October 2008 CaRDI Communique

Communique Archives

CaRDI Communique

Highlights

Achieving Greener Communities through Civic, Private and Government Sector Innovation
Dennis A. Pelletier County Government Institute Graduating Class
CaRDI Publications
- Attitudes Toward Rural Community Life in NYS
- Gas Drilling in NYS: Riches or Ruin for Landowners and Communities?
- The Economic Importance of Child Care to the Local Economy
- Land Use, Climate Change & Energy - Community Responses

Dates

Resources / Articles

Funding / Grants / Other Opportunities

For more information regarding the Communiqué or to subscribe/unsubscribe to this list, please email Ann Prince at ach37@cornell.edu.

For more information about CaRDI, please visit us at www.cardi.cornell.edu.

Highlights

Achieving Greener Communities through Civic, Private and Government Sector Innovation: A one-day conference of the Rural Learning Network of Central and Western New York
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
8:30 am - 2:00 pm (Eastern Time)

Genesee River Restaurant and Reception Center
134 North Main Street
Mount Morris, NY 14510

Conference Purpose: A growing movement is underway to share information, learn from one another and revamp federal, state and local policies to promote greener communities. This conference will examine innovative programs, policies and strategies that promote sustainable communities through such avenues as energy saving development/land use practices; efficient use of conventional and alternative energy sources in housing and transportation; and assessments by civic organizations, municipalities and the private sector of their energy use and savings’ potentials. The goal is to reduce the carbon footprint through local level activities.

Sponsors:

Cornell University
Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE)
Department of Development Sociology
Community and Rural Development Institute (CaRDI)
Program on Environmental Economics and Energy Policy, Department of Applied Economics and Management
New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC)
Dennis A. Pelletier County Government Institute
New York State Office of the State Comptroller
Pipeline for Progress (P4P)

Click here for more information and to register: www.regonline.com/greencommunities

Dennis A. Pelletier County Government Institute Graduating Class

The Pelletier Institute, an educational partnership of NYSAC and Cornell University, is pleased to announce the members of its fourth graduating class:

Brenda Donohue, Livingston County
Mary Pat Hancock, Genesee County
Mary Krause, Madison County
Willie Joe Lightfoot, Monroe County
Jerry Marinich, Broome County
Lucille McKnight, Albany County
Jay Wilbur, Broome County

Click here for more information about each graduate.

CaRDI Publications

In early September, Issue #21 of our Rural New York Minute series was released, entitled Attitudes Toward Rural Community Life in NYS, by Robin M. Blakely and David L. Brown, Cornell University.

This month we publish our 22nd issue of the Minute, entitled Gas Drilling in NYS: Riches or Ruin for Landowners and Communities? by Rod Howe and David L. Kay, Cornell University.

In mid-September, Issue #21 of our Research & Policy Brief Series was released, entitled The Economic Importance of Child Care to the Local Economy, by Mildred Warner, Cornell University.

We will release our 22nd issue of the Brief in mid-October, on the topic of Land Use, Climate Change, and Energy: Community Responses, by Antonio Bento, Cornell University.

All of our publications are available on the CaRDI website at http://www.cardi.cornell.edu

Dates

Destination Downtown
October 21, 2008

Genesee River Reception Center
134 North Main Street
Mount Morris, NY 14510

A conference for business owners, local officials and concerned residents who want to make their own downtowns and businesses a destination. Go to www.allianceforbusinessgrowth.com for more information or to register.

New e-Commerce Webinar Series to Broaden Web Perspectives

The National e-Commerce Extension Initiative’s fall installments of the e-Commerce 2008 Webinar Series are slated to open on October 27, 2008. Each new Webinar will provide an introduction and insights into the program content that will give educators, community leaders and citizens at large an overview of the learning possibilities offered.

The dates and times currently scheduled are as follows:

October 27, 2008
2:00 p.m –3:00 p.m. CST
Connecting Rural Communities: A Guide to Community Information Technology
Presented by Rae Montgomery, Bill Shuffstall and Maxine A. Norman

November 11, 2008
2:00 p.m –3:00 p.m. CST
Internet Strategies to Improve Farm Business Management
Presented by Sarah Roth

Additional Webinar dates and release of new online curriculum will be announced soon! The next generation of modules tailored to e-Commerce success includes Helping Artisans Reach Global Markets and Strengthening Competitive Advantage of Rural Businesses with e-Commerce and Experience Economy Strategies.

For more information and instructions on joining these curricula Webinars, visit http://srdc.msstate.edu.

2008 Cornell Strategic Marketing Conference
Turning Lemons into Lemonade: Tuning Your Marketing Practices for Today’s Food Safety System

October 28th & 29th, 2008

UPDATED CONFERENCE INFORMATION & REGISTRATION MATERIALS NOW AVAILABLE
http://marketingpwt.aem.cornell.edu

Consumers are demanding fresher, safer, more convenient, more local, and higher quality food products. Preferences are evolving and demanding more information that connects the food they eat to how and where it is produced, processed, transported, and sold. Increasing attention to food safety standards, product traceability, and environmental sustainability are affecting market systems, production practices, and agribusiness returns. Food producers and processors are adept and talented in revising production, packaging, and distribution practices in meeting market and consumer demands for today’s food safety system. However, these production adjustments also provide opportunities for improved and innovative marketing practices that can effectively translate into information that consumers demand about the foods they eat.

The 2008 Cornell Strategic Marketing Conference will address these production challenges and marketing opportunities in today’s food safety system. Important information from key experts, producers, and industry leaders on product safety standards, traceability requirements, and audit procedures will provide a solid production base from which updated marketing ideas will spring. Innovative marketing models and effective merchandising techniques will be presented that highlight consumer needs for safe, quality, and sustainable products. Multiple commodity track sessions will focus on production responses and marketing opportunities for fruits and vegetables, meat products, and value-added dairy products. Tools to help develop efficient and traceable transportation logistics for stakeholder products will also be presented.

The Conference is open to all members of the agricultural community and will be held at The Villa Borghese in Wappingers Falls, New York. A conference agenda and registration materials are available at: http://marketingpwt.aem.cornell.edu/. For more information contact: Todd Schmit, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University, 607-255-3015 or tms1@cornell.edu; or Les Hulcoop, Extension Issues Leader, Cornell Cooperative Extension-Dutchess County, 845-677-8223 ext 130, lch7@cornell.edu.

Main Street Forum
November 2-3, 2008

This two-day conference is open to anyone with an interest in either Historic Preservation or Main Street Revitalization.

Sponsored by The New York Urban Council, The New York Main Street Alliance, The New York Planning Federation, The New York Conference of Mayors, The Catskill Center, and The Libery Museum and Arts Center

Click here for more information.

Agriculture and Food Systems In-service 2008
November 11-13, 2008

Ramada Inn
2310 N. Triphammer Road
Ithaca, NY 14850

This year's inservice will feature a track co-organized by CaRDI and the Department of Applied Economics and Management on "Local Foods." The track, which will begin on Wednesday morning (11/12) and end on Thursday (11/13) afternoon, will include the following sessions:

A Regional Assessment of North Country Farms Markets and Assessing Regional Agricultural Cluster Competitiveness
A Campus-CCE Regional Approach to Partnership in Assessing the Impacts of Local and Regional Food Initiatives in NC and Identifying Strategies for Strengthening Them.
Enhancing NYS Producer-Consumer Connections: What is Extension's Role?
Project Updates: CCE and Campus Based Local/Regional Food Initiatives
Food System Mapper
Civic Agriculture Indicators

Click here for more information and registration: https://www.regonline.com/cce_ag-inservice

Empowering Communities for Successful Aging: Housing, Neighborhood Supports and Services
November 12-13, 2008

In each community throughout New York state a concerted effort between providers, government agencies, elected officials, local planners and other community organizational leaders will be needed to plan, communicate and cooperate to build the "aging-friendly" communities that will meet the future needs of seniors. This is the impetus behind the "Empowering Communities for Successful Aging: Housing, Neighborhood Supports and Services" conference being held November 12 and 13 at the Saratoga Hilton and Conference Center in Saratoga Springs, New York. The conference will provide best practices and technical assistance and ensure that community leaders and consumers are equipped to meet the challenges and opportunities of an increasing older population. Information and registration for the conference can be found at: http://www.empoweringnycommunities.org/. This conference is sponsored by the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA), the New York Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (NYAHSA) and AARP, and is produced by Albany Guardian Society. For information on the conference, please contact Albany Guardian Society at 518-434-2140 or by e-mail at director@albanyguardiansociety.org.

FACTNY: International Advanced Technology, Food, & Agriculture Conference
November 18-19, 2008

A showcase for developments in food safety and security. This conference will take place at the Inn on the Lake in Canandaigua, NY. Come join industry representatives from various food, agriculture and technology industries as they explore challenges relating to food safety and security.

For more information, visit www.factny.org.

