On August 15, 2011, Governor Cuomo signed a law that updates water use reporting and permit requirements for users of large volumes of water in NYS (www.dec.ny.gov/lands/55509.html). Although NY is fortunate to have plentiful water, the reporting of water usage provides NYSDEC information to manage the state’s water resources. 

All dairy farms should be aware of this requirement, especially those with approximately 200 cows or more that expect to see further growth. Reporting deadline is February 15, 2012.

Download details.

The 2012 edition of the Cornell Integrated Crop and Pest Management Guidelines for Commercial Vegetable Production is now available. This annual publication provides up-to-date vegetable crop production information for New York State. It has been designed as a practical guide for vegetable crop producers, crop consultants, ag chemical dealers, and others who advise vegetable crop producers.

In addition to the annually revised pesticide and crop production information, highlighted changes in the 2012 Vegetable Guidelines include:

• Updated tomato late blight information;
• Revised broccoli variety disease and insect resistance chart;
• Addition of tomato varieties suitable for high-tunnel production; and
• Revised pesticide regulatory information.

The 2012 Integrated Crop and Pest Management Guidelines for Commercial Vegetable Production can be obtained through your local Cornell Cooperative Extension office or directly from the Pesticide Management Education Program (PMEP) Educational Resources Distribution Center at Cornell University.

To order from the PMEP Educational Resources Distribution Center, call (607) 255-7282, send an email to patorder@cornell.edu, or order on-line at https://psep.cce.cornell.edu/store/guidelines. Cost for the Guide is $31, shipping included.

Damage Assessment and Economic Loss Estimation for Agricultural Commodities, Materials, Structures, and Machinery Following Weather and Other Disastrous Events -- A USDA NIFA Special Needs funded project

Friday, January 20, 2012  ---  2:00 - 3:00 PM (ET)

Connect to the Training Webinar at:  http://msues.adobeconnect.com/agdamage/

When disasters cause damage to animals, crops, farm structures/facilities, stored materials, and machinery/equipment, it is important to be able to accurately assess the scale of the damage and determine the economic loss caused by the disaster.  Most common agricultural disasters are weather related; such as flooding, drought, wildfire, hail, freezing, and wind.  Diseases can cause significant damage and economic loss to animals and plants.  Damage can also occur as the result of accidental or intentional human actions; such as misapplied pesticides, contaminated feed or water, or the intentional introduction of a bioagent that results in economic losses for agricultural producers/growers. 

The Ag Damage Assessment Form provides a standardized method for individuals who are interested in determining the extent of damages to agricultural commodities and structures.

Are you looking for an opportunity to expand your management skills on your dairy? The Academy for Dairy Executives II is a program that offers you this opportunity. This is a three part program focusing on key  aspects of dairy business management.  Participants will get in-depth training on: Functions of Management including Financial Management, Risk Management and Family Business Management. 

The program consists of three sessions, each starting at noon on the first day and ending at noon the second day, over 10 months, with a typical session consisting of presentations, breakout groups, discussion, and interaction with other participants.  This year the program is offered in Eastern NY and welcomes applicants from across the Northeast.     

The dates and location are January 18-19 Albany, March 14-15 Lake George and November 14 -15 Utica area.  Participants will be committing to attending all three sessions, with each session lasting 24 hours and focusing on key management skills.  Speakers include industry consultants, farmers, Cornell Cooperative Extension and Pro Dairy Staff.   Please call 518-746-2560 or 518-380-1498 for more information and an application.  Applications for the program are also available at www.ansci.cornell.edu/prodairy/academy . 

The Capital Area Agriculture and Horticulture Program of Cornell Cooperative Extension provides direct and valuable programming to the ENY ag community.  For more information on the many programs available, please visit www. http://tinyurl.com/3qqjgls .

All four initiatives offer technical and financial assistance through the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The On-Farm Energy, Organic and Seasonal High Tunnel initiatives are available statewide, but the Air Quality funding is limited to counties with serious air quality concerns. The links below will take you to the information you need to sign-up for any of these initiatives.

NRCS accepts applications for financial assistance on a continuous basis throughout the year. This year, there will be 3 ranking periods for the initiatives: February 3, March 30 and June 1. The Air Quality Initiative has two ranking dates which end February 3 and March 30. At the end of a ranking period, NRCS ranks all submitted proposals for funding consideration. NRCS will notify all applicants of the results of the rankings and begin developing contracts with selected applicants.

In September, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the creation of the Agricultural and Community Recovery Fund (ACRF) to help rebuild the agricultural industry and farming areas impacted by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.

According to NYS Department of Ag & Markets Commissioner Darrel Aubertine since then, the ACRF Farm Operation Match Program was an enormous success, providing $1.3M to 143 farmers in 21 counties to help cover the costs of replacing lost livestock feed and lost crops for farm stands, community supported agriculture and farmers participating in farmers’ markets.

 Two additional agricultural disaster recovery programs the Department is rolling out today:

·         Second Round of the ACRF Farm Operation Match Program

·         ACRF Wholesale Farm Operation Match Program

 These programs are being administered jointly by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets and New York State Homes and Community Renewal. Farmers will submit applications to the Department of Agriculture and Markets certifying their loss and incurred replacement costs. The Department will approve farmer applications and determine the amount of funding per farmer and per county.

The latest issue of What's Cropping Up? is now available on-line at: http://css.cals.cornell.edu/cals/css/extension/cropping-up/index.cfm

Inside this issue:

• Recommended Roundup Ready Soybean Varieties for New York
• Recommended Corn Silage Hybrids for New York
• Buy Your Oat Seed Early! and Keep an Eye on Corral for Spring 2013
• Effect of Manure, Compost, and Potassium Application on Alfalfa Yield, Potassium Content and Soil Test Potassium in Aurora, NY
• Comparison of Tissue K and Whole Plant K for Alfalfa
• A Case Study on the Use of Adapt-N
• Capreno - A New Herbicide for Annual Broadleaf and Grass Weed Control in Corn
• Understanding Manure Nutrient Variability

Back issues can be found at: http://css.cals.cornell.edu/cals/css/extension/cropping-up/archive/index.cfm

What's Cropping Up? is a bimonthly newsletter distributed by the Crop and Soil Sciences Department at Cornell University. The purpose of the newsletter is to provide timely information on field crop production and environmental issues as it relates to New York agriculture. Articles are regularly contributed by the following departments at Cornell University: Crop and Soil Sciences, Plant Breeding, Plant Pathology, Animal Science and Entomology. To receive a hard copy or remove your name from this list, send your name and address to Mary McKellar, 237 Emerson Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 or mem40@cornell.edu.

The Farmers Market Federation of NY and the NY Farm Viability Institute have partnered with USDA Northeast SARE to present a series of webinars on marketing, “Marketing for Profits: Tools for Success”. The series will include coverage of 5 categories of marketing concepts spanning three years: Self-Assessment, Market Assessment, Customer Assessment, Communications Assessment and Business Assessment. Each Assessment will be a series of 3 webinars. These webinars have been designed with the assistance of regional and national marketing experts to provide critical marketing insights for farmers and farm markets throughout the northeast.

Download the full details.