Vista/Poverty Coalition Community Garden

2015 Annual Report

425 Pennsylvania Ave. Elmira, NY 14904

607-734-4453 Fax: 607-734-7740 chemung.cce.cornell.edu

Sunset view from Hill Top Inn, Jerusalem Hill

Cornell Cooperative Extension is an employer and educator recognized for valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities

and provides equal program and employment opportunities.

Table of Contents

State

(Cash & Benefits)

County

(Cash & In-Kind) Other Grants

Federal

Program

Participation

Contributions Fundraising

Other

Revenues Revenues Amount %

County (cash and in-kind) 263,245 25

State (cash and benefits) 376,873 35

Federal 171,252 16

Other Grants 154,326 14

Program Participation 22,880 2

Contributions 34,700 3

Fundraising 23,824 2

Other 26,493 3

1,073,593 100.00

Expenses Amount %

Management and General 230,091 22

Programming 822,047 77

Fundraising 9,957 1

Total 1,062,095 100.00

Fundraising

Management

& General

Programming

Expenses

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chemung County

2014 Revenue and Expenses

Welcome Letter page 2

Youth Development page 3-4

Nutrition Education (EatSmart) and Local Foods Program page 5-6

Agriculture & Horticulture page 6

Environment and Natural Resources page 7

Community and Economic Vitality page 8

Staff and Board of Directors page 9

2014 Revenue and Expenses page 10

Staff

Executive Director

Andy Fagan

Human Resources and Technology

Ethel Stroman

Bruce McLaren

Finance and Administrative Support

Jane Stalica

Jodey Adams

4-H Youth Development and School Programs

Bernadette Raupers

Elaine Noble

Chemung Volunteer Action Corps

Carol Houssock

Mary-Lynn Rourke

Connie Shelford

Energy and Environmental Education

Toni Gardner

Jennifer Trimber

Community Nutrition and Wellness

Larkin Podsiedlik, Team Leader

Debbi Fry

Chandra Black

April Bridges—EastSide Farmers’ Market

Board of Directors

President

David Lamoureux

Vice President

Tom Pipher

Secretary

Evelyn Williams

Treasurer

Matthew Griffin

Esther Good

Darlene Ike

Joann Kowalski

Jennifer Herrick

Rodney Strange Chemung Co. Legislator 15th District

Paul O’Connor CCE State Specialist

OUR MISSION

Our Mission: The mission of Cornell Cooperative Extension is “CCE puts

knowledge to work in pursuit of economic vitality, ecological sustainability

and social well-being. We bring local experience and research based solu-

tions together, helping New York State families and communities thrive in

our rapidly changing world.” CCE Chemung uses the following abbreviated

form of this mission statement: “CCE Chemung provides experience and

researched based knowledge to help residents improve the quality of life

in their communities.”

Organizational Objectives: The key objectives of the association as stated

in the association’s constitution are: To provide for an association of resi-

dents in cooperation with Cornell University and USDA. To extend educa-

tional resources of Cornell (including Ag and Life Sciences, Human Ecology,

Vet Med), land grant system, and other educational institutions to foster

economic, social, and environmental improvement of individuals families,

and communities. To further the objectives of CCE Chemung and the CCE

system in agriculture, home economics, 4-H, and community betterment.

Dear Friends of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chemung County,

We are pleased to share this annual report showcasing the many ways that we “extend research and experi-

enced knowledge” and “help people put that knowledge to work” to improve their lives and communities.

When we reflect on the work our organization does, it reminds us that we do good work and make a positive

difference. And, this work takes many hands. Therefore, we want to thank all of our staff and volunteers, as well

as funders, for helping to make it all possible.

We also want to thank our key partners, including Chemung County, Cornell University and Farm Bureau. Their

partnership is critical for our long term viability and success. Our program successes and excellent financial

management has helped us maintain financial support from Chemung County. There is good potential for in-

creased funding in 2016! We continue to build on a solid working relationship with our colleagues at Cornell.

And, we strengthened our relationship with Chemung County Farm Bureau by joining forces with them and oth-

ers from the agriculture community to advocate for additional funding for Cooperative Extension to support

agriculture programming.

