Western Bean Cutworm, an emerging pest of field and sweet corn in the Eastern U.S, prompted the farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program to fund field research in 2016. The results of those trials are now posted at www.nnyagdev.org as the work continues in cornfields this summer.

In 2016, Northern New York farms had the highest trap counts for Western Bean Cutworm (WBC), according to scouting reports by Cornell Cooperative Extension field crops specialists and the statewide NYS Integrated Pest Management (IPM) WBC monitoring network. Nine of the top 10 highest trap count sites for WBC moths in 2016 were in St. Lawrence, Jefferson, Franklin, and Lewis counties.

While no economically-significant infestations have yet been recorded, corn growers are concerned that kernel feeding damage by the WBC larvae present an opportunity for mold and pathogen growth that would impact feed quality, animal health, and milk production.

The 2016 field research on working farms in Northern New York evaluated the effectiveness of corn seed modified to include a Bt trait developed to manage WBC. The research was prompted by reports that some Bt corn was not adequately managing WBC.

“The 2016 research trials evaluating Bt corn with the Cry1F and Vip3A traits side-by-side showed failure of the Cry1F trait to adequately control Western Bean Cutworm. The Vip3A trait has worked well in Northern New York,” said Cornell University Cooperative Extension North Country Regional Agriculture Team Field Crops Specialist Michael Hunter.

Hunter and Cornell University Cooperative Extension North Country Regional Agriculture Team Field Crops and Soils Specialist Kitty O’Neil conducted the 2016 field trials in cooperation with Cornell University entomology, plant pathology, and IPM specialists.

The WBC research continues with new funding from the farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program in 2017. As of late July, two cornfields in Jefferson County were found to have enough WBC egg masses and newly-hatched larva to require an insecticide treatment.

Female WBC moths look for pre-tassel corn to lay eggs. The eggs hatch and growing larvae eat tassels and make their way down the plant to the ear where they eat silks and, eventually, developing kernels underneath the husks. Peak population numbers occur in late July and early August.

“This year, because the corn tasseling is later than normal, Western Bean Cutworm damage may be partly avoided. The larva do not eat corn leaves so if there is no tassel for the larva to feed on, they will starve to death,” O’Neil explained.

The farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program provides research and technical assistance to farmers in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties. Funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is supported by the New York State Senate and administered by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Lowville, NY.  The results of the first-ever survey of bee colony health in Northern New York will be presented along with an assessment of the impact of parasites, pathogens and pesticides on bee colonies statewide at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Lewis County office in Lowville on Tuesday, August 1 from 6 to 8 pm. Cost is $5 per person. Pre-registration is requested by July 27 at 315-376-5270 or http://ccelewis.org.

Cornell University Honey Bee Extension Associate Emma Mullen will talk about the factors that stress bee colonies and can reduce honey production. Mullen will present information on the levels of mites and viruses in colonies locally and statewide and suggest ways beekeepers can keep their bees healthy.

Mullen served as project leader for the Northern New York bee health survey project funded by the farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program. The survey was the first of its kind for the northern region of New York state. The survey documented seasonal colony losses and the levels of key parasites and viruses in both commercial-scale and hobby bee colonies. The complete survey report is on this website under Horticulture: Beekeeping.

The farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program provides research and technical assistance to farmers in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties. Funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is supported by the New York State Senate and administered by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Visitors to the Willsboro Research Farm this Thursday will learn research updates on several projects funded by the farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program. . .

The Cornell University Willsboro Research Farm will hold an open house on Thursday, July 13 from 1:30pm to 4:00pm.  A tour of the facilities and research plots will leave the main office at 48 Sayward Lane, Willsboro at 2:00pm.  Light refreshments will be provided.

Research topics featured at this year’s open house include corn silage variety trials, nitrogen management for forage sorghum, warm season forage variety trials, juneberry nursery and production trials, Aronia variety plantings, cover crop seeding demonstration plots, a high tunnel cherry tