MORRISVILLE, NY – You might be wondering “What is the meaning of life?” – or whether to put milk in first or last when making tea. In an agricultural context, the number one question from customers, according to ag service providers like Cornell Cooperative Extension educators, is “What should I do with my land?”
Unpacking this complex question made for an entertaining evening organized by Ag & Horticulture Resource Educator Maryellen Sheehan and Environment & Nature Educator Anna Hardiman from CCE Madison.
To start the conversation, the next crucial question was “What do you want to do with your land?”
For the guests who all had between 20 and 100 acres of mixed woodlands, pasture and cropland in addition to a residence, it was a good brain exercise to explore what the overall environmental, financial and quality of life goals were for working with their land.
“Gaining context in these discussions is everything,” said Sheehan. “That way we can tailor appropriate resources to the goals.”
A bonanza of potential considerations, opportunities, challenges and realities were vetted. Landowners were inspired to visit the USDA-NRCS Web Soil Survey (available at websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app) to catalog their soil types and capabilities, as well as undertake a soil test to learn the fertility levels, as a starting point for decision-making.
Maryellen Sheehan and Anna Hardiman helped answer the age-old questions. Photo by Troy Bishopp
As Steve Gabriel from the Cornell Small Farms Program says, “Taking the time up front to properly understand your landscape means a greater likelihood of success down the line.”
Managing forests, improving them and determining their value was a definite theme that Hardiman addressed. “We’re happy to facilitate this topic with targeted resources and getting boots on the ground, like the Master Forester Program and working with local conservation professionals,” she said.
Other topics discussed included whole farm planning, business start-up and enterprise budgeting, infrastructure needs, raising livestock, managing smaller scale crop production, marketing and addressing the next biggest question: leasing land contracts.
“We basically initiated landowners to do further homework, provided timely, take-home educational resources to explore and provided a space to vet ideas together,” said Sheehan.
Was the age-old question answered? Not yet, but the answer is getting closer.
This conversation was a soft kickoff to Madison County’s CCE Rural Land series. For information on upcoming workshops, reach out to Sheehan at 315.684.3001 ext. 126 or visit ccemadison.org.
by Troy Bishopp
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