Cornell Cooperative Extension Albany County was accepted into a Whole Farm Planning in the North East grant program as part of Holistic Management International. Through this program, farmers will receive training in areas such as decision-making, farm design and land planning, financial planning, budgeting, enterprise selection, marketing, leadership, labor management, and more.

There is no cost to participate in this program, but space is limited. The project will run over a three-year period, with regular meetings as we work through the whole farm planning process.

Those who successfully complete the program will leave with established plans for their farms and will know they are making decisions for the right reasons. This will bring the farmers closer to their goals, will help maintain and restore land, and help farm businesses to become more profitable.

Contact Ashley Pierce by email at , by office phone at (518) 765-3500, or by cell phone at (518) 231-5384 for an application or for more information. The application deadline is Jan. 16, 2018, with preference given to farmers from Albany County.  Farms selected will be notified by Jan. 17.  The kick-off meeting will be Jan. 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. for selected participants.

This program will in part be guided by the needs of the participants, much of the training will be in a small-group setting, the schedule will be set to best meet the needs of the group, and the meetings will run over a three-year period.