Canton, New York; August 31, 2021.  The farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) is funding research that is evaluating how pre-calving feed management impacts post-calving cow health. The project is making one of the first applications of the Metabolic Health Index adapted by the Overton laboratory at Cornell University to identify cows that may be at higher risk of post-calving health issues, such as ketosis, hypocalcaemia, or poorer adaptation to lactation.

Cornell Cooperative Extension Regional Dairy Specialist Casey Havekes, in collaboration with Cornell PRO-DAIRY Director Thomas Overton, Ph.D., is working with dairy herds in northern New York to develop a data-based understanding of the feeding management factors that influence cow health during the transition period from 2 weeks prior to calving to 3 weeks post-calving.

“The transition period from pre-calving to post-calving is a critical time for maintaining cow health for successful calving and for maintaining a strong future for that cow in the dairy herd. With this project, we are looking to identify the nutritional and management characteristics in the pre-calving cow diet that influence post-calving cow health,” explained Havekes.

“Prior to the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program funding of this project, there has been little to no research done at scale on the impact of feeding management in the dry cow diet on cow health through the transition period,” said Overton.

Nutrient content, moisture level, and forage particle size of the cows’ ration pre-calving, the cows’ eating behavior through the transition period; and blood metabolite indicators are among the factors under evaluation by the researchers.

Cornell University research has estimated the cost of treating hypocalcaemia and ketosis to be respectively $335 and $117 for each case per cow.

The results of this 2021 research project will be 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 and administered by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Learn more about NNYADP Dairy Research here.

Northern NY; August 25, 2021.  The biocontrol nematode science developed  in northern New York to manage alfalfa snout beetle is now being tested for the reduction of other agricultural pests in the Midwestern U.S.

With a long-term commitment from the farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) to find a solution, Cornell University entomologist Elson Shields, Ph.D. and Research Support Specialist Antonio Testa pioneered the science behind the use of native biocontrol nematodes to first manage alfalfa snout beetle on northern New York dairy farms. Their subsequent research has shown biocontrol nematodes to also be effective in managing corn rootworm, wireworm, berry root pests, and some pests of organically-grown root crops.

The success of this research has fostered trials now underway in multiple states.

“We faced huge losses to alfalfa snout beetle, the farmers who direct the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program made a commitment to however long it would take to develop the real-world science needed to find a solution. Today, the success of the research made possible by that steadfast commitment is paying off not only for alfalfa growers and dairy farmers in northern New York, but for the growers of multiple crops in multiple states and Canada,” said NNYADP Co-Chair Jon Greenwood, Madrid, New York.

Shields conducted trials of the biocontrol nematodes for corn rootworm management in Texas in 2017. In 2019, he tested delivery of the biocontrol nematodes via a center pivot irrigation system on a farm in southeastern New Mexico.

In May 2021, Shields delivered a concentrated slurry containing the biocontrol nematodes to two 140-acre center pivot locations in western Nebraska. The slurry was diluted prior to application. Shields notes, ” The application in Nebraska was made about the time of the corn rootworm hatch there. In early July, the farmer reported only minimal root damage to his corn and almost no corn rootworm larvae. This is excellent news as corn rootworm as been overrunning whatever-traited corn he has planted.”

An independent public company has awarded funding for four years of biocontrol nematode trials for reducing corn rootworm in Iowa, Illinois, and Nebraska. The company is also funding internal trials in southwest and central Wisconsin and in Minnesota.

Additional trials are ongoing at several farms in Ontario, Canada. In Alabama, an Auburn University entomologist is evaluating the protocol for managing billbugs that damage lawn, sod, and grass crops.

In August 2021 in northern New York, agricultural entrepreneur Mary DeBeer will make a trial application of the biocontrol nematodes on a potato field bothered by wireworms. DeBeer established a biocontrol nematode-rearing laboratory on her family farm in Moira, New York, in 2016. Shields has advised DeBeer on the combined strains of nematodes and the rate of application to apply to the potato field.

The history of the science and success of Shields’ biocontrol nematode research in field crops and berry crops is posted on the NNYADP website at https://www.nnyagdev.org. Cornell Cooperative Extension trials in northern New York further proved that the biocontrol nematodes could survive application in a manure solution so farmers can accomplish crop fertilization and pest protection as one task.

Funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is supported by the New York State Legislature and administered by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.
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Click here for NNYADP biocontrol nematode research reports

August 16, 2021: Thank you to Spudman magazine for running this news item!
https://spudman.com/news/new-york-grower-test-biocontrol-nematodes-wireworms/

North Country Entrepreneur Will Test NNY Biocontrol Success with Potato Crop in Franklin County

Moira, New York; August 10, 2021.  Can a nature-based pest management protocol that has helped protect alfalfa, corn, berry crops, and some organically grown root crops do the same for an organic potato crop? This month, a potato grower in Franklin County and biocontrol nematode laboratory owner Mary DeBeer of DeBeer Seed and Spraying in Moira, New York, will make a trial application of biocontrol nematodes to reduce the population of wireworms that damage the roots, sprouts, and tubers of potato crops. This trial joins others nationwide applying the biocontrol nematodes protocol developed with the long-term support of the farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program.

