April 12, 2023. Click here: https://www.wwnytv.com/video/2023/04/12/ag-report-exploring-kefir-use-calves/ to see WWNY TV 7’s Ag Report by Emily Griffin on the NNYADP-funded research by Miner Institute  exploring the use of kefir as a probiotic for dairy calves. Emily interviewed project leader Cari Reynolds and NNYADP Co-Chair Jon Greenwood and visited Greenwood Dairy for the report. Thank you, all!

Click here to read the “Effects of Kefir Supplementation During the First 21 Days of Life on Growth, Diarrhea Incidence, and Antibiotic Use in Holstein Calves” NNYADP 2022 project report.

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

Chazy, New York. The farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) has announced that on April 18 Miner Institute Research Scientist Laura Klaiber will present the latest results-to-date of her agricultural tile drainage research as part of The Tile Drainage on Farms: Managing for Water Quality and Soil Health workshop. The workshop will be hosted virtually from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. via Zoom and with additional limited in-person attendance available by reservation at the Cayuga County Soil and Water Conservation District building in Auburn, New York. For more information, visit cals.cornell.edu/tile-drainage-on-farms or contact PRO-DAIRY at 607-255-4478.

With grants from the NNYADP, Klaiber has been conducting research to build a foundational understanding of how agricultural tiling impacts the complex movement of water and nutrients into, across, and through soil.

Klaiber’s research began in the Lake Champlain watershed on land near Chazy provided by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in 2012; it is now conducted on a working dairy and crop farm in both tile-drained and non-tile drained fields equipped with edge-of-field monitoring technology.

“The farmers who guide the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program prioritized development of a real-world, data-based foundation for creating and refining best management conservation and agricultural guidelines that can work in tandem to protect both water quality and crop production success,” said NNYADP Co-Chair Jon Greenwood of Canton, New York.

Klaiber has presented her progressive project results and detailed data at conferences of farmers, soil and crop scientists, agronomists, soil health specialists, and natural resource conservation and management professionals. This will be her second presentation in New York’s Finger Lakes region. Her first was a virtual presentation for the 2021 Bob Brower Owasco Lake Scientific Symposium.

Reports of the year-to-year research quantifying the long-term agronomic and environmental aspects of tile drainage, including edge-of-field trial data on surface and subsurface water and nutrient movement, are posted on the NNYADP website at https://www.nnyagdev.org.

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

Sponsors of the 2023 Tile Drainage on Farms: Managing for Water Quality and Soil Health Conference include Partners for Healthy Watersheds, American Dairy Association North East, Cayuga County Farm Bureau, Cayuga County Soil and Water Conservation District, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County, North East Dairy Producers Association, New York Animal Agriculture Coalition, and Cornell CALS PRO-DAIRY.

CHAZY, N.Y. — Miner Institute’s Director of Research Katie Ballard will make a presentation entitled “What the Cows Told Us: The Impact of Heat Stress on Northern NY Dairy Farms with Varying Heat Abatement” on Tuesday, April 4, 2023 at the Herd Health and Nutrition Conference in Syracuse, NY.

“Dairy cattle respond to heat stress in several ways that can impact their health, appetite, milk production, and reproduction as well the farm economics,” Ballard said. “Fluctuating periods of heat stress during the summer do not allow the cows the time to acclimatize.”

With small grants funding from the farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) from 2015 through 2019, Ballard led research into the impact of heat stress on dairy cows and calves and evaluated opportunities to apply heat stress abatement systems from sprinkler systems to fans to reduce that impact.

Ballard’s studies have shown that episodic bouts of heat stress impact all farms to varying degrees regardless of the type of heat abatement system. Her project results suggest the different options farms can implement to make their cows more comfortable during periods of hot weather.

Ballard conducted her research in cooperation with regional dairy farms; Miner Institute research scientists, forage specialists, and data analysis personnel; and graduate students.

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

The 2023 Herd Health and Nutrition Conference is presented by the Cornell PRO-DAIRY program and the Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance.

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Thanks go to Miner Institute for its help in sharing this NNYADP research results news.

