Herkimer County Community College will be a host site for the first of two full-day agricultural summits being organized by SUNY Adirondack in collaboration with the Adirondack Grazers Cooperative. These summits will focus on topics connected with raising grass-fed beef, including its economic and environmental benefits. They are funded through a SUNY Workforce Development Grant. The first summit will be held on Saturday, April 9th in Herkimer County Community College’s Hummel Corporate and Professional Education Center.
The Adirondack (Adk) Grazers Cooperative is a group of beef producers in New York and Vermont that raise naturally grass-fed beef. The Cooperative works to maximize member revenue by developing sales in wholesale and specialty markets. The Cooperative represents members in 16 counties in New York. In support of efforts to expand the Grazers operations and develop the grass fed beef industry in New York State, Adk Grazers drafted a proposal to SUNY Adirondack to participate in the competitive 2015/2016 SUNY Workforce Development Grant program, which supports workforce training projects in order to encourage new businesses to relocate to the state and existing businesses to expand and create and retain jobs. Through the grant process, the proposed training program was approved as a Regional Development Project for its potential to impact farms across New York, for the metrics and measures it will help develop for the grass-fed beef industry, and for the partnerships it is creating with state and local entities for curriculum development.
SUNY Adirondack assisted with developing this specialized curriculum by incorporating the new data into its existing value chain training model, and is working with grass-fed beef expert, Dr. Allen Williams to offer the upcoming Grass Fed Beef Summits. These trainings are aimed at providing a comprehensive understanding of industry best practices. Registration for the events is not limited to Adk Grazers members; it is open to all interested individuals.
The Grass Fed Beef Summits will take place the weekend of April 9th and 10th, from 9am – 5pm each day. The April 9th session is hosted at Herkimer County Community College, and the April 10th session is hosted at SUNY Adirondack in Queensbury, NY. Each session features lectures and presentations by grass-fed beef expert, Dr. Allen Williams. More than 90 registrants are expected at each session.
Registration for the Summit can be made by contacting the Office of Continuing Education at 518-743-2238. More information is available at www.sunyacc.edu/continuinged, or by contacting Caelynn Prylo in the SUNY Adirondack Office of Continuing Education at 518-743-2238.