Cornell University Entomologist Elson Shields, Ph.D., who pioneered the science behind the use of a combination of native biocontrol nematodes to reduce crop pest populations, has advised DeBeer on the strains of nematodes and the rate of application to apply to the potato fields.

“Our biocontrol nematode applications on multiple organic farms in New York and Canada have resulted in reduced wireworm damage to root crops and reduced soil populations of wireworms. With this application in northern New York, we would expect some protection in year one with full activity of the biocontrol nematodes in the potato field in year two,” said Shields.

With the steadfast commitment of the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP), Shields and Cornell University Research Support Specialist Antonio Testa developed the use and rearing of biocontrol nematodes to first manage alfalfa snout beetle. Their subsequent research has shown the biocontrol nematodes to also be effective in managing corn rootworm, berry root pests, and wireworms.

“When we faced huge losses to alfalfa snout beetle, the farmers who direct the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program made a commitment to however long it would take to develop the real-world science needed to find a solution. Today, the success of the research made possible by that steadfast commitment is paying off not only for alfalfa growers and dairy farmers in northern New York, but for the growers of multiple crops in multiple states and Canada,” said NNYADP Co-Chair Jon Greenwood, Madrid, New York.

The NNYADP biocontrol nematode protocol is being applied to various crops in multiple U.S. states, from Texas to Minnesota. The trials have most recently expanded to cornfields in central and northern Midwest states. The research, which has also identified alternative methods of biocontrol nematodes application such as in manure applications and by center pivot irrigation system, has prompted parallel research trials in Ontario, Canada.

As part of her family’s agricultural services business, DeBeer established a biocontrol nematode rearing laboratory in 2016 after attending workshops with Shields and Testa.

“Northern New York’s farmers have been willing to invest in biocontrol nematode applications to protect their field crops. I hope this trial will expand that success to potato crops,” DeBeer said.

The history of the science and success of Shields’ biocontrol nematode research in field crops and berry crops is 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 and administered by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

July 29, 2021. WWNY-TV, Watertown, NY, highlighted the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program grant-funded project on dairy calf health and barn ventilation with film and interviews from yesterday’s barn fogging demonstration at Beller’s Family Farm in Carthage. Different segments ran on the evening and morning news shows and included interviews with Cornell University Cooperative Extension Regional Dairy Specialists Casey Havekes and Lindsay Ferlito and Cornell PRO-DAIRY Dairy Farm Strategic Planning Specialist Tim Terry. Click here to see one of the segments by WWNY reporter Brendan Straub: https://www.wwnytv.com/2021/07/28/farmers-learn-about-barn-fogging/.

Barn fogging is a process that makes airflow visible for the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of natural and mechanical ventilation systems. The demonstration at Beller’s Family Farm and earlier at Stauffer Farm in North Lawrence was focused on the role of barn ventilation in maintaining the health of pre-weaned dairy calves on farms in Northern New York. This 2021 project is one in a series of dairy calf health projects funded by the NNYADP; to learn more see: https://nnyagdev.org/index.php/research-news/research-projects/

“Montebello” green variety of sprouting broccoli harvested from the NNYADP mini-brassica crops research trial at the Willsboro Research Farm on May 23, 2021. Photo: Elisabeth Hodgdon

Plattsburgh, N.Y.; June 30, 2021.  The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) has awarded a grant for trials of early spring high tunnel miniature cabbages and sprouting broccoli crops. These cold-tolerant brassica (cruciferous) crops have the potential to fill the sales gap that occurs between when winter storage crops are sold out and before spring field crop harvest begins in New York State’s northern region. The research team, which includes vegetable production specialists with Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Willsboro Research Farm, harvested its first miniature versions of these vegetables in May 2021.

The opportunity to produce miniature varieties of broccoli and cabbages that are quick-growing and able to grow in unheated high tunnels will help northern New York growers respond to the unprecedented surge in demand for local foods spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In 2020, wholesale buyers sought out more sprouting broccoli than the market could supply through the northern New York food hubs,” said Elisabeth Hodgdon, Ph.D., a regional vegetable specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture Program.

Hodgdon is overseeing trials of fall-overwintered and early spring-planted high tunnel-grown varieties of sprouting broccoli and mini-cabbages for harvest in April and May. The research will collect data on planting dates, crop establishment, growth patterns, and yield.

Sprouting broccoli is commonly grown in Europe. Growers harvest small heads of the broccoli in various colors on long stalks, which can be cooked similarly to asparagus. The miniature cabbages offer growers a fresh green crop to sell well before field cabbage is ready for fresh market sales. The mini-cabbages have tender green leaves that are excellent for salads.

Cornell Cooperative Extension Regional Agricultural Business Specialist Lindsey Pashow is working with regional growers on ways to package, price, and prepare these vegetable crops for wholesale and retail markets. Pashow and Hodgdon are also helping growers develop food safety plans and implement practices to meet Food Safety Modernization Act and Good Agricultural Practices requirements.

An additional aspect of this Northern New York Agricultural Development Program-funded regional vegetable project is focused on how to plant cold-tolerant brassica species as field cover crops to enhance soil health and to help suppress pests, weeds, and crop diseases. The researchers will examine different varieties and planting date effects on forage radish and mustard biomass production before killing frosts arrive in northern New York State.

Notices about in-person and virtual 2021 Brassica Workshops for growers, and the final 2021 project results, will be 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 and administrated by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.