Finally, we want to take this opportunity to ask for your help. The strength of our organization comes from us

being grounded in community. Therefore, we need community members to let us know what they need so we

can make sure that we are offering programs that are relevant and needed. We also rely on volunteers to help

do our work. If you and/or people you know have an interest, talent, and/or skill to offer, please let us know.

We could use you! And, since we are a non-profit organization, we also need you to help advocate for funding

and/or to contribute financially to CCE Chemung so that we can continue to work with and support our local

residents and communities. Please help us spread the word about us. Start by sharing the success stories found

on the following pages!

Sincerely, Andrew Fagan, Executive Director David Lamoureux, Board President

Human Resource Center 425 Pennsylvania Avenue Elmira, NY 14904

Andrew Fagan

Page 2

Community and Economic vitality

Chemung Volunteer Action Corps Our primary objectives: Support broad based, sustainable economic development, which creates higher value opportunities for growth while preserving community values and rural character. Encourage personal leadership development and active participation in community decision-making through volunteerism or other forms of civic engage-ment.

Chemung Volunteer Action Corps Program goals: Provide education and support volunteerism and report necessary numbers/units of service to the Community Services Board. Provide education and referral to individuals for Aging in Place in our Home Management Program. Provide community education for “A Matter of Balance” (target of 6 series of 8 sessions with 48 participants) Provide community education regarding transportation options.

Chemung Poverty Reduction Coalition goals: Facilitate regular meetings of the coalition. Gain a better understanding of poverty in Chemung County. Connect with and use Cornell and other research information. Develop an action plan and begin implementation of activi-ties to help reduce poverty.

Our CVAC staff: Carol Houssock, Connie Shelford, Mary-Lynn Rourke

Our Poverty Reduction Coalition staff: Estefania Trujillo (VISTA Associ-ate), Andy Fagan, Ethel Stroman

CVAC objectives: To recruit, train, educate and/or engage volunteers who bring a diverse perspec-tive, talent and lifelong experience to the commu-nity; To lead and engage participants in a research-based program addressing health and wellness; To provide ongoing Fall Prevention education to trained Coaches and to present research-based information to groups of individuals ages 60+ living in community settings with the goal of reducing fear of falling and increasing the level of activity among older adults; and To educate sen-iors in Chemung County about the resources available to help them remain living independently in their own homes as long as they wish to and are able to do so.

Our outcomes: CVAC reached 3,550 participants through a variety of programs. Poverty Project reached well-over 250 people through meetings and outreach activities.

Our program summary:

CVAC: Managed over 700 volunteers, 633 of whom contributed hours as either enrolled in a CCE program, or were affiliated with a communi-ty agency. Launched “Getting There” to provide transportation educa-

tion to seniors and those living with disabilities. Held over 1,000 Bone Builders classes at 15 locations with approximately 250 participants. Provided instructor refresher train-ing to 23 volunteer leaders in Chemung County. Referred 50 pro-gram participants to mobility and other services provided by affiliated volunteers. Educated and referred program participants to affiliated

ramp crew volunteers, who constructed portable access ramps. Con-ducted 3 Save Energy Save Dollars workshops to 30 participants.

Poverty Reduction Coalition

Poverty: Our Poverty Coalition facilitated regular meetings of members from over 20 community organizations to continue network-ing and updating the action plan. The staff helped to revitalize the Woodlawn Community Garden, increased awareness and usage of community gardens through a community garden kick-off event at the ARC, and increased community pride through the development of the “Portraits of Elmira” Facebook page. Money was raised to send youth to summer camps, and a proposal was submitted to the Community Foun-dation to fund the “Natural Leaders Initiative.”

Our total indirect contacts total: Over 50,000 people through a varie-ty of outreach efforts.

Our outreach efforts:

CVAC: Increased Facebook ‘likes’ from 95 to 140; 46 posts on Facebook page, reaching 1,127 individuals; 14 appearances on Good Morning Twin Tiers TV; appeared on Senior Notebook 4 times, for a total of 20 minutes; distributed 500 program flyers; received numerous phone calls for volunteer referrals and CCE/CVAC program information; made 161 referrals from potential volunteers to community agencies through VolunteerMatch (record high since 2007); made 200 referrals to com-munity agencies seeking affiliated volunteers; added Save Energy Save Dollars information to CCE website; CVAC represented at health fairs and County Fair; represented CCE/CVAC at CCE’s Poverty Coalition and Senior Notebook meetings; assisted with all CCE events.

Our success stories:

CVAC: A woman who watched our “A Matter of Balance” segments on Senior Notebook called to say that was the best one she had ever seen. She said she immediately started doing the exercises we demonstrated and she plans to sign up for an upcoming AMOB class. A wheelchair-bound gentleman, who lost half his brain to surgery, appreciated the ramp constructed by affiliated volunteers with the Big Flats Lions Club. Upon using it for the first time he said “this feels just like getting out of prison”. Every participant in the Save Energy Save Dollars classes indi-cated he or she would be implementing one or more ‘low-cost/no-cost’ suggestions covered in the workshop. Poverty: Through outreach efforts of our VISTA associate, we made connections to several community gardens. She leared that community gardens at the Woodlawn Court laid dormant. She connected with local community members and with their help & poverty coalition members, the garden was cleared up and replanted. Local Resident, Charlie Jones, pictures below with CCE staff, took on the volunteer role, which kept the garden going all season.

4-H Youth Development Our primary objective: Provide opportunities for youth to have fun,

learn life skills, and work with caring adults to foster the 5 C’s of posi-

tive youth development -- competence, confidence, character, con-

nection, and caring.

Our goal: To enroll 225 youth in our traditional 4-H Club Program and

reach 8,500 youth through a variety of programs and activities.

Our staff: Bernadette Raupers and Elaine Noble

Our outcomes: We enrolled 212 enrolled 4-H members and we have

reached 9815 students through a variety of programs, focusing on the

three main missions of 4-H which are S.T.E.M, Healthy Lifestyles, and

Civic Engagement.

Our total contacts for the year were 24,504 with the help of our vol-

unteers and other educators.

Our Program Summary: The 2015 4-H year was a busy year for both

staff and volunteers. Chemung

County participated in the 4-H

National Science Day Activity with

Rockets to the Rescue at the Fall

Festival in October. This was the

debut of this activity and we had

about 100 festival going youth

participate. We also brought this

activity to after school programs as

part of a flight activity. The youth were able to work on teamwork and

problem solving with this activity. We added 2 new clubs this year,

both of which work with animals, the Alpaca Club and a Dairy Goat

Club. Both clubs have about 8–10 members.

Our S.T.E.M Club continues to meet once a month and we average 8 –

10 youth. This Club varies in programming and meets the needs of

those youth are interested in activities other than animals but it is

open to all. We continue to offer programs for youth including Inter-

national Dinner, Public Presentations as well as Horse Bowl/Hippology

and Dairy Bowl. We offer educational clin-

ics to the youth of the program throughout

the year and had over 300 animal exhibits

at the Chemung County Fair. These pro-

grams benefit youth and public for educa-

tional purposes. We had 8 youth attend

State Fair in the youth building and run a

hands on activity for youth in our booth

area as well as youth who participated in

Media Corp, including setting up a first time

ever live streaming of activities at the

youth building onto YouTube.

We had several youth attend State Fair

with their animals to compete as well.

This year there was a unique opportuni-

ty for Senior 4-H members to take ad-

vantage of at State Fair. Chemung Coun-

ty was able to sign up for “shifts” to help

do education and outreach at the Dairy

Birthing Center. This opportunity al-

lowed several of our teen youth to dis-

play their public presentation skills in a

variety of settings: one-on-one, small

group, as well as large group. This setting was similar to one of an

impromptu speech where they were not prepared for questions which

may come up.

We held a 3 day (30 hour) goLEAD for 14 area teens living in Chemung,

Tioga, and Tompkins counties. We offered a pilot program of Robotics

this year for youth to attend the State Fair Robotics Challenge. Youth

participated during the summer to work on the challenge and then

attend the Robotics Competition in early September. 4-H staff had the

great opportunity to conduct interviews with the senior Animal Sci-

ence students at CST Boces. We were able to conduct 8 interviews

with the students. Upon the conclusion of the interviews feedback

was given to each student to better prepare them for an official work

interview.

Our Indirect Number of Contacts Total: 12,822

Public Presentations February 2015

CVAC affiliate volunteers from the Big Flats Lions Club installing a ramp

Robotics prep – building the robot.

