Hoard’s Dairyman has recently (8/24/23) posted an article on the NNYADP-funded research into the possible benefits of using kefir as a probiotic supplement in young dairy animals. Click here to read the “Calves can benefit from farm-made products” article by Miner Institute Research Scientist Sarah Morrison: https://hoards.com/article-34064-calves-can-benefit-from-farm-made-probiotics.html.

Click here to read the NNYADP project results report: The Effects of Kefir Supplementation During the First 21 Days of Life on Growth, Diarrhea Incidence, and Antibiotic Use in Holstein Calves.

The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is supported by funding from the New York State Legislature through the New York State Assembly. The funding is administrated by the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets.

NNYADP Rye Cover Crop Research Adds Data to Local, State, National Programs
Northern NY region a high priority for this work

Northern New York (Canton, Chazy, Croghan, Mooers, Plattsburgh): July 31, 2023. The first-year results of cover crop research funded by the farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program are contributing data to New York State, Northeast, and national programs. The regional project is being conducted by Virginia Moore, Ph.D., who is leading a new research program at Cornell University focused on breeding plants to support sustainable cropping systems in colder climate regions.

Moore is also a project director with the nationwide Cover Crops Breeding Network, the largest effort of its kind in the United States. Moore’s research includes an effort to develop cereal rye as a cover crop.

Moore’s first trials in northern New York planted six different varieties of cereal rye on four different dates in the fall of 2022 on working farms in Croghan, Mooers, and Plattsburgh, New York, and at agricultural research farms in Canton and Chazy in the fall of 2022.

Moore explains why Northern New York is ideal for her research.

“Northern New York’s colder climate and year-round agricultural conditions make it a high priority region for this research. Due to the regional climate and soil variability within New York State, it is critical to expand cereal rye variety development to northern New York where fall and spring growing conditions vary from other parts of the state,” said Moore.

Cereal rye is the most common cover crop in northern climate areas due to its cold tolerance and ability to suppress weeds. It also helps filter surface and groundwater, adds organic matter to support soil health, reduces soil erosion, and sequester carbon in the soil.

Participants in a focus group that Moore convened with northern New York growers, agronomists, Cornell Cooperative Extension specialists, and Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) staff identified challenges, including limited availability of cereal rye varieties suited to the northern New York region, a short planting window for cover crop seeding after fall harvest, and inconsistent growth in the spring. Moore’s research is helping to address these challenges, which all impact the potential of cereal rye as a double forage crop.

Early Data Promising, Work Continues
“Data from the first year showed excellent emergence and plant vigor with all varieties at all sites. Most plots, regardless of the planting date, reached 100 percent emergence before the onset of winter,” Moore noted.

The work continues with more data expected on the cereal rye stand quality, winter survival, maturity, termination, and biomass metrics later this year. A new planting will be made this fall.

Moore’s NNYADP “Cereal Rye Cover Crops for Northern New York: Variety Selection and Research Needs” project report for year one is posted under About: NNYADP Projects By Year: 2022 at www.nnyagdev.org.

SWCD personnel in Clinton and Lewis counties assisted the plantings following cash crop harvest at the three working farms. Data from a trial conducted at Cornell’s research farm in Freeville, New York, are also inducted in the report.

This NNYADP-funded research is also contributing data to the Northeast Cover Crop Council that has cereal rye trials located throughout the Northeast.

Funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is supported by the New York State Legislature through the New York State Assembly and is administrated by the New  York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.
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Happening September 7, 2023 – Space Limited,
Register Early for This In-Demand Training

July 25, 2023.  The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) is collaborating with the International Maple Grading School and Quality Control Program to offer a full day of hands-on maple education for beginning and advanced maple producers. The highly-requested training combines science-based instruction with intensive hands-on activities on how to accurately grade maple syrup and other quality control measures. The program will be offered on September 7, 2023 from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm at the Lewis County Education Center, 7395 East Road, Lowville, New York.

The day-long program includes sessions on accurately grading maple syrup, the chemistry of the different maple grade colors, standard flavors, the cause of off flavors and how to detect them, density and equipment, clarity and filtering, and food safety.

Pre-registration is required; space is limited. This special presentation of the International Maple Grading School and Quality Control Program is being offered for $20 per person with lunch and training materials included. This program typically costs $100 per person.

Register online at https://cornell.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aaXyv0JOpJuGgse or to register by mail request the registration form from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Lewis County Executive Director Michele Ledoux at 315-376-5270, mel14@cornell.edu.

Funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is supported by the New York State Legislature through the New York State Assembly and administrated by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. The results of recent NNYADP maple, beech, and birch syrup production research projects are posted at https://www.nnyagdev.org under the Maple tab.

The International Maple Grading School and Quality Control Program is supported by the International Maple Syrup Institute and the North American Maple Syrup Council.

Peru, N.Y.; June 30, 2023.  Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay Lake) joined members of the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) at Adirondack Farms in Peru, New York today to discuss a 2022 project that assessed the economic feasibility of co-digestion of dairy manure and food waste to produce energy. Jones is a strong supporter of the farmer driven NNYADP and has secured over $1,500,000 in state funding for the organization since 2019.

“Many do not realize that innovative agricultural research is happening right here in the North Country,” said Jones. “As dairy farmers across the country continue to face challenges, the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program’s projects provide vital data and insights to help our local agricultural industry not only adapt the most recent green technologies, but also be a leader in groundbreaking research. I am proud to have repeatedly secured funding for this program so that they can continue to lead the way in developing agricultural technology and methodology throughout the state.”

