Soil

SoilSoils are the foundation of our production systems.  Soils are fragile yet resilient if we care for them.  In a practical sense we have to manage them for fertility, compaction and breaking pest cycles with crop rotation. An array of information addressing soils can be found here.

SOIL CATEGORIES




The Slow and Furtive Nature of Pasture Soil Compaction: Project Develops Ratio..

A. Fay Benson, Small Dairy Extension Educator
South Central New York Dairy & Field Crops

Last Modified: February 15, 2022
The Slow and Furtive Nature of Pasture Soil Compaction: Project Develops Ratio..

In my work, first as a grazing dairy farmer and now as a Cornell University Cooperative Extension educator working with graziers across New York State, I have been aware of pasture soil compaction but one experience in particular gave me the insight into the slow and furtive nature of compaction in pastures. This article summarizes my findings from a three-year, Northeast Sustainable Agricultural Research and Extension (NESARE)-funded project developed to better understand soil compaction in pastures.


A Possible New Technique To Monitor Soil Compaction

A. Fay Benson, Small Dairy Extension Educator
South Central New York Dairy & Field Crops

Last Modified: January 27, 2022

A Northeast Sustainable Agricultural Research and Extension (NESARE)-funded project conducted by Cornell educators has begun evaluating a possible new technique for monitoring and managing soil compaction specifically in pastures. This article provides a summary of that project; the results may have implications for future use in managing pastures and other types of production land


Tillage and Planting Reminders in a Wet Spring

Last Modified: May 12, 2017

Tom Kilcer outlines some precautions to prevent compaction when tilling and planting under wet conditions with some other spring tips 

NYSERDA Agriculture Energy Audit Program - Fact Sheet

Janice Degni, Team Leader, Field Crop Specialist
South Central New York Dairy & Field Crops

Last Modified: May 26, 2016

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.  

Webinar Series On Organic Weed Management

Janice Degni, Team Leader, Field Crop Specialist
South Central New York Dairy & Field Crops

Last Modified: May 19, 2014

Organic farmers and specialists from across the U.S. led a free webinar series on organic weed management. The webinars discuss several approaches and practices for managing weeds including crop rotations, cover crops, and soil management. Each session was recorded. They can be viewed here.

Variable Rate Fertility Management

Bill Verbeten, Field Crops
Northwest New York Dairy, Livestock & Field Crops

Last Modified: April 24, 2014
Variable Rate Fertility Management

An expanded version of the February 2014 Ag Focus Article, Variable Rate Fertility Management.

Cover Crop InterSeeder

Bill Verbeten, Field Crops
Northwest New York Dairy, Livestock & Field Crops

Last Modified: February 17, 2014
Cover Crop InterSeeder

Want to plant a cover crop into standing corn or soybeans, apply a herbicide, and sidedress nitrogen all in one pass? Check out the cover crop InterSeeder developed at Penn State in this PDF. For additional information go to InterSeeder website.

Illinois Soil Nitrogen Test (ISNT)

Bill Verbeten, Field Crops
Northwest New York Dairy, Livestock & Field Crops

Last Modified: February 14, 2014
Illinois Soil Nitrogen Test (ISNT)

Curious about what the ISNT soil test is and how to use it? Download this Cornell Agronomy Fact Sheet describing the Illinois Soil Nitrogen Test. More Agronomy Fact Sheets are available at the Cornell Nutrient Management Spear Program website.

Soil Sampling for Field Crops

Bill Verbeten, Field Crops
Northwest New York Dairy, Livestock & Field Crops

Last Modified: February 13, 2014
Soil Sampling for Field Crops

Not sure how to sample your soil? Download this Cornell Agronomy Fact Sheet. More Agronomy Fact Sheets are available at the Cornell Nutrient Management Spear Program website.

Mapping Management Zones with Soil Conductivity

Bill Verbeten, Field Crops
Northwest New York Dairy, Livestock & Field Crops

Last Modified: February 4, 2014
Mapping Management Zones with Soil Conductivity

Interested in creating soil management zones with soil conductivity on your farm? Download this PDF.

Getting the Most Out of Your Manure Presentation

Bill Verbeten, Field Crops
Northwest New York Dairy, Livestock & Field Crops

Last Modified: January 23, 2014
Getting the Most Out of Your Manure Presentation

There are many practical, cost-effective manure management practices can be adopted on farms of all sizes.

Abnormal Corn Ears Poster

Last Modified: January 21, 2014
Abnormal Corn Ears Poster

“Check out this poster describing the cause of abnormal corn ears.”





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Dairy

Dairy

Livestock

Livestock

Grazing

Grazing

Forages

Forages

Grains

Grains

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Upcoming Events

Manure Storage Cover and Flare Farm Tour

March 28, 2024
King Ferry, NY

See different covered storage designs. 

Speak with an experienced farm operator. 

Discuss design changes, performance, maintenance, cost, and funding opportunities

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


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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