Inclusion on this list does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by NY FarmNet. Those in need of services and information are encouraged to consult multiple reliable sources of information before making a determination about what best meets their needs.
Farm Management
- Cornell Ag Workforce Development
A program of Cornell’s College of Agriculture & Life Sciences and Cornell Cooperative Extension that provides education around agricultural human resource management, workforce regulations, and research. - Authorization to work
- Sexual harassment prevention
- Managing farm-owned worker housing
- Farm Laborers Fair Practices Act
NYS Workers Compensation Board
- AgPlan
University of Minnesota's AgPlan program helps rural business owners develop a business plan for FREE. - NY FarmNet 2021 Starting an Ag-Business Pre-Planning Guide
- Pre-Planning Guide (Spanish Language Edition)
- NY FarmNet 2021 Business Transfer Guide: Junior Generation
- NY FarmNet 2021 Doing Business Together: A Joint Business Agreement 2021 Guide
Partnerships, Mergers, Joint Ventures, Strategic Alliances, and Contracts - Accessing Farmland Together: A Decision Tool or Farmers
- Business Planning for the Agriculture Sector: A Guide to business plan development for Start-up to Mid-Size Operations
- Action Plan Template
- AEM Worksheet: Agriculture and the Community
- 2022 NYS Ag and Markets Resource Guide for New Farmers
- USDA Resources: How to Start a Farm and Small to Mid-Sized Farmer Resource (links)
- SCORE
Since 1964, SCORE has helped more than 11 million entrepreneurs start, grow or successfully exit a business. SCORE's 10,000 volunteers provide free, expert mentoring, resources and education in all 50 U.S. states and territories. - Worried about being classified a Hobby Farm by the IRS? What you need to know.
Record Keeping:
- Beef Farm Account Book
(Available for Purchase) - Cash to Accrual
- Cornell Dairy Farm Account Book
(Available for Purchase) - Capital Area Record Ag and Small Farms Record Keeping Resources
- Cornell Small Farms Program Record Keeping Resources
Taxes:
- Tax Tips for Farmers - 12/3/24
- Tax Tips for Farmers - 3/25/25
- NY FarmNet Free Webinar "Tax Awareness for Farmers" Presented 9/25/24
- Utah State University Rural Tax Education Resource Website
General Tools and Resources:
- “A Financial Checkup: Tips to Tidy Up Your Financial House is 2024” (January 2024)
Written by NY FarmNet Financial Consultant Andy Gilbert - “Family Living Expenses, Budget, and Communication”
Written by NY FarmNet Financial Consultant Ginny Carlberg - 2023 Grants and Incentives for Northeast Agriculture
Farm Credit East - “Do’s and Don’ts for Dairy Farmers When Facing Financial Difficulty”
PRO-Dairy, Cornell University - Dairy Business Cash Flow Projection Spreadsheet
- Iowa State Financial Statement Spreadsheet
- FSA Farm Loan Discovery Tool
Farmers can access the Farm Loan Discovery Tool by clicking the “Start” button. - Household Budget Template
- Webinar Recording - NY FarmNet Free Webinar: Estate Planning for Farm Families 11.5.25
- Webinar Recording - NY FarmNet Free Webinar: Retirement Accounts for Farmers 10.8.25
- Farmland for a New Generation Farmland Owner Hub - The Farmland Owner Hub is for landowners in New York State who want to make their land available to farmers, steward their farmland, conserve their farmland, and ensure the future of their farms.
- NY FarmNet 2021 Guide: Using Farm Assets for Retirement
- NY FarmNet 2021 Business Transfer Guide: Senior Generation
- NY FarmNet 2021 Guide: Estate Planning for Farm Families
- Your Farmland and the Future: Setting Goals, Taking Action
- Ag Transitions: Transitioning Your Business to the Next Generation
- 2019 Securing the Future of your Farm Guide
- 2022 Securing the Future of your Farm Guide
- 2023 Securing the Future of your Farm Guide
- NY FarmNet Article - Planning for the Future of the Family Farm, Greg Mruk, Executive Director
- NY FarmNet Consultant Dave Chamberlain Presentation on Succession Planning
- VIDA - Brought to you by Cornell Agricultural Workforce and Development (CAWD) , the Small Farms Program, NY Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health (NYCAMH), and NY FarmNet. The program includes monthly topical videos and a live virtual discussion held every 3rd Thursday of the month.
- Renewable Leases Video Series (2021)
Mental Health
- NYS OMH Local Departments of Social Services
- 988 Fact Sheet
- NYS Mental Health Resources by County
- Additional County Mental Health Contacts
- Compeer Rochester
- Mental Health Association of Rochester/Monroe County
- Mental Health Advocates of Western New York (Buffalo/Erie County area)
- Seneca Connections Drop-In Center (Seneca County)
- Mental Health Association of the Southern Tier (Broome County)
- Identifying Signs of Stress in Farm Families
This is a three-page document put together by NY FarmNet staff to aid agriservice providers in recognizing stress among farmers and farm families. - How Farmers Can Cope with Stress
This is a one-page document of coping mechanisms that are designed for farmers or agriservice providers, put together by NY FarmNet. - “Worry is like a Rocking Chair”
Article by NY FarmNet Family Consultant Jan Kirshenbaum
- NY FarmNet Webinar: Farmer Mental Health in New York State: A Story of Crisis and Advocacy from the Makers of the Documentary “Muckville” Recording at:
- Review Article: “Understanding the Factors Contributing to Farmer Suicide: A Meta-Synthesis of Qualitative Research (August 2023)
- NY FarmNet Webinar: Survivors of Suicide: Hosted by Audrey McDougal with Guests: Jeff Winton, Karl Czymmek, Karen Heisig.