“The research done by Lauren Ray and other researchers with funding from NNYADP, is very beneficial to North Country Agriculture,” said Jon Rulfs, co-chair of NNYADP and owner of Adirondack Farms. “Through manure digestion, we can be part of the solution in our nation’s response to climate change. Through this research, we are working to bring carbon neutral farming to our region and the state. We are very grateful for the support from Assemblyman Billy Jones for helping to secure funding for the program.”

“Farming has changed so much even in the past five years that you cannot even imagine,” said Joe Giroux, co-chair of NNYADP. “Northern New York Agricultural Development Program allows our region to be competitive with the rest of the state and nation and provides an opportunity to show ourselves what we have done the last forty years since the program started. From tile drainage to water quality to the air we breathe – our projects do not just benefit local farmers but are a great benefit for the North Country.”

This study is in response to the national dairy industry’s goal to be carbon neutral by 2050 and a New York State law that went into effect in early 2022 that requires food waste producers of more than 2 tons/week to divert that waste from landfills if there are accepted options within 25 miles for fees not exceeding 10 percent above the landfill tipping rate.

Adirondack Farms is home to an anaerobic digester system that converts dairy manure to biogas that can be used like natural gas to heat homes, power buses, or run cooling systems. the solid digestate produced is separated further resulting in a dry material used as soft bedding for the farm’s cows and a nutrient-rich liquid used to fertilize the fields.

Anaerobic digestion and co-digestion systems are manure management systems that can achieve net negative greenhouse gas emissions; they use a series of processes in which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen to capture biogas for energy generation. Cornell University Agricultural Sustainability and Energy Engineering Specialist Lauren E. Ray and Cornell CALS PRO-DAIRY Agricultural Engineer Peter E. Wright applied a small grant from the NNYADP to develop two case studies: one re: a farm digester converting dairy manure into electrical energy with the capacity to add food waste for co-digestion, and one re: installation of a new anaerobic co-digestion system to generate renewable natural gas energy. The case studies evaluated information on regional food waste sources, tipping fees, and data from Clarkson University research on micro-anaerobic co-digestion as well as system needs and cost.

The study found that co-digestion systems are economically feasible and a good investment especially considering the 30 percent federal investment tax credit and the ability to sell the renewable natural gas to a third party. Additionally, researchers discovered that the electricity generation and revenue continue to be a challenge in New York due to low export value and extreme grid capacity limitations. This could lead to substantial upgrade costs for co-digestion systems. However, the study has drawn attention from farmers throughout the state, which has leveraged additional funding to evaluate opportunities for smaller farms and further research into types of food waste sources and other economic variables.
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Funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is supported by the New York State Legislature through the New York State Assembly and administrated by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Photos: Visual difference between corn damaged by Western bean cutworm and corn protected by VIP3A endotoxin. Photos: Allen Wilder/Miner Institute

Chazy, New York; June 28, 2023.  The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) has announced the results of research investigating the impact of Western bean cutworm (WBC) damage on the nutritional quality of corn silage. This is little existing research about this correlation.

WBC moths begin laying their eggs on corn crops in northern New York in July. The populations of this moth, first discovered in New York State in 2009, have grown exponentially across the state. While this pest is known to cause significant economic and quality losses in field corn grain, less research has been conducted on its impact on corn silage.

With a small grant from the farmer-driven NNYADP, Allen Wilder, a forage agronomist with the W.H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute, Chazy, New York, compared silage yield and 25 quality metrics of corn silage made from two corn hybrids that differed only by their genetic insect damage-protection traits. One hybrid included VIP3A endotoxin to resist WBC damage; one did not.

“Few controlled studies have been done under northern New York conditions to examine how damage done by Western bean cutworm impacts the aerobic stability of corn silage that in turn influences the forage quality of the silage fed to dairy cows here,” Wilder said.

Western bean cutworm pressure was high during the trial with more than half of the WBC-susceptible plants showing signs of infestation in the ear tips of the corn. The hybrid with the VIP3A endotoxin showed negligible feeding by WBC larvae.

Ear tip feeding by WBC may result in higher populations of undesirable microorganisms, such as yeasts, in silage. The damaged corn in this trial showed dramatically higher levels of mold colony-forming units. The higher yeast count in the damaged corn may have influenced the data showing a significantly longer duration of heat development in the ensiled corn.

Wilder notes that although aerobic stability differences were not noticeable in this single trial, palatability differences may impact cow performance.

WBC damage also resulted in a yield difference between the two corn hybrids.

“The damaged corn in this trial measured lower yield of almost two tons less of as-fed silage per acre,” Wilder said.

Wilder’s complete project report is posted at www.nnyagdev.org under About: NNYADP Projects by Year: 2022.

Growers interested in tracking when and where various pests, including Western bean cutworm, appear in New York State can follow the Weekly Field Crops Pest Report updates by Cornell University IPM Field Crops and Livestock Coordinator Kenneth Wise at https://blogs.cornell.edu/ipmwpr/ .WBC reporting is expected to post from July to mid-August.

Wise notes, “If the flight of the Western bean cutworm is timed with pre-tasseled corn, growers should look for WBC eggs on corn leaves.”

Funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is supported by the New York State Legislature through the New York State Assembly and administrated by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.