水果派AV

The only requirement of Farmer Friday Coffee Chats, a new event hosted by 听补苍诲 ,聽is for local farmers to come, hang out and relax.聽

"If it鈥檚 overly structured, it probably wouldn't be as popular,鈥� NY FarmNet's Adam Howell told 水果派AV.

Taking place from 7 to 10 a.m., the event will continue Feb. 7 and 21. It includes free breakfast from Dugan's for active and retired farmers and agribusiness professionals.

The Ithaca-based NY FarmNet has provided free consulting to agricultural communities across the state since 1986. Howell and Kendra Janssen work for the organization through Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Students from the college were also in attendance at Friday's chat to ask questions of the farmers.聽

Janssen said the event was inspired by an article about the mental and emotional well-being of agricultural workers.聽

鈥淚鈥檓 always looking for events that benefit farmers and their mental health,鈥� she said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a really good time of the year for this,鈥� Howell added. 鈥淛anuary and February are very rough. There鈥檚 lots of isolation.鈥�

The COVID-19 pandemic has added more pressure to an already stressful profession, Janssen said, and isolated people in rural communities even further.

The organization expects the event to continue every winter in a different county. But she hopes those who meet through the Cayuga County chats will continue to get together regularly.聽

For dairy farmers like Loren Barloon, the meal, cup of coffee and conversation is a welcome break. He works 12-hour days at Aurora Ridge Dairy, which is why he couldn't make the first chat in January.聽

Topics of conversation on Friday among Barloon and other farmers included frozen pipes and vehicle breakdowns during winter, as well as more evergreen topics like competition with corporate farms.

Sharon and Glenn Botsford, along with their son Jason Botsford, were among more than 30 people at Friday's chat. The couple has run Botsford Farms, a sheep farm in Scipio, for the last 15 years.

Glenn said having the opportunity to touch base and reconnect with fellow farmers is invaluable. Whether it's crops, livestock or advice, Sharon added, farmers all provide for each other in some capacity.

鈥淯p in this area, everybody needs everybody,鈥� she said.