About Program
The South Central NY Dairy & Field Crops Program provides educational opportunities and technical assistance to help the industry with emerging issues, production bottlenecks, and new technologies. Our primary audiences are dairy and field crop producers as well as agri-service providers with secondary audiences of the media, non-farm residents and consumers. We focus on areas that will help improve farm profitability within the region since farm financial success is a key to maintaining a viable dairy and field crops industry. Our program's education helps our industry respond to both internal and external forces that help it keep pace in a rapidly changing world.The dairy and field crops sector brings significant economic activity to the region ($411 M in milk income alone). Dollars produced from agriculture have one of the largest multiplier effects. Farms make a significant contribution to the local tax base and have been found in several cost of service studies to demand less in services than they pay in taxes compared to residences (1). Farms maintain open space which provides the community with beautiful landscapes and recreational land.
(1) Cost of Community Services Studies
American Farmland Trust; Northampton, MA: American Farmland Trust; FIC Fact Sheet and Technical Memo; page(s) 6; 2010; National; Fact Sheets and Technical Memos Cost of Community Services Studies.
Our Mission:
This program is supported by Cornell University and the Cornell Cooperative Extension Associations of Broome, Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Tioga & Tompkins Counties
- Enhance the profitability of farmers to maintain a strong regional dairy industry,
- Create greater awareness of trends and options to help producers achieve family and business goals,
- Maintain environmentally responsible agricultural practices, and
- Encourage a better understanding of agriculture by the general community.
This program is supported by Cornell University and the Cornell Cooperative Extension Associations of Broome, Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Tioga & Tompkins Counties
The South Central New York Dairy and Field Crops is supported,
in part, by
six county Cornell Cooperative Extensions including:
Broome, Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Tioga
and Tompkins Counties.
To visit one of these Cornell Cooperative Extension's web sites,
simply click on a county within the map.
Dairy
Livestock
Grazing
Forages
Grains
Upcoming Events
Virtual Fence and Bale Grazing Pasture Walk
August 6, 2026 : Virtual Fence and Bale Grazing Pasture Walk
Marathon, NY
This summer time pasture walk will focus on three areas: Gallagher eShepherd collars for a grazing dairy, summer time grazing planning, and incorporating bale grazing into a rotation. The Grass Whisperer, Troy Bishopp, will guide conversation on our walk.
Tompkins County Beef Pasture Walk
August 22, 2026 : Tompkins County Beef Pasture Walk
Enfiled, NY
Main points:
- Cattle handling system, chute funded by John May Farm Safety Fund
- Rotational grazing paddocks, including establishing a rotation and improving pasture quality and quantity
- SWCD work including livestock watering system and fencing
Bale Grazing Pasture Walk
September 25, 2026 : Bale Grazing Pasture Walk
Truxton, NY
Jacob and Alexis will show how they've incorporated bale grazing in their farm to reclaim and improve grazing land for their beef cattle herd.
Announcements
Farm Participants Needed for Bale Grazing Grant!
Information on the Project:- Approximately 10 acres total needed to bale graze two different bale densities
- "Core" farms will graze two winters, "Demo" farms will graze one winter.
- Payments for both "Core" farms and "Demo" farms
- Baseline soil sampling by bale grazing team
- Forage measurements in early season by bale grazing team
- Late season clipping if residual not trampled down by farm
Interested farms can enroll for this winter or next.
Looking for 2-3 dairy farms to enroll! If interested, please reach out to Betsy Hicks, 607.391.2673 or bjh246@cornell.edu
Cornell Cow Convos - New Podcast
On-going podcast, New episodes released on the last Thursday of the month.Guest speakers, CCE Dairy Specialists.
Housed on Soundcloud Channel is CCE Dairy Educators
Topics:
- Preventative healthcare for cows
- The trend of beef on dairy
- What to look forward to in the new year for dairy
- Socially grouping or pair-housing calves
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
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