Dirt under his nails and a warm smile behind a scraggly beard, John Whitmore of Shagbark Gardens in Danby, NY sat down with me on Tuesday to reflect on his experience in the “Grow Your Farm Business Course”, held every winter here at Groundswell. Situated atop the Autumn Leaves Book Store in a cozy little…

Connecting children and families to the land is a primary goal of the Learning Farm. Based in Ithaca, the farm focuses on exposure to the outdoors and education about the natural world. It is also a juicery, and the Learning Farm Juicery grew out of a desire to see healthier juices on the market for…

This month our Farming for Justice Discussion Group featured us here at Groundswell Center, speaking about the work we’ve been doing around Equity in the organization. The presentation and discussion was recorded, which you can view here. In short, we center equity in our organization because that is the future of farming and a sustainable…

The San Diego Food System Alliance put out a brief article, that begins by succinctly describing the 2017 Ag-Census, and why its now 2019 and we’re only talking about it now: “This is an 820-page report that boasts 6.4 million new points of data about America’s farms and ranches and those who operate them. You…

Sara Sirois is the owner and operator of Georgic Farm located in beautiful Virgil, New York. This is Georgic Farm’s first operational year, mainly driven by CSA sales. Sara’s journey into agriculture is one we can all relate to – and of course, be inspired by. A recent grad of Groundswell’s Grow Your Farm Business…

Ithaca, NY– Groundswell Center for Local Food & Farming is offering an Ag-Individual Development Account (IDA) Matched Savings Program, in collaboration with Alternatives Federal Credit Union (AFCU). Groundswell Center’s Ag-IDA program offers a 3:1 match on savings from $250-$1,000 over 7-13 months to individuals from marginalized groups looking to start-up or expand an agricultural business.…

December 14, 2018 The Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement of the USDA awards Groundswell Center for Local Food & Farming* $199,000 for the Project “Every Farmer at the Table: Expanding access and opportunity for underrepresented farmers in Central New York.” This funding enables Groundswell Center to continue to provide their comprehensive suite of technical…

Greetings Folks! We hope everyone is soaking up as much of the last of summer that they can. August and September are always the hardest months as we become inundated with planting fall and winter crops at the same time that harvest peaks. Most of us have done our best to work with major weather…

This past Saturday Groundswell hosted a workshop on Multispecies Regenerative Grazing at the beautiful Shelterbelt Farm, led by farmer Erica Frenay. Shelterbelt’s “flerd” (a combination of a flock and a herd) of cows and sheep had just been put out to pasture for the season 2 days prior to the workshop, and it was the…

Allan and Bob Cat, owners of Main Street Farms in Homer NY, are graduates of Groundswell Center programs who now operate a small diversified vegetable farm that does CSA and wholesale and farmers markets. They currently have 30 acres in vegetables, 15 in cover crop, a aquaponic operation, and a plan to farm their entire…

Beginning Farmers

Connecting Community Through Food: An Interview With Up-and-Coming Local Farmer, John Whitmore

The Learning Farm: Connecting Kids to the Land

Centering Equity at Groundswell Center – September FFJ Recap!

The 2017 Ag-Census, and You.

Instant Inspiration: An Interview with Sara Sirois

New Matched Savings Program!

A Groundswell of opportunities for beginning farmers!

ALL ARE WELCOME TODAY TO AUGUST MEETING OF CNY YOUNG FARMERS COALITION!

The Word on Flerds …and Other Grazing Practices

Groundswell Story: Main Street Farms