Aquaponic Maintenance

After a full year of use, it was time to spruce up our aquaponic grow bed.

The aquaponics setup at Better Farm is working 24 hours a day to produce fresh salad greens and herbs while aerating and filtering the water our rescue minnows, koi, and goldfish depend on. But after a year of all this work, the grow bed was in dire need of a good scrubbing—and the plants needed to be thinned.

One of the most obvious signs the grow bed needed some TLC was the restricted water flow coming out of it and back into the fish tank. The cause? The grow bed's vents were clogged with fish poop and any other debris circling through the system:

The plants inside the grow bed were also getting pretty unruly, dill in particular:

 

To start, we had to separate out all the plants. This involved creating a large scoop with our hands and grabbing full plants from the bottom—roots and all. It's important to be sure you don't damage the roots! We left the roots hanging on to some of the pea gravel and set those plants aside:

Then it was time to take the grow bed off the fish tank so we could run water over the gravel and give the grow bed a good scrubbing.

 

I recommend not using any soap on the grow bed, as this can negatively affect your fish and plants (even biodegradable stuff). Instead, we just used a scrub brush and hot water.

For the pea gravel, I plugged the kitchen sink. Then I ran hot water over the gravel, sifted the gravel in a strainer, and then put the pea gravel back in the grow bed:

Once the water in the sink cooled off, we were able to put that in a spray bottle and use the solution as a fertilizer for all our house plants and baby seedlings in the greenhouse.

Then, it was just a matter of carefully putting the plants back into the grow bed. Now our greens have plenty of room to grow, and the water system is flowing more smoothly—good news for fish and plants alike.

Small Farms Update from Cornell

Small Farms Update is a monthly newsletter distributed by Cornell's Small Farms Program and is intended for farmers and agricultural service providers in New York and the Northeast.

Announcements

Microloan Webinar: Up to $35,000 Now Available for Farmers!

Free Webinar April 10, 7-8pm EST

Join the Cornell Small Farms Program and FSA Senior Loan Specialist Carrie Novak for this One-Time Opportunity.  

Small farmers spoke up and the Farm Services Agency (FSA) listened! In January 2013 the FSA launched a new Microloan Program that offers very low-interest loans of up to $35,000, with an abbreviated application process. On Wed. April 10 from 7-8pm EST, come learn about the details of the program, including loan terms and application process, and have the opportunity to type questions to the FSA's Senior Loan Specialist, Carrie Novak via chat pod. Carrie will also present basic FSA loan eligibility criteria and review the application form.

Register here

 |

More Info

Groundswell Announces New Sustainable Farming Programs

T

he

Groundswell Center for Local Food & Farming based in Ithaca, NY, is now taking applications for its 2013 Sustainable Farming Certificate Program, as well as several shorter courses.  These programs provide hands-on training in small-scale, commercial organic farming systems and are geared for beginning and aspiring farmers.  Program details and an online application form can be found at 

www.groundswellcenter.org

.  For more information, email 

info@groundswellcenter.org

 or call 

607-319-5095

.

NOFA-NY Seeking Workshop Proposals for Annual Winter Conference

The conference will take place January 24th-26th, 2014 in Saratoga Springs, NY. They are interested in proposals for a wide-range of conference workshop tracks including: Dairy and Grazing, Livestock, Fruits and Herbs, Vegetables, Beginning Farming, Urban Farming, Value-Added Processing and Marketing, Grains and Field Crops, Gardening and Homesteading, and People and Policy.  General conference workshops are 75 minutes long.  A limited number of longer (intensive) workshops that are ½ day (3 hours) to full-day (6 hours) will be offered on the first full day of the conference. Submit a

workshop

. Send questions to 

conference@nofany.org

4th National Women in Sustainable Ag Conference Seeking Presenters 

The conference will be held November 6-8, 2013 in Des Moines, IA, hosted by the Women, Food & Agriculture Network.  Presentations are invited in the following tracks: production-related topics; management, human relations and farm transfer topics; and leadership, network development and policy topics. Women engaged developing healthy, locally based food systems are the target audience. Deadline for submissions is April 30, 2013.

Submit a proposal

  |

More info

.

Events

Featured Events

April 4th, 2013.  

CSAs in the Workplace. 

10:00am. Saratoga County CCE in Ballston Spa. 

An introduction to CSAs, the benefits to farmer and consumer, the shared risks, and the history of success will be presented.  Educational materials developed as part of the Cornell Small Farms Grant Program will be available, ideas exchanged, concerns voiced and connections made.  Farmers, worksite representatives and interested individuals are welcome.  

