NNY Agricultural Research Farms

Cornell Cooperative Extension - St. Lawrence County Learning Farm and Education Center at Canton

The Cornell Cooperative Extension Learning Farm and Education Center is located on Route 68 outside the Village of Canton, New York. From the 1950s until the late 1990s the farm was used as an educational laboratory for the State University of New York Canton�s agricultural program. In 1998, SUNY Canton discontinued using the farm and the State of New York turned the farm over to Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County. Through an agreement with SUNY Canton, Cornell ran an Agronomy Laboratory at the site from the 1961 through 1999. This part of the facility was later turned over to CCE of St. Lawrence County.

Extension views the farm as a unique agricultural and educational resource. The farm provides an invaluable site for events and activities, and a place to expand youth-oriented agricultural awareness programs; adult educational programs in the areas of food, agriculture and natural resources; and demonstrations of innovative crops, products and farm practices.

The farm property includes two parcels totaling 363 acres. The Martin property is 220 acres with historic barns, two houses and several out buildings. The large barn classroom has been recently renovated and the classroom in the large Martin house will soon see some updating.

The Kennedy property includes 143 acres, a house and outbuilding used for offices as well as a Quonset building and storage shed. Fifty-six acres at the Kennedy location are tillable; 80 acres are forestland. Six acres were in replicated plots until 2003 with other land easily accessible for further plot work. Crop and research studies here have included: switchgrass, grass varieties, kura clover, maple stand improvement, deer exclosure, and a sheep demonstration program.

Several projects funded through the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program have taken place at the Extension Learning Farm and Educational Center, including studies of BMR Sorghum Sudangrass as an economic and environmentally sound alternative to corn in NNY, tall fescue variety trials, and grass-fed beef.

Projects at the Learning Farm and Education Center as well as on local farms provide an outstanding opportunity for local educators to partner with Cornell faculty to provide information that can be practically applied to farms in St. Lawrence County and across Northern New York.