Discussion includes surviving the suicide of a loved one with personal experiences, storytelling, community impact and resources.
- Family Meal Time
Article by NY FarmNet Family Consultant Christia Marsh - How a Full-Circle Approach to Farm Wellness is a Path to Enduring Success
Article by NY FarmNet Family Consultant Lisa Malek and Financial Consultant John Thurgood
Information, Reports, Studies, and Other Resources
- NYS Farmland Protection Working Group: 2022 Interim Report
Strategies to encourage and facilitate input from municipalities in the siting process and to develop recommendations that include approaches to recognize the value of viable agricultural land and methods to minimize adverse impacts to any such land resulting from the siting of major renewable energy facilities. - NYS State Comptroller Report “Rural New York: Challenges and Opportunities” (September 2023)
- The Nature of the Rural-Urban Mortality Gap
USDA Economic Research Service
Organizations, Programs, and Partners
- Dairy Farm Business Summary
The DFBS allows producers to compare their business to an average of other producers as well as analyze their financial situation, set future goals and make sound financial decisions. - Small Farms Program
Our mission is to foster the sustainability of diverse, thriving small farms that contribute to food security, healthy rural communities, and the environment. - Pro-Dairy Program
PRO-DAIRY, a NYS dairy industry educational program, enables farm families and other agricultural professionals to realize their values and strive to achieve their professional and personal goals. - Cornell Cooperative Extension
provides information on Extension Programs, county extension offices and staff, and information on the following topics: Agriculture, Business and Economics, Children and Youth, Community, Environment, Family, Food and Nutrition, Health, and Home & Household. Extension publications. List of current CCE Ag Educators - Regional Teams and Programs - CCE
Dairy, Livestock and Field Crops; Fruit and Vegetables, IPM - Cornell Cooperative Enterprise Program
The program is a resource for people desiring to form a cooperative or learn more about the unique nature of a cooperative-structured business, and for cooperative leaders as they govern and manage these unique member-owned companies. - Cornell Commercial Vegetable Website
This website funded by the CCE Vegetable SPC/PWT provides information for and links to a variety of topics related to vegetable production and is an excellent resource to commercial vegetable growers. - Cornell Program on Dairy Markets & Policy
- Community and Rural Development Institute
- College of Agriculture & Life Sciences at Cornell University
- Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University
- Cornell AgriTech
is the new name for the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station. Working to develop good farming, food storage, and processing practices while safeguarding the environment, increasing market share for New York producers, and assuring consumers safe, reasonably-priced, high-quality fruits and vegetables. - New York EDEN
Linking extension educators, emergency managers, and community officials to enhance resilience and reduce the impact of disasters in New York communities. - SC Johnson College of Business
at Cornell University
- New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health
NYCAMH serves the agricultural community by studying farmers’ health and safety issues, supplying health screenings and education, and providing occupational health and mental health services to farmers. - New York Department of Agriculture and Markets
Promoting New York State agriculture, this site has information about the USDA and its programs, Pride of New York, as well as The New York State Fair. - New York Census of Agriculture
Contains county profiles and agricultural highlights. - New York Agricultural Mediation Program
Provides free, low-cost, confidential mediation, expertise, and processes for conflict management. - New York Farm Bureau
Farm Bureau is a non-governmental, volunteer organization financed and controlled by member families to solve economic and public policy issues challenging the agricultural industry. - Farmland for a New Generation
Farmland for a New Generation New York is a program coordinated by American Farmland Trust – in partnership with the State of New York, agricultural organizations, land trusts, and others – that helps farmers seeking land and landowners who want to keep their land in farming. Farmland for a New Generation Farmland Owner Hub - Soil & Water Conservation DistrictsAdvancing comprehensive natural resource management through the soil and water conservation districts throughout New York State.
- NYS Agricultural Society
The website highlights the society’s achievements and other useful ag resources. A key feature is a listing of NY century farms, an honor the society initiated in 1937 for farms operated by the same family for 100 years or more. There is also a listing of the bicentennial farms. - New York Apple Association
New York Apple Association is the non-profit trade association representing the 674 commercial apple growers in New York State. - NY Farm Viability Institute
We are a farmer-led nonprofit group that awards grant funds for applied research, outreach education, and economic development projects that help farms across New York become more profitable and sustainable - Empire State Development
- New York State Emergency Management Office
SEMO is the site to visit for information on state emergencies. - New York State Office of Mental Health
- The Institute for Rural Vitality at SUNY Cobleskill
The Institute for Rural Vitality at SUNY Cobleskill has a clear mission that encompasses a broad range of initiatives and activities: to engage the substantial resources of SUNY Cobleskill in collaboration with regional partners to enhance community and economic vitality in rural New York. - National Alliance on Mental Illness - New York State
NAMI-NYS is the state organization of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation’s largest grassroots organization for people with mental illness and their families. Founded in 1979, NAMI has affiliates in every state and in more than 1,100 local communities across the country. - Aspire Hope NY
- Farm Service Agency
Farm Service Agency is equitably serving all farmers, ranchers, and agricultural partners through the delivery of effective, efficient agricultural programs for all Americans. - Natural Resource Conservation Service
NRCS collaborates with many partners to set conservation goals, to provide the maximum technical assistance to people who work the land, and to leverage the federal contributions to natural resource conservation on private lands. - Rural Development
We promote economic development by supporting loans to businesses through banks, credit unions and community-managed lending pools. We offer technical assistance and information to help agricultural producers and cooperatives get started and improve the effectiveness of their operations.