Willsboro, New York; February 10, 2021.  Research on “super fruits” funded by the farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) will add elderberry trials this spring. American and European varieties of elderberry will be planted alongside already-established juneberry, aronia, and honeyberry trials as part of the New Commercial Fruit Crops for Northern New York project at the Willsboro Research Farm in Willsboro, New York. The latest report on these trials is posted on the NNYADP website at https://nnyagdev.org.

Project leader and Willsboro Research Farm Manager Michael H. Davis, Ph.D., notes “Currently, ninety-five percent of the elderberries consumed in the U.S. are imported from Europe, so there is a great opportunity for American growers to build a substantial domestic market. This research funded by the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is increasing the number of specialty fruit crop options available to regional market farms.”

All four fruits in the NNYADP “Super Fruits” trials are valued for their high phytonutrtient and antioxidant content. In Europe, elderberry is an economically important fruit crop that outsells blueberries.

Davis says the juneberry, aronia, and honeyberry varieties planted in the Willsboro trial and on regional farms participating in the research have adapted well to the northern New York climate. On-farm trials are adding NNY growers’ experiences to the development best management practices for establishing, producing, and marketing these specialty fruits.

SUNY Plattsburgh Professor and noted juneberry research Michael B. Burgess, Ph.D. is assisting the NNYADP novel fruits project. He has been a part of the research since NNYADP funding initiated the establishment of a juneberry research nursery with both wild-collected and commercially-available varieties at Willsboro in 2013.

“The trials at Willsboro and on northern New York farms are providing critical agronomic performance data that include growth habits, flowering and fruiting times, disease susceptibility soil preferences, and fruit quality and yield to help growers select the varieties that will be best-suited to their individual farms,” says Burgess.

Based on the most recent juneberry testing that shows the larger fruits tend to be more flavorful, the research team would like to investigate if fruit size and flavor can be enhanced by adjusting pruning and fertility management practices.

In 2020, the NNYADP trial collected a third growing season of data on aronia plant growth, flowering, and fruit yields. Aronia production in North America has blossomed into a multi-million dollar industry that includes more than 60 unique aronia value-added products.

“Aronia appears exceptionally well-suited to our northern climate and is capable of producing fruit throughout the growing season here. That success coupled with a burgeoning market for fresh fruit and value-added aronia products makes this fruit an exciting new specialty opportunity for northern New York growers,” Davis says.

Honeyberry offers regional growers the opportunity to generate income earlier in the year as honeyberry produces mature fruit early in the season, even before the eagerly anticipated fresh strawberry crop. The NNYADP-funded research has begun building a comprehensive dataset of flowering dates for the honeyberry varieties being grown in northern New York.

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.

Click here to see August 2020 update on this “Super Fruits” research in NNY

Click to read the 2020 NNYADP fruit research results report

 

NNYADP Research Evaluates Opportunity to Meet NY’s Malting Barley Demand

Chazy, Canton, and Willsboro, NY; February 3, 2021.  The farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) has funded research investigating the opportunity for regional growers to meet the New York State requirement that all Farm Brewery-Licensed beer be made with 90 percent New York-grown ingredients by 2024. The results of the first two years of trials at three sites in northern New York are now posted on this website under Research: Field Crops (https://nnyagdev.org/index.php/field-crops/nnyadp-research-malting-barley/).

Cornell University Professor of Plant Breeding and Genetics Mark E. Sorrells, Ph.D., NNYADP malting barley project leader, noted, “Presently, not enough malting barley is being grown in New York State to meet brewer demand for New York-grown ingredients, which is driven by New York State law. Production of malting-grade and feed-grade barley could become a viable option for northern New York growers. We must learn whether today’s malting barley varieties will reliably overwinter in the northern regional climate.”

With funding from the NNYADP in 2019 and 2020, Sorrells established trials of winter and spring malting barley at Chazy, Canton, and Willsboro, New York. He is pleased with the early data.

“The winter survival rate was surprisingly good, particularly at one site, after one year of winter exposure for the 10 winter malting barley varieties planted at Canton and Willsboro in the fall of 2019. The varieties that had the best winter survival also produced the best grain yields. Four varieties produced yields of 50 or more bushels per acre with survival rates of 86 percent or higher,” Sorrells said.

Sorrells points out that the trials’ early data sets clearly make the case for multi-year and regional testing. The spring malting barley variety that had the lowest yield in 2019 produced the highest mean plot yield and test weight in 2020 for the combined Chazy-Canton evaluation of the 10 varieties planted at both sites. Additional years’ data will help determine the factors influencing that dramatic difference in results.