Finished Robot

4-H Fair Award Winner

4-H Fair Exhibits

Page 8 Page 3

Staff and volunteers pose at

Woodlawn Court Community Garden

Page 7

Environment and Natural Resources Our primary objectives: Educate the community to “reduce, re-use and recycle” in their homes and places of work to lessen the impact of waste on the environment. Improve the community by educating households on reducing the amount of electricity used in their residences or through other energy education efforts. Increase awareness and understanding of our natural environment and encourage best practices.

Our Goals: Update the Natural Resource Inventory for Chemung Coun-ty. Facilitate monthly meetings of the Environmental Management

Council (EMC) to address current issues. Coordinate special projects of the EMC. Educate the public / handle questions / inquiries from the pub-lic. Presentations to schools and civic groups. Work with schools and businesses to enhance recycling efforts. Educate community at commu-nity events such as Chemung County Fair Update website and brochures. Update the recycling guide. Submit press releases. Coordinate the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Events. Coordinate Adopt-A-Highway Program. Facilitate the Chemung County Executive’s Advisory Commission on Natural Energy Solutions. Provide Quarterly communica-tions / meeting with commission members and legislature on latest is-sues. Explore and support efforts to become more energy sustainable. Webpage updates submitted regularly.

Our staff: Toni Gardener and Jennifer Trimber

Our outcomes: Through a variety of educational programs and activi-ties we reached 7,667 people.

Our program summary:

Many outreach and education presentations to the general public, schools, businesses, groups, organizations and community events includ-ing local fairs, farmers’ markets, Farm City Day, Fall Festival Event, Envi-ronmental Field Days, Municipal meetings, Municipal Collection Events, Household Hazardous Waste registration periods and Adopt-A-Highway events. Education is also provided through one-on-one consultations as well as workshops. The educational information shared is periodically

updated to reflect the most current County, State and Federal Laws and Practices. We organized and held two county-wide household hazardous waste collection events averaging well over 400 households each. We held two meetings with Energy Commission members including a meeting on MicroGrid project; worked with consultants and EMC on proposal submission; submitted updates to County Website related to gas drilling and other topics. We also gathered information and provided assistance for MicroGrid project and Solarize Chemung; worked with Town of Southport to become Climate Smart Community and to imple-ment the use of an energy inventory tool. We worked with Village of Horseheads and Town of Erin promoting energy conservation practices, and held regular monthly meetings of the Environmental Management Council.

Our indirect contact total: over 841,900

Our outreach efforts: Information was shared on the CCE website, TV interview, radio announcements, newsletters, facebook, county and local fair displays, state and county websites, local newspapers, farmers’ markets, posters in public buildings and local business store fronts.

Our success stories:

City Recycling Program: As a result of the City of Elmira Recycles Pro-gram that was started this past year, the city has not only increased their recycling efforts, they have reduced the cost of waste disposal overall. They have since offered two collection events for their residents, allow-ing them to get rid of large/small appliances, electronics and yard waste/debris efficiently, safely and for free. These two events brought in items from over 500 City of Elmira households.

EMC Promotes Local Microgrid: The Environmental Management Coun-cil of Chemung County was instrumental in securing $100,000 in funding to perform a feasibility study in order to utilize a microgrid in the City of Elmira. The funding came from NYSERDA’s NY Prize initiative. A mi-crogrid is a small energy system capable of balancing captive supply and demand resources to maintain stable service within a defined boundary. During Hurricane Sandy, the Stoneybrook Community on Long Island was able to retain power for 60,000 residents with their microgrid system. This study was created with assistance from consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton. The proposal offered several possibilities for a community microgrid project. A system such as this uses vetted technology to take advantage of peak flow metering, utilizing the cheaper night time electri-cal rates. It takes advantage of batteries that are zinc electroplated that remain in a state of charge as they go from Zinc Bromide to Zinc Bro-mine. These new types of batteries are extremely efficient. We held a kick-off meeting to engage stakeholders from the City of Elmira and Elmira College, as well as local industry and businesses. In partnership with Booz Allen, we followed an open forum process to think through important concepts and questions to ensure the microgrid project aligns closely with your community’s needs and vision. A community microgrid would complement and enhance Elmira’s ongoing efforts to promote economic growth, climate resiliency and environmental sustainability. The EMC is convinced that similar community microgrid systems can bring benefits not just locally, but across Chemung County.