More Info

 C

ontact Teresa Whalen, Adirondack Harvest Southern Chapter Representative, at 466-5497 or

taawhalen@yahoo.com

for registration.

April 8, 22, & May 6, 2013.

Starting a Livestock Farm on a Shoestring Workshop Series

.  6:30 PM - 8:30 PM. Multi-purpose Room, Riga Town Hall, 6460 Buffalo Road, Churchville, NY 14428. Cornell University Cooperative Extension's Small Farms Specialist, Nancy Glazier is offering a beginning farmer educational series intended for beginning farmers. Topics covered will be the bare necessities to get started: Ag lingo, business planning, bare bones bookkeeping, budgeting, soils basics, feeding and shelter for livestock. Fee: $35.00 per person/farm for the series. Pre-registration is required by April 5, 2013 by calling Team Administrative Assistant, Cathy Wallace in CCE of Genesee County office at 

(585) 343-3040 x138

 or e-mail with your full contact information to 

cfw6@cornell.edu

cfw6@cornell.edu

>. For workshop questions please call Nancy Glazier at

(585) 315-7746

.

April 18, 2013.

A Dollar and A Dream: Hands On Funding Workshop For Farmers

.  

2-5 PM

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County, 100 Eaton Street, Morrisville, NY.

 Free!

 Please register

here

by Monday, April 12 o

r by calling Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County at (315) 684-3001  x 100.  

More Info

April 25, 2013. 

Farming Transplants: The Basics of Greenhouse Production for Sales and Farm Use

.

4:30 PM-7:00 PM. 

Blue Heron Farm, 1641 Shaw Rd, Lodi, NY. Robin Ostfeld of Blue Heron Farm will teach participants how to anticipate one's market and plan accordingly.  Learn how to determine how much to plant, how to time plantings, how to market transplants and the best strategies for finding a balance between risk and reliability with the plant varieties you choose. Pre-Registration Deadline: by noon on April 22. To register, click 

here

 or call 585-271-1979 x511. Registration Fee: $5/person, $10/two or more people.

[

MANY MORE EVENTS!

] 

Visit our comprehensive statewide

events calendar online

.

Career Opportunities

Looking for a farm job, internship or apprenticeship?

Are you looking for a farm internship, apprenticeship or job? Looking for venues to post an opportunity? The Northeast Beginning Farmer Project has compiled an extensive national list for you! Visit

here

to start your search!

Good Food Collective Distribution Crew Members, Rochester, NY - Due May 1st

The Good Food Collective is a multi-farm Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project offering membership programs that connect people to local, sustainable foods and some of the best farmers in the Rochester area.  The Collective seeks two distribution crew members to assist in the receiving, sorting, and storage of daily deliveries from partner farms.  For a full job description and qualifications, email 

chris@thegoodfoodcollective.com

.  For more info on the Collective, visit 

http://thegoodfoodcollective.com

Funding Opportunities

Schoharie County Agriculture Assistance Grant Program 

With the assistance of the N.Y.S. Department of Agriculture & Markets, matching grants will be offered to aid Schoharie County farms in purchasing up-to-date technology, equipment and inventory as well as provide working capital. The Agriculture Assistance Grant program will fund up to 50% of the total costs associated with the purchase of eligible items, and will have a cap of $50,000 per farm. To be eligible for these grants, a representative from the farm must attend a Farm Disaster Preparation Certificate Training, have an up-to-date business plan which includes the purchase of the items included in the grant, and show how the remainder of the project will be funded. 

For more information regarding this grant opportunity, please contact Sarah Blood at Schoharie County Planning and Development at 518-295-8770.

Organic Farming Research Foundation Research Grants

- Due May 15th

The Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) offers funding for organic seed quality or crops breeding projects.

Proposals must involve farmers or ranchers in project design and implementation and must take place on certified organic land, ideally on working farms or ranches. Applicants should articulate how the proposed research project will foster the improvement or adoption of organic farming systems.  

OFRF requests proposals which have objectives that are realistically achievable with a modest level of funding. OFRF will not fund a project for more than $15,000 per year. Matching funds from other sources and in-kind contributions from applicants and cooperators are encouraged but not required.  

More Info

Sustainable Ag Grad Students Grants - Due May 21st

The goal of this grant program is to support graduate students who are doing research on topics specific to sustainable agriculture under the supervision of a faculty advisor. Graduate Student proposals should address issues of current or potential importance to Northeast farmers and farm service professionals such as NRCS staff, Cooperative Extension, and researchers. Because universities typically do not allow students to manage institutional grants, the applicant's faculty advisor will be named the principal investigator if a grant is awarded. Grants are capped at $1

5,000.

