June 15, 2021.  Cornell University Entomologist Elson Shields, Ph.D., shared this May 2021 photo of a lush alfalfa field in North Bangor (Franklin County), New York, with a note that prior to an application of biocontrol nematodes four years ago this field could grow nothing more than grass hay. It has now been restored to a substantial contribution to the farm’s cropping plan. Long-term support from the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program made possible Shields’ research to develop the science needed to find a nature-based solution for managing the #1 destructive pest of alfalfa crops, alfalfa snout beetle. That solution is now working in multiple states to combat different crop and berry pests. Photo: Elson Shields

Canton  N.Y.; June 9, 2020.   The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) has awarded a grant to Cornell Cooperative Extension Dairy Specialists Lindsay Ferlito and Casey Havekes to assess and troubleshoot barn ventilation systems and their  impact on the health of pre-weaned calves on farms in northern New York in 2021. The researchers will demonstrate barn fogging, a process that makes air flow visible as part of calf barn ventilation and calf health workshops on regional farms on July 27 in North Lawrence and July 28 in Carthage. Registration is free, but space is limited. Contact 607-592-0290 or lc636@cornell.edu for details.

This new research in 2021 builds on a series of dairy calf health assessment projects previously funded by the farmer-driven NNYADP:

• An observational baseline study evaluating 437 pre-weaned calves on 29 dairy farms in the region in 2015 indicated a slightly higher rate of respiratory illness than the national average. Research has shown ventilation to be one of the critical factors influencing calf respiratory health.
• An NNYADP-funded follow-up study with 2,408 pre-weaned calves in 2016-2017 highlighted how management practice changes and environmental factors impact calf health on a seasonal basis.
  
  
• In 2017 and 2018, Cornell Cooperative Extension and Quality Milk Production Services created the “Calf Health Risk Assessment Tool for Northern New York Dairy Farms” to support development of farm-specific best management practices planning to address key areas of calf health management, particularly during periods of cold winter temperatures. Every farm participating in that project made management adjustments as a result of the research.
  
  
• In 2019, the results of the NNYADP calf health project showed calfhood illnesses occurring most frequently at 8 to 31 days of age, with neonatal diarrhea, or scours, as the primary concern, and at 61 to 120 days of age with pneumonia as the primary distress. Participating farms developed or enhanced their protocols for preventing and treating calfhood illness.
• A follow-up study in 2020 identified the pathogenic causes of neonatal diarrhea and the benefit of supportive recovery care with electrolytes and plentiful water access.

Throughout this series of NNYADP-funded research, project leaders have been alert to the role of ventilation, housing, and management in reducing the rate of respiratory illness in calves.

Ferlito notes, “Our work in 2021 involves barn fogging and capturing video to analyze the ventilation efficiency in each barn and to identify any necessary changes to enhance calf health.”

The research team, which includes Cornell University PRO-DAIRY personnel, will deploy data loggers inside and outside barns. Data collection will include calf-level air speed and ammonia concentrations in bedding, monthly calf health scoring and weight gain, and bedding nesting scoring. Each participating farm’s calf management reporting and treatment protocols will be assessed. Final project results and insights will be shared via workshops, and posted on the NNYADP website at https://www.nnyagdev.org. The results of past project work are posted there now.

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.

    Photo, left: Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) livestock specialist Betsy Hodge leads the 2021 NNYADP project evaluating indoor-outdoor summer feeding options to enhance lamb health.  Photo, right: The CCE St. Lawrence County Extension Learning Farm in Canton, New York, is hosting Northern New York Agricultural Development Program-funded research evaluating indoor-outdoor summer feeding options for lambs. Photo courtesy of Betsy Hodge.

NOTE: Cornell University Animal Science Extension Associate tatiana Stanton, Ph.D. spells first name with lower case t

Canton, N.Y.; May 26, 2021.   Can the health of young lambs be enhanced by raising them in a barn or on summer pasture?  The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is funding research investigating if the protective environment of a barn, away from the risk of infection and death caused by the parasites that buildup on summer pastureland, will enhance lamb health.

