What Do You Do in the Winter?

My answer to this question is alway "Clean my fridge." The mystique around flower farming is that we have nothing to do in the winter. But really we are still working in January. It's conference season, which is great for personal enrichments but also connecting with our flower community. I figured out this year that I will never take the time to sew anything in the fall so if I want stockings available for the Christmas season, I must make them now. Plus our gardens do not miraculously emerge in the spring, we do need to plan, and shop.

So excited to be a part of this amazing group of speakers on the cut flower growing track at the 2021 Catskill Regional Agriculture Conference. It's free and online! January 11th-16th. Register here!

The Flower Track:

Michael Wells from Harris Seeds in Rochester

How to Choose the Best Flowers for Your Farm

January 12 at 1:30 pm

Lisa Dean from Floral Root in Canajoharie

Building Relationships with Local Florists

January 13 at 1:30 pm

Kenyon and Kerry Parsons from Parsons Vegetable Farm in Sharon Springs

Look Over at the Pretty! Adding Flowers to a Farm Stand

January 14 at 1:30 pm

Betsy Busche from Spongetta's Garden in West Winfield

Crop Planning for Market Bouquets

January 15 at 1:30 pm

Sponsored by Watershed Agricultural Council and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Delaware County

There are so many more sessions covering dairy, livestock, grazing, fruits and vegetables and pricing! Check out the full schedule below.

Monday, January 11 Dairy Day

Managing Wild Yeast and Molds in Silage Preservation

Dr. Limin Kung

Heifer Growth Impact on Subsequent Performance

Dr Julio Giordano

Cost of Raising Dairy Replacements: an Updated Look

Jason Karzses

Tuesday, January 12

Matching Vegetable Breeds with Production Goals

Dr. Michael Mazourek

How to Choose the Best Cut Flower Varieties for Your Farms

Michael Wells, Harris Seed

Improving Herd Genetics for Higher Quality Beef

Rich Brown

Wednesday, January 13

Take the Guesswork Out of Product Pricing

Mariane Kiraly

So, You Want to Grow Apples? Guide to Site Selection, Site Prep, and Pest Management

Michael Basedow

Building Relationships with Local Florists

Lisa Dean, Floral Root

Grazing Tips and Tricks

Meg Greski

Thursday, January 14

High Tunnel Vegetable Rotations and Fertility Considerations

Judson Reid

Managing Growing Cattle During the Winter Feed Period

Tara Felix

Look Over at the Pretty! Adding a Flowers to a Roadside Stand

Kenyon Parsons, Parsons Vegetable Farm

Pasture Remediation &the Do’s and Don’ts of High Density Grazing

Meg Greski

Friday, January 15

Beekeeping for Beginners

Christina Mitchell

Vegetable Weed Management Using IPM

Bryan Brown

Crop Planning for Market Bouquets

Betsy Busche

Saturday January 16

Keys to Achieving Top Finish for Beef on Grass

Rod Ofte

More Pasture and Fewer Inputs

Russ Wilson