Learn more at

http://www.nesare.org/Grants/Get-a-Grant

Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants - Due May 22

The purpose of AFRI is to support research, education, and extension work by awarding grants that address key problems of national, regional, and multi-state importance in sustaining all components of food and agriculture, including farm efficiency and profitability, ranching, renewable energy, forestry (both urban and agroforestry), aquaculture, rural communities and entrepreneurship, human nutrition, food safety, physical and social sciences, home economics and rural human ecology, biotechnology, and conventional breeding.

More Info

Latest Resources

Help Available for Small Dairy Processors

Cornell's Dairy Foods Extension Team has begun to work substantially with smaller farms who have value-added processing capabilities.  This team currently offers a short-course certificate program in fermented products, fluid milk, and cheese products.  

The program covers food safety and processing of dairy products and is valuable for small farmers who want to develop a "value-added" processing line. 

Additionally, the Cornell

Dairy Foods Extension Team

 offers consultation services for small dairy processors.  

More Info

The New Horse-Powered Farm

 is Now Available from Chelsea Green Publishing

The New Horse-Powered Farm: Tools and Systems for the Small-Scale, Sustainable Market Grower

, written by Stephen Leslie, is a comprehensive guide for anyone interested in horse-powered farming, and clearly shows how to get started, from the selection and care of the different horse breeds, training the horse and the teamster, soil fertility, plowing, tillage, seeding, and harvesting, to managing pastures and making hay. 

[

More info

]

Stay Connected |

Subscribe

If you have an announcement, event, job or funding opportunity, or resource to be included in the update, please

send an email

. 

SUBSCRIBE HERE

Grounds Stewards

A main springtime initiative at Better Farm this year is clearing the old farming grounds of the original homestead.

Part of the work we do at Better Farm has to do with reviving old spaces; turning what had become forgotten land into fertile new ground for people (and animals) to enjoy. Because our Annual Open House and Fundraiser is expanding this year, it was time to level-up on the property across the street from Better Farm's main house.

It's amazing how much stuff is just lying around old barn foundations, in open fields, and buried under tangles of vines, trees, and brush. Here's just one pile of junk we found twisted up in the old barn foundation (mental note: This is already after a huge dumpster haul three years ago, and an intimidating barn clear-out the last two years):

On the plus side, there is now going to be more space to utilize for meetings, entertainment, and for the natural bug and animal community to traverse without getting tripped up on some old rusty metal or other piece of garbage.

The photo above is of the mess discovered after clearing this space out:

Here's the space just about finished up, save for a few remaining piles of dirt:

 
While one work crew was clearing out the foundation this morning,  there was also some ATV activity clearing pathways through woods, removing old barbed wire, and lowering some brush:

Here's another pile of junked metal from decades ago:

Across the street next to the garden, we also got some repairs done on our rainwater catchment system. That set-up sustained some damage in heavy windstorms since last fall.

Stay tuned for more updates as we enhance the grounds for upcoming events and tours. To volunteer, please contact us at info@betterfarm.org or (315) 482-2536.

Chicken Hawk Deterrents

We had an unfortunate hawk attack the other day at Better Farm, and sadly lost one of the Rapunzels, whom we rescued last summer from certain death at an egg factory. The tragedy caused us to do a bunch of research on chicken hawks and deterrents for birds of prey. Here's a quick rundown of what we found out, and the steps we took to ensure the Better Farm chickens can enjoy a predator-free, free-range life. (Note: These deterrents will work for most birds, so feel free to use these ideas near fruit trees or anywhere you have problems with birds.)

A shiny, fluttery scarecrow strategically placed (and moved every few days) will ward off flying predators.

Better Farm's terrifying new scarecrow. Fluttering pieces of bright fabric and shimmering CDs helped our scarecrow become more ferocious.

The Problem at Hand

Everyone's got to eat! For hawks, food is scarce in the early spring, winter, and late fall. So if the bird is lucky enough to come upon a property with dozens of grazing, slow-moving prey like chickens, you can bet the hawk (or any other bird of prey) is going to check out what's available—and come back for seconds. A chicken coop can quickly become a delicious buffet for a predator, so if you've got backyard chickens in an uncovered run (or free range), chances are you'll need to take some basic steps to protect your birds.

A Few Solutions

Hawks will be scared off by a few things, but it's important to remember that whatever you do, you'll have to continuously reinvent yourself so the hawk doesn't grow accustomed to your decoys. Here are a few ways people in the backyard birding community have protected their ranging hens during the day:

• Fluttering CDs—If you take some old, scratched-up CDs you're not using anymore and hang them around your coop or chicken run (or from trees throughout your yard), the reflecting light will frighten away birds of prey.

• Mirrors—Hang mirrors at an angle facing upwards around where your chickens like to spend time. Hang them facing all four directions. An easy way to hang the mirrors is to place them, face-up, in the bottom of a plant basket with handle. Hang the basket from a clothesline, fence, tree limb, swing set, or even a trampoline. Or, simply set the basket on the ground.

• Gazing Balls—Gazing balls put out throughout where your chickens hang out will work the same way CDs and mirrors do.

• Scarecrow—A scarecrow decked out in fluttery strips of mylar or shiny fabric and holding dangling CDs will scare away predatory birds—but be aware that you'll need to move the scarecrow every few days so the hawks don't get used to him (or her).

• Mylar—Whether you buy balloons or strips made out of mylar, you can fashion your own shimmery bird deterrent. Hang mylar strips on fence posts, tree branches, or anywhere else you choose.

Garden Days in Redwood!

There are two events slated for April that will give area residents the opportunity to learn more about cultivating gardens, and give people the opportunity to get seeds started in Redwood's very own community greenhouse!

April 9, Gardening Q and A
A question-and-answer session on on gardening is scheduled from 12-2 p.m. at Fellowship Hall in Redwood April 9. Sue Guise of Cornell Cooperative Extension will be there as gardening expert. Learn more about composting, using a greenhouse, keeping pests away, or anything else you'd like to ask.

April 13, Seed Starting
At 11 a.m. Saturday, April 13, The Redwood Neighborhood Association will provide organic, non-GMO seeds to anyone who would like to plant in the community greenhouse. You are also welcome to bring your own seeds. The community greenhouse is located directly next to the Kabel garage and across from the Redwood Tavern on Route 37. This event is great for children as well, who will have the opportunity to learn about gardening, seed selection—and have the chance to get their hands dirty!

Build a 14x14 Cabin for < $2k

Below is a nice video showing how the folks over at Simple Solar Homesteading built a 14′ x14′ cabin for less than $2,000 (for the full schematics, click here). Following that video is one discussing solar and wind installation. The last link is to all the builder's videos. If you are thinking of going off grid, looking to build a cabin or just interested in that lifestyle, his videos are really interesting and informative to watch.

 See all Simple Solar Homesteading's videos by

clicking here

.

Spring Gardening Update

It finally feels like spring! So this morning I went outside to clean out chicken coops, rake our mulched rows in the main garden, peel away some layers of mulch in the raised beds, and commune with 30 very special chickens. I can't even describe how good it feels to get outside and get my hands dirty.

I got half of our peas in the garden on Monday (a bit later than last year's St. Patty's Day planting) and will get the rest in next Monday. In other news, the main garden is twice as big (again), the seedlings are starting to pop inside the main house (they'll move into the greenhouse on Monday, along with a bunch more flats), our chives and garlic are up (!), and the chickens are beyond elated to be worm-hunting and roto-tilling to their hearts' content. Here's a pictorial tour:

(Disclaimer: This is the start of Spring, so please don't expect some designer landscape! The images you see here are of extremely healthy compost and hay working their hardest to bring us the healthiest soil possible. If you'd like more information on how mulch gardening works, please click here. And if you're a skeptic about using hay, cardboard, compost, and all things rotting to have the lushest garden imaginable, check out our 2012 gardens album here.)

I got the new garden rows (established last fall) raked up and ready for planting. The chickens were excited to discover what was underneath all that hay!

 

 

Here's Big Mama vying for the handsomest rooster award: 

 

Rapunzels hanging out:

I went around to our raised beds and lined the insides with cardboard as a weed barrier (avert your eyes from the snow that is STILL hanging around):

Meanwhile, over in the raised beds, we have garlic!

...and we have chives!

Photos will be coming soon of our greenhouse layout, and more updates on the mandala garden started last fall. Anyone who would like to join us in getting the grounds ready for summer can e-mail info@betterfarm.org or call (315) 482-2536.

Natural Dye for Easter Eggs

(Editor's Note: If you don't have access to free-range eggs from well-cared for, happy birds, we'd recommend skipping the whole egg thing altogether and instead making your own

papier-mache

eggs this Easter

)

The Following Article from The Old School

Skip the food coloring and dye eggs the old-school way this year with vegetable dyes and spices. In this tutorial, red cabbage, beets, and turmeric will give you beautiful muted hues for your eggs.

