In Ron’s own words –

I’ve been monitoring the Cornell Small Farms Programs website for months now. I’ve taken some of their courses before and I have been quite pleased. Training? I am not a farmer, I know little or next to nothing about it. I just wanted a life challenge and some direction to get into after retirement. To date the best two Cornell opportunities were Camp Mushroom and the Juneberry workshop. Both winners!

When Cornell announced the ‘Armed to Farm’ program, I was beside myself. Finally, something geared to vets’ and spoken in Vet language. In cooperation with the USDA, Cornell, and with the educational programming being delivered by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) at Houghton College in Western NY, I was in. Once accepted, some little planning and logistics, it was a go. Crap! They sent a homework assignment even before I headed out the door. Armed-to-Farm wanted to know a bit more about us and more importantly, an understanding that farming was, a business after all. Ginny and I sat down and discussed the questions and fully realized, we were both in, and in agreement, setting up a farm was a great idea. Of course, finances excluded (frugal, that word is not treated lightly around here).

The main thrust of the program was to provide an intensive, week-long residential business and entrepreneurship training for veterans interested in farming. That they did, and even more. My favorite, the farm visits that were over the top and offered different opportunities I had never even considered before. The garlic farm, Honeyhill Farm located in Livonia NY, turned out to be my favorite. Honeyhill Farm is a diversified small family farm in Livonia, a hamlet in the Finger Lakes Region of Upstate New York. Honeyhill produces organic chickens, grass fed beef, garlic and a select set of mixed vegetables including heirloom tomatoes. More said, garlic, garlic, even more garlic. We were very lucky as the garlic was out of the ground and in the drying racks. Owned and operated by Fred and Sue Forsburg since 1978, they were very generous hosts that freely opened their doors to us. Fred was aglow with his time and more important, his techniques. He spared nothing. Funny thing is, I ordered garlics seed from them in the past. Good stuff.
Classroom training, there was plenty of that. Things I never considered before. And of course, the most dreaded one by me, “the business plan.” Ok, ok, I promise, I’ll get to it.

Networking. Met some very good Vets from throughout New York, and current service members. Needless to say, the ol’ war stories were ever so present. Comfort zone for me.

Cornell was well represented by Anu Rangarajan, Director, Cornell Small Farms Program and Matt Weiss Northeast Beginning Farmer Project Coordinator, and CNY Veteran regional leader. I was equally pleased to see Jamie Critelli, Farmer Veteran Coalition of NY
Through them and others. I hope to gain the knowledge necessary to have a successful farming operation.

Special thanks to Norm Conrad, NCAT, for keeping us boarded, well fed, and in focus. Yea Norm!

This is not exactly how I would have described his adventure. He told me about the bats flying around the dorm hallways at night and how great the food was. About the hundreds of kids of all ages who were also staying at the college, for all sorts of sport camps. How the adults had to get to through the chow line quick before the kids scarfed it all down. I would have told you about the two women who had service dogs and how the security guard came onto their floor without announcing himself. The dogs were not happy to see him. He didn’t mention how he went out to load up the car before heading home and got locked out of the building, for an hour. He also didn’t tell you that he brought a beer with him, even though this was an alcohol free school. And that just as he arrived on Friday, the Corolla started making a loud noise. Guess we know who the story teller is in this family?