Agricultural Business Brunch March 30, 2017

New Format and Location for the Annual Chamber Agricultural Brunch is being presented by Columbia County Farm Bureau and Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, which will be held on Thursday, March 30 from 11:00 am – 12:30 pm at Love Apple Farm. Cost is $25.  Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about agricultural businesses and network.   Program will be Invasive Species:  Something for Everyone! presented by Marilyn Wyman, with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene Counties. Sponsors of this event are Columbia Land Conservancy, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia & Greene Counties, Farm Credit East ACA, Fix Bros, Inc. and Hawthorne Valley Association.  Investors of all events throughout the year are Major Investors: Kinderhook Bank, Columbia Economic Development Corporation and E.P. Nevins Insurance Agency.  Media Investors are Columbia-Greene Media, iHeartMedia, and Mid-Hudson Cablevision, Inc. Premium Investors are The Bank of Greene County and MetzWood Insurance.

Invasive Species: Something for Everyone!

Invasive species affect all New Yorkers – from the woodland owner dealing with dead ash trees killed by emerald ash borers, to boaters cleaning off their boats to prevent aquatic invasives from spreading, to farmers dealing with fruit infesting spotted winged drosophila, to homeowners overwhelmed by numerous invasive species. This talk will provide an overview of invasive species, as well as resources to help with infestations.  

Biography:

Marilyn Wyman, with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene Counties, has been involved in extension work relating to natural resources, agriculture and rural community development for 25 years. She has a B.S. in biology and a master’s degree in natural resources, with a focus on forests.  Marilyn helped establish Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Agroforestry Resource Center and the 140-acre Siuslaw Model Forest in Greene County, NY, which provides science based natural resource education and outreach programing. Wyman, an ecologist, has worked with numerous nonprofits and government agencies, to secure funding to support natural resource education and outreach efforts. She has been a State Board of Director for the New York Forest Owners Association and a council member of the Hudson Mohawk Resource Conservation and Development Council. She has received state and national awards relating to her work. Marilyn has been interested in issues impacting natural resources in the Hudson River Valley, Catskill region her whole life.