Creating Entrepreneurial Communities 2008 Conference
November 19, 2008
Lansing Center - Lansing, Michigan

Click here for more information.

2008 Advanced Energy Conference "Solutions to a Global Crisis"
November 19-20, 2008

Hyatt Regency Windwatch
Hauppauge, NY

http://www.suny.edu/facultysenate/Welcome%20to%20the%20AERTC%20Conference.pdf

Enhancing Local & Regional Food Systems: Exploring the Science, What Works, and What We Need to Learn
May 19-20, 2009
Hudson Valley Resort, Kerhonkson, NY

In recent years the concept of "Local Foods" has attracted growing interest and attention. Consumers more likely recognize that what they eat has social, economic, environmental, and political, as well as individual consequences. A wide range of publications and research articles has been devoted to this evolving issue and various local agricultural development efforts have emerged. Despite this growing interest and activity, however, much remains to be understood about making the most of these emerging opportunities. This conference will bring together researchers, Extension educators and others to explore the science, opportunities, and challenges inherent in evaluating and promoting local foods as a critical component of an enhanced food system and vehicle for rural community and economic development in the Northeast.

Resources /Articles

Local Government Training Clearinghouse
The NYS Office of the State Comptroller has developed a Local Government Training Clearinghouse. This searchable training database offers New York local government officials a more efficient way to address their training needs. Use the links to search and find detailed information about various training events and then visit the website of the organization sponsoring the training to register. The database will be updated quarterly so check back for the latest training offerings.

North Country Regional Foods Initiative Report
North Country Regional Foods Initiative Report and more Online Communities are increasingly looking for home grown ways to achieve community and economic development goals. Over the last year, CaRDI and Cornell Cooperative Extension partners in northern New York, specifically, the Associations of Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties, took a regional approach to this challenge. The North Country Regional Foods Initiative conducted research, training, and outreach, to better understand the contributions of local and regional foods to the region and to work, regionally, with Adirondack-North Country citizens, to enhance these contributions. To better understand role of local food businesses in the region, the partnership conducted interviews with twenty-four farm and food business and representatives of organizations that support these enterprises. The results of this research documented in the “North Country Regional Food Initiative Final Report,” can be found on-line in the Local Foods Section of the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program website: www.nnyregionallocalfoods.org. The website also features other resources developed to support the goals of the initiative, including: research-based publications about North Country local foods, links to on-line tools to connect producers and consumers, a regional calendar of local food events; and links to ongoing local food efforts, with one being a listserv designed to support regional collaboration among those working to support local foods and communities in the region.

NYS Preservation League Launches New Website
As part of its ongoing efforts to forge a stronger, more consistent public image, the Preservation League has introduced a completely redesigned website at www.preservenys.org.

New Cornell Center for Rural Schools Established
Legislation to establish a Center for Rural Schools to be housed at Cornell University has been signed into law by Gov. David Paterson.

Sen. George Winner, R-53rd Dist., and Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton, D-125th Dist., sponsored the bill and said the center will play a key role in revitalizing rural areas of Upstate New York.

The center is the first of its kind and is meant to provide rural schools with a number of services, including consultation on how to recruit and retain qualified teachers. In June, Lifton said the center would also be able to help schools address local school-tax concerns and the need for flexible funding.

According to a press release, the New York Center for Rural Schools will be charged with exploring ways to expand the role of schools in rural communities.

“We're making New York a national leader in its commitment to rural education,” Winner said in a statement released by his office. “If we're serious about strengthening Upstate New York, we need to aggressively recognize that a rural school district can be a driving force for revitalization.

“It's an investment that we believe can produce significant returns for Upstate communities and the Upstate economy,” he said. “The Center for Rural Schools can play a key role in an overall Upstate revitalization strategy.”

New State Resource from NYS Office of the State Comptroller: Open Book New York

Disclosing Spending of 3,100 Local Governments: See how county, city, town, village, school and fire district spend tax dollars at http://www.openbooknewyork.com/

Comparing Costs of Various Heating Fuels

Penn State on-line energy cost calculator at http://energy.cas.psu.edu/costcomparator.html

This is an excel spread sheet that can be downloaded and allows you to type in prices for various fuels and compare their costs per BTU.