Our other educational and outreach activities summary: A weekly

newsletter is produced from the 4-H office which is sent to all partici-

pants, leaders and friends of 4-H as well as Cooperative Extension Board

Members and Regional staff. It is produced about 42 times a year. A

Chemung County 4-H Facebook page is maintained and posts are updat-

ed weekly. Education and Outreach at various public settings such as at

Fair, Fall Festival, Tractor Supply Company and Maker Fair at the Li-

brary. A Thank you ad is posted in Farmers Friend after the livestock

sale each year. We had a youth who won a sheep at the Maryland

Sheep and Wool Festival. She wrote an article which was published in

Farmers Friend. She spoke of opportunities and education she received

as a result of the 4-H program.

Our Success Stories:

Robotics: After several years of hoping for a small robotics program,

Chemung County 4-H had its first Robotics challenge meeting. Six

youth will be engaged over the summer with programming robots to

complete challenges. All of these meetings are in preparation and train-

ing for a culminating event to be held at the NYS Fair in early Septem-

ber. Thanks to the help with supplies from both Tioga and Schuyler

counties and the accepted challenge to take on the adult volunteer

leadership role by one of our 4-H Parent volunteers. The youth which

participated had a sense of belonging with the program and grew their

S.T.E.M. knowledge as well as their teamwork and leadership skills.

goLEAD: Staff attended training in November 2014 to become goLEAD

facilitators. As a result we held a 3 day (30 hour) go LEAD for 14 area

teens living in Chemung , Tioga, and Tompkins counties (collaboration

with Chemung and Tioga Counties). The 3 day long intense program

takes teens from grades 9-12 and guides them through a 30 hour train-

ing focused around leadership, teamwork, and service learning. All par-

ticipants work in groups to pick a project to give back to their communi-

ty after the conclusion of the training. The groups are given 2 months to

complete their “youth chosen” service learning projects. Upon comple-

tion the entire group will “graduate” from the goLEAD program. Gradu-

ation took place in October. However, the group of teens worked to-

gether to create 4 community service projects to give back to the com-

munity. Not only did the teens improve their leadership skills, they also

were able to begin to develop a sense of belonging to be a larger part of

their community. The collaboration between Chemung and Tioga Coun-

ty continues as we plan more programs for the goLEAD program.

Robotics competition at State Fair, September 2015

Rockets to the Rescue – S.T.E.M Club

Chemung County’s Household Hazardous Waste Collection 2015

Adopt-A-Highway Volunteers from DePuy Synthes

The City of Elmira Recycling Day Page 4

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Nutrition Education (EatSmartNY) and Local Foods Program: Our primary objectives: Improve individual health through better diet quality, reduced food insecurity, good food safety practices, increased physical activity and improved physical balance. Increase food resource management skills, especially among food stamp recipients in Chemung County. Improve community health by encouraging healthy living, the establishment of gardens, and the use of environmentally friendly prac-tices. Our goals: Nutrition educations will conduct 400 nutrition education lessons/activities. Manage “EastSide Market” (20 week market with over 150 attendees each wk). Support EBT Services at Chemung County Farmers’ Markets (target 50%) Our staff: Debbi Fry, Chandra Black, April Bridges EatSmartNY Objective: Reduce obesity through increased consump-tion of fruits and vegetables, decreased consumption of sugar sweet-ened beverages, and increasing physical activity for SNAP-eligible adults, families, and youth. Local Foods Objective: Increasing education of and access to fresh farm products for low-income families and supporting and providing local entrepreneurial opportunities, while enhancing community pride, understanding and connections. Our outcomes. Our nutrition educators conducted over 400 activities that reached 3,840 adults and 2,816 youth = 6,656 total direct contacts. There was a total of about 3500+ visitors to the EastSide Market. Our program summary: EatSmart NY: ESNY programming was provided in after-school and in-school programs at Elmira elementary schools. The target audience was low-income youth, using the Dig In!, Great Garden Detective, and CATCH curricula. ESNY programming was provided at Horseheads Pan-try, Salvation Army, Samaritan Center, and other pantries within

Chemung County. These lessons are typically one-time lessons focused on fruits and vegetables. Education has been provided for low-income youth after school at Heritage Park Apartments, using the CATCH curric-ulum. Eat Smart NY Educators attended the Eastside Market and Wis-ner Park Market weekly throughout the farmers’ market season provid-ing samples, lessons about fruits and vegetables, and encouraging SNAP participants to use their EBT cards at the farmers’ market. Both ESNY Educators provided weekly nutrition education at all Summer Cohesion sites in Elmira and Horseheads, as well as the Food Bank of the South-ern Tier’s Summer Meals sites and Kids’ Farmers’ Market sites. Using the CATCH, Dig In!, Great Garden Detective curricula, they reached hundreds of low-income youth.

