Empire Sheep Producers Association (ESPA) Annual Meeting
Event Details
Date
February 26, 2022
Time
2pm - 4pm
Location
Online via Zoom
Host
Southwest New York Dairy, Livestock and Field Crops ProgramMary Jeanne Packer
518-692-2700
email Mary Jeanne Packer
The Empire Sheep Producers Association 2022 Annual Meeting will be held via Zoom on Saturday February 26, beginning at 2 pm. All ESPA members, other sheep producers, and people affiliated with NYS's sheep industry are invited to attend.
The Zoom link is:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86965338798?pwd=SG5xSHNuMXVXbXNhTytzOHFhalFXUT09
Or dial in: 646 876 9923
Meeting ID: 869 6533 8798
Passcode: 151598
Lewis Fox, co-founder and partner in ESPA-member Agrivoltaic Solutions and a founding board member of the Ithaca-based American Solar Grazing Association is the invited guest speaker. He is expected to cover what sheep farmers need to know and do as far as working with a solar operation including setting up a contract, what your responsibilities are, how to manage fencing and water, and other topics. Agrivoltaic Solutions currently grazes solar assets for multiple firms in New York State, Vermont and Pennsylvania. Lewis Fox has a BS in Animal Science from Cornell University and has extensive experience within the dairy industry. Lewis managed large scale cow, sheep and goat dairies in New York, and grew up on an organic grazing dairy in Vermont.
Other invited presenters include NYS Assembly member Carrie Woerner (D-Round Lake) who will speak about the state's new textile supply chain expansion initiative that she is championing. Confirmed speaker Gail Parrinello, President of the non-profit Hudson Valley Textile Project will update the group on the work that is now underway by her organization to develop a commercial scouring facility slated to open in fall 2022 that will address the wool marketing needs of sheep farmers and fiber processing facilities across NYS and the northeast; and Jessica Brooks (invited) from NYS Dept. of Ag & Markets who will provide information about how sheep farmers can get involved with the NYS Grown and Certified Program for marketing wool and wool products and the benefits of certification.
Dana Havas, Agriculture Team Leader, Cornell Cooperative Extension Cortland County will speak about the accomplishments of the animal fiber subcommittee of the Cornell Livestock PWT. The sub-PWT develops and provides programming and educational opportunities and identifies areas of research that improve the welfare of the NYS animal fiber community and its stakeholders. Niko Kochendoerfer and tatiana Stanton from Cornell University sheep program will provide updates, as well.
The annual ESPA business meeting will follow the program. All ESPA members in good standing may vote and non-members are welcome to attend. The meeting agenda will include 2022 budget approval, revised bylaws adoption, a legislative report, reports from 2021 Empire Classic Youth Show in Batavia and the Canandaigua Ewe Show, updates on 2021 wool pools and plans for 2022, planning for the 2022 State Fair, election of 2022 officers, and other business.
Upcoming Events
Cornell Seed Growers Field Day
July 2, 2024 : Cornell Seed Growers Field Day
Ithaca, NY
Save the Date!
North American Manure Expo
July 17 - July 18, 2024 : North American Manure Expo
Auburn, NY
Save the Date for the North American Manure Expo
Professionalism in Nutrient Management - www.manureexpo.com
Sundaes on the Farm
July 21, 2024
Spencer, NY
Learn about Tioga County Agriculture! IFree Admission! Enjoy Ice Cream, Animals and Farm Tours, Kid's Activities, Food, Live Music, and Farm Vendors.
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
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
- 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
Dairy Acceleration Program Funds Available
- 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
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
ProDairy Forage Management
Are you prepared to change your routine this spring?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.For more information and the NYSERDA Agriculture Energy Audit Program Application click here