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Page 16 Grassroots November 2011 Farmers must work together to be successful My name is Hal Kreher and I am running for reelection to the NYFB State Board of Directors for District 1. I have enjoyed representing Western New York on the State Board for the past District 1 Hal Kreher 2 years. I am very excited about the Leadership and Staff that we have working for us and would like to continue serving Western New York on the Board. Over the past two years we have had some big decisions to make and to communicate to our membership: we have guided the organization through a by-law change to initiate a new membership level, we have had the counties approve the formation of a Political Action Committee, and we have changed a major partner that we are working with. These decisions and actions are not taken lightly but are the result of serious discussion at all levels, State Board, Annual Meeting of the membership and at each county. I appreciate the give and take and the respect that is shown within our organization when discussing these issues even when there is not 100% agreement on an issue. Agriculture is going through some interesting times that challenge each of us. Whether it is the volatility of commodity pricing, weather challenges, or the challenges of dealing with increasing regulation we all need to work together and share ideas to be successful. We are fortunate to have a strong organization to represent us at the Local, State and Federal level. I look forward to continuing in a leadership role and representing my district as a State Board Member I welcome your input and will continue to do my best to represent you. Ready to build on a record of service I am writing to you to announce my candidacy for District 5 Director to the New York Farm Bureau Board of Directors. As District 5’s Director for the past two years, I have found the position to be both challenging and rewarding. I have enjoyed meeting and working with many of you during this past term and would welcome the opportunity to serve as District 5’s Director again. My Farm Bureau leadership experience is… • Madison County Young Farmer and District 5 Rancher Chair • Member of the Darrell Griff Board of Directors for over 20 years (two different terms) • County Farm Bureau Vice President 2 years • County Farm Bureau President 4 years • Delegate to the State Annual Meeting • District 5 Director 2 years • State Dairy Committee 2 years • State Annual Meeting Committee 1 year I have also recently been appointed Farm Bureau’s representative to the Rural Schools Association of New York State Board of Directors. I have also served on… • The Stockbridge Valley School Board of Education NYFB State Board of Directors Candidate Statements • Stockbridge Valley Ag. Advisory Board • Hamilton Ag. Advisory Board (present) • President and Charter member of the Stockbridge Valley Ruritan organization • Presently serve on the Madison County Natural Gas Task Force My wife Chris and I own and operate Shale Springs Farm in Madison County town of Hamilton. We are a pasture based farm, supplying feeder stock to local growers as well as finished product to local markets. My farming background was in dairy, farming with my father for 17 years. I still have close ties to the dairy industry, working as a hoof trimmer. Thank you for your consideration of my candidacy. Please feel free to call me with any questions. I look forward to seeing you at the State Annual Meeting in Binghamton celebrating 100 years of Farm Bureau. Grassroots is our strength I District 7 Kirby Selkirk am Kirby Selkirk and I’m running for the position of District Seven Representative to New York Farm Bureau Board of Directors. I’ve been a member of Farm bureau since taking over the family dairy farm in the 1970s. I now run a 100 ewe sheep farm selling lamb direct to consumers at farmers markets in the Adirondacks and to local grocers and restaurants. Over the years, I’ve served as a Franklin County board member and am on the board today. I have been its president and vicepresident, I’ve served on the NYFB resolution committee and am currently the district representative on the Promotion and Education Committee and the Livestock, Feed Grains, Equine and Aquaculture Committee. As a voting delegate to several NYFB annual meetings I’ve shepherded policies originating in my county through the process of becoming state policy. I’ve also argued and lost on occasion. I’m a member of the Empire Sheep Producers, North Country Shepherds, Adirondack Farmers Market Cooperative, Adirondack Harvest and the Chateaugay Revitalization Committee. I’m also a member of the advisory group for the North Country Agricultural Development Program. I worked for 10 years as a NYFB Field Advisor for the northern counties. I believe that without Farm Bureau agriculture would be unable to remain a viable industry in New York or the nation. The truly grassroots nature of our organization is its strength and the reason for its continued success over the past 100 years. As a member of the Board of Directors I will work to ensure the financial strength and integrity established by past leaders and to carry out the wishes of the members. Because of my extensive experience with the workings of Farm Bureau I feel competent to represent my district on the state board. Farmers today face new, intense challenges Our family owns and operates Schoharie Valley Farms in Schoharie, NY. We are a 200 acre diversified vegetable, small fruit and greenhouse operation. We serve both a retail direct market through our “Carrot Barn” and wholesale markets from the Capital District to New York City. I serve on the Schoharie County Farm Bureau Board of Directors and the New York State Vegetable Grower Board as well. I have appreciated the opportunity to serve as chairperson of the District 9 Richard Ball NY Farm Bureau labor committee and to represent NY on the AFBF labor committee. Although agriculture has often faced challenges, those that we face today are particularly intense. Our State, National and Global economies have ratcheted up the pressure on many issues. Much of agriculture feels under siegeby the market place, by special interest groups, even by our own government. There is plenty of hard news to go around. And yet I remain optimistic. New York State is home to some of the best soils and some of the best producers in the country. We are living and producing food just a few hours away from the largest appetite in the world. Consumer interest in local foodwhere it is grown, how it is grown, who grows it, is increasing every day. All of us have a vision for our families and our farms it will take a strong collected vision and a unified effort by all of us in Farm Bureau to reconnect and reinforce our pressure in the market place and our influence on the political process. Farm Bureau affords us the opportunity to have that input on the issues that affect our industry. It would be a privilege to continue to represent you on the state Board. We’ve got to do more to protect our consumers Promotion & Education Ann Peck News headlines blare “American children dying after eating applesauce from China, harmful pesticides found on raspberries imported from Mexico, Roundup has been banned even though science shows it is a safe pesticide, beef and chicken prices are no longer affordable except for the wealthy, and grapes from Chile made people sick in California”. All of these things are possible in the United States in the next few years unless we (farmers and agriculture organizations) promote ourselves and educate the public. There are groups and organizations today that are preying on the emotional public who do not have a good sense of where their food comes from or how it is grown to fulfill their agenda. They even use the marketplace to achieve their goals. BST is a good example of this This is why New York Farm Bureau needs even a stronger Promotion and Education committee to get the word out both in our schools and to the general public. This is why we need to work with the Foundation to promote agriculture to all New York citizens. We have some good tools to use such as the coloring books, kiosk, Ag Literacy Day, Fun on the Farm type of events, etc. I would like to see Farm Bureau take this one step further. We need to learn how to blog, use Facebook, Tweet and use You Tube so we can get their personal stories out where others can learn from them. If I am elected again, I will try to promote and work on things to make us more effective in getting our message out. It is time we all took time to promote ourselves. Right now I am working on this from my side by starting a blog. If I can do it so can others.
November 2011 Grassroots Page 17 Making energy from manure? Not only possible; profitable By Adam Specht aspecht@nyfb.org Washington County farmer Sean Quinn has become a national leader in the adoption of green agricultural technology. Last year, Quinn, who operates KA Sunset View Farm in Easton, introduced a thermal heat recovery system to his 2,100-head dairy calf and heifer raising operation. The system, only the second of its kind in the entire country, was installed by Joshua Nelson of AgriLab Technologies in Pawlet, Vt. A thermal heat recovery system collects heat generated from decomposing organic waste. The heat generated by the composting process—which can be transported up to 500 feet with a minimal decrease in temperature—is able be utilized for a variety of farm purposes. It is a highly versatile technology that can be adapted for a variety of different farms, both large and small. Quinn, whose farm generates a substantial amount of manure, began looking for a way to harness his farm’s manure. “We had already been windrowing compost outside and I thought to myself, ‘Boy, there’s a lot of heat coming off this material.’ It seemed like there ought to be a way to utilize this,” said Quinn. A visit to Vermont By Julie Suarez jsuarez@nyfb.org John Noble, a dairy farmer from Livingston County, and Laurie Griffen, a sod farmer from Saratoga County, recently spoke to a crowded room in Albany. Gov. Andrew Cuomo had convened a conference of citizens from all walks of life, including individuals appointed to the state’s 10 newly created Regional Economic Development Councils. The purpose of the conference was to have a substantive discussion on how to turn around the state’s business climate. In the governor’s own words, New York must be “open for business.” While the media attention was focused on former Pres. Bill Clinton’s speech, and an announcement made by the governor of a new investment in nanotechnology, participants also had access to a variety of break-out sessions. NYFB was quite pleased that one of the sessions was moderated New York State Agriculture Commissioner Darrel Aubertine. The commissioner’s Assemblyman Tony Jordan, Rep. Chris Gibson and Joshua Nelson of AgriLab Technologies tour the thermal heat recovery system installed last year at KA Sunset View Farm in Washington County. Quinn was first introduced to thermal heat recovery while visiting a dairy farm in northern Vermont. The farm, whose system was also installed by AgriLab, was the first in the nation to use this novel technology. According to Nelson, the beauty of the system is that it can serve a variety of different purposes on the farm. “By composting solids or organic waste that they’re generating, they can then be composting that material, capture the heat, and then directly use it for heating greenhouses, their homes, offices, equipment sheds, hot water— whatever they need,” said Nelson. On Sunset View, the heat is used primarily to produce hot water for washing farm equipment and mixing milk replacer. Quinn is also able to heat both his office and shop with the system. Once the composting process is complete, the leftover solids can be used for bedding and fertilizer. For an operation as extensive as Sunset View—the farm uses around 4,200 gallons of hot water per day—the savings are dramatic. Quinn estimates he is saving $3,100 a month on energy costs and around $4,000 on bedding. Additionally, the farm was able to cut down its manure hauling costs last year by about $180,000, since the waste is kept on the farm to fuel the system. Widely applicable The heat recovery technology is not just applicable to dairy operations—it could potentially serve a wide variety of commodities. Nelson is currently working with poultry farms in