NNYADP Research Prompts Request for Help from Farmers in Southwest: 23 Billion Biocontrol Nematodes Traveled to SW to Apply Protocol Pioneered in Northern NY

https://www.nnyagdev.org/index.php/2019/06/27/nnyadp-research-…t-for-biocontrol/June 27, 2019.  In May, Cornell University entomologist Elson Shields, Ph.D., and Research Support Specialist Antonio Testa transport 23 billion native New York nematodes to farms in Texas and New Mexico for field application against Western corn rootworm. Shields and Testa, who pioneered the use of biocontrol nematodes as a crop pest management protocol, built a generator-powered system to maintain a temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit to protect the nematodes under the cap of a pickup truck.

Researchers, crop consultants, and farmers in several U.S. states are now testing the nematode application, initially developed to beat alfalfa snout beetle back, against an increasing number of agricultural crop pests.

With long-term funding from the farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program, Shields and Testa created the science and the nematode-rearing procotol behind the use of native nematodes for controlling alfalfa snout beetle, the most highly destructive crop pest of the alfalfa crops so critical to the regional dairy industry.

Over time, the biocontrol application has been field-tested and increasingly proven its value as a biocontrol for managing pests in corn, berries, potatoes, and potentially other crops.

“The science built and proven in Northern New York over the course of more than 30 years for using the native nematodes as a crop pest biocontrol has steadily expanded to help farmers across New York State and other states and to address pest issues in multiple crops,” said Shields. “The expansion of this cost-effective, easy-to-apply management practice would not be possible were it not for the long-term commitment the farmers of Northern New York needed to develop the science to support a solution for snout beetle.”

With local funding, Texas Agri-Life Extension entomologists and private ag consultants are jointly conducting large farm trials testing the NY nematodes as a biocontrol to manage corn rootworm in Dalhart, TX, and growers have completely funded trials in Riodoso, NM. Applications have been made to more than 900 acres using both ground application and through a center pivot irrigation system.

Having learned of the concept using persistent biocontrol nematodes while working in West Texas, a newly-hired Extension entmologist with Auburn University in Alabama recently contacted Shields about trying the biocontrol nematodes to manage billbugs, a type of beetle that impacts lawn, sod and grass crops.

In 2019 with a new grant from the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program, Cornell University Cooperative Extension Field Crops Specialist Mike Hunter is evaluating the application of the biocontrol nematodes in manure as a way to incorporate the pest management practice into an existing farm task. The research prompted the creation of a new business enterprise now raising the biocontrol nematodes locally for application by farmers and custom spraying services in the Northern New York region.

The number of acres treated with biocontrol nematodes in Northern New York has steadily grown to protect the alfalfa crops on more than 20,000 acres. Shields estimates that recent dairy prices have curbed applications expected to cover more than 100,000 acres with the biocontrol nematodes by this time.

The Shields Lab at Cornell University has also received a Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education grant to expand biocontrol nematode-corn rootworm applications throughout New York State and to assist similar start-up research in Vermont and Pennsylvania.

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.

FOR MORE INFO:
https://www.nnyagdev.org/index.php/field-crops/research-projects/research-alfalfa-snout-beetle/

Northern N.Y.: June 5, 2019.   Alfalfa is an excellent source of protein in the dairy cow diet. Research funded by the farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) is evaluating new opportunities to grow alfalfa in combination with grass species to provide dairy farmers the opportunity to enhance forage yield, quality and digestibility. The results of the most recent alfalfa-grass mix trials conducted by Cornell University researchers are posted on the NNYADP website at www.nnyagdev.org.

The field trials, which continue in 2019, rank the alfalfa-grass varieties and mixes for factors that influence milk production. Those factors include fiber digestibility, crude protein, and lignin. Lignin is a fiber component of alfalfa that helps the plant grow upright, but at higher levels decreases the digestibility of that alfalfa in a dairy ration.

Early indications show that a combination of reduced-lignin alfalfa planted with the right meadow fescue can result in a large increase in forage digestibility, which in turn encourages proper daily dry matter feed intake by cows to support milk production.

The on-farm trials in Jefferson and Lewis counties are focused on meadow fescue varieties that are winter-hardy and add the opportunity for higher fiber digestibility.

“Our results continue to show that meadow fescue has great potential to significantly improve forage quality when planted with a high quality alfalfa. These regionalized trials are especially important for analyzing the localized conditions that impact grass yield and quality,” said project leader Debbie J.R. Cherney, a Cornell University professor of Animal Science.

Cherney says climate naturally plays a key role in how each type of crop in the mix matures.

“Alfalfa growth is primarily controlled by heat units or growing degree days, while grass development in the spring is driven by day length. Depending on the conditions in any given year, one crop in the mix may mature at a normal rate, while the other can be significantly delayed,” Cherney explained.

The varieties under evaluation in the Northern New York trials include those grown from meadow fescue seed developed in European environments that are colder and with a shorter growing season than in Northern New York.

The research data indicates that while the grass percentage in the mix can impact yield and the crude protein content of the grass, it does not significantly impact other forage quality measurements for the alfalfa or grass in the mix.

