An Intro to Growing Berries

JAMESTOWN, NEW YORK (October 7, 2019) -- Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County’s Agriculture Program will offer four workshops this month as part of their Fall 2019 L.E.A.F. (Learn. Empower. Achieve. Farm.) Workshop series. “An Intro to Growing Berries”, “Interpreting Soil Sample Reports”, and “Make a Business Plan that Doesn’t Sit on a Shelf” are all slated to run this month. All workshops will be held at the Carnahan Center at Jamestown Community College, in Jamestown, 525 Falconer Street. To register, contact Lucy Conti at 716-664-9502 ext. 208, Emily Reynolds at eck47@cornell.edu or visit www.cce.cornell.edu/chautauqua/leaf2019. Walk-ins will be welcomed for all four of these workshops.

On Thursday, October 10th, “An Intro to Growing Berries” will be offered from 6pm - 8pm for $5/person. This workshop, led by, Esther Kibbe, Cornell Cooperative Extension Harvest NY Berry Specialist takes an introductory look at successfully growing berries. Growing berries successfully takes some planning and correct preparation. This course will go over the basics of site selection and preparation for the common berry crops. We will also offer recommendations of varieties suited to our climate and markets. Kibbe is a native Western New Yorker, a graduate of Cornell University and now a Regional Berry Specialist with Cooperative Extension. She worked for many years as a strawberry and blueberry breeder for Driscoll’s in Florida, and more recently as a consultant advising produce companies and growers on production techniques. Esther is based in Erie County in her extension role, but her assignment covers the entire Western New York region.

“Interpreting Soil Sample Reports” will be held on Saturday, October 12th, from 10 am - noon. For $5/person OR $20/family to include a FREE sample voucher, participants can learn from Josh Putman, Field Crops Specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Southwest NY Dairy, Livestock and Field Crops Regional Team. The workshop will provide the opportunity to learn more about soil sampling. Topics to be covered include why it’s important to sample soils, how to take a soil sample, the difference between a pH test and a full analysis soil sample, and how to read a soil sample report. We’ll also have a hands-on portion for this workshop that will include a demonstration on using the Cornell pH Test Kit, practice examples on how to determine fertilizer and lime application rates based on your sample report, and how to determine your soil type. Participants for this workshop have the option of paying either $5 (covering just the course materials) or $20 (which will include a voucher for a free soil sample at a $20 value).

Then on Thursday, October 17th, from 6pm – 8pm, Katelyn Walley- Stoll, Farm Business Management Specialist for the Southwest New York Dairy Livestock and Field Crops Regional Team will host a workshop entitled “Make a Business Plan that Doesn’t Sit on a Shelf”. This session is just $5 per person and will help participants develop a business plan. Business plans for farms are often viewed as yet another chore to do and usually result in dusty binders taking up space on the office shelf. Let’s chat with Katelyn Walley-Stoll, on developing business plans that can do more and will benefit your farm business. This discussion based workshop will walk you through the mental exercise of planning your future agricultural adventures. Participants will leave with a better understanding of the use of a business plan, the essential components, and a “to-do” list of things to think about to inform future planning efforts. Additional opportunities for one-on-one follow up will also be offered. FSA Borrower credits may be made available for your attendance.

Also available and back by popular demand in October of 2019 is a chance to learn from Culinary Herb Specialist Sarah Sorci. Sarah will present “Creative Preservation of Culinary Herbs” on Tuesday, October 22nd, from 6 - 8 pm, for just $10 per person. Many gardeners look for creative uses of abundant herbs in their garden. In this class, Community Herbalist Sarah Sorci will share recipes and samples of herb-infused vinegar, herbal finishing salts, and herb-infused honey and maple-syrup. She will demonstrate the preparation of herb-infused vinegar, and discuss her favorite herbs for each of the preparations. No experience required. All participants will take home a recipe handout. Holistic herbalist Sarah Sorci is the owner of Sweet Flag Herbs. She offers wellness consultations, educational workshops, therapeutic horticulture sessions and garden consults. Sarah is a 2014 graduate of the Blue Ridge School of Herbal Medicine, and is completing a clinical herbalism program through the Eclectic School of Herbal Medicine. She is a member of the Medicinal Garden Committee at the Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens, and board president at Greystone Nature Preserve in Fredonia. Sarah co-coordinates the WNY chapter of Herbalists without Borders, and is thrilled to be part of the movement towards accessible, just, and sustainable health care. Participants of this workshop can also choose to pay just $3.25 more and take home 1 oz. of dried herbs for home concocting.

The L.E.A.F. Workshop Series is open to the general public, including homesteaders, beginning farmers, established farmers looking to diversify and grow, agriculture enthusiasts, and everyone in between! The 2019 Fall Workshop Series will feature 10 workshops held in October and November. We hope to offer additional workshops again in the March and April of 2020.

Each workshop will be 2 hours long and led by an experienced instructor. Light refreshments will be offered. The L.E.A.F. workshops are designed to be interactive, so participants are encouraged to bring their questions and ideas to this collaborative environment! This workshop will be held at the Jamestown Community College Campus, Carnahan Center- soon to be the new offices of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County.

Pre-registration is requested prior to the workshop to allow for adequate time to prepare printed resources and materials. Interested participants can register online by visiting www.cce.cornell.edu/chautauqua/leaf2019, by emailing eck47@cornell.edu, or by calling 716-664-9502 ext. 208.

The L.E.A.F. Program is one of many programs offered by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County (CCE-Chautauqua) in line with the County’s Comprehensive Plan. CCE-Chautauqua is a community based educational organization, affiliated with Cornell University, Chautauqua County Government, the NYS SUNY system, and the federal government through the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. For more information, call 716-664-9502 or visit our website at www.cce.cornell.edu/chautauqua. Cornell University Cooperative Extension provides equal program and employment opportunities.

Last updated October 7, 2019