Willsboro, NY; August 2, 2022.  “Super fruits” research funded by the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) in 2021 produced “firsts” for all four fruits studied: juneberry, honeyberry, aronia, and elderberry. Data on first fruit, earliest flowerings, and a first planting are reported in the NNYADP “Establishing New Commercial Fruit Crops for Northern NY” report for 2021 posted under the Research: Horticultural and Local Foods tab at https://www.nnyagdev.org.

“Our goal with this research is to identify specialty fruits that will successfully, sustainably, and profitably grow under northern New York’s unique growing conditions to provide growers with additional income opportunities,” says project co-leader Michael H. Davis, Ph.D.

JUNEBERRY
Davis manages the Willsboro Research Farm in Willsboro, New York, where this high-antioxidant, high-phytonutrient “super fruits” research began in 2013 with the establishment of wild-cut and commercial varieties of juneberry, with the help of project co-leader Michael B. Burgess, Ph.D., a SUNY Plattsburgh biologist and noted juneberry researcher. There are now 24 commercial, ornamental or wild varieties of juneberry in the NNYADP trials.

“In 2021, for the first time, we had ripe juneberry fruit by the end of June. The fruit was available the earliest it has ever been here with yield comparable to 2020,” Davis says.

HONEYBERRY
Blue honeyberry research at Willsboro was started in 2018 to evaluate how well this perennial that is well-adapted to cold climates could fit into northern New York growers’ cropping plans.

“In 2021, all 15 varieties of honeyberries here flowered much earlier and for a  longer time period than in 2020,with flowering taking place from the second week of April through the second week of May. Additionally,  we recorded our first honeyberry fruit yields in 2021,” Davis points out.

Although the honeyberry plants in the NNYADP trial are still young and the yields are not indicative of mature plant production potential, this early flowering data establishes a baseline for tracking the plants’ maturation as they grow. 

ARONIA
Production of Aronia in North America has grown to support a multi-million dollar industry offering more than 60 unique value-added products. Aronia plantings were established in the NNYADP trials at the Willsboro farm in 2017.

“In 2021, our four fruiting varieties and two ornamental varieties of Aronia all began flowering on May 14, fifteen days earlier than in 2020, and had excellent fruit yields with one exception for which there was not obvious explanation for the dropoff,” Davis notes.

ELDERBERRY
With 95 percent of the elderberries consumed in the U.S. originating from plants imported from Europe, this fruit is not only a high-phytonutrient value crop, but also has the potential to become a cash crop, supporting the continued growth of elderberry production in the U.S.

“In 2021, we established our elderberry research plot with five American varieties and two European varieties. The plants are doing nicely without any disease or insect problems in their first year here,” Davis says.

Commercial fruit growers and family farms across the northern New York region are applying the NNYADP research results, making their own on-farm “super fruit” plantings and providing input from their personal growing experiences to help characterize how well the fruits will fit into different cropping plans, soils, and conditions.

New York farms supporting the research in 2021 include Bush Gardens, Carthage; Cedar Knoll Farm, Lowville; Cross Island Farms, Wellesley Island; Essex Farm CSA, Essex; Northern Orchards, Peru; and Strong Roots Community Farm, Akwesasne.

“Interest in this Northern New York Agricultural Development Program-funded northern climate fruits research continues to grow,” Davis says. “In 2021, we answered numerous requests for information from growers across New York State; welcomed visiting groups of farmers, gardeners, and students to tour the fruit trials; and, in January of 2022, presented an ‘Introduction to Juneberry Production’ at the New York State Fruit and Vegetable Expo.”

Cornell University Horticulture Professor Dr. Marvin Pritts served as a project collaborator in 2021.

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.

Canton, New York; July 27, 2022.  The results of a Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) research project in 2021 demonstrate how fluctuating grain costs may impact sheep enterprises differently from year to year. Research comparing the growth of barn-fed versus pasture-raised summer lambs was designed to answer sheep producers’ questions on whether they could gain any income advantage with a feeding program that would make lambs ready for market more quickly. An informal trial in 2020 that favored pasture feeding but highlighted many data variables prompted this second trial that produced data favoring barn-fed lambs, demonstrating the annual variability.

The results of the summer lambs feeding trial conducted at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Learning Farm in Canton, New York, are posted on the NNYADP website under the About: Projects tab at https://www.nnyagdev.org.

Forty-one lambs were split into two groups in the spring of 2021 with one group left on pasture with mother ewes and one group weaned at eight weeks into a barn environment and eased into a full-grain diet. The lambs in each group were periodically weighed, monitored for parasites, and treated when warranted.

