New hire at CCE looks to enhance agricultural production

MILLBROOK — There’s a new face at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County, and Mohammad Faroze is his name. He’s there to do his part in promoting, supporting and educating this part of the world about agriculture and all of its component parts. Faroze started Feb. 1 in his new role as senior resource educator for agriculture production and management. He brings with him more than 20 years of hands-on agricultural production experience in Guyana, South America.

“I’m hoping to be engaged with producers in the agricultural field to strengthen the bonds with them to form a partnership that is sustainable,†he said. “And also one that could help to develop and hone the agricultural drive in the community and the wider field.

“The agricultural community and the community-at-large — it all has to do with marketing and to expanding their connection with people in this area, and those outside of the community,†he added. “You have to start with your community first, and then to expand, you have to develop links.â€

Those links should be apparent soon enough. Faroze has been busy reaching out to farmers, distributors, marketers, local leaders and anybody else who could potentially be involved in the long chain connecting the fields to the plate.

“I want to meet a lot of people and make a lot of contacts and do preliminary work before I come up with a plan,†he said. “The more people who can give me an understanding of situations in the various fields, the better.â€

One of the things he will be doing is working closely with vegetable farmers, keeping an eye on problems like the blight that so devastated last year’s tomato crops. He will also work with advisory committees, test out new technologies (think GPS and bio-fuels) and offer recertification classes and workshops on restricted-use pesticides and safety integrated management, for example. He will also offer classes on environmental stewardship and how to keep farms economically viable in today’s economy.

“His job responsibilities entail vegetable production, field crops and ag business management,†said CCE Agriculture and Horticulture Program Leader Stephanie Mallozzi, adding that Faroze replaces Less Hulcoop, who retired after 23 years with the extension. “Besides being a colleague he was a good friend. He was a great loss for our association … but we’re very, very excited to have Mohammad, who brings a lot to the table. We really enjoy that different perspective and we have no doubt that he will be successful.â€

For his part, he, too, is excited.

“In this particular community there are people who are engaged in agriculture production and they have very expansive knowledge of producing commodities,†he said.

Just as important, according to Faroze, are human resources. Having people one can rely on when producing good quality food is an essential part of the process, he said. And there are a number of concepts he’s anticipating tackling.

“I look forward to working very closely with the producers as well as the professors to enhance agricultural production, as well as improve the quality of agricultural commodities in the community,†Faroze said. “Also, to help sustain the environment and prevent the use of pesticides, which can harm the environment. I want to help produce a high quality of commodities and overall to develop a kind of trust and respect that is needed for this particular job.

“It’s a balance of providing the education and the extension offering the resource models and information that’s up-to-date that farmers can readily use,†he added. “It’s a two-way implementation process to know what exactly is the information and then to put it out to the farming community in a language they can understand.â€

To learn more about the Cornell Cooperative Extension, log onto its Web site, ccedutchess.org, which provides information on its many programs that address issues facing not only today’s farmers, but also families, youths, individuals and communities. To contact the extension, call 845-677-8223. To contact Faroze, call the extension and then dial extension 122 or e-mail msf227@cornell.edu.

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