Kate McDonald Polakiewicz
Farm Business Management SpecialistCCE Erie County
21 South Grove Street
East Aurora, NY 14052
cell 716-640-0522
email Kate
Areas of Interest
Business planning, profitability, grants and finding funding, beginning farmer support
Kate is a production and extension systems specialist with 15 years of experience working in federal government, private sector, academic, and international settings. She comes to CCE from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) where she managed the Farmer-to Farmer program, a longstanding agricultural extension program that provided short-term technical assistance from US-based farmers to other farmer communities abroad. She also managed agricultural research awards in horticulture, agronomy, aquaculture, and in scaling new technologies. Before USAID, Kate worked on agricultural programs while living in Ghana, Ethiopia, and Uganda. Her work in research and extension also brought her to lead education on soil fertility and plant pathology in Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico. Kate holds a master's degree from the University of California, Davis, and lives with her young family in Amherst, NY.
Field Crops
Dairy
Business
Livestock
Grains
Upcoming Events
FAMACHA Training Jamestown, NY
May 23, 2026 : FAMACHA Training Jamestown, NY
Jamestown, NY
Learn what it takes to effectively manage internal parasite burdens in sheep and goats. This class is free to attend and is taught by Jess Waltemyer, Cornell's State Small Ruminant Specialist, and Amy Barkley, SWNYDLFC Livestock Specialist.
Artificial Insemination Training For Cattle Producers
June 5 - June 6, 2026
Arkport, NY
Subject Options:
- Learn AI in Your Herd - Upcoming Trainings in NY
- Hands-On AI Training for Beef & Dairy Producers
- Improve Your Herd's Genetics - Register for AI Training
2026 Multi-Species Pasture Walk at the Vanstrom Homestead
June 20, 2026 : 2026 Multi-Species Pasture Walk at the Vanstrom Homestead
Kennedy, NY
Our team is partnering with Chautauqua Co Soil and Water, WNY Crop Mangement, and the Vanstrom Homestead to bring you a pasture walk and hands-on workshop series. Topics include multi-species grazing, forage sampling/results interpretation, soil sampling/results interpretation, and a high tensile fence installment.
Announcements
No announcements at this time.