Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBE) Coffee Hour

March 12, 2024


NOTE: THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN UPDATED.

Join Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County and Harvest NY for a coffee hour to learn about the Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBE) program. An overview of the MWBE program will be provided by Precious Tshabalala, Food Systems Specialist with Harvest NY. Her focus is on distribution, procurement, diversification, access to new markets, and promotion of local foods. Precious will answer questions about how MWBE businesses can benefit from these programs. This coffee hour event will provide an informal setting for MWBE businesses to network and connect with Precious to discuss strategies and resources for farm and food MWBEs seeking to navigate state contracting. 

Morning refreshments will be provided. 

Biochar 101 for Community Gardens (Upper Manhattan)

October 25, 2025
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Upper Manhattan, NY

Join Karen Guzman and Dr. Rebecca Nelson of Cornell University, Bill Hilgendorf of White Feather Farm, and the NYRP Urban Ag team for a deep dive into biochar as a tool for waste management, carbon storage, and soil health in a community garden context. During this hands-on workshop, participants will have the chance to make biochar using garden waste and learn about best practices when applying it to a garden bed. Workshop attendees will all receive a small amount of biochar to take back to their garden.

Space is limited. Pre-registration required.

Biochar 101 for Community Gardens (Bronx)

October 26, 2025
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Bronx, NY

Join Karen Guzman and Dr. Rebecca Nelson of Cornell University, alongside the NYRP Urban Ag team for a deep dive into biochar as a tool for waste management, carbon storage, and soil health in a community garden context. During this hands-on workshop, participants will have the chance to make biochar using garden waste and learn about best practices when applying it to a garden bed. Workshop attendees will all receive a small amount of biochar to take back to their garden.

Space is limited! Pre-registration is required.

New Produce Auctions in NYS!

With the opening of the new Augusta Produce Auction on August 19th, New York State now has 11 produce auctions! See the new map of produce auction locations across the state and contact information.

New York Urban Farms Sustainable Pest Management Fact Sheet Series

Cornell Cooperative Extension has partnered with dozens of urban farms across New York State to demonstrate and evaluate sustainable pest management strategies. Together with farmers, we found success using control methods that prevent or reduce crop losses through exclusion strategies, crop timing, host resistance, the introduction of beneficial organisms, and more. Regardless of management strategy used, common requirements for success include a knowledge of the pest and disease complex, preventative deployment and commitment to the process. The New York Urban Farms Sustainable Pest Management Fact Sheet Series includes case studies highlighting pest management techniques that New York urban farms have found valuable.