The project, funded by the farmer-driven research program, will evaluate whether weaning lambs at 8 to 10 weeks old, bringing them into the barn, and feeding them a completely balanced diet will help the young sheep grow faster than lambs that are raised on pasture.

“As summer progresses, hot, dry weather can cause a decline in the quantity and quality of pasture available for lambs and sheep. Sheep on pasture can experience a buildup of parasites as well as increased risk from predators. Additionally, mother ewe milk production tends to drop off after 10 weeks after lambing. Sheep owners need more strategies for protecting their animals,” Betsy Hodge, a livestock specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County, explains.

Hodge manages the sheep flock at the Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County Extension Learning Farm in Canton, New York.  This NNYADP 2021 project will wean one group of lambs at 60 days of age and feed them a complete dietary ration in a barn. A second group of lambs will remain on pasture with mother ewes for 95 to 105 days.

A preliminary study in the summer of 2020 favored leaving the lambs on pasture. This second year of data will help identify and evaluate year-to-year variables before any recommendations are developed.

“We are interested to see if this new research will provide different insights into whether the lambs in the barn will take off on the grain and grow faster than their pastured counterparts. Will they require less de-wormer treatment because they are inside? How will the heat of summer impact each group? Will the ewes be in better body condition and therefore easier to breed back?” says Hodge.

The project data sets will include lamb growth, weight gain, health scoring, and parasite loads for each group of lambs. Analysis of the complete feed ration, forages, and pasture diet will evaluate the role of different nutritional sources. Body condition scoring will also be recorded for both groups of ewes. A cost comparison is also part of the project objectives.

Cornell University Animal Science Department Chair Thomas R. Overton, Ph.D. and Animal Science Extension Associate tatiana Stanton, Ph.D. will provide project oversight and analysis. A Cornell University undergraduate student will assist with the project through the Cornell Cooperative Extension Summer Internship program.

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 at https://nnyagdev.org.

May 13, 2021.  The farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) is investigating the influence of soil compaction on corn crop yield and yield stability. Severely compacted soils limit plant root development and can reduce soil function, particularly in wet seasons. A new research project funded by the NNYADP aims to address the question of whether wide variation in soil compaction severity across a field is directly proportional to variable crop yield within that field.

This soil compaction research project, led by Kitty O’Neil, Ph.D., a Soils and Crops Specialist with Cornell University Cooperative Extension’s North Country Regional Ag Team, has begun collecting data on two farms in northern New York.

“Soil health influences crop yield, farm economics, and ecological functions on farms. Quantifiable data on the role of soil compaction in soil health and crop performance is missing. This project is designed to fill that knowledge gap,” notes O’Neil.

Cornell University Nutrient Management Spear Program Director Quirine M. Ketterings, Ph.D., will provide data analysis. Dr. Ketterings’ earlier research has informed the design of this new project.

In a 2019 study of nine conventionally-tilled dairy farm corn fields in northern New York, compaction was found at the surface and at depths of six to 18 inches in all nine fields with consistent and highly variable levels of compaction within each field and among the fields.

The New York State Legislature established the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program in 1961 in recognition of the opportunity for agriculture in the northern region of the state to become a major economic engine locally and for the state.

Funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is administered by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. Learn more at https://nnyagdev.org.

May 5, 2021   The New York State Senate and Assembly unanimously passed legislation re: the production, sale, branding, and labeling of birch syrup and birch sugar (read more about this legislation at Morning Ag Clips, 05/04/21). The NNYADP funded a 2018 season comparison of birch and maple sap yields per the timing of tapping schedules for birch syrup production at the Uihlein Maple Research Forest in Lake Placid. To read the results, see the final report at https://nnyagdev.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/NNYADP19Maple2018Final-18.pdf.

At left above, birch trees with tapping lines. Photo: Uihlein Maple Research Forest, Lake Placid, NY.

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.