USDA Initiatives Available to Urban Growers in New York

Kyle Karnuta, Urban Ag Curriculum Development Specialist
Harvest New York

April 17, 2024
USDA Initiatives Available to Urban Growers in New York

In partnership with the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Cornell Cooperative Extension's Harvest New York team hosted a free webinar in Spring 2024 to summarize key USDA initiatives available to urban growers in New York. The webinar is relevant to a diverse audience, including Cornell Cooperative Extension educators, urban growers, and USDA staff. The webinar recording provides an introduction to two United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) agencies: the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) as well as a summary of agency programs and initiatives that may benefit urban growers in New York. The webinar ends with a brief Q&A. Slides are available to download and include links to additional resources.




Presentation: FSA & NRCS Primer for Urban Agriculture (pdf; 5692KB)
  • Download the PDF. Review 'Comments' (on a PC) or 'Highlights and Notes' (on a Mac) to see the full presentation notes.


Speaker Notes / Video Transcript: FSA & NRCS Primer for Urban Agriculture (pdf; 188KB)


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Upcoming Events

2025 Agroforestry Field Day Series -- Agroforestry Implementation and Management

October 23, 2025
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Highland, NY

Interested in incorporating agroforestry practices into your farm? Join us for a series of workshops co-hosted by CCE Ulster, Orange, and Harvest NY with Mastwood Farms, Black Creek Farm and Nursery and Scenic Hudson. 

On October 23, we'll return to Erik Schellenberg's farm, Black Creek Farm and Nursery, for a Fall tour of their agroforestry plantings. Erik will talk about harvesting and managing plantings while we see some seasonal crops and installations of different ages and types. There will be time for questions and discussion as we wrap up the series. covered.

Soil Health 101 for Community Gardens -- A Bilingual Workshop

October 24, 2025
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Staten Island, NY

Join Urban Agriculture Specialists, Karen Guzman and Yolanda Gonzalez, as they discuss the importance of soil health and testing your soil as you prepare for the incoming growing season. They will go into strategies for best practices when it comes to soil health management and highlight the current soil testing program through NYSDAM and CCE. This workshop will be in both Spanish and English.

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.

Announcements

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.