Prep Time:45 minutes

Takes: 1-2 hours

Makes:12 stellar springtime eggs

Costs: $10

Materials

• 12 white, hard boiled eggs

• egg carton

• 2 tbsp turmeric (yellow)

• 1-2 beets (pink)

• purple cabbage (blue)

• salt

• vinegar

• water

• 3 bowls

• slotted spoon

• 3 pots with lids

Overachievers

Make a rainbow.

For orange eggs, try boiled yellow onion skins, carrots, or paprika. For red eggs, try pomegranate juice, canned cherries (with syrup), or cranberries. For purple eggs, try hibiscus tea, boiled red onion skins, or red wine. A handful of dyestuff, or two tbsp of spices per cup of water are handy ratios to follow.

Want To Learn?

Before you color the eggs, learn how to hard boil them perfectly.

Just let the Easter bunny and his basket of pre-manufactured plastic eggs go ahead and hop on by this year — you’ve got better options. Take an hour,

hard boil up a batch of fresh, white eggs

, then color them the natural way using common foods and flowers. Gorgeous springtime results promised — here’s how.

Lesson Plan

1. Boil one quart of water, 1 tbsp vinegar, and 1 tbsp salt in each of three pots.

2. Add a handful of chopped beets to one pot, cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes. The longer you simmer, the richer the color will be.

3. Add a handful of purple cabbage to the second pot, cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes.

4. Place 2 tbsp of turmeric in a bowl and pour your third pot of boiling water over it. Mix well.

5. After your ingredients have simmered, pour the colored waters through a clean strainer into your remaining two bowls. You can opt to leave the veggies in, but your egg color will be a bit mottled.

6. Place four eggs into the turmeric bowl, four into the beet bowl, and four into the cabbage bowl. Let sit for 30 minutes.

7. Remove eggs with slotted spoon. If they are the color you desire, set them in the egg carton to dry, being careful not to handle them too much, which can cause the dye to rub off. If you're looking for a richer color, return them to the water until they meet your needs. If you plan to eat them eventually, move to the refrigerator for the second soaking.

Better Farm Children's Book Now Available!

Cover image for "Starry the Fawn" by Amanda Treco

A new children's book about a very special baby deer is now available for purchase through Better Farm.

Starry the Fawn, written and illustrated by former intern Amanda Treco, is more than a dozen pages that tell the story of Star Wars, a fawn rescued from the wild when she was orphaned just a day after being born.

The cost of $12 includes shipping anywhere in the Continental United States. A portion of all proceeds will go toward sustainability education initiatives and art outreach at Better Farm. Click here to order!

Season Kick-Off Weekend at Better Farm

Community potluck dinner-party season has started back up!

We've got spring fever at Better Farm, and have kicked the season off right by getting seed flats planted, harvesting an aquaponic bounty and copious amounts of free-range eggs, rehabilitating some unwanted plants, making signs for our new trails system, and pasteurizing last year's compost.

Seed Planting
Our artichokes, peppers, mulberries, huckleberries, leeks,  and several other varieties of produce have been planted in flats throughout the main house at the farm. Aloe plants have been divided and repotted to encourage growth for a budding skincare and essential oil line (stay tuned for more information about that!).

Aquaponic Harvest

We have a variety of beautiful, organic lettuces ready to go! Please contact us at (315) 482-2536 or info@betterfarm.org if you would like to place an order.

Egg Heads

The chickens are hip to the season shift and are laying dozens upon dozens of beautiful Ameraucana, Leghorn, and Bard Rock eggs. A dozen eggs is $3 and includes a variety of all the above-listed varieties

Plant Rehab
A trip to Watertown on Friday yielded a handful of sick cactuses and orchids being discarded at a local store that we'll be rehabilitating over the next several months. This "plant hospital" will afford us the opportunity to educated visitors on bringing plants back to life—and keep these beauties from ending up in the garbage.

New Trail-System Signs

Over the weekend a group of us walked the new trail system in Better Farm's woods—and made trailhead signs to guide the way. By summer, we'll have a map to go along with the trails, as well as trail markers and camping sites. E-mail us if you'd like to volunteer on this project.

Compost Pasteurization

We blogged in February about how pasteurizing your compost can benefit from pasteurization:

Many people choose the safest route to prevent hitchhiking seeds and damping-off by buying a pre-sterilized package of potting soil, if you have a large amount of pots and flats to fill, this could be expensive. By taking a couple of extra steps before you begin, you can use your own rich, organic compost. Some people "bake" their soil in their oven to kill micro-organisms. But this process of sterilization kills everything, even the healthy organisms that you have worked so hard to create. The answer is simple: Instead of sterilizing compost and garden soil, pasteurize it. While sterilizing kills virtually all surface-dwelling microorganisms, when you pasteurize your potting mixture, it is only heated to a temperature that kills harmful organisms and leaves beneficial organisms alone.

