MADISON CO., N.Y. — Cornell Cooperative Extension Madison County is pleased to announce Maryellen Sheehan, of Hartwood Farm, as its new Agriculture & Horticulture Resource Educator. This position is dedicated to supporting the commercial vegetable and horticulture industry in Madison County, as well as other agricultural industries and new natural resource & climate adaptation programming.
Maryellen Sheehan grew up in northern Indiana doing all things 4H and horses before moving east to work on a range of diversified commercial and educational farms in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Russia, and then New York. She and her husband moved to Madison County in 2012 to start Hartwood Farm in Fenner, where they grow produce for farmers markets and a CSA program. Maryellen has a master’s in Environmental Studies from Antioch New England, and her academic work focused on the interaction between agriculture and northeastern ecosystems and how we can maintain profitable and viable farm businesses, forestland, and communities amidst climatic changes. She previously worked as the Northeast Organic Farming Association of NY’s Fruit and Vegetable Coordinator and in their Food Safety program.
Maryellen is especially interested in Integrated Pest Management (IPM), helping farmers adapt to more intense weather, plant disease pressures, and challenging economics, and building collaborative farmer networks. Her focus is to support commercial growers of vegetables and specialty crops by connecting farm businesses with production and management resources, statewide crop expert information, and supporting CCE Madison’s natural resource and climate programs.
Maryellen can be reached at 315-684-3001 x 126 or at ms3573@cornell.edu.
–Cornell Cooperative Extension Madison County