Maryland and Wisconsin to install heat recovery systems that would aid in the production and packaging of fertilizer. He also believes it could allow farmers to diversify their businesses. For example, he envisions a scenario in which a dairy farmer is able to produce cheese using the hot water generated by the system. “There’s a very wide array of applications for anyone who’s dependent on the grid and fossil fuel for heat,” said Nelson. Grants helped with cost While the startup expenses for the system are substantial, Quinn was able to receive grants that helped defray the cost. With the tremendous savings made possible by the heat recovery system, he expects it to pay for itself in less than three years. Quinn enthusiastically recommends heat recovery to farmers interested in cutting down their expenses. “I think there’s a lot of opportunity out there with heat recovery,” Quinn said. “It’s very environmentally safe, simple to run, and it’s a way to reduce manure load and create a bedding source.” Farmers interested in thermal heat recovery are encouraged to contact Josh Nelson at AgriLab Technologies. He can be reached by phone at (802) 325- 2203 or by e-mail at agrilabtech@aol. com. Farmers in Albany mean business session focused on how our farm families are adapting to the ever-changing marketplace for agricultural products in a state that has a tremendously high cost of doing business. During the session, Noble shared his own personal experiences in agriculture. While his family and farm have grown and expanded over the years, the Nobles have always been focused on running a profitable business while supporting the community and the environment. Meanwhile, Griffen discussed the evolution of her family’s farm—specifically how the farm has changed its structure, its land base, and even its primary commodity. (The Griffens transitioned from a dairy to a sod production to remain viable.) Douglas O’Brien, a deputy secretary from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), spoke of the critical role that rural development agencies and farmers can play in local communities’ economic development. He urged local officials to consider the resources available at the USDA to help facilitate infrastructure and other rural improvements. Both Noble and Griffen, as well as Commissioner Aubertine, discussed the many ways in which New York’s agricultural diversity make it a strong state, but one in which crafting effective policy to help farmers can be challenging. The audience responded by encouraging farmers to share their stories. One attendee, a dean of one of the City University of New York’s colleges and not someone who would normally have the opportunity to interact with farmers, said it best when she stressed that agriculturalists should take more time to connect with consumers, especially those New York City. With the recent focus on locally grown foods and counteracting the rising rate of obesity, now is the time for the agricultural community to establish a dialogue with the city. Hopefully, these Regional Council conferences, the thriving greenmarkets program in the city and the work of the NYFB Foundation for Agricultural Education can help farmers bridge the urban/rural divide. Maple farms, DEC reach agreement on reverse osmosis By Helen Thomas, Executive Director, New York State Maple Producers’ Association Reverse Osmosis (RO) is a technology popular in many industries that has proved to be very useful for maple production as well. Each year more maple producers in New York install this technology, saving evaporation time and significant fuel each season. Part of the challenge of using new technology is to insure that no harm to the environment occurs. The New York State Maple Producers’ Association, Leader Evaporator, New York Farm Bureau, the Departments of Agriculture and Markets and Environmental Conservation (DEC) have worked together this year to review the use and cleaning procedures for reverse osmosis systems in the maple industry. It was agreed that, with attention to just one small step that is done during RO cleaning, the systems can be used with no harmful impact on the environment. This agreement has resulted in an exemption from regulation of maple RO systems by the NYS DEC. Two kinds of waste water Reverse Osmosis systems generate two types of “waste” water — permeate and wash. In maple production, the permeate consists of the water portion of the sap that has been separated out by the RO system. Over a maple season, permeate is generated in thousands of gallons. While most other applications of RO technology create a permeate that contains harmful stuff, maple production is unique in that the permeate is essentially distilled water. This permeate can be released back into the environment with no concern. The wash portion of the RO waste water is a small quantity of water that contains a lye-based soap to clean the RO membrane, as well as the additional water that rinses the soap out of the membrane. The soap can create a waste water with a high pH, but by adding citric acid to the water before draining it, the pH can be returned essentially to normal so that the room temperature water can then be drained out without further concern. In general, the amount of citric acid required will vary depending on the starting PH of the wash water, but will take approximately ¾ lbs. of citric acid per 25 gals of wash water. Citric acid (think lemons!) is a very inexpensive material, available from maple equipment dealers. Wash procedures differ Maple producers who have Reverse Osmosis technology should check with their equipment dealer for the wash procedure specific to their equipment. Feel free to contact the NY State Maple Producers’ Association at 315- 877-5795 for assistance or information (www.nysmaple.com) Maple producers are very pleased that no regulation, inspection, or permits will be needed for operations that employ reverse osmosis systems and use this simple cleaning method. The decision came from a positive team effort by representatives of all parties who were committed to keeping maple operation simple while caring for the environment – a continuing emphasis of the maple industry.
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