We experimented with this process, which wasn't as smelly as you might initially imagine; and we've been left with fluffy black soil that's going to be very very good to our seeds and seedlings in the garden.

Recycle Your Cell Phone, Help BetterArts!

Now you can help the environment and support betterArts in one fell swoop simply by sending in your old cell phones, iPods, iPads, and other electronics to Recycling for Charities.

How it works is simple.

Step 1: Collect Old Wireless Cell Phones, PDA's, iPods or Digital Cameras
Those who wish to make a charity phone donation can initiate the process by simply collecting any sort of unused cellular phone, PDA, Palm Pilots, digital cameras or iPods. If you know many people who would like to donate their electronic devices, take recycling a step further by organizing fundraising recycling drive or corporate event. The more people that donate old cell phones, the more the environment and local charities can benefit.

Step 2: Select The Charity To Benefit From Your Donation (betterArts!)
Next, select betterArts from the list of charities. Recycling for Charities then makes a donation on your behalf for each mobile phone, PDA, iPod or digital camera you collect.


Step 3: Mail Items Using Recycling for Charities' Ready-Made Shipping Label
To complete the process, simply print out the shipping label directly from Recycling for Charities' website. Affix the label to your box, pack your collected donations and ship it. It's as easy as 1-2-3!

To learn more about Recycling for Charities, click here.

Spring 2013 Newsletter

Better Farm News - Spring 2013:

