May is the month to look for alfalfa weevils in your fields. Alfalfa weevils are not always a problem, but in some years can reduce forage yield and quality. In most years by the time the population reaches any significant level the alfalfa is ready to harvest and this serves as the management control method without the need to apply an insecticide. However, there are times when the development of the weevil is ahead of the alfalfa growth and insecticide treatments are warranted.

Learn more about scouting for and managing this pest from NNY CCE Field Crops Educator Mike Hunter

The inclusion of winter cereals as cover crops into various crop and livestock systems is a relatively common practice in today’s agriculture. The primary reasons for this are protection of soil from erosion and enhancement of soil health through organic matter and carbon (C) addition (Long et al., 2012). However, farmers are increasingly interested in using cover crops to sequester nitrogen (N) in the fall (cover crops as catch crops) and carry it over to the spring.

Click here to read more about NNYADP-funded research on using cereal cover crops to sequester nitrogen in the fall for carryover

Northern New York Agricultural Development Program-funded research is evaluating two methods of measuring phosphorus (P) – a key soil nutrient for crop production. The goal of the NNY Soil Test P project is to determine if a different method may offer an advantage over the traditional way of measuring P in soil test extracts. More efficient use of phosphorus in fertilizer and manure represents a significant cost savings for farmers and enhances agricultural environmental stewardship.

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The New York State Senate Budget proposal includes $500,000 for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program that conducts innovative research, best management practices outreach, and technical assistance projects in the state’s six northernmost counties: St. Lawrence, Jefferson, Lewis, Franklin, Essex, and Clinton.

“The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program, the steering committee of North Country farmers from across the region, and the farm businesses we serve are pleased to see the Senate budget that recognizes how critical agriculture is to the Northern New York economy and to the state economy,” said NNYADP Co-Chair Jon Greenwood, a dairy farmer in St. Lawrence County.

“The New York State Senate funding of the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program has provided the means for farmers to access the best academic and field research expertise to solve problems such as alfalfa snout beetle, to develop new farm-based enterprises such as bioenergy crops, and to enhance our agricultural environmental stewardship through precision targeting of nutrients, fertilizer and manure resources,” said NNYADP Co-Chair Joe Giroux, a dairy farmer in Clinton County.

The NNYADP received $500,000 in the last approved Senate and state budgets.

New York State Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Senator Patty Ritchie recently announced the $5.2 billon Grown in New York plan designed to strengthen the state’s agricultural industry by expanding markets for New York-grown products.

“Agriculture is New York’s leading industry. Over the past two years, we have worked to restore budget cuts to vital marketing, research and educational program. including the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program, that farmers depend on to strengthen their farm business bottom lines,” Ritchie said.

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Congratulations go to Mapleview Dairy in Madrid, NY, in St. Lawrence County, for earning the New York State Agricultural Society Farm Safety Award.

Farm owners David Fisher and Louanne King are long-time supporters of the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program. Dave is currently a member of the NNYADP Steering Committee and Dairy and Field Crop Production Sub-Committee.