Chazy, N.Y.; March 22, 2023.  Dairy industry researchers with Miner Institute are currently at the 2023 Smart Calf Rearing Conference in Germany to share the results of their Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP)-funded project investigating kefir as a probiotic supplement for newborn calves. This June, Miner Institute Research Scientist Sarah Morrison, Ph.D. and Cari Reynolds, a graduate student in animal bioscience, will present the project results at the 2023 annual meeting of the American Dairy Science Association in Ottawa, Ontario.

“This research provided the opportunity to consider a potential preventative care strategy to promote the health and growth of neonatal dairy calves,” Morrison said.

Kefir is a fermented beverage traditionally made with cow’s milk. It contains substantial amounts of probiotic bacteria, many with antimicrobial properties. This NNYADP –funded dairy research sought to determine if kefir could be used to decrease the risk of diarrhea in newborn dairy calves. Diarrhea is the leading cause of death in calves less than one month old.

Data was collected from calves in the Miner Institute dairy herd as well as at Hidden View Farm in Clinton County and Mapleview Dairy in St. Lawrence County. Datasets present information on feed nutrient content and intake, calf growth and health scoring, transfer of passive immunity, the incidence of diarrhea, and antibiotic usage for groups of calves supplemented with kefir and those that did not receive kefir.

Cumulative observations of diarrhea, also known as scours, in the calves at each farm did not differ between the kefir-no kefir treatments, nor did the likelihood of medical intervention with antibiotics to treat scours.

However, the report notes that on one farm “while treatment did not affect cumulative preweaning starter (feed) intake, calves in the kefir treatment group consumed nearly six pounds more starter than calves in the control group during the preweaning period.” The report also notes that calves fed kefir on another farm were more likely to meet or surpass their target weight at eight weeks of age.

One of the three farms in the project continues to use kefir as part of its feeding strategy.

“The increased starter dry matter intake in calves receiving kefir on one farm suggests a potential metabolic or developmental benefit to the calf that could be explored with future research. This project also suggests further exploring of the potential of probiotic supplementation in support of well-informed antibiotic stewardship,” Morrison notes.

This 2022 research project builds on the 2020 NNYADP project that worked with 16 dairy farms in northern New York to identify the main enteropathogens that contribute to diarrhea in neonatal dairy calves and the associated use of antibiotic treatment. That study indicated the need to develop a consistent and reliable way to identify the specific cause of a calf’s diarrhea to more effectively and efficiently treat the calf, and secondarily reducing unnecessary antibiotic usage. That earlier project evaluated the use of electrolytes and free choice water as supportive treatment practices.

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

Learn the Economics of Co-Digestion of Dairy Manure and Food Waste: March 29 in North Lawrence

North Lawrence, New York; March 21, 2023. The farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) has announced the opportunity to learn about the economic feasibility of the co-digestion of dairy manure and food waste. The free program, hosted by the Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) North Country Regional Ag Team, will be held on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Stauffer Farms in North Lawrence, New York. Lunch will be included.

The program will feature speakers from the Cornell PRO-DAIRY program who conducted a case study project funded by the NNYADP. Agricultural Sustainability and Energy Engineer Lauren Ray, who led the project with Agricultural Engineer Peter Wright, will be joined by Dairy Environmental Specialist Angela George to present information on food waste sources and tipping fees, digested effluent storage and nutrient management planning, and biogas generation and energy use options.

The project report, “Economic Feasibility Case Study of Co-Digestion of Manure and Food Waste on a Northern New York Dairy Farm,” prepared by Ray, Wright, and George with two on-farm case studies can be viewed on the NNYADP website under the Research: Dairy tab.

Dr. Stefan J. Grimberg with Clarkson University’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and director of the Center of Excellence in Healthy Water Solutions, and CCE St. Lawrence County Natural Resources and Sustainable Energy Educator Nick Hamilton-Honey served as project collaborators.

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

Stauffer Farms is located at 925 County Road 54 in North Lawrence. For more information, contact Lindsay Ferlito at 607-592-0290.