LATHAM, N.Y. — By popular demand, Winter Green-Up 2019 will be a one-day event. We’re looking forward to great speakers, vendors and the traditional Winter Green-Up lunch – at a great price, $75.00 per person!
What: Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Capital Area Ag & Hort Program
and Cornell Cooperative Extension Albany County
announces the Eleventh Annual Winter Green-Up
When: January 26, 2019 from 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Where: The Century House, 997 New Loudon Road, in Latham, New York, 12110
Our speakers for Winter Green-Up 2019:
Ridge Shinn, CEO of Big Picture Beef
Ridge Shinn founded Big Picture Beef in 2016. His work with cattle goes back to his twenties, when he was herdsman for a dairy farm, but for the past 20 years he has focused on beef. Ridge was the founding director of the New England Livestock Alliance and for two years ran a slaughterhouse in Stafford Springs, CT.
In 2002 he submitted a grass-fed filet mignon to a Wine Spectator competition. This entry triumphed over the grain-fed entries, establishing that grass-fed beef can be a gourmet food. Subsequently Ridge co-founded a meat company and developed markets and distribution systems for grass-fed beef throughout the Northeast.
Since then, in addition to managing his own herd, Ridge has consulted in New Zealand, England, Uruguay, Argentina, and all over North America. His work has been recognized in Smithsonian, the Atlantic, the New York Times, and Time Magazine.
Marc Cesario, Meeting Place Pastures
Marc and Cheryl Cesario own and operate Meeting Place Pastures in Cornwall, Vermont. Both landless, first generation farmers, they have grown their operation to manage 820, mostly rented, acres of primarily perennial pasture.
While owning a small flock of certified organic hens and Katahdin sheep, their primary enterprise is selling their grass through contract grazing, grass finishing and boarding. Although much of the stock is raised under contract and not owned, they have the ability to market much of the finished beef under the name Cornwall Cattle Company. Initially these markets were mostly direct to consumer but have increasingly moved to wholesale and institutional buyers. Marc and Cheryl are passionate about harvesting sunlight and getting it into the marketplace.
Greg Brann, Resource Regeneration Services
Greg Brann is the holder of a Bachelor of Science degree in Plant Science from the University of Tennessee and has almost forty years of experience with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Greg has been a Certified Crop Advisor through 2013 and was National Grazing Conservationist of the year in 2014. He has also produced numerous presentations, fact sheets and publications during his career.
Greg has hosted an annual pasture walk on his farm for the past eighteen years, where participants can learn his methods of pasturing beef cows, stocker calves and hair sheep.
Greg also raises donkeys and dogs for guardian animals and has produced meat goats in the past. Timber woodland management and Christmas tree production, as well as native grass management on CREP land for wildlife are among Greg’s accomplishments.
The cost for Winter Green-Up 2019 is $75.00 per person, which includes all events and lunch. To register online: https://tinyurl.com/WGUregistration. For questions regarding registration, please contact Tove Ford, cce-caahp@cornell.edu/518-765-3518.
For questions about Winter Green-Up 2019 or if you wish to be a vendor at this event, please contact Tom Gallagher,tjg3@cornell.edu/518-577-0958, Ashley Pierce, arp253@cornell.edu/518-765-3519, or contact cce-caahp@cornell.edu/518-765-3518.
Rooms are being held for Friday and Saturday nights at The Century House for $114 per night. Call The Century House at 518-785-0931 to reserve. Please mention the Winter Green-Up conference to receive this special rate.
Looking forward to seeing you at Winter Green-Up 2019!
–Cornell Cooperative Extension Albany County
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