The next objective for the alfalfa-grass research team is to evaluate opportunities to achieve a consistent 20-30 percent, high quality grass mixture from year-to-year under variable growing conditions. The research plan in 2019 includes assessing the impact of different seeding rates for meadow fescue planted with reduced-lignin alfalfa and testing a large group of meadow fescue varieties, many of which have not yet been grown in North America.

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.

Northern N.Y.; May 14, 2019. The latest data from field research trials evaluating the opportunity to grow high-quality, high-yield corn under localized growing conditions are posted on the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program website at www.nnyagdev.org.

About 65 percent of the approximately 144,000 acres of corn grown each year across the six northernmost counties of New York State is harvested as silage with 35 percent harvested as grain, largely to feed the dairy industry. Ethanol production also contributes to the demand for the regionally-grown corn.

“The importance of corn silage as a high yielding, high quality feed for dairy cattle continues to increase as farmers look to optimize feed value from their available acreage,” said project co-leader Thomas R. Overton, a professor of Animal Science  and director of the Cornell University CALS PRO-DAIRY Program, Ithaca, N.Y.

The 2018 trials’ data analysis includes standard measures of performance, including yield, moisture level, and standability as well as innovative techniques for forage quality evaluation for digestibility and milk production. The forage quality data for the 2018 report were collected and analyzed by the field and laboratory research team that included Cornell University faculty, field technicians, and Extension staff working in cooperation with three farm sites in Northern New York.

“As the seed industry introduces new corn hybrids to the market, field evaluation under regional growing conditions is critical to assist growers in selecting the hybrids best-suited to their farm,” noted project co-leader Joseph Lawrence, Cornell CALS PRO-DAIRY Extension Associate, Lowville, N.Y.

The researchers emphasize the need for growers to make hybrid selections based on how the hybrids have performed over multiple years, multiple locations and soils, and under varying weather conditions, and based on the mix of corn traits that best fit their individual farm business needs.

“Corn grain is a valuable commodity in its own right and a major contributor to any hybrid’s silage quality and yield. Grain evaluation trials are typically the first step in determining a hybrid’s value to a regional market,” said project co-leader Margaret E. Smith, professor of plant breeding and genetics at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.

Corn hybrid testing results for 2018 and recent past years are posted on the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program 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.  Participating seed companies submitted hybrids for evaluation, helping to defray a portion of the cost of the hybrid evaluations.

Click here for the Commercial Corn Hybrid Evaluation for Silage and Grain in Northern New York 2018 results report.

Canton, N.Y.; May 9, 2019.  Labor is the second largest single expense on a dairy farm after feed cost. A new 25-page report summarizing regional dairy labor trends is now available online at www.nnyagdev.org. The report, featuring data from a survey of 32 dairy farms, was funded by the farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program.

“The farmer committee that prioritizes projects felt that the regional survey could be a first step toward better retention and training of farm employees through enhancing the understanding of how our farms are interacting with workers, our strengths, and where we can make improvements,” said NNYADP Co-Chair Jon Greenwood, a St. Lawrence County dairy farmer.

Cornell University Cooperative Extension and Cornell Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management personnel conducted a confidential survey of 32 farms to analyze and identify possible correlations or causation trends between labor management methods and production or farm business factors.

“This research will help enhance farm-employee relations as well as provide insight that may also positively impact farm management and sustainability,” said NNYADP Co-Chair Jon Rulfs, a dairy and orchard owner in Clinton County.

The report includes 43 datasets presenting information on the types of dairy farms responding; the types of on-farm jobs; hiring practices; and employee longevity, performance evaluation, training methods, and compensation.

“Contrary to current perceptions that a majority of dairy farm labor is Hispanic or immigrant, the data from Northern New York indicates that the regional farms are using a majority of local labor. Farmers can use this research to evaluate their work structures and open discussions with their particular labor force in comparison with the most common farm labor trends in the Northern New York region,” says Cornell University Cooperative Extension Farm Business Management Specialist and project co-leader Kelsey O’Shea, Canton, N.Y.

“This type of facilitated research provides regional farms the opportunity to gain insight they might not otherwise take the time to learn first-hand about their own operations and how they measure up to peers operating under similar conditions,” noted NNYADP Co-Chair Joe Giroux, who operates a dairy farm with his son Todd in Beekmantown.

O’Shea and her project colleagues are now assisting participating farms with applying the data to their dairy businesses. The results of this research are expected to be presented at “State of the Dairy Industry” meetings in the NNY region this summer.

The research team is also developing a “How to Make the Best Hiring Decisions” educational program based on the top two priorities identified by farm owners as ways to make managing and retaining labor easier. That program is expected to be available in the fall of 2019.

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 read the “Labor Trends and Their Impact on Financial and Production Factors on Dairy Operations in Northern New York” report

 

Click here to see “Giving a hand to bovine biology,” an article by Plattsburgh Press Republican Editor Suzanne Moore on the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program research project evaluating how adjusting the flow rate of milk in dairy milking parlors increases cow comfort and farm labor efficiency while maintaining milk production levels.

Moore spoke with Northern New York dairy farmers about the value of the research and the resulting positive impacts to their cows and their farms.

Read the report: “Assessing Automatic Cluster Remover Settings on Milking Unit-Time, Total Milk Yield, and Teat Condition in NNY Dairy Herds”