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October 2017

Feeder School - 2 Days of On-Farm Training

October 26 - November 2, 2017
10am-3pm both days
Lansing & Whitney Point, NY

Who Should Attend:
  • Those who are currently feeding dairy cows and want to learn more about the how and why of what they're doing
  • Those who are interested in becoming a cow feeder and want to increase their knowledge of cow feeding
  • Anyone interested in learning more about how to improve the feeding process on their farm

Hire and Retain the Best

October 27, 2017
4:30 pm
Scipio Center, NY

Dairy producers please join us for this great hiring event!
With your attendance, you will be given the opportunity to hire for both internships and careers. Our guest speaker will visit with you on how to make your hiring techniques more effective.

November 2017

Northeast Cover Crop Council Annual Meeting

November 8, 2017
8 am - 8 pm
Ithaca, NY

Interested in cover crops? Farmers, students, researchers, extension educators, government and industry representatives, and other cover crop enthusiasts are invited to the first annual Northeast Cover Crops Council Meeting hosted by Cornell University and the USDA NRCS Big Flats Plant Materials Center on November 8-9, 2017. Presentations on November 8 will focus on soil health, cover crop practices for no-till, pest management, cover crop mixtures, harvesting cover crops for forage, and more. Participants will also have the opportunity to present their own work in a Poster Reception featuring local and seasonal refreshments and hors d'oeuvres. November 9 will feature a field tour of the cover crop demonstration plots at the USDA-NRCS Big Flats Plant Materials Center in Big Flats, NY. This meeting will be a great opportunity to learn about advances and network with cover crop experts from the Northeast. Space is limited, so register now to secure your spot! (Once capacity is reached, a wait list will become available.)


2017 Feed Dealers Seminar

November 30, 2017
6-9 pm
Cortland, NY

The Feed Dealer Seminars are specifically targeted for nutritionists, veterinarians, crop and management consultants, extension educators, and dairy producers with specific interest in nutrition-oriented topics. They are designed to blend the latest concepts in feeding and other management aspects of dairies with field level application. They have been conducted annually as a road show with multiple sites in New York for many years with an additional Vermont location held during the past several years in collaboration with the Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance.

December 2017

Academy for Dairy Executives

December 12, 2017
Hamilton, Auburn & Oneonta, NY

Cornell University Cooperative Extension and PRO-DAIRY invite you to apply for this three part educational program in Central NY.

The Academy for Dairy Executives:  Developing Leadership and Management Skills for Young Dairy Professionals
  • Gain a better understanding of the fast-changing dairy industry
  • Learn from and interact with other producers and dairy professionals
  • Improve leadership and management skills of a successful dairy business during volatile times
  • Develop skills necessary to lead your dairy business into the future


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Dairy

Dairy

Livestock

Livestock

Grazing

Grazing

Forages

Forages

Grains

Grains

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Upcoming Events

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
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



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
Guidelines remain the same DAP covers 80% of the cost up to the value of the award and the farm is responsible for 20%.  Visit https://prodairy.cals.cornell.edu/dairy-acceleration/

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?

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.



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


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