Sorrells estimates the market value of malting barley at $8 to $12 per bushel, and notes that the regional research also positions NNY growers to sell their crops to malt houses and brewers in neighboring states as well as to those in New York State.

A 2018 economic study by the New York State Brewers Association, Rochester, New York, reported that 26 breweries located throughout the six-county northern New York region employed 3339 workers receiving $34.589 million in wages, with a total industry output of more than $130.4 million in the regional economy.

The complete Malting Barley Variety Evaluations for Production in NNY report is posted under the Research: Field Crops tab at https://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.

NNYADP Crops Research Advances Opportunity for Maximum Alfalfa-Grass Mix Quality

January 26, 2021.  The latest results of research to help regional dairy farmers achieve high quality forage grown as alfalfa-grass mix are now posted on the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program website under the Research: Field Crops tab at www.nnyagdev.org. The research evaluates the use of perennial meadow fescue varieties developed by European grass breeders.

“Our results continue to show that meadow fescue has great potential in a mix with high quality alfalfa to significantly improve forage quality. However, our data reveals that the grass yield and quality are not consistent across growing environments, highlighting the need for regional testing,” says project leader and Cornell University Animal Science Professor Debbie J.R. Cherney.

More than 120 meadow fescue varieties are certified in Europe; most have not yet been evaluated for yield or quality opportunity in North America. Almost all alfalfa grown in northern New York is seeded with a companion cool-season grass.

To test the meadow fescue varieties in northern New York, Cherney has established trials on four regional farms. Trials at Graceway Farm in Lowville, New York, and at Pominville Farms in Croghan, New York, were planted in 2018 and 2019 respectively. Trials at Garden of Eden Farm in Philadelphia, New York, and Paluck Farm in Constableville, New York, were established in the spring of 2020.

In 2021, the ongoing trials are focused on a specific set of meadow fescue varieties that have shown high fiber digestibility and that are potentially less competitive in a mix with alfalfa. The research goal of these trials is to identify the optimal grass variety selection and grass seeding rate needed to achieve a mix of 20 to 30 percent grass in combination with alfalfa under regional growing conditions.

One farm site with sandy loam soil that was very dry in summer 2020 showed visible variation in forage growth in the trial plot. Plant height varied by more than 12 inches within a given plot, with sharp lines delineating differences in soil condition.

The forage quality factors being evaluated by this research include crude protein, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), invitro true digestibility, NDF digestibility, acid detergent fiber, and lignin.

Cherney notes, “With a consistently high crude protein content for alfalfa, the crude protein content of grasses in the mixture is always going to be sufficiently high enough for lactacting dairy cattle. Most of the crude protein variation in our test results is due to the range of grass percentages in the mixtures. The less grass in the mix, the higher the crude protein will be in the grass.”

The research team includes Cornell University soil and crop scientist J.H. Cherney, animal science specialist Rink Tacoma-Fogel, Cornell PRO-DAIRY dairy forage specialist Joe Lawrence, and Cornell Cooperative Extension regional field crops specialist Mike Hunter. A collateral study is underway at the University of Vermont; the results of that study will be noted in the final report for this NNYADP project.

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.

January 20, 2021.  The latest results of Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP)-funded research to help regional dairy farmers achieve high quality forage grown as alfalfa-grass mix are now posted on this NNYADP website under the Research: Field Crops tab at www.nnyagdev.org/index.php/2020-nnyadp-projects. The research is evaluating the use of perennial meadow fescue varieties developed by European grass breeders and grown in combination with alfalfa on participating NNY farms.

“Our results continue to show that meadow fescue has great potential in a mix with high quality alfalfa to significantly improve forage quality. However, our data reveals that the grass yield and quality are not consistent across growing environments, highlighting the need for regional testing,” says project leader and Cornell University Animal Science Professor Debbie J.R. Cherney.

 

At left, a grass percentage graph from the NNYADP-funded Maximizing Alfalfa and Grass Quality in Mixtures research project. Find more interesting details and graphs in the complete report (see link above).

 

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.

At left: Cornell University entomologist Elson Shields holds an alfalfa root protected by biocontrol nematodes applied in an NNYADP-funded research trial in Belleville, New York. Photo: NNYADP

Act Now to Reduce Alfalfa Snout Beetle, Corn Rootworm Impact in NY and U.S.

Northern New York; January 19, 2021.  Cornell University entomologist Elson Shields, Ph.D., has written a paper on the true cost of alfalfa snout beetle to a farm to encourage dairy and crop farmers to act now to reduce populations of the alfalfa pest on their farms. Shields says, “We estimate that if alfalfa snout beetle becomes fully established on a dairy farm growing its own alfalfa, it can cost the farm $300 to $600 per cow per year.”

