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

June 3, 2022.  The results of Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP)-commissioned research in 2021 provide farm-based data on the importance of proper feeding management for dairy cows during the pre-calving to post-calving period. This NNYADP project was one of the first to apply the Metabolic Health Index adapted by the Overton Lab at Cornell University to identify cows that may be at higher risk of post-calving health issues. The 18-page “Evaluating Transition Cow Health on NNY Dairy Farms and Associations with Feeding Management Practices” report is posted under Research: Dairy at https://nnyagdev.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/NNYADP2021TransitionCowReport24FINAL.pdf .

“This research provided the opportunity to make a preliminary evaluation of the relationships among different metabolic health parameters of dairy cows through the pre-calving to post-calving transition period,” said project leader Casey Havekes, a Cornell Cooperative Extension North Country Ag Team dairy specialist, based in Canton, New York.

A broad range of data from 10 farms in 2021 revealed opportunities to improve pre-calving feeding management and, to a lesser extent, post-calving feeding programs.

“This first trial has identified areas to explore different feeding management strategies for the purpose of positively impacting transition cow health and post-calving performance and success,” said Havekes.

This research establishes a foundation to begin developing a statistically-accurate tool that dairy farmers and farm consultants can use to track the impact of transition cow feeding management programs and adjustments of those programs.

Specific areas identified for attention on the participating farms include particle size in the feed ration and properly mixing a ration specifically for cows in the transition period to encourage optimal nutrition during a time of increased nutrient demand to support the onset of calving and milk production.

Havekes is now analyzing reproduction and post-calving milk production data and working with the participating farms to develop farm-specific feeding programs to meet each farm’s  needs.

Cornell PRO-DAIRY Director Thomas Overton, Ph.D., who partnered with Havekes to develop the research plan, noted, “Prior to this Northern New York Agricultural Development Program project, there had 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.”

Dr. Trevor DeVries, a University of Guelph professor and Canada Research Chair in Dairy Cattle Behavior and Welfare, Guelph, Ontario, Canada; and Dr. Allison Kerwin, dairy field research specialist, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, were project collaborators.

The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is a farmer-driven research program, established by the New York State Legislature for the six northernmost counties of New York State.  Funding for the Program is supported through the New York State Assembly and administrated by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Hoard’s Dairyman, The National Dairy Farm Magazine, has made note of two NNYADP projects: its May 2022 includes a just-inside-the-front-cover article by Paul Virkler, D.V.M., and Wolfgang Heuwieser, D.V.M., titled “E-Training proves the need for refresher courses,” on the pilot project funded by the NNYADP that developed five dairy training modules that farm employees can access on their smartphones or laptops. This project was tested as an alternative to face-to-face education during the pandemic with positive results. The May 19, 2022 Hoard’s Dairyman E-News include noted of the NNYADP’s 2022 dairy project that is evaluating kefir as a probiotic supplement for dairy calves.

Learn more about NNYADP dairy research under the Research: Dairy tab on this website.

Funding for the NNYADP is supported by the New York State Legislature through the New York State Assembly and administrated by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Canton, New York; May 16, 2022.  The results of soil research by the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program has revealed a relationship between soil compaction and variable crop yield on commercial farms in northern New York. The results of this investigation are posted in the report entitled “Is Soil Compaction a Big Driver of Yield” on the NNYADP website at www.nnyagdev.org.

“This project discovered a significant relationship between soil compaction within fields and yield, using yield stability zones based on both yield and consistency,” said Northern New York Regional Field Crops and Soils Specialist Kitty O’Neil, Ph.D., with Cornell University Cooperative Extension (CCE). Dr. O’Neil led the research team for this NNYADP project.

Started in 2021, this NNYADP project has begun investigating the relationship between the variation in soil compaction severity in direct proportion to the variation in historical crop yield across a field. The project goal is to help farmers harvest optimal yield from all areas across their fields through improved soil health and ecological function within the soil.

“While soil compaction from the ground surface level to 12.6-inch depth was significant in all the yield zones in all the fields in our study, it was more severe in the consistently lower-yielding zones,” Dr. O’Neil explained.