Strategic Directions for Community Resource and Economic Development
National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals (NACDEP) has drafted an overview entitled Strategic Directions for Community Resource and Economic Development. Comments and feedback were offered at the recent Galaxy Conference so you can expect to see a revised draft in the near future. If you have comments or questions please contact Rod Howe at rlh13@cornell.edu

Are Energy Prices Threatening the Farm Boom?
While farm incomes are expected to reach their highest levels in over three decades and profits are soaring, energy prices continue to march higher. The latest issue of The Main Street Economist by Omaha Branch Executive Jason Henderson explores whether soaring energy prices threaten to slow the booming farm economy. The full issue is available at http://www.kansascityfed.org/regionalaffairs/mainstreet/mainstmain.htm?ealert=MSE1003

NYS Food Policy Council Website
The New York State Food Policy Council has a new website dedicated to the New York State Council on Food Policy (CFP). The new website, www.nyscfp.org, offers information about the history and the vision of the Council, as well as reports, publications and a directory of the Council’s members.

New Publication on Entrepreneurship: What Entrepreneurs Mean for Your Community, and How Entrepreneurship Can Be Fostered

Yenerall, J., July 2008. Rural Development Paper No. 40. http://nercrd.psu.edu/Publications/rdppapers/rdp40.pdf

Funding / Grants / Other Opportunities

Laura Jane Musser Fund: Rural Initiative
The Rural Initiative component of the Laura Jane Musser Fund supports collaborative and participatory efforts among citizens in rural communities in Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, and Wyoming. Grants are provided for programs that will help to strengthen rural towns and regions in the targeted states in a number of civic areas, including economic development, business preservation, arts and humanities, public space improvements, and education. The applicant community must have a population of 10,000 or fewer and must be able to demonstrate the rural characteristics of its location. Planning grants of up to $5,000 and implementation grants of up to $25,000 are provided. The application deadline is November 5, 2008. Complete funding guidelines are available on the Laura Jane Musser Fund's website: http://www.musserfund.org/.

ICL: 2009 Executive Director Leadership Program
The Institute for Conservation Leadership announces its 2009 Executive Director Leadership Program , a nine month program to give executive directors the skills and support they need to lead their organization effectively. The program includes two sessions, coaching as well as peer learning/interaction with a network of executive directors. The initial session (April 19-24, 2009) includes skill-building, problem solving and action planning. The second session (November 15-18, 2009) is attended with a board member and is focused on integration. Location of both sessions: Sunrise Ranch in Loveland Colorado (near Denver).

Applications are due January 20th, 2009. Apply by December 20th, 2008 to be eligible for ICL's Early Application Discount.

More program details are available at https://icl.org/programs/ed.php.

Building Communities Educational Series
Today’s society is complex and challenging. There are myriad social, environmental and economic opportunities and challenges facing communities and businesses of all types and sizes. How do we engage each other in ways that benefit more than just a few special interests? How do we proceed so that we can achieve important objectives, but not do so at the expense of other ones that we also value? Is there a way of balancing a healthy economy, a healthy ecosystem and a healthy community? If we find that balance, can we sustain it?

This year’s Building Communities Webinar Series tackles these important questions. We address global, regional and local issues and challenge ourselves as both a community and as individuals. Join us in discovering some of our constraints and uncovering the limitless potential we possess to overcome them. If you care deeply about the economy and the viability of our businesses … if you care deeply about the ecological health of our planet … if you care deeply about the quality of life of our community – this webinar series is for you. Join us to be enlightened, to be informed, to be challenged, and to be called to action!

Who Should Attend: Extension educators along with local elected and appointed officials working with communities on economic development and quality of life issues, including local business leaders, economic development professionals, and environmentalists.

Co-sponsors: University of Wisconsin-Extension Center for Community and Economic Development and Sustainability and Energy Teams.

Click here for more information: http://www.uwex.edu/ces/cced/communities/Building_Community.cfm

SARE Sustainable Community Grants Reconnect Rural Revitalization and Farming
The Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (NESARE) offers Sustainable Community grants of up to $25,000 for projects that link community economic development to farming. Projects can address issues like finance, marketing, land and water use, enterprise development, adding value to farm products, or farm labor. Eligible organizations include community nonprofits, Cooperative Extension, local governments, educational institutions, planning boards, farming cooperatives, and incorporated citizens' groups. Applications are posted on the Northeast SARE web site at www.uvm.edu/~nesare, or you can call 802-656-0471 to request a printed copy. Application are due December 2, 2008.

New Foundation Supports Food Systems Development
The Fair Food Foundation (FFF) is a new foundation with a mission to work with historically-excluded urban communities to design a food system that upholds the fundamental right to healthy, fresh and sustainably-grown food. The Foundation will begin accepting funding requests on October 15, 2008.

To learn more about their funding guidelines, see: www.fairfoodfoundation.org/grants.htm