March 28, 2013 On Farm Meetings: Putting Your Feeding Program to Work at Welcome Stock Farm, (the Peck family), 285 West River Rd, Schuylerville 12871. All the meetings run from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. No charge, but you MUST make reservations with us. Each location has a limit of 15 participants on a first come first serve basis. Deadline to register is by noon March 27. CCE will supply plastic disposable boots, but attendees should also wear clean footwear & not barn clothes from your home farm. If you need directions, please call the office at (315) 866-7920.

     Guest Speaker: Rawson Gamage, Renaissance Nutrition. These meetings are for people doing the feeding, people bringing in the crops, and farm managers and owners. The cost of feed (both home grown & purchased) is your single largest expense. See how this farm parlays feed into profitable milk production.

     Topics to include: Forage Quality, the foundation of your feeding program (including proper fermentation & feed out management), Managing feed inventories, Minimizing shrink on forages & grains, How we deliver feed to the cows daily (dry matter changes, cow number changes, changes in actual intakes, etc., etc.), Our expectations of the cows (milk production & component production), Evaluating the economics (milk income minus feed costs).

Saturday, May 18, 2013  BEEF PRODUCERS FIELD DAY WORKSHOP, 10:00 am - 2:30 pm at Westendlock Farm, 515 West End Road, Craryville, NY. Registration for meeting is $15/person. BQA Manual is $10/book. Please make check payable to: CCE Albany County. Send registration and payment to: CCE Albany County, Attn: Gale Kohler 24 Martin Road, Voorheesville, NY 12186. Only one manual per farm is needed. For more information on this meeting, contact Tom Gallagher at 518-765-3500 or tjg3@cornell.edu .

    Topics for the meeting: Beef Quality Assurance Certification, Body Condition Scoring of Cattle, How to Choose the Right Bull, Cattle Health. These will be covered by Dr. Mike Baker, Cornell University, Tom Gallagher, CCE CAAHP Livestock Specialist, Bonnie Bargstedt from Merial and Phil Trowbridge, Trowbridge Farms.

FUNDING WORKSHOP FOR MICROLOAN AND VALUE-ADDED PRODUCER GRANT PROGRAMS

The Office of U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Saratoga County invite you to a workshop on funding opportunities through the USDA Microloan and Value-Added Producer Grant programs.    The workshop will provide information about the funding programs and outline who is eligible and how to apply.  The program will be presented by Rebecca DeSorbe, David Holck and Gretchen Pinkel of the USDA and the Office of Senator Gillibrand.  

In January 2013, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a new microloan program designed to help small and family operations, beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers secure loans under $35,000. The new microloan program is aimed at bolstering the progress of producers through their start-up years by providing needed resources and helping to increase equity so that farmers may eventually graduate to commercial credit and expand their operations. The microloan program will also provide a less burdensome, more simplified application process in comparison to traditional farm loans.  

The Value-Added Agricultural Producer Grants program is designed to encourage independent producers of agricultural commodities to process their raw products into marketable goods. By creating value-added products, farmers and businesses can expand economic opportunities, create jobs and keep wealth in rural communities.

Date:               Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Time:               1:00pm

Location:         The Saratoga County 4-H Training Center

            556 Middle Line Road

            Ballston Spa, NY 12020

The event is free; RSVPs are requested for those attending.

Please RSVP to Sharon LaPier at 518-885-8995 or STL32@cornell.edu.

Please direct questions to Alyson Kelly at Alyson_Kelly@gillibrand.senate.gov.

Alternative Energy Meeting

Rensselaer County is hosting an alternative energy meeting for farmers on Friday, March 8^th at 1 p.m. at the Brunswick Community Center located at 18 Keyes Lane in Center Brunswick.  Representatives from USDA Rural Development, NYSERDA and National Grid will talk about their current energy efficiency and renewable energy programs.  In addition, representatives from several renewable energy companies will be available to discuss renewable energy system options and what to expect if you’re interested in installing a system on your farm.  A panel comprised of farmers who have installed systems will be on hand to discuss the benefits and challenges of alternative energy including solar, wind and manure anaerobic digestion.  For more information, please contact Donna Murray, Rensselaer County Economic Development and Planning in Troy at 270-2668

Truck Farm Clinics

Monday March 18, 2013 Truck Farm Clinics 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Turning Point Dairy Shop, Pat & Marty Hanehan, 211 County Rd 67,  Saratoga, NY 12866 There is no fee to this clinic however calling ahead will be appreciated in the planning.  Please call CCE-Rensselaer County  518-272-4210.

NYS Trooper Bormann and NYS Trooper Walker, NYS Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit, will again address farm truck registration, licensing, inspection and other issue associated with farm trucks. Local law enforcements are being invited at the various clinics to address local concerns and issues. Bring your questions and neighbors to the meeting.

Tuesday March 19, 2013 Truck Farm Clinics 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Herrington’s Farms Shop,  Ken & Phil Herrington,  63 Herrington Lane,  Troy, NY 12180 There is no fee to this clinic however calling ahead will be appreciated in the planning.  Please call CCE-Rensselaer County  518-272-4210.

NYS Trooper Bormann and NYS Trooper Walker, NYS Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit, will again address farm truck registration, licensing, inspection and other issue associated with farm trucks. Local law enforcements are being invited at the various clinics to address local concerns and issues. Bring your questions and neighbors to the meeting.

Tuesday March 19, 2013 Truck Farm Clinics 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Wil-Roc Farms Shop, Carl Williams, 2167 Rt 9, Kinderhook, NY 12106  There is no fee to this clinic however calling ahead will be appreciated in the planning.  Please call CCE-Rensselaer County  518-272-4210.