Dr. O’Neil and CCE Regional Field Crops Specialist Mike Hunter collected more than 360 soil penetrations in each of four fields, representing 18 different soil types total on working dairy farms in October and November 2021. In some cases, sampling at depths of 12.6 inches was not possible due to high soil resistance, as much as 1,130 pounds per square inch (PSI).

While the causes of yield reduction in the lower-yielding field zones may be numerous and variable across fields or years, the on-farm research in 2021 suggests one potential cause may be increased soil compaction as revealed by this first-year data.

The farmer-driven NNYADP prioritized this soil compaction research for attention in 2021. The need to better understand soil compaction on regional dairy farms was highlighted earlier in a 2019 NNYADP analysis of nine conventionally-tilled dairy farm fields, all of which showed serious soil compaction at the surface and at depth with considerable within-field variability.

The 2021 project additionally drew upon earlier, multiple-year NNYADP research results on zone management and yield stability mapping conducted by the Cornell University Nutrient Management Spear Program. For example, a related study revealed that 90 percent of fields had significantly lower yields – an average of 15 percent loss – on field headlands. The earlier field study did not measure soil compaction.

Dr. O’Neil cautions that the 2021 project data is preliminary, saying, “This first-time data provides a starting point for evaluating soil compaction impact on crop yield over time and will serve as a foundation for developing ways to assure healthier soils in support of high quality and high yield corn as a vital crop for New York’s dairy and livestock industries.”

Healthy soils resist erosion and more efficiently cycle nutrients, both critical to agricultural environmental stewardship goals.

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.

Legislators Note Value of Farmer-Driven Program’s Research Results

Plattsburgh, N.Y.: May 9, 2022.  The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) has announced fourteen farm-based research projects underway in 2022. Project funding is being applied to a diverse range of research focused on high priority needs or opportunities identified by the farmer-driven NNYADP. Funding for this research 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.

New York State Assemblyman Billy D. Jones, 115th Assembly District, in the eastern region of northern New York, ran his family’s dairy farm after high school graduation. As an Assemblyman, he now serves on the Assembly Agriculture Committee.  Assemblyman Jones said, “As a former dairy farmer, I appreciate the NNYADP for not only producing innovative research, but also for including farmers in the entire process and listening to their input. This program is crucial for North Country farmers and continues to make a difference in agriculture statewide and that is why I have secured funding in the state budget for the past several years to support this program. From on-farm tile drainage to dairy production and tree syrups research, the NNYADP is on the cutting edge of agriculture and I look forward to hearing more about the upcoming projects.”

New York State Assemblywoman Donna A. Lupardo, 123rd Assembly District, Chair, Assembly Agriculture Committee, said, “Created in 1961 by the State Legislature, the NNYADP consistently delivers quality research with statewide and national significance. Today’s announcement underscores the valuable work being done on behalf of New York’s farmers who have direct input into the process. I’d like to thank my colleague Assemblyman Jones, a member of the Agriculture Committee, for continuing to prioritize NNYADP’s funding request.”

New York State Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush, 117th Assembly District, Assembly Agriculture Committee member, said, “The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program continues to do important work on behalf of our farmers and the entire agriculture community. Over the past few years, farmers have been shouldered with historic burdens. I am happy to support this funding that will allow the NNYADP to conduct 14 new farm-based research projects and hopefully improve the business atmosphere for our small family farms.”

The State funding supports the NNYADP’s tile drainage and water quality-focused agricultural environmental stewardship research that is producing progressive real-world, data-based results sought out by entities statewide and nationally.

Other NNYADP projects that have received funding include the application of whole farm sustainability assessments helping regional farms be agriculturally efficient and environmentally-sustainable.

Additionally, researchers with an NNYADP grant are investigating the use of kefir as a probiotic supplement to enhance the health of dairy calves.

As assessment of the feasibility of American Beech tree syrup production is complementary to earlier NNYADP research regarding the opportunity for northern New York maple producers to add birch syrup to their product lines. One farm participating in trials in 2015-2016 made a small quantity of birch syrup valued at $80 for a half gallon.

NNYADP horticultural research priorities in 2022 include “super fruit” production trials of elderberry, juneberry, honeyberry, and aronia as well as winter greens research and an in-orchard precision apple management project.

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