March 3, 2026
CCE Herkimer is proud to announce the awarding of seven $2,000 sub-awards to community and aspiring community gardens across Herkimer County. Funding is provided through the New York State Urban Farm & Community Garden Grant Program, supporting efforts to strengthen local food systems and expand access to fresh, locally grown produce. The selected gardens applied to become official Veggie Van Host Sites for the 2026 growing season as part of the From the Ground Up program. Through this opportunity, community gardens will collaborate closely with CCE Herkimer educators and Master Gardener volunteers to plan and implement educational programming from late June through October. As part of receiving the $2,000 award, participating community gardens agree to serve as active From the Ground Up partner sites. In addition to expanding their growing capacity, community gardens will host coordinated educational activities that run alongside the Veggie Van program (two complementary, but separate initiatives). Together, the programs create a seamless farm-to-table learning experience for community members. Participants will be able to visit local community gardens to see how fruits and vegetables are grown, follow the produce’s journey to the Veggie Van to observe how farmers sell their products and attend cooking demonstrations that showcase simple, healthy ways to prepare seasonal ingredients. The sub-award funding may be used to purchase seeds and seedlings, soil, compost, raised bed materials, tools, irrigation supplies and other infrastructure needed to grow and distribute food effectively. The following gardens have been selected to receive $2,000 awards: Frankfort Community Garden Herkimer Community Garden Ilion Community Garden Salvation Army in Herkimer Community Garden Little Falls Co-op Community Garden Mohawk Community Garden Old Forge Community Garden These awards will help expand growing capacity, improve infrastructure and enhance food access efforts throughout the county. By investing directly in local gardens, CCE Herkimer continues to support solutions that increase access to fresh, locally grown food and strengthen community connections. To learn more about CCE Herkimer’s From the Ground Up, see https://bit.ly/fgu
Country Folks
by Sally Colby 
April 8, 2026
Manure safety might seem like a boring, overdone topic, but that isn’t the case when farmers continue to die in manure-related accidents. In many case...
Country Folks
by Edith Tucker 
April 8, 2026
Steam billowed from the open windows of the cupola of maple sugarmaker Cory Krieg’s sugarhouse on March 27, within sight of his home on Christian Hill...
Country Folks
by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant 
April 8, 2026
Are white mold and other soilborne diseases affecting your soybeans? Camilo Parada-Rojas, Ph.D., field crop pathologist with Cornell University, prese...
Country Folks
Courtney Llewellyn 
April 8, 2026
At a meeting of the Northeast Cover Crops Council, John Tooker, a Penn State entomologist, showed a photograph of a hay mower in southern Pennsylvania...