• Save the Date: Annual Alumni Weekend, Open House, and Fundraiser Set for May 25 • Rundown of Recent Events • Seeking Instructors for Summer Programming • Upcoming Events and Volunteer Opportunities   Hello, Friends of Better Farm! The groundhog blew it this year. So much for the early Spring we were all hoping for! The season may be buried under several inches of snow right now, but we're determined to find it in the coming weeks. BetterArts has already started the season off right by partnering with the North Country Goes Green Irish Festival last weekend to help to raise money for various charities (more about that below). As we wait for the snow outside to melt, we're busy setting up programming for the Spring and Summer—and as we continue to expand and grow, so do the projects! To meet the growing demand for fresh organic produce, quality programming, and creative and cultural events in the North Country, we're busy as ever preparing for our best season yet. Our seeds have arrived amidst all this wintry weather, and we've been overwhelmed by applicants for the betterArts Residency Program and Better Farm Sustainability Education Program. Our volunteer roster sheet has exploded, as well—a good thing, since our gardens are doubling in size yet again, we're adding a fruit and nut orchard, and have several construction projects in our midst. This newsletter will cover the winter projects behind us, spring and summer projects ahead of us, all the information we've got regarding the big open house and fundraiser May 25, and ways you can get on board with all things Better. If you're in the North Country this April 4, please consider stopping in at a lecture I'll be offering out of the North Country Arts Council Space in Watertown, called "Where Sustainability and Art Intersect." Click here to learn more and register. Please contact us to schedule a visit or tour, swing through our open house and fundraiser May 25, or visit www.betterfarm.org to find out more about what we're doing. Until next time, better be. Nicole Caldwell Executive Director and Co-Founder Better Farm   Save the Date: Annual Alumni Weekend, Open House, and Fundraiser Saturday, May 25 Our annual betterArts fundraiser, Better Farm open house, and alumni weekend is scheduled from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, May 25, 2013, at Better Farm in Redwood, N.Y. This event will be in conjunction with the second annual Artists' Studio Tour. All money raised at the event will directly fund art- and sustainability-related community outreach initiatives in and around Redwood. The day-long festival will feature live performances by local and regional bands, a gallery showcasing artwork by painters, sculptors, photographers, and more, booths featuring art and handmade items for sale, tours of the Better Farm campus, information about Better Farm and betterArts summer 2013 programming, arts 'n' crafts for kids (and adults!), freshly prepared food, a refreshments tent, and more! Overnight accommodations are available as follows:  Camping (porta potties available) $10/night/person  Bunk in shared room $20/night/person  Private room $42/night Vacancy is limited, so please reserve your spot early by e-mailing info@betterfarm.org. We are offering accommodations Friday through Monday, or any night therein. We are currently seeking vendors, volunteers, artists, performers, and sponsors for this event. If you are interested in partnering with us for any of the following opportunities, please e-mail info@betterarts.org: VENDORS: We are looking for vendors who would like to set up a table at this event for informational purposes or to sell goods. A one-day vendor's pass is $15. VOLUNTEERS: We need people's help setting up, breaking down, running the refreshments tent, cooking, working in the gallery, and more. ARTISTS: Individuals who would like to put their artwork up in the gallery for sale are encouraged to contact us for the appropriate paperwork. There is no fee to hang your pieces, but betterArts does reserve the right to a 15-percent commission on all sold art. PERFORMERS: Bands, singer-songwriters, storytellers, and other performers are invited to participate in the festivities. We have a small stage in the Art Barn's gallery space and a larger outdoor stage on the second-floor deck overlooking a natural amphitheater. SPONSORS: Sponsors will have their names or business logos included in all press materials and prominently displayed at the event. Sponsorship levels begin at $50. Better Farm is located at 31060 Cottage Hill Road, Redwood NY, 13679. For more information visit www.betterfarm.org. --- Rundown of Recent Events We've stayed busy this winter! Here's a quick recap of what we've been up to in the North Country: BetterArts Nets >$2k for Irish Festival — In its first year running the first-floor children's room at the North Country Goes Green Irish Festival in Watertown, betterArts netted more then $2,000 for various charities at the event. Arts 'n' crafts and seed-planting projects in the children's room were available free-of-charge, but tickets were sold for all games and face-painting. Proceeds from those sales benefit “Project Children North”, which brings kids from Ireland to the United States, where they stay for 6 weeks with host families. Proceeds from the festival also go to scholarships and other charities such as Wounded Warrior, USO, Credo Foundation, Urban Mission and food pantries within the tri-county area. On first count, betterArts raised $2,147 throughout the weekend. Click here for photos from the event and more information. Better Farm to be Featured in 'Possible' Documentary — Possible is filmmaker Olivier Asselin's documentary project that goes throughout the Northeast visiting with people working on a more sustainable lifestyle. The filmmaker paid Better Farm a visit in February to see how we do things, and will be returning when the weather's warmer to check out the summertime set-up. The first cut of our role in the documentary is available by visiting www.possible.org. Autumn/Winter Construction Projects Completed — To take advantage of a reduction in numbers during the dead of winter, we got busy inside. Follow these links to see the new master bath, renovated downstairs bath, DIY wainscotting project, and new kitchen backsplash. Mandala Garden Installation — Mandala gardens are perfect representations of permaculture in their layout and circular design. Our fall intern, Jackson Pittman, laid the groundwork for a mandala garden within Better Farm's larger garden. Click here for information on that process; and stay tuned to see how we fill it this summer! BetterArts Partners with Hospice — BetterArts on Dec. 8 teamed up with Survivor Outreach Services of Fort Drum and Hospice of Jefferson County to present "A Time of Holiday Remembrance" holiday party for children ages 6 to 12 who lost loved ones. The event, held at Hospice of Jefferson County in Watertown, featured arts 'n' crafts, a lunch, and cookie decorating. BetterArts participated by inviting families to join in the making of a photo frame collage in honor of their loved ones for the last hour of the event. Children and their family members were encouraged to bring in photos for that activity. Funding for the collage