Growing a healthy farm business

REGION — Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orange, Ulster, Sullivan and Dutchess Counties will present a series of four workshops designed for individuals considering a new farm business or those considering expansion or diversification.

The first of these four workshops will be held in two parts on January 30 and February 27, from 6:45 to 9:00 p.m. and will discuss the value of a business plan in clarifying the goals of your business and providing a framework for moving the business forward. The elements of a business plan will be presented. The instructor for this program is Don Dods with the Institute for Business, Industry and Government (IBIG).

Participants will draft their own business plan before the second session to be held on February 27. At this session, participants will have an opportunity to discuss issues and concerns they may have encountered while drafting the plan. In addition, speakers from the U.S. Department of Labor and Farm Credit will cover issues of taxes and labor as they apply to farm business.

The cost of this two-part program is $30. The program will be held at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orange County, Community Campus, 1 Ashley Ave. Middletown, NY. Registration deadline is January 24. For more information contact Jill Knapp at 845/344-1234.

Other workshops in this series include Small Fruit Crops for the Hudson Valley, which will provide production and marketing information on such crops as currents, gooseberries and others; Elements of Effective Business Marketing; and The Use of the Internet in Marketing.

Pike forests part of state clean up

HARRISBURG — About 130 volunteers and contractors helped to clean up 45 tons of trash and 24 tons of recyclable scrap metal at 14 state, forest and state park dumpsites last year under the Pennsylvania Forest Lands Beautification Program, according to the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), the state agency administering the program.

In addition to the 63 truckloads of trash and two dozen tons of scrap metal, nearly 1,000 tires and several gallons of used motor oil were hauled up embankments, fished out of wetlands and streams, and loaded for proper disposal and recycling from March through November.

The Forest Lands Beautification Act, signed into law December 1998 by Governor Tom Ridge, provides up to $7.5 million over five years to clean up existing dumps on state forest and park lands. Funding for the law comes from the Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling and Waste Reduction Act (Act 101), administered by the Department of Environmental Protection.

Local sites involved in the clean up include the Milford Preservation Tract and Lake Laura Trail, both in Delaware State Forest in Pike County.

To learn more about the program, visit www.CleanPAForests.org, call 877/772-3673, or e-mail paforest@paclean-ways.org.

Maple syrup for lunch

BETHANY — The Northeastern Pennsylvania Maple Syrup Producers’ Association Annual Meeting and lunch is set for Monday, January 22 from about 10:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Bethany Methodist Church Hall, off of Route 670 in the village of Bethany, PA.

President Carl Curtis of Newfoundland will conduct the annual meeting business. Reports from the 2001 Pennsylvania Farm Show’s maple products sales booths and maple syrup and maple products show will be shared with the group. A report from the Pennsylvania Maple Producers’ Council meeting will also be given.

This year’s annual meeting will feature the following informative and educational topics dealing with maple syrup production: “Educational Programs In the Sugar Bush” by Roger Spotts, Environmental Education Coordinator, Monroe County Conservation District; “Wetlands” by Robert Muller, Jr., District Manager, Wayne Conservation District; and “An Update On the Asian Longhorned Beetle” by Vincent J. Cotrone, Urban Forester, Luzerne County Cooperative Extension.

A pancake, sausage, egg, home fries and 100-percent-pure maple syrup lunch will be served at 12:00 noon by members of the Bethany Methodist Church. The cost of the meal is $6 per person. Reservations are required. Call 570/253-5970, ext. 239 by Friday, January 19.

Fishing with the Elks

LIBERTY — The Liberty Elks Lodge will hold its annual Kids’ Ice Fishing Contest on Saturday, February 3. The contest is free and is open to the public.

Families ice fish from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., at which time refreshments will be served and prizes and trophies will be awarded to the kids. For more information contact Keith Hamlin at 845/292-3006.