At the end of the eight-week study period, the barn-fed lambs weighed 19.24 pounds more than the pasture-fed lambs. Based on this weight and the per-pound sale price for lambs in the fall of 2021 at the New Holland, Pennsylvania, sale barn, the weight difference in the barn-fed lambs represented a gross income potential for $52 more per lamb. This number less the extra cost for 161 pounds of grain fed per lamb represented a net income of $15.40 per lamb over the cost of grain in 2021.

The final project report also details other costs and management factors that need to be considered in planning a summer lamb feeding strategy. These considerations include the costs of mineral supplementation, for parasite prevention and treatment of lambs and ewes, and for lamb losses to predators, as well as fuel and labor costs associated with clipping pastures and moving fences to rotate grazing areas.

Over the eight-week study period, the average daily weight gain (ADG) of the barn-fed lambs ranged from 0.70 to 1.04 pounds per day; the ADG of the pastured lambs ranged from 0.13 to 0.83 pounds per day.

In a two-week extended trial period, the ADG for the barn-fed lambs was 0.58 pounds per day compared to 0.92 pounds per day for the pastured lambs that had been weaned and brought into the barn and fed approximately one pound per day of the barn-fed lambs’ grain diet and all the hay they could eat.

Cornell University graduate student Hannah Braun of Lisbon, New York, handled data collection and management of the barn-fed lambs as part of her honors thesis development.

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. NNYADP project results are publicly accessible at https://www.nnyagdev.org.

Chazy, New York; July 18, 2022.  The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program has posted the results of research analyzing how kernel processing impacts two types of corn hybrids. Project leader Allen Wilder notes that “farmers seeking to feed corn silage soon after ensiling may have an option with floury-type hybrids.” The complete “Corn Silage Soluble Starch as Influenced by Kernel Processing Score and Kernel Type” project report is posted under About: Projects at https://nnyagdev.org.

Data from the research conducted in 2021 by Wilder, a forage agronomist with the Miner Institute, Chazy, N.Y., shows that processing of the floury hybrid increased starch digestibility and the soluble starch pool of the corn silage despite the processing resulting in a lower-than-desired kernel processing score (KPS) of 70. The vitreous-type hybrid processed at a consistently higher KPS in the trial.

“A high-quality forage that is high in starch content is only good if the starch is available to your cows. The softness of the floury-type kernels may have allowed them to flatten without breaking apart in the processing in this trial,” Wilder points out. “This research suggests that a different guideline may be needed in regard to optimal kernel processing of floury corn hybrids to create a better indicator of this starch availability for the floury type of corn hybrid.”

Wilder also evaluated the impact of fermentation on starch availability in the two types of hybrids.

“Feedout of the floury hybrid, particularly in the initial stages of fermentation, may allow larger particles of starch to be fully digested in the cow rumen,” Wilder notes.

Wilder’s trial data indicated that fermenting at least 90 days in essential in maximizing both the digestible and soluble starch pools in corn silage regardless of the aggressiveness of kernel processing. However, he noted that, “while our maximum in-vitro starch digestion plateaued by the 90-day point, actual starch digestion in the rumen may still benefit from additional fermentation time since the greatest soluble starch levels were not achieved until the 135-day point.”

The degree of processing – more aggressively or less aggressively – did not significantly affect the content of starch or sugar in this trial. However, during fermentation, the heavily-processed vitreous corn hybrid showed a consistent numerical decline in starch content as compared to the moderately-processed vitreous corn. Wilder notes, “the hypothesis that this change in starch content was due to degradation into other pools (such as soluble starch or sugar) was not supported by the study results and the fate of the lost starch remains unclear.”

Project One of First to Try CVAS Soluble Starch Analysis
This research project was one of the first of its kind to utilize a soluble starch analysis developed by Cumberland Valley Analytical Services, Inc. to

quantify the starch that readily moves into suspension in an aqueous environment such as cow rumen. Specific guidelines and animal performance benchmarks for this analysis are yet to be determined.

Wilder points to opportunities for future research, saying, “the value of soluble starch analysis as an indicator of cow performance is still unproven. More data is needed to be able to develop guidelines for that fraction in addition to the kernel processing score.”

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.

Willsboro, New York.  The latest results of “super fruit” and vegetable production research from the farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) will be featured on the Thursday, July 7, 2022 Open House Tour at the Willsboro Research Farm in Willsboro, New York. The tour will leave the main office at 48 Sayward Lane at 2 p.m. Arrivals welcome at 1:30 p.m. All activities are free and open to the public. For more information, contact the farm at 518-963-7492.

One stop on the tour will be the Juneberry (amelanchier) nursery established with support from the NNYADP with both wild-cut and commercial varieties of a fruit noted for its high-antioxidant and nutritional value. Juneberry was the first in a line of now-four “super fruits” under evaluation with grants from the NNYADP. The open house tour will also provide an update on honeyberry and Aronia research plantings at the farm. Elderberry trials have just recently been established there.

The results of NNYADP research focused on opportunities to extend northern New York’s cooler spring and winter season growing and sales opportunities will be featured with a focus on the 2021 trials of early spring sprouting broccoli and tender miniature cabbages and an investigation into the potential to grow overwintered broccoli.

Farm Manager Michael H. Davis, Ph.D., will be joined by colleagues to also present information on soil health, corn grain and corn silage varieties, strawberry growing systems, a canopy-sensing robot, cover crops, alternative to neonic seed treatments, male sterile forage sorghum, and growing winter triticale and winter rye for forage and grain.

The 352-acre Willsboro Research Farm was a gift to Cornell University by E. Vreeland Baker in 1982. The farm is operated as a Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station and has hosted numerous projects for the NNYADP.

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.

Philadelphia, New York; June 22, 2022.  Spring harvest may account for as much as half of the total forage crop yield fed to lactating dairy cows. The latest results of Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) research evaluating opportunities to increase the value of alfalfa-grass forage crops have been presented to farmers, crop consultants, dairy nutritionists, and extension educators in New York, Wisconsin, Utah, and Mid-Atlantic states. The final report for the 2021 project is posted at  https://nnyagdev.org/index.php/2021-nnyadp-projects/.

The northern New York regional climate has spurred farmers’ interest in growing winter-hardy perennial grasses in combination with alfalfa, traditionally the dairy industry’s go-to crop for highly-digestible, high protein forage to support milk production.

“Adding as little as five percent grass in an alfalfa-grass seeding will significantly increase the fiber digestibility of that forage mix compared to an all-alfalfa crop, and a one percent unit increase in fiber digestibility can bring from 0.5 to more than one pound of milk production per cow per day,” says NNYADP alfalfa-grass project leader Debbie J.R. Cherney, a Cornell University Animal Science professor.

More than two dozen farms in northern New York have participated with Cherney’s field trials. One of those farms is Michael Kiechle’s Garden of Eden Farm in Philadelphia, New York. After poor growing years in 2019 and 2020, Kiechle had used up all his reserve forage. So, he decided to add fescue, a perennial grass, to his alfalfa-timothy-red clover cropping plan and made room for the NNYADP research trial of nine meadow fescue and one tall fescue variety planted with alfalfa.

“This research perfectly dovetailed with changing my cropping plan to add fescue to see if that change would help,” Kiechle explains. It did. The four-cut harvest of the alfalfa-grasses mix in 2021 built his forage stockpile back to the point that in June of 2022 he still had bags remaining.

For 2022, Kiechle has planted an entirely alfalfa-fescue mix.

The 2021 NNYADP trial data showed that weather plays a crucial role for establishing grasses in a mix with alfalfa, with the potential to either produce no grass or a high percentage of grass in the mix.

“The grasses at Kiechle’s farm all established successfully with the alfalfa. The data collected have produced seeing guidelines to help growers avoid the too-much grass extreme,” Cherney notes.

“Since the consequence of too much grass in the mix is greater than the consequence of having a mostly pure alfalfa stand for harvest as lactating dairy feed, the meadow fescue grass seeding rate in an alfalfa-grass mix should not exceed 1 lb. per acre,” Cherney explains.

The seeding rate of 1 lb. of grass seed per acre in the 2021 trial produced 30-plus percent of grass in the mix. Cherney’s optimal percentage for an alfalfa-grass mixture is 20-30 percent of a high quality grass.

“If the grass percentage is less than 50 percent of the mix, the crude protein content of the mix is going to be sufficient for lactating dairy cows,” Cherney points out.

Data gathered over the course of the NNYADP alfalfa-grass research trials since 2013 has produced insight into the combined crop’s fertility requirements, fiber content, fiber digestibility, and lignin value.

This NNYADP research has also included the first trials in North America of one Wisconsin-bred and several European-bred meadow fescue perennial grass varieties.

Cherney’s research team included Cornell University Animal Science, Soil and Crop, and PRO-DAIRY colleagues and Cornell Cooperative Extension educators.

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 administered by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. NNYADP project results are publicly accessible at https://www.nnyagdev.org.

PHOTOS:
. Above, top: NNYADP alfalfa-grass trials at Garden of Eden Farm in Philadelphia, NY, included 9 varieties of meadow fescue and one tall fescue. Photo: Debbie J.R. Cherney

. Chart: This chart shows the grass percentage for 10 perennial grasses sown in the NNYADP alfalfa-grass mix trial at the Michael Kiechle Garden of Eden Farm in Philadelphia, New York, in 2021. Graphic: J.R. Cherney