Local Foods: We had many more vendors and non-profits offering a variety of items at the EastSide Market incuding Martin’s Produce, Mann’s Country Gardens, Warren’s Orchards-our tried and true veteran vendors, and this year we welcomed Local Roots produce, Stierly Farms (meat), Michele’s Heavenly Delights (baked goods), Jewelry by Marcia, Raven Moon Soaps, and Kool Treats Ice Cream Truck set up weekly. Drop-in vendors that came periodically: Love What You Do African Art and Apparel by Muhammed, Rhodees Little Lovees, and Leo’s Honey House. Lots of non-profits joined as well: Fidelis, Arnot Health, Cancer Services Program, United Healthcare, SNAP Outreach, Horse-heads Veteran’s Grange, Arc of Chemung, Everybody Can Play Music Collective, STEM Science and Discovery Lab, and First Pres Works. EBT tokens sold a total of$1891.00, D/C sold a total of$785.00, and Fresh Connect Coupons gave out 196 $2.00 coupons at Wisner and Eastside markets. We introduced children’s activities and live entertain-ment featuring local artists: Arricka Smith, Andy G. Fagan, and C.C. Ry-der. Fund raising efforts through sale of East Side Farmers’ Market t-shirts, hot dogs, bottled water, donuts, and coffee. Indirect Number of Contacts Total: Over 12,500 Our indirect education and outreach efforts: The Eat Smart NY Senior Nutritionist appeared on the WENY Morning Show to talk about Eat Smart New York’s goals and projects, including highlighting the Cooking Matters at the Store tours. Along with other CCE Chemung Staff, the Senior Nutritionist participated in the WETM Garden Spot, highlighting the Woodlawn garden and food preservation practices for the end of the season. ESNY Educators attended meetings

of the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) Meetings in April and Au-gust, along with 27 involved organiza-tions. The focus of this group is to re-duce obesity in children & adults, and reduce illness, disability and death related to tobacco use and second hand smoke. Chemung County Child Hunger Task Force convened by the Food Bank and includes summer meal sites, Kids Farmers markets and the Back Pack program. The focus is to reduce hunger by increasing access to

healthy foods and promote participation of free summer meal sites where any child up to 18 years old can eat a healthy meal for free. An ESNY Educator attended this meeting 4 times, with approximately 25-30 other attendees. An ESNY Educator has attended five meetings of the Farmers Market Advisory Committee. The goals of this group are to increase access to fresh produce for low income families, provide valid and profitable market opportunity for farm vendors and enhance com-munity pride, understanding and connections. Approximately 15-20 other organizations attend. An ESNY Educator attended 5 meetings of the Poverty Reduction Coalition this year. A diverse group of communi-ty partners work together towards the goal of reducing and preventing poverty in both the City of Elmira and Chemung County. About 35 com-munity partners attend Creating Healthy Places along with ESNY Staff at most meetings. The goal of this group is to reduce obesity and type 2 Diabetes through policy and environmental change. Local Foods: We shared EastSide Market info through social media, television media, radio promotions, print media, offers for vendor op-portunities, sponsorship, and overall community participation. We also had recycling, nutrition, farming and plant education on a weekly basis.

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Eat Smart New York has been working to in-stall community and school gardens through-out the Finger Lakes. In Chemung County, a garden was established at Able2 in Horse-heads. With support from ESNY to install the gardens and provide guidance on how to care for the plants, Able2 harvested hundreds of pounds of local produce for their community members. In addition, ESNY Garden Specialists facilitated meetings among other community garden groups to talk about best practices and discuss future garden initiatives. As a result of this work, more fresh, local produce is being consumed by Chemung County residents, and community gardens are flourishing. This project will only grow in future years.

