Center for Organic and Sustainable Agriculture

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Center for Organic and Sustainable Agriculture

• Alfred State College

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Vision

• Develop entrepreneurs who will sustainably and
  profitably manage natural resources to produce
  healthy food and renewable energy for a secure
  society.

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Alfred State College, Alfred, NY
Photographer Martin Klingensmith
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Background

• Program to close in July 2006
• 4.9 M from NYS Legislature, championed by
  Senator Young
• Strong support
• Cornell Cooperative Extension support
• Strong alumni base
• New administration

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Existing Complex

• 70 cows, replacement heifers, etc.
• 700 acres, 450 tillable
• Steeply sloped
• 2000 ft elevation
• Silty clay loam with fragipan

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The soils at the Alfred State College farm are a
little different than the soils with which I
worked in Minnesota!
Lamberton, MN Phographer Matt Harbur
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New Dairy Complex

• Split herd organic and conventional?
• Shared structure?
• Target 70 milkers per system
• Replacement herd, etc.

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Program Areas

• Organic Dairy (pastured and baylege)
• Conventional Dairy (TMR or pasture?)
• Sustainable Crop Production
• Local Vegetable Production (e.g. CSA)
• Renewable Energy
• Additional Livestock?

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Community Resource

• Small faculty (1 agronomist, 1 dairy scientist, 3
  veterinarians)
• Limited infrastructure
• Regional expertise

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Program Timeline

• 2007
• Initiate grazing
• Begin certification
• 2008
• Begin construction of new facility
• Active applied research program
• 2009
• Facility complete organic milk production begins

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New B. Tech Offering

• Organic and Sustainable Agriculture
• Announced to SUNY
• Proposed to launch in Fall 2007
• Emphases
• Sustainable land and animal care
• Problem-solving
• Entrepreneurship entry into agriculture
• Communication

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PARTNERSHIPS

• Farmers!
• NRCS (Donald Wild, Matthew Havens, et al.)
• Cornell and CCE (Terry Tucker, Joan Petzen, Fay
  Benson, Dean Sprague)
• You?