Farmers from across the Catskills will gather in Delhi for a full day of workshops, panels and practical instruction at the 23rd annual Catskill Regional Agriculture Conference, scheduled for Friday, Jan. 9, at SUNY Delhi.
The conference is organized by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Delaware County in partnership with the Watershed Agricultural Council. Registration is $30 and will open at 9:30 a.m., followed by early-bird sessions at 10 a.m.
Attendees may follow a single track or move between sessions, tailoring the day to their operations. A locally sourced lunch will be served at noon.
Among the highlights is the return of Sarah Flack, a nationally known grazing consultant and author whose work has shaped pasture-based farming since the early 1990s. Flack, whose experience spans dairy, beef, sheep, goat and poultry systems in both organic and conventional operations, will lead multiple grazing sessions focused on pasture productivity, livestock-centered grazing strategies and hands-on equipment use.
Early-bird sessions will explore innovative agricultural technology, point-of-sale strategies for farm markets, and the fundamentals of launching a small-scale pork operation. Beginning at 11 a.m., concurrent tracks will run throughout the day at 11, 1:40 and 2:40.
The dairy track will cover tax planning, forage optimization and automated health monitoring, including a presentation by Julio Giordano of Cornell University. Livestock sessions will focus on animal behavior, herd and flock replacement decisions, and feeding strategies. Vegetable growers can choose from workshops on transplant production, integrated pest management and the effective use of OMRI-listed pesticides, while flower producers will find sessions on marketing to florists, soil health and lavender production.
For more information and to register visit: ccedelaware.org