Local Foods Success Story: “Back to School Day” at the market, and Farm City Day were special events held at the EastSide Market, offering free giveaways, live animals, live music, food, entertainment, and much more. Both very successful events, both events brought in over 400 visitors. On June 26, the Elmira-Chemung Transportation Council, sup-ported in part by Southern Tier Bicycle League, Creating Healthy Places of Chemung County, and Fidelis Care of NYS, gave away free bike hel-mets, as well as bike safety education demonstrating of proper fit for Chemung County children on June 26. As a result of this program, more families were able to use their SNAP and D/C cards to purchase healthy foods, share in community events, and give several new vendors entre-preneurial opportunities.

Agriculture and Horticulture

Our primary objectives: Assist farmers with business development, production, marketing, and management issues to increase farm viabil-ity and environmental sustainability; strengthen the relationship be-tween the consumers and farmers to improve the understanding of local farms and the interconnectedness of the local food and environ-mental systems; educate children by bringing agriculture and the farm-to-table connection to school classroom settings and community events. Our goals: Provide leadership and participation in agriculture com-mittees. Provide programs, events, and recommendations to ag busi-nesses. Coordinate annual Ag Literacy Week in local schools (target 400 students). Coordinate and/or support ag educational activities at Chemung County Fair, Farmers’ Markets, Afterschool Programs, and Fall Festival (target 2,500 people). Continue the Master Gardener Program (target 20 trained volunteers with 400 hours of volunteer service, an-swering over 1,000 calls/questions, and maintain demonstration gar-den). Host seminars / workshops fostering business establishment and growth

Our staff: Jabe Warren (January through May), Andy Fagan and other staff. The South Central NY Dairy and Field Crops Team – Janice Degni, Betsy Hicks, and Fay Benson.

Our program summary: Attended regular quarterly meetings of Ag and Farmland Protection Board. Helped represent Chemung Agriculture in regional discussions. Provided “Farm and Garden” newsletter to over 200 people each month. Provided farm consultation and soil testing to more than 40 people. Our Regional Dairy Program serving Chemung, Tioga, Tompkins, and Cortland Counties held 44 workshops from fall of 2014 through August 2015 reaching more than 1,265 participants. 4-H Educators provided leadership for 4-H Shows and Activities at the Chemung County Fair. Well over 5,000 people attended. Coordinated Farm/City Day at EastSide Market. Over 500 people attended. Working with Ag Society to host annual Fall Festival October 3rd. Host local foods event featuring local farms and restaurants. Held 4th annual “Taste of Chemung” at Hill Top.

Sixteen Master Gardeners continue to participate in the program. In cooperation with Poverty Reduction Program, strengthened connec-tions with community gardens and supported revitalization of Wood-lawn (formerly Hathorn Court) Community Garden. Conducted educa-tional outreach at EastSide Market. Distribute information/answer calls on regular basis (est. over 700 served). Our Dairy team had 77 active participants in farmer-to-farmer learning groups; held 50 meetings and workshops with 1230 participants totaling 2696 contact hours. They also had 150 consultations providing in-depth, personalized trouble-shooting, evaluation, information and advice as well as 500 responses to phone & email inquires.

Our success stories:

AG Literacy: Our Ag Literacy Program reached 889 students in 41 classrooms. Ag Literacy week was coordinated with 4-H program staff and the CVAC program during March. Ag Literacy week was a huge success this year. We increased our outreach by nearly 50%; increasing our school num-bers from 23 classes to 41 this year. With the help of 10 volunteers and 4 staff members nearly 900 students were reached this year.

Dairy Team: Forage quality is on the cornerstones of dairy profitability. To help farmers target high quality hay crop forage at harvest for first cutting this spring. The dairy team provided reports to local producers on haycrop progress toward maturity by taking height and measurements weekly throughout the 4 county region. The team identified 20 fields to measure weekly until first cutting. Results were compiled and distribut-ed weekly via email and test messages to producers and agriservice personnel. Local agriservice professionals were able to multiply the impact by using the weekly information to closely advise their clientele as demonstrated by the following feedback, “Thanks for putting this together. My customers have been finding it very helpful. Apprectiate your efforts!”

Grilling vegetables at the

Farmers’ Market

Local residents attend the EastSide Farmers’ Market

Chemung County Dairy Ambassador at Farm City Day 2015

Master Gardeners putting the demo garden

at Brand Park to bed for the winter.