Dairy
Livestock
Grazing
Forages
Grains
A partnership between Cornell University and the CCE Associations in these six counties:
Broome, Chemung, Cortland,
Onondaga, Tioga & Tompkins.
Upcoming Events
WEBINAR: Growing Great People - Training Skills for Dairy Farmers (English)
April 14, 2020
6:30pm - 8:00pm
We are offering this free webinar in English and Spanish to help dairy farm operators and middle managers improve their ability to train and supervise employees.WEBINAR: Growing Great People - Training Skills for Dairy Farmers (Spanish)
April 16, 2020
12:00pm - 1:30pm
We are offering this free webinar in English and Spanish to help dairy farm operators and middle managers improve their ability to train and supervise employees.Announcements
Regional Team Operations During COVID-19
Click here for an operations update.Novel Coronavirus Prevention & Control for Farms
The U.S. is confronting an outbreak of a novel coronavirus that causes serious respiratory disease and may be deadly for older people and those with weakened immune systems. The World Health Organization is now calling the outbreak a global pandemic because it is affecting countries all over the world. People and organizations can still fight coronavirus by taking steps to prevent transmission of the disease, the whole point of widespread cancellation of events is to create "social distancing" to lower the infection rate and prevent health care systems from being overwhelmed. New York State Department of Health has a Coronavirus Website with English and Spanish posters for preventing coronavirus infection (https://health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/coronavirus/).See entire article at: http://agworkforce.cals.cornell.edu/2020/03/12/novel-coronavirus-prevention-control-for-farms/
Resources for COVID-19 Questions
During these uncertain and unchartered times, please know that your South Central Dairy & Field Crops Team is still available to help producers. Although we are unable to make face-to-face contact for the next few weeks, please know that our entire team is only a phone call, email or video conference away. Please do not hesitate to contact us if a need arises, we will do our best to assist you in any way we can.
Here is a list of websites or phone numbers to keep handy:
FDA Food Safety: https://www.fda.gov/food/food-safety-during-emergencies/food-safety-and-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19
NY FarmNet: https://www.nyfarmnet.org/
Hotline : 1-800-547-3276 (24 hr service)
New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health (NYCAMH) www.nycamh.org
Farm Partners (part of Bassett Health Care system and NYCAMH) 1-800-343-7527
New York State Department of Health: https://www.health.ny.gov/
Prevent Worker Exposure to Coronavirus (OSHA): https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3989.pdf
Center for Disease Control COVID-19: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html
Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development: https://agworkforce.cals.cornell.edu/
NY Farm Bureau: https://www.nyfb.org/
NY Department of Labor: https://www.labor.ny.gov/home/
US Small Business Administration (Disaster Relief Program): https://www.sba.gov/page/coronavirus-covid-19-small-business-guidance-loan-resources
** Please note, not all small businesses fall under SBA, please call the Syracuse office to determine***
** Although our counties have not been declared emergency status, SBA Syracuse confirmed they were waiting on the directive from government you can create an account and update when available*
USDA: https://www.usda.gov/
USDA (Farm Service Agency): https://www.fsa.usda.gov/
NYS Ag and Markets: https://agriculture.ny.gov/
Empire State Development: https://esd.ny.gov/
What to know about Income Tax Extension: https://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/taxes/articles/tax-deadline-extension-what-you-need-to-know
Prevent Worker Exposure to Coronavirus (OSHA): https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3989.pdf
Center for Disease Control COVID-19: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html
Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development: https://agworkforce.cals.cornell.edu/
NY Farm Bureau: https://www.nyfb.org/
NY Department of Labor: https://www.labor.ny.gov/home/
US Small Business Administration (Disaster Relief Program): https://www.sba.gov/page/coronavirus-covid-19-small-business-guidance-loan-resources
** Please note, not all small businesses fall under SBA, please call the Syracuse office to determine***
** Although our counties have not been declared emergency status, SBA Syracuse confirmed they were waiting on the directive from government you can create an account and update when available*
USDA: https://www.usda.gov/
USDA (Farm Service Agency): https://www.fsa.usda.gov/
NYS Ag and Markets: https://agriculture.ny.gov/
Empire State Development: https://esd.ny.gov/
What to know about Income Tax Extension: https://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/taxes/articles/tax-deadline-extension-what-you-need-to-know
Dairy Acceleration Program Funds Available
Funds available for the
- organization of financial records/benchmarking up to $1,000
- continued business planning (for farms awarded in a previous year) up to $2,500
- business planning up to $5,000
New Paraquat Certified Applicator Training Available
Paraquat Certified Applicator Training to Prevent Poisonings Now Available | US EPA
www.epa.gov
HEMP GROWER'S EXCHANGE BOARD
CCE Hemp Exchange Board On-Line
Dear Hemp Growers & Processors: Our exchange board has its first postings; plenty of interest in selling and purchasing.
You can check it out at http://www.nyhempexchange.org/
*The NY Hemp Exchange Board is posted for your information and research purposes. Cornell Cooperative Extension does not endorse or recommend any product, service, individual, business or other entity. All "Hemp Exchanges" are posted at the discretion of CCE. "Hemp Exchanges" requests may be denied or removed at any time for any reason
Maire Ullrich, MBA
Agriculture Program Leader
Eastern New York Horticulture Team - Vegetables
Cornell University Cooperative Extension Orange County
2018 Drug Residue Prevention Manual
For more than 30 years, the U.S. dairy industry has focused educational efforts on the judicious use of antibiotics through the annual publication of a Best Practices Manual. The 2018 edition of the National Dairy FARM Program: Farmers Assuring Responsible Management? Milk and Dairy Beef Drug Residue Prevention Manual is the primary educational tool for dairy farm managers throughout the country on the judicious and responsible use of antibiotics, including avoidance of drug residues in milk and meat.The manual is a quick resource to review those antibiotics approved for dairy animals and can also be used as an educational tool and resource for farm managers as they develop on-farm best management practices necessary to avoid milk and meat residues. Visit the Manual and Form Library to download copies of this important tool!
Follow us on Facebook
The team updates our facebook page frequently - follow us to be updated on our events, see some fun videos and get local area updates!facebook.com/SCNYDairyandFieldCropsTeam
Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship
Western New York Dairy Farmers Kim Shaklee and Janice Brown make the news with their successful Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship match. Kim and Janice are Master Graizers, and they are working hard with their Apprentice, Travis Belmore and preparing Lauren La Mar for an official Apprenticeship.
ProDairy Forage Management
Are you prepared to change your routine this spring?By: Joe Lawrence, Cornell CALS PRO-DAIRY and Ron Kuck, Cornell Cooperative Extension North Country Regional Ag Team
While spring tasks vary by farm, there are many "rites of spring," and they are often completed in a fairly rigid sequence. Depending on the farm, these often include fixing fence, spreading manure, planting new seedings, planting corn and harvesting first cutting, and are often performed in this order.
We are optimistic that the upcoming turn in weather will allow these task to be accomplished in a timely manner, but at this point it is time to ask yourself: Are you willing to change your spring routine?
In addition to adverse weather it is no secret that everyone is facing extremely tight economic times, and dealing with forage inventories of poor digestibility forages from 2017. This combination of factors makes it more critical than ever to be ready to tackle the task that will have the most impact on your business at the proper time.
Recent reference articles on dealing with tough times:
• Key Opportunities to Optimize 2018 Crop Production Efficiency
• Resources for Dealing with Spring Weather Delays
First Cutting
The number one focus should be on timely harvest of first cutting.
• Park the corn planter when a field of first cutting is ready for harvest.
o Monitoring 1st cut harvest timing
• Approach harvest by the acre, not by the field. Be ready to skip over a field that has passed its optimum harvest stage.
o Dynamic Harvest Schedules
• Strategically plan feed storage to best utilize forage inventories for the right group of animals.
o Strategic Forage Storage Planning
o When More is Better
Corn Planting
The window for planting for silage is generally wider than for grain, which is why first cutting can and should take priority over corn planting. However, in the event of extreme delays in planting corn, performance will diminish with late plantings. If corn planting progresses into late May or early June, begin to consider alternative options for those acres. Previous research from Cornell and Penn State suggest a 0.5 to 1 ton/acre per week decline in silage yield for planting after mid to late May.
Multi-Tasking
First and foremost during a time of year that can be very busy and stressful, taking every precaution to keep your team safe is critical.
The idea of fitting all of this work into a condensed time period, and still getting key tasks completed before critical deadlines can seem impossible, but year after year many find unique ways to get it all done. Consider working with neighbors, custom operators or renting equipment to accomplish these key tasks on time.
If you currently utilize custom operators, now is a good time to set up a time to meet with them and make sure you are on the same page to get tasks accomplished in the time-frame needed. Make sure that your expectations and goals are clearly defined. They will also be under stress to fit their work into a condensed period and meet their customers' expectations, so defining expectations and pre-planning how to most efficiently get the work accomplished when the custom operator arrives can go a long way to increase the chances for success.
While spring tasks vary by farm, there are many "rites of spring," and they are often completed in a fairly rigid sequence. Depending on the farm, these often include fixing fence, spreading manure, planting new seedings, planting corn and harvesting first cutting, and are often performed in this order.
We are optimistic that the upcoming turn in weather will allow these task to be accomplished in a timely manner, but at this point it is time to ask yourself: Are you willing to change your spring routine?
In addition to adverse weather it is no secret that everyone is facing extremely tight economic times, and dealing with forage inventories of poor digestibility forages from 2017. This combination of factors makes it more critical than ever to be ready to tackle the task that will have the most impact on your business at the proper time.
Recent reference articles on dealing with tough times:
• Key Opportunities to Optimize 2018 Crop Production Efficiency
• Resources for Dealing with Spring Weather Delays
First Cutting
The number one focus should be on timely harvest of first cutting.
• Park the corn planter when a field of first cutting is ready for harvest.
o Monitoring 1st cut harvest timing
• Approach harvest by the acre, not by the field. Be ready to skip over a field that has passed its optimum harvest stage.
o Dynamic Harvest Schedules
• Strategically plan feed storage to best utilize forage inventories for the right group of animals.
o Strategic Forage Storage Planning
o When More is Better
Corn Planting
The window for planting for silage is generally wider than for grain, which is why first cutting can and should take priority over corn planting. However, in the event of extreme delays in planting corn, performance will diminish with late plantings. If corn planting progresses into late May or early June, begin to consider alternative options for those acres. Previous research from Cornell and Penn State suggest a 0.5 to 1 ton/acre per week decline in silage yield for planting after mid to late May.
Multi-Tasking
First and foremost during a time of year that can be very busy and stressful, taking every precaution to keep your team safe is critical.
The idea of fitting all of this work into a condensed time period, and still getting key tasks completed before critical deadlines can seem impossible, but year after year many find unique ways to get it all done. Consider working with neighbors, custom operators or renting equipment to accomplish these key tasks on time.
If you currently utilize custom operators, now is a good time to set up a time to meet with them and make sure you are on the same page to get tasks accomplished in the time-frame needed. Make sure that your expectations and goals are clearly defined. They will also be under stress to fit their work into a condensed period and meet their customers' expectations, so defining expectations and pre-planning how to most efficiently get the work accomplished when the custom operator arrives can go a long way to increase the chances for success.
NYSERDA Agriculture Energy Audit Program
NYSERDA offers energy audits to help eligible farms and on-farm producers identify ways to save energy and money on utility bills. Reports include recommendations for energy efficiency measures.Eligibility
Eligible farms include but are not limited to dairies, orchards, greenhouses, vegetables, vineyards, grain dryers, and poultry/egg. The farms must also be customers of New York State investor-owned utilities and contribute to the System Benefits Charge (SBC). Please check your farm’s current utility bills to see if your farm pays the SBC.
Energy Audit Options
You can request the level of energy audit that best fits your farm’s needs. NYSERDA will assign a Flexible Technical Assistance Program Consultant to visit your farm and perform an energy audit at no cost to you.
For more information and the NYSERDA Agriculture Energy Audit Program Application click here
For more information and the NYSERDA Agriculture Energy Audit Program Application click here