acre NOFA-NY certified operation that has been in production since 2000. Phil grows 12 different varieties of garlic, both soft and hard neck, along with 75 varieties of tomatoes. Biophilia Farm’s mission statement is “We farm organically because we believe in the value of wholesome food grown in harmony with nature. We want to share our good produce with others who also value it.”

At 5:00, NOFA-NY and Phil will lead a tour through the farm that he runs primarily by himself. Phil will be giving a rundown of his garlic planting technique, ranging from the soil he chooses, to location of the crop, to what planting combinations he has found to be successful in his fields.

Past Events

Saturday, June 11 and Sunday, June 12 from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
@ Groundswell Incubator Farm
24 Helens Way, Ithaca, NY 14850

In this two day course, produced by Groundswell, you’ll learn basic carpentry skills under the guidance of two instructors. The small group will work together to build two waist-height raised bed for the Groundswell Incubator Farm. You’ll learn the basics of following a carpentry plan including measuring, cutting, and fastening. You’ll use hand tools and power tools including the following: circular saws, drills, drivers, hand saws, and hammers. No prior carpentry experience is needed! This course is aimed for beginners who want to learn in a collaborative environment with emphasis on sharing skills.

Monday, July 25 from 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm
@ Thompson Research Farm
133 Fall Creek Rd., Freeville, NY 13068

Come to the Cornell Organic Research Farm in Freeville to get updates on the latest research in weed management, cover crops, and reduced tillage and interact with researchers and other farmers. Learn about methods that help production while improving soil health and making your farm more climate resilient. Topics will include: new weed control technologies, weeds and climate change, long-term effects of tarping, soil health across different cropping systems, comparison of different mulch types, and cover crop breeding.

This field day is part of the 2022 Soil Health and Climate Resiliency Field Days in partnership with Cornell.

Tuesday, July 26 from 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
@ Brady Farm
150 Ford Ave., Syracuse, NY 13207

Join us at Brady Farm for a Soil Health Trailer demonstration with Fay Benson of Cornell Cooperative Extension. The Soil Health Trailer is a rolling lab equipped with a simulator that illustrates how rainfall affects various types of soil. This visual presentation will show how certain management practices, such as cover cropping, protect and enhance soil health. Participants will gain a better understanding of why these practices are so effective at preventing runoff, controlling erosion, and locking in the important nutrients that improve crop yield.

After the demonstration, Fay and members of the Brady Farm staff will lead a farm tour to further discuss soil fundamentals and why healthy, properly managed soil is vital to field and land sustainability. The event will take place at Brady Farm which is a six-acre, non-profit vegetable farm, located in the middle of Syracuse. It uses organic and regenerative practices to rebuild its urban soils.

This field day was funded by Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, which supports training for urban farm apprentices and expanding access to healthy produce in the City of Syracuse.

Wednesday, August 24 from 4:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Farm Financial Viability and Tomato Tasting
@ Dirt Rich Farm
12318 Springville Boston Rd., Springville, NY 14141

Join NOFA-NY and the Young Farmers Coalition of Western New York at Dirt Rich Farm for a two-part event: an educational presentation about making a living in farming at 4:30 pm, followed by a tomato tasting at 6:00 pm. You’re welcome to attend just one portion of the event or come for the whole thing!

What does it take to make a living from farming? At 4:30, farmers Laura Colligan and Ryan Leggio will talk about the history of Dirt Rich Farm, which Laura started in 2015, and how they grew the farm business to the point where they were finally able to make a living from farming without off-farm jobs by 2021. Dirt Rich Farm is a Certified Organic vegetable farm with two acres in production, growing for a 150 member CSA, a farmers market, a farm stand, and sales to local businesses. You’ll also hear from USDA NRCS about programs that support small and beginning farmers and NOFA-NY Certified Organic, LLC about organic certification.

Dirt Rich Farm grows 20 different varieties of tomatoes, so at 6:00 pm, we’ll do a tomato tasting to try all the different varieties and choose our favorites as a group. If you’re a farmer or gardener, we encourage you to bring some of your top varieties for the group to taste, too! A light meal with Dirt Rich Farm vegetables will also be served.

Tuesday, September 13 from 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
High Tunnel Production
@ Norwich Meadows Farm
6982 State Highway 12, North Norwich, NY 13815

At 4:00, please join NOFA-NY and Norwich Meadows Farm for light appetizers and networking. Thanks to the generosity of BioSafe Systems.

At 5:00, join Zaid Kurdieh to learn about his 250+ acre vegetable and fruit operation. Norwich Meadows Farm has more than 210 high tunnels in production and 60+ employees. During peak season, Norwich Meadows Farm is present at 12 farmer’s markets each week, has 450+ CSA members and supplies more than 200 high-end restaurants in addition to wholesale customers.

While at the farm, you will get a chance to tour the high tunnels and hear about the benefits and challenges they have had using them. You will also hear from USDA NRCS on their Environmental Quality Incentives Program. Farmers are welcome to come with questions about high tunnel management, crop planning and marketing, financing, or any other details of interest.