Shields’ biocontrol nematodes protocol for managing alfalfa snout beetle (ASB), highlighted in the paper, also shows great promise for managing corn rootworm.

The research foundation for the use of biocontrol nematodes to save alfalfa crops in New York State, and now being used or evaluated in multiple other crops and in other states, was established with the support of the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP). The “What is the True Cost of Alfalfa Snout Beetle on Your Farm” paper and “Persistent Biocontrol Nematodes: What, Why, How, When, and Where to Get Them” fact sheet are posted on the NNYADP website at www.nnyagdev.org.

Shields began the quest to find a solution to alfalfa snout beetle in 1989 on the Peck Homestead Farm in Great Bend, New York, where ASB damage to alfalfa crops was significantly decreasing milk production.

Due to the importance of alfalfa as a forage crop in the dairy, beef cattle, equine and other livestock sectors, the farmer-driven NNYADP made a firm commitment to fund the research needed to find a solution. Today, the inexpensive biocontrol solution developed by that research benefits dairy farmers and alfalfa, corn, and berry growers in northern New York, organic farmers throughout the Northeast, and corn growers across the U.S. and in Ontario, Canada.

“To date we have applied biocontrol nematodes to nearly 28,000 acres in northern New York on more than 140 farms. In those fields, the alfalfa stand life has increased back to 4 to 6 years compared to the previous ASB-ravaged 1-2 years. Neighboring farms should work together to control ASB on both farms,” says Shields, who will speak virtually about the biocontrol nematodes with corn growers in the American Southwest in late January, and recently shared the research results with the Ontario Ag Conference.

Shields breaks the $300 to $600 per cow per year cost of ASB into two areas: the cost of forage loss from the field with the cost of replanting, and the cost of purchasing off-farm protein to replace the alfalfa protein lost with the ASB-damaged crop.

Analysts with the W.H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute, Chazy, New York, and Oak Point Agronomics, Hammond, New York, have estimated the cost of losing and reestablishing an alfalfa stand at $200 to $500 per acre. The cost of additional purchases of soy protein once ASB becomes established and damages a farm’s alfalfa crop ranges from $4.70 to $16.80 per cow per month.

How do you know if you have ASB? Shields says that alfalfa stand loss that is often blamed on winterkill may actually be a result of ASB. He notes, “Alfalfa snout beetle often kill out the alfalfa on the high spots in the field first, a symptom which should draw attention from the truck as you are driving past.” The best time to survey a field or farm for ASB is in October when yellowing alfalfa plants can be dug up to examine for ASB larvae.

What can you do if you have ASB? Alfalfa snout beetle can be controlled for many years with a single application of native New York biocontrol nematodes on each field, using a protocol developed by Shields and Cornell University Research Support Specialist Antonio Testa while working with more than 120 dairy farmers in northern New York. The cost to apply the biocontrol nematodes is a one-time expense in the range of $40 to $60 per acre. More recent research has shown the biocontrol nematodes can be applied as part of a liquid manure application.

Do the biocontrol nematodes also control corn rootworm? “We first began to see indications that the biocontrol nematodes were having an impact on corn rootworm on one of the northern New York farms rotating its alfalfa crop with corn. Recent trials with the biocontrol nematodes in New York and now in other U.S. states are showing their effectiveness at reducing corn rootworm populations including rootworm populations becoming resistant to Bt-RW-traited corn,”Shields says.

Are the biocontrol nematodes effective against other crops? Shields and Testa have successfully applied the biocontrol nematodes to control pests in berry crops and have trials underway to examine their effectiveness in managing wireworms and Colorado potato beetle.

Who can you call for help? For more information on the use of biocontrol nematodes, farmers should contact their local Extension office. In northern New York, contacts include Cornell Cooperative Extension field crops specialists Michael Hunter: 315-788-8450, and Kitty O’Neil, Ph.D.: 315-379-9192, and Cornell PRO-DAIRY Dairy Forage Systems Specialist Joe Lawrence: 315-788-4815. Mary DeBeer, 518-812-8565, is a northern New York-based provided of the biocontrol nematodes.

To see a history of the NNYADP alfalfa snout beetle research projects, visit the Research: Field Research: Alfalfa Snout Beetle pages on the website at 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.

LINKS:
.  “The True Cost of Alfalfa Snout Beetle on Your Farm”

. Persistent Biocontrol Nematodes: What, Why, How, When, and Where to Get Them