supplies was made possible through a donation from Watertown Evening Rotary. Click here for photos from the event and more information. Art Class Draws on Our Adopted Fawn — An art teacher in Fayetteville, N.Y., brought something a little bit "Better" into the classroom this school year when she did an applied project with the students drawing on inspiration from our summer foster doe, Star Wars. Named "Star Wars" by the little boy who found her, we had the fawn in-house until one day she took off to be free (making several visits back to let us know she was okay). Joan Applebaum is an art teacher at the YMCA in Fayetteville (and a totally amazing artist herself), and read all about Star Wars on our blog. She shared the story and photos with her kindergarten students, who fell in love with Star Wars. So Joan came up with a "Nest for Star Wars" project... "The students are all 5 years old and we were working with the idea of drawing and cutting out a few simple shapes to help us form the body of the deer," Joan told us. "After the students glued all the parts to the paper, they added the white spots on the baby deer's back, a white cotton puff for the tail, and then used natural items such as twigs and leaves to create the nest. The project turned out great!" ---   Seeking Instructors for Summer Programming Do you have a special skill you'd like to share? We're looking for instructors for everything from outdoor survival to bead-making. Whether it's the arts or gardening that you're an expert at, we'd love to hear from you! Arts instructors should visit www.betterarts.org/teach-for-us to download an instructor's form. Those interested in sustainability-related education, please email info@betterfarm.org for more information. --- Upcoming Events and Volunteer Opportunities We're just getting started on Spring projects, and we need your help! Peruse this list of upcoming volunteer opportunities and North Country events to see where you'd like to get involved. To get on board with any of these activities, please e-mail info@betterfarm.org. Better Orchard — Better Farm is getting a small fruit and nut orchard this Spring! In addition to our Dwarf Reliance Peaches and apple trees already on the property, we will be planting almost two dozen more trees both inside and outside. The list includes: 3-in-1 citrus tree (indoors), Banana Plant (2 indoors), Brown Turkey Fig (2), Carpathian Walnut (2), Chandler Blueberries, Goji Berry, Kiwi Collection (2 females, 1 male), Manchurian Apricot (2), and Paw Paw Tree (3). The planting will happen in May (exact date determined by arrival of immature trees). Lecture Set April 4 — BetterArts President Nicole Caldwell will present a lecture, "Where Sustainability and Art Intersect", at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 4, at the North Country Arts Council gallery space in Watertown's Public Square. The lecture is part of the arts council's "Lucky Seven Lecture Series", a seven-part installment featuring different takes on the arts. The lectures are slated for seven Thursdays at 7 p.m., costing $7 each. Caldwell's lecture will address the intersection between sustainability, art, and social responsibility. Sustainability issues are steeped in science and fact; but the science of sustainability also involves values-based questions, which may be best answered creatively. Caldwell will share examples of this intersection from several specific projects she has been involved with in her non-profit organization betterArts and and offer insights on how art can provoke people to consider their perceptions of sustainability. Partnership with School Seedling Program Enters Second Year — Better Farm is entering its second year of a partnership with the Department of Environmental Conservation's School Seedling Program, which seeks to encourage young people to learn about the natural world and the value of trees in it. We will invite local youngsters this spring to join us for a morning of planting 50 white spruce seedlings on our property, our mission being to provide visitors to Better Farm with the knowledge of how beneficial trees are to the environment. Those interested in participating or volunteering can contact Better Farm. Better Farm to Host International Students This Summer — As part of its 2013 programming, Better Farm is partnering with Cultural Homestay International to host two college students from abroad on the Better Farm campus May through September while they work at Bonnie Castle in Alexandria Bay. Cultural Homestay International (CHI) is a non-profit educational organization founded in 1980 to promote international understanding and goodwill through people-to-people exchanges. The belief of CHI's founders was this: The best way to build bridges of friendship and trust among people is to experience directly each others' customs, languages and values. To live, study or work together leads to a transformational experience of acceptance and genuine affection. To that end, Better Farm will house two college students from May through Labor Day while they work in Alexandria Bay at Bonnie Castle. The students, who are studying hospitality overseas, will be part of the more than 250,000 students and young adults from over 100 countries who have participated in CHI's program in the last 30 years Future Volunteer Opportunities — We have many projects coming up (dates to be determined) that we are seeking help with. Get in touch with us if any of the following interest you: hobbit house or earth ship construction, planting seeds in the greenhouse, readying the grounds and gardens, compost bin construction, chicken coop repair and construction, drip irrigation, rainwater catchment, sauna construction, exterior painting, basic carpentry/construction, sign creation. Connect with us: Website Facebook Blog Merch Share this email: Contact Us: Better Farm 31060 Cottage Hill Road Redwood, NY 13679 315-482-2536 info@betterfarm.org view email in browser | unsubscribe | update your profile | forward to a friend

Better Farm is an education center and artists' retreat founded in 1970 on the principles of the Better Theory—a belief that every experience brings with it an opportunity for exponential personal growth. Through educational workshops, artist residencies, work-shares, and an ongoing commitment to sustainable living and community outreach, we strive to apply the Better Theory to all our endeavors while offering the curious an opportunity to expand, grow, and flourish. Copyright (C) 2013 Better Farm All rights reserved.

Whet Your Pallet

This pallet adirondack chair was featured on Green Upgrader.

Building with pallets is a great starter upcycling venture. They're made of solid hard wood, they're readily available (just track down some friends who work construction), and they're oft-abandoned after they serve their purpose. Here are just a few wonderful ideas we tracked down online over the last few months.

For compost bins:

...For tables...

...For shelving...

...For storage...

 ...For seating (or sleeping!)...

...For outside bars:

...For work-room stairs...

...For bringing in-house forts to a whole new level...

 ...for plants...

...for storage...

Got a great upcycling idea you'd like to share? E-mail us at info@betterfarm.org.