According to a report released by USDA, New York dairy herds produced 1,104 million pounds of milk during March.  Milk cows were unchanged but production per cow was up from the previous year resulting in a 3.1 percent increase in milk production compared to March 2010.  The number of milk cows averaged 610,000 head, unchanged from March of the previous year.  Milk per cow averaged 1,810 pounds, up 55 pounds from the March 2010 rate.

There is a lot of worry about our very dry April and getting crops off to a good start.  So, here are some guidelines for corn planting:

• There should be some decent rain this weekend with unsettled weather until Tuesday, April 24th.
• The long-term forecast is for higher than normal temperatures through the spring and summer, with equal chances of rain being normal, below normal, or above normal.
•  How deep should I plant my corn?  Never less than 1 ½ inches.  The key is to plant at a depth where there is uniform soil moisture to get even emergence.  If the rain in the next few days does not come, then planting deeper than the normal 2” may be advisable if you are planting into uniform moisture.  The maximum depth of planting is 3” on clays, 4’ on silts’, and 5” on sands.  Take a shovel and determine the depth of good soil moisture.  Another strategy is to wait for a forecast of decent rain and then plant at a normal depth (1 ½” to 2 ½ ”).
• A soil crust will hinder seedlings planted shallow or deep.  So plant at least 1 ½” to get proper root development.  I think that 2” is better since there will be some seeds more and less than your target depth.  If a crust develops then take appropriate measures to break it up with a rotary hoe or other implement.

This update provided by Aaron Gabriel, Sr. Extension Resource Educator, Capital Area Agriculture and Horticulture Program

A class focused on planting and maintaining a home vegetable garden throughout the year is scheduled in mid-May and will be taught by Barbara Henry, a trained Cornell Cooperative Extension master gardener in Fulton & Montgomery Counties.

"Beyond the Basics” will cover such topics as

• when and how to plant
• techniques for small spaces
• raised beds
• taking care of young plants through maturity
• some of the pests and diseases in this area
• harvesting and finishing up the garden
• preparing the garden for winter 

The class is designed for those with some experience in gardening, but beginners are welcome to attend. The cost of each class is $5.00, payable at pre-registration.

Two opportunities to attend the class include:

• May 10, 2:00 p.m. at the Canajoharie Library & Arkell Center, Canajoharie
• May 17 at 6:00 p.m. at the Shirley Luck Center, Johnstown. 

Registration is required and a minimum number of registrations is required to hold the classes. Call Cornell Cooperative Extension at 518-673-5525 x 101 to register or email fultonmontgomery@cornell.edu.

Are you a beginning farmer and looking for ways to connect with other beginning farmers?

Cornell Cooperative Extension's Capital Area Agricultural & Horticultural Program invite syou to attend a meeting on Thursday, May 3rd at the farm of Julie & Brian Seacord, 32 Old Cambridge Road, Greenwich. The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. There is no cost to attend the event.

Asked what the purpose of the meeting is Extension Educator Steve Hadcock exsplained that this is an opportunity for farmers who have been farming for less t han 10 years to gather and talk about issues they face in starting and operating a farm. As some beginning farmers may feel unsure of where to turn for assistance, this group aims to draw those interested in working together and learning from each other and Cooperative Extension's resources.

Hadcock noted that it is his hope that a group a new farmers will for a learning group that meets regularly to share ideas and develop a strong support network for themselves. He added that Cooperative Extnesion is committed to facilitating the start of the group and to assist in sustaining it as well.

For more information about the learning group, contact Steve Hadcock at 518-380-1497 or email him at seh11@cornell.edu.

Creating Displays the Attract Customers - a free webinar on Thursday, April 12th,, 2:00 p.m.

The eXtension Entrepreneurship free webinar series continues with a timely topic greared for artisans and food producers who sell primarily through direct markets.  

Join Melissa Bond for a look at how to develop an attractive, eye-catching booth display that invites customers to your stand. Just in time for a new season of farmers' markets, craft fairs, and trade shows, this webinar will provide some best practices along with tips and strategies for showcasing your products in ways that make customers want to buy from you.

No pre-registration is required and there is no fee to participate. About 10 minutes prior to the start time, simply go to https://connect.extensioniastate.edu/etc-cop. You will be prsented with a login screen that has an "Enter as Guest" option. Enter your full name and then click "Enter Room" to join the conference. You will be able to hear the audio directly from your computer's speakers.

All webinars in the series air monthly on the second Thursday at 2:00pm (ET).

According to a press release, U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Bruce Nelson today announced that the sign up deadline for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has been extended to April 13, 2012.

"Due to strong interest in CRP, the decision was made to extend CRP sign up 43 fan an additional week. I encourage all eligible farmers and rancers to take advantage of this opportunity to participate in CRP," said Nelson. "Whether new enrollees or re-enrolling existing CRP contracts, producers who sign up for CRP help to conserve land and improve our soil, water, air and wildlife habitat resources."

After the CRP general sign up ends on April 13, FSA will evaluate offers based on cost and the Environmental Benefits Index (EBI). The EBI takes into consideration variables such as wildlife habitat, water quality protection, soil erosion reduction, air quality protection and other enduring beneifts. Accepted offers will become effective October 1, 2012.

CRP is a voluntary program available to agricultural produ cers to help them use environmentally sensitive land for conservation benefits. Producers enrolled in CRP plant long-term, resource-conserving covers to improve the quality of water, control soil erosion and develop wildlife habitat. In return, USDA provides participants with rental payments and cost-share assistance. Contract duration is between 10 and 15 years. Producers with expiring contracts and producers with environmentally sensitive land are encouraged to evaluate their options under CRP.

To sign up or re-enroll, contact your local Farm Service Agency office.

Organic growers could soon have another weapon in their arsenal, courtesy of the humble worm.

Cornell researchers have found that vermicompost -- the product if composting using various species of worms -- is not only an excellent fertilizer, but could also help prevent a pathogen that has been a scourge to greenhouse growers. By teaming up with a New York composting business, they believe they have found an organic way to raise healthier plants with less environmental impact.

Building on previous research conducted by Professor Eric Nelson's research group in the Department of Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology, Ph.D. student Allison Jack has shown that beneficial microbes in vermicompost can colonize a seed's surface and protect it from infection by releasing a substance that interferes with the chemical signaling between the host and the pathogen.

Children play an active role on many farms and ranches, but it is the responsibility of parents, caregivers, or supervisors to assign them age-appropriate tasks, restrict access to work areas, give easy-to-understand instructions, provide personal protective equipment (PPE), maintain equipment with operational safety devices, and provide supervision to reduce the risk of injury or death. The most common causes of agricultural-related fatalities for children are machinery or tractor accidents, drowning, and motor vehicle accidents, including accidents involving all-terrain vehicles (ATV). Most nonfatal injuries result from falls or incidents with livestock.

Because rates of physical and mental development can vary from child to child, understanding how children develop is critical to identifying age-appropriate tasks for them. A child’s size, strength, motor skills, and coordination are all factors in determining whether he or she is physically able to complete certain tasks. But you must also determine whether a child has the cognitive skills to understand and follow instructions, make good decisions, and understand that unsafe actions may have consequences that lead to injury or death.

The first Annual Capital District Garlic School will be held tomorrow, March 26th, at the CCE office in Voorheesville. Pre-registration was required.

The CCEFM Master Gardeners have announced that the 2012 beginning gardening series, Food Gardening 101, has been cancelled. The Advanced Gardening classes scheduled for May 10th and May 17th will be held if there is sufficient pre-registration.