Farm interns are farmers-in-training. A good internship program is as committed to education as it is to hands-on experience in the field, so that interns can learn all of the skills necessary for good farm management.

The Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training (CRAFT) is a model for sharing supplemental farm training in cooperation with a number of participating farms.  The Mid-Hudson Craft program is based on the Western Massachusetts/Eastern New York CRAFT program that was formed in 1994.  Participants visit a host farm for a tour, a talk or demonstration on a specific topic. These visits to other farms offer farmers-in-training a chance to see how different operations work, to develop practical skills and to network with other farmers and farm interns.

To see the schedule for the Mid Hudson CRAFT group, with visits ranging from Ulster to Putnam Counties, please click here.  If you would like to join Mid Hudson CRAFT, please contact Wendy Burkhart-Spiegel, Farm and Program Manager, Poughkeepsie Farm Project at wendy@farmproject.org.

To see the schedule for the Lower Hudson CRAFT group, with visits ranging from NY City to Putnam County, please click here.  If you would like to join Lower Hudson CRAFT, please contact Maryellen Sheehan, Market Farmer, Hilltop Hanover Farm at mes9@westchestergov.com.

To see a list of helpful farming resources, please click here.

Mid Hudson CRAFT – 2010 Schedule

All visits are on Mondays from 6-8 pm unless otherwise noted.

May 24th: Opening Meeting at Wild Hives
All farmers and interns are encouraged to come to our kick-off meeting, hosted at Wild Hives Farm in Clinton Corners. Wild Hives is a bakery, café, and store that sources most of their ingredients locally. Owner Don Lewis will tell us about his business, followed by a potluck, and introductions of the 2009 Mid-Hudson CRAFT farmers and interns. Don’s products will be available for sale for anyone who would like to sample his delicious baked goods. http://www.wildhivefarm.com/
(845) 266-5863
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=372+Clinton+Corners+Road+&sll=41.933513,-74.019642&sspn=0.007119,0.020084&ie=UTF8&ll=41.831968,-73.762207&spn=0.114092,0.32135&z=12&iwloc=addr&om=1

May 31st: Early Season Extension at Brook Farm

This season the Brook Farm CSA plans to begin distribution the first week in May. Jonathan the Farm Manager will show the various season extension methods he is using to make this happen.
www.brookfarmproject.org
(845) 255-1052
http://www.brookfarmproject.org/contactus/directions.html

June 7th: Dairying and Cheese making at Sprout Creek Farm at 3 pm

Join us at chore time, where will demonstrate how we milk our cows and goats. We will take some time to explain the different steps in our milking process that ensure the health of our animals and the quality of our milk. Then Colin the cheese maker will have a talk about the cheese making process and a cheese tasting. Finally, we will walk our pastures and discuss our rotational grazing system and the perennial and annual grasses grown for our animals. See the whole process from grass to cheese.
http://www.sproutcreekfarm.org/
(845) 485-8438
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=34%20Lauer%20Road&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl

June 14th: Permaculture at Regeneration

Is Permaculture more than a hobby for backyard gardeners, or a landscape design gimmick?  Do Permaculture techniques and principles have anything to offer professional growers? We’ll share our own experiments in no-till vegetable growing, and a range of other Permaculture inspired tricks around the farm at Regeneration CSA.
www.regenerationcsa.org
(845) 687-0535
http://www.regenerationcsa.org/locationmap.html

June 21st: Starting a farm at Hearty Roots
The farmers at Hearty Roots will share how the farm went from being a 3/4 acre 30-member CSA to a 20 acre 440+ member CSA in six years, without owning land or having any major start-up funds. We will share our budgets, timeline of equipment purchases, and general reflections on the process. Afterwards, there will be a potluck gathering at the farm to celebrate the changing of the seasons.
http://www.heartyroots.com/
(845) 943-8699
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=433+w+kerley+corners+road,+tivoli,+ny&hl=en

June 28th: Establishing Affordable Low-Tech Infrastructure at Fog and Thistle Farm
We will discussion infrastructure needs on a small vegetable farm, including figuring out how much to invest and leaving room for growth. We will give a tour of the farm and talk about greenhouses, walk-in cooler, processing area, CSA pickup shed, storage: sheds, barn, and organization, irrigation system, fencing and low tunnels.
http://www.fogandthistlefarm.com
(518) 537-6139
Fog and Thistle Farm
4872 State Route 9G
Germantown, NY 12526

July 4th: Farm Olympics and Potluck at Phillies Bridge Farm Project on Sunday at 4pm Who can toss a bale the farthest or weed the quickest? You’ve been sharpening your skills for months, here’s a chance to show off! This is a mid-summer get together with games, delicious food, and a short tour of Phillies Bridge Farm, who will host this gathering.
http://www.philliesbridge.org/
(845) 256-9108
http://maps.google.com/maps?sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4ADBF_enUS302US302&q=phillies%20bridge%20farm&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl

July 5th: Mechanical Cultivation at Sisters’ Hill Farm (2-5pm) – Western MA/Eastern NY CRAFT visit open to Mid-Hudson CRAFT
When I started this farm for the Sisters of Charity 10 years ago I farmed one acre with a walk behind rototiller and one part time helper. We had 40 CSA members and grew 20,000 pounds of vegetables. For many years now we have held steady at about 200 members, growing around 65,000 pounds of veggies on 6 acres (two in cover crop). These days I farm with two full season interns. Regardless of our size, I have kept a careful eye on the importance of developing scale appropriate systems. As we tour the farm I will show you the various tools and equipment that have allowed us to efficiently work our land, while keeping it productive and relatively weed free. At the early, low tech, end of the spectrum, I will show you the hand pushed rolling row markers I built the first year (one of which I still use today, mounted under a cub) and our various wheel hoes. I will also point out our more recent tool choices, including our4 tractors, our brand new transplanter, our potato hillers, our sweeps and our Budding Basket Weeder. Along the way I will try to stress the importance of developing a good plan for the farm and its systems so that the farm serves your life, and not the other way around.
http://www.sistershillfarm.org/
(845) 868-7048 http://maps.google.com/maps?q=127+Sisters+Hill+Rd,+Stanfordville,+NY+12581,+USA&sa=X&oi=map&ct=title

July 12th: The Music Tractor & Other Creative Approaches to Work at Common Ground
The corn husking bee, the barn-raising party, and the potato hoe-down proved the wisdom of our agricultural elders as consummate multi-taskers.  Following a brief tour of our 200-member mixed vegetable CSA and farm project, we’ll share and sample methods of getting your work done and keeping spirits high by harnessing fun, creativity, and community-building.  Come prepared to express yourself and to mix with your farm kin.  There will NOT be actual work (at least not more than needed for demonstration purposes).  There WILL be song, dance, fire, and chickens (probably not simultaneously).  We’ll also feed you, no need to bring something unless it’s easy.
http://www.commongroundfarm.org/
(845) 831-6070
The farm is located on the grounds of Stonykill Environmental Center just north of Beacon, NY (Route 9D, about 2miles north of I-84 exit 11.)

July 19th: Nutrient Density at Glynwood Farm
We will present an overview of biological farming practices and tour the farm. A carefully balanced soil nutrition plan will create optimal crop resistance to pest and disease pressure, and yield produce loaded with nutrients, great flavor and improved shelf-life. Practical skills for implementing these practices will be discussed and demonstrated.
http://www.glynwood.org/
(845) 265-3338 x117
http://www.glynwood.org/?p=185

July 26th: Compost at Stone Barns
This visit will cover entry level as well as some intermediate compost production.  We will look at resource management, on farm recycling, testing and acquiring client accounts.  Areas of special interest will cover windrow and forced air composting as used by the Stone Barns Center.
Presenter: Gregg Twehues
http://www.stonebarnscenter.org/
(914) 366-6200
http://www.stonebarnscenter.org/sb_directions/default.aspx

August 2nd: Urban Agriculture with Green Teen Beacon
The Cornell Cooperative Extension DC Green Teen Program would be happy to host a CRAFT evening about growing food in a city. We have garden in downtown Beacon that we feed ourselves from, sell food to local café’s and restaurants and use as a teaching tool. The teens we work with will host the evening and talk about where our food goes, how gardening has impacted their lives, and what systems we have set up that other folks who live in urban or suburban areas could implement. We will tour our small gardens and talk about vermicomposting, salsa making, and gardening with urban teenagers.
http://www.greenteen.org/
(845) 831-4287
211 Fishkill Ave.
Beacon, NY 12508

Meet at the old Beacon high school.

August 9th: No Till at Four Winds
We will take a look at our Organic No-Till system, in place here for 15 years. Jay will talk about benefits, drawbacks, and give participants an idea of how they can duplicate our system.Sam and Erin, my interns from 2 years ago, will also be on hand to talk about their experience of working with this system.
www.bestweb.net/~fourwind
(845) 255-3088
158 Marabac Rd.
Gardiner, NY 12525-5614

August 23rd: Processing and Marketing with Farm to Table Co-Packers and Winter Sun Farms
We will take you from the growing side of food to the processing side and show what it takes to go from farms to the dinner table.  Farm to Table Co-Packers works with the local producers, businesses and distributors and creates added value products that show up anywhere from the farmer’s market to your neighborhood diner to the grocery store.  Winter Sun Farms utilizes the facility to take the CSA model to a different level by processing and freezing produce in the peak of season and distributing it during the winter months.  Tour the facility to learn about large scale processing and also how and where the food goes from there.
http://farm2tablecopackers.com/
(845) 383-1761
http://farm2tablecopackers.com/contact.php

August 30th: Seed Saving at Poughkeepsie Farm Project
We will talk about the basics of seed saving, give a tour of our seed garden, and demonstrate some seed collection and cleaning methods. We will also give a tour of our 10 acre vegetable farm.
www.farmproject.org
(845) 473-1415
http://farmproject.org/content/directions

September 16th: Farewell Pizza Party on Thursday at Huguenot Street on Thursday
Following a tour of the farm which includes many unique innovations and ideas, we’ll have delicious pizza straight from Ron and Kate Khosla’s outdoor pizza oven.  Please bring favorite toppings and $3/person to help pay for the ingredients.  We’ll hang out together for the last time, reflect on the season and our experiences, weave the last strands of our networking web, and say our farewells.  Homemade farmer music or a café may figure into the after hours.
http://www.flyingbeet.com/
(845) 810-0033
205 Huguenot Street
New Paltz, NY 12561

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Lower Hudson CRAFT – 2010 Schedule

All visits are on Tuesdays from 6-8 pm unless otherwise noted.

May 18th: Kickoff potluck at Kitchawan Farm in Ossining, NY
Begin the 2010 Lower Hudson CRAFT season with a tour of Kitchawan Farm in Ossining, where we’ll meet and get to know fellow CRAFT members, enjoy a potluck, and make plans for the season. Kitchawan Farm is a creative effort to steward land that’s been in the family for a century, with a sustainably-grown (NOFA Farmer’s Pledge), diversified vegetable, herb & flower garden, marketed direct to customers on-site with a unique produce order system. http://www.kitchawanfarm.com/
(914) 941-0096
716 Kitchawan Rd, Ossining, NY 10562

June 1st: Building Agriculture Relationships with Private Landowners with I&Me Farm and the Westchester Land Trust
Join Eileen Hochberg of Westchester Land Trust and Farmers Mimi Edelman and Eileen Zidi of I&Me Farm to explore forging private landowner/farmer partnerships. We will take a look from both the landowner and farmers perspective on how to find each other then create a fair and sustainable arrangement. If time allows we will visit two very different sites and learn the individuality of those relationships.
www.westchesterlandtrust.org
(914) 241-6346
403 Harris Rd, Bedford Hills, NY 10507

June 15th: Biodynamic Farming at Pfeiffer Center in Chestnut Ridge, NY
We will do a ‘walk-talk’ description of the biodynamic approach as we tour our greenhouse, small orchard, garden, compost yard, and apiary. If there is time we will visit our draft Haflingers—Captain and Eva.
www.pfeiffercenter.org
(845) 352-5020 x20
260 Hungry Hollow Rd, Chestnut Ridge, NY 10977

June 29th: Diversified Small Livestock and Produce Farming at Millstone Farm in Wilton, CT
Join us for a tour of the farm’s pastured heirloom livestock, including poultry (in their moveable Coupe-de-Villes), sheep, pigs, cattle, and horses, as we discuss pasture management. We will also cover our year round hoop houses, intensively planted gardens, greens production, and seedling house as we do a quick overview of the Whole Farm plan. www.millstonefarm.org
(203) 834-2605
180 Millstone Rd, Wilton, CT 06897

July 13th: Greens and Raspberry Production at Amawalk Farm in Somers, NY
Amawalk Farm is a certified organic vegetable and berry farm with Farmstand and U-Pik. We will go over our greens production from seeding to bagging as well as our raspberry culture including trellising and pruning methods for both summer and fall berries. We will also cover our cover crop and rotation systems if time allows.
www.amawalkfarm.org
(914) 245-2319
42 Wood St, Katonah, NY

July 27th: Weeds and More Weeds at Hilltop Hanover Farm in Yorktown Heights, NY
We will capitalize on our farm’s diverse weed population in this walking tour/workshop. We will talk about weed identification, growing season control strategies, and long-term weed management. Particular emphasis will be on discussing what soil conditions favor each weed, how to adjust soil and cropping for long-term control and reduced weed seed banks, and what to do when they become overwhelming!
www.hilltophanoverfarm.org
(914) 962-2368 (914) 962-2368
1271 Hanover St, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598
(914) 962-2368

August 10th: Double Header Urban Farming with Added Value at Red Hook Community Farm, and Eagle Street Rooftop Farm in Brooklyn, NY
***Note: Added Value visit will start early at 3? 2?***
Added Value will touch upon the amazing world of urban farming and how we incorporate youth, community empowerment, and food justice into sustainable agriculture. If time, participants in our Youth Empowerment Program will lead a tour of the community compost and vermicomposting systems. This visit will take place at Red Hook Community Farm.
www.added-value.org
(718) 501-8435
370 Van Brunt St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
From Grand Central: Take the 4,5,or 6 downtown to Bleeker St. Transfer to the F downtown/Brooklyn and get off at Smith and 9th.  From here you can bus it or hoof it…Bus: Take the B77 bus to the last stop/IKEA and the farm is across from IKEA.  Walking from Smith and 9th:
Take a right out of the subway stations. Turn left at light. Cross Hamilton (under the BQE). Turn right at the fire house. Turn your next left. Turn right on Bay (at the big park) and turn left at the second light (Columbia) Farm will be on your right.

Founded in April of 2009, the Eagle Street Rooftop Farm is a 6,000 square foot organic vegetable farm on a greenroof in Greenpoint, north Brookyn. Farmer Annie Novak has worked in agriculture for seven years, from West Africa to northern New York. She works with Growing Chefs: Food Education from Field to Fork, and with the New York Botanical Gardens. In this session, visitors from the CRAFT program will be able to discuss the benefits of rooftop farming in the city, appropriate agricultural practices in rooftop growing, adaptive cropping for shallow soil, and marketing and CSA modeling for urban farms.
www.rooftopfarms.org
(224) 723-4202
44 Eagle St, Brooklyn, NY
The closest train is the G to the Greenpoint Stop (exit at India and walk north west to the water).

August 24th: Poultry Processing at Stone Barns
You’ve kept them healthy and alive and now it’s time for the harvest. From readying for the processing to the bagging of the chilled carcasses, this hands-on workshop will cover the basics of harvesting poultry.
www.stonebarnscenter.org
(914) 366-6200
630 Bedford Rd, Pocantico Hills, NY 10591

September 7th: Flower Production at Ryder Farm Cottage Industries in Brewster, NY
This CRAFT visit will feature the cultivation, harvest, and bouquet of mixed flowers with host Betsey Ryder, who has been an organic grower on her family’s 1795 homestead since 1978. Initially Betsey was the flower and herb sidekick to a larger vegetable operation marketing at NYC Union Sq Greenmarket. During these early years that her business developed the niche marketing of the mixed flower bouquet, growing to serve wholesale clients including Dean and Deluca, Hay Day and Sutton Place along with a variety of grocers, florists and farm stands. This line called “Flowers from my Garden” was so named such that clients, who wished that the flowers were from their own garden, could take claim for them. Her bouquet arrangements are constructed of her cultivated annual and perennial flowers and include a wild streak of flowers harvested from her farm meadows. This CRAFT event also provides the opportunity to visit the 4-5 acres of Certified Organic growing of vegetables and herbs thatRyder Farm Cottage Industries has grown to become, serving farmers markets, CSA, wholesale and custom orders and the roadside farm stand that is located on the farm.
www.RyderFarmOrganic.com
(203) 300-6230
400 Starr Ridge Rd, Brewster, NY, 10509

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