NYS Trooper Bormann and NYS Trooper Walker, NYS Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit, will again address farm truck registration, licensing, inspection and other issue associated with farm trucks. Local law enforcements are being invited at the various clinics to address local concerns and issues. Bring your questions and neighbors to the meeting.

Corn Rootworm Resistance to BT-Corn Reported 

Elson Shields, Department of Entomology, Cornell University

Since the introduction of BT-corn varieties, concern has been raised by entomologists about the target insect developing resistance to the incorporated toxin and causing significant plant damage to those protected plants.  With the initial introduction of BT-corn borer varieties, the concept of a non-treated refuge was also introduced.  Insects produced from an untreated refuge are not exposed to the toxin and suppress the development of resistance by interbreeding with any BT toxin survivors.  

Area wide populations of corn borer have plummeted throughout the Corn Belt and have remained low for the past 15 years.  The insect mating behavior outside the field coupled with the establishment of some refuges within areas seems to have suppressed the development of resistance to the plant incorporated BT.  In contrast, this insect is capable of developing resistance in the laboratory within a few generations.

The situation with western corn rootworm appears to be completely different. 

Demystifying Organic Certification: Get Help Navigating the Certification Process

If you've been thinking about getting your farm certified as organic but aren't sure whether it's worth it, and find all the paperwork and requirements overwhelming, this course is for you. This 6-week online course is facilitated by Laura Biasillo of Cornell Cooperative Extension Broome County and taught by representatives from NOFA-NY LLC (Northeast Organic Farming Association's certification arm), and designed to demystify the certification process. The course is appropriate for total newbies as well as experienced growers contemplating the transition to organic. It won't teach you organic production techniques, but will help you understand the National Organic Program requirements, learn who the certifiers are, evaluate whether certification is right for your operation, and walk you through the paperwork. 

Join weekly live webinars on Tues. nights from the comfort of your living room, and participate in homework and discussions in the course's online classroom between webinars. You'll learn from successful organic farmers about why they've chosen certification and what considerations might be most important for your farm. 

The course begins Tues. Feb 12 and runs for 6 weeks. It costs $200 and registration is only open until the first day of the course, or until it fills, whichever happens first. View Frequently Asked Questions about our online courses here: http://nebeginningfarmers.org/online-courses/online-course-faqs/. 

To view the syllabus and learning objectives for BF 106: Organic Certification, or to register, visit:
http://nebeginningfarmers.org/online-courses/all-courses/bf-106-organic-certification/

This course is just one of many offered by the Cornell Small Farms Program in partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension. Registration is still open for BF 202: Business Planning (starts Feb 21) and BF 103: Taking Care of Business (starts March 4). Read more at http://nebeginningfarmers.org/online-courses 

With Hot Air Treatment, Bacteria Fly the Coop

By Rosalie Marion Bliss
January 28, 2013

Poultry producers can reduce bacterial cross-contamination in poultry cages by treating the cages with forced air that's been heated to 122 degrees Fahrenheit, according to a study by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists.

While being transported in coops on trucks, poultry that have bacteria such as Campylobacter can contaminate, through their feces, other poultry that are free of pathogens. Those disease-causing bacteria can then be passed on to the next group of birds during the next trip, and so forth, unless the cycle is broken.

Campylobacter is a food-borne pathogen that can be present in raw or undercooked poultry. Since the bacteria are commonly found in the digestive tracts of poultry, they're readily deposited onto coops and trucks when contaminated animals are transported to processing plants.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds producers that the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 extended the authorization of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (the 2008 Farm Bill) for many Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) commodity, disaster, and conservation programs through 2013. FSA administers these programs.

The extended programs include, among others: the Direct and Counter-Cyclical Payment Program (DCP), the Average Crop Revenue Election Program (ACRE), and the Milk Income Loss Contract Program (MILC). FSA is preparing the following actions:

• FSA will begin sign-ups for DCP and ACRE for the 2013 crops on Feb. 19, 2013. The DCP sign-up period will end on Aug. 2, 2013; the ACRE sign-up period will end on June 3, 2013.

• The 2013 DCP and ACRE program provisions are unchanged from 2012, except that all eligible participants in 2013 may choose to enroll in either DCP or ACRE for the 2013 crop year. This means that eligible producers who were enrolled in ACRE in 2012 may elect to enroll in DCP in 2013 or may re-enroll in ACRE in 2013 (and vice versa).

• All dairy producers’ MILC contracts are automatically extended to Sept. 30, 2013. Eligible producers therefore do not need to re-enroll in MILC. Specific details regarding certain modifications to MILC will be released soon.

FSA will provide producers with information on program requirements, updates and signups as the information becomes available. Any additional details will be posted on FSA’s website. 

For more information about the programs and loans administered by FSA, visit any FSA county office or www.fsa.usda.gov.

2013 Corn Day

On February 19, 2013, Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Central New York Dairy and Field Crops Team will be offering “Corn Day” from 10:00 a.m.- 2:30 p.m. at the Otesaga Resort Hotel, 60 Lake Street in Cooperstown, N.Y.  Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m.

Topics to be covered will include “Great corn starts with a planter that can do the job!” by George Wilkinson, “Corn Insects and Disease- 2013 What will happen next?” by Keith Waldron, and “Getting ready for the 2013 growing season” by Russ Hahn. 

2 DEC Pesticide Recertification Credit requested for Categories: 1a, 10, 21, and 23.  You must be present at 10P:00 a.m. to receive credit!

Registration must be received by the CCE office in Herkimer County by Friday, February 15, noon (no exceptions) and is $30 per person (includes lunch).  Please send  your registration fee and the following information to CCE Herkimer County, 5657, State Route 5, Herkimer, NY 13350:  name, number attending, address, phone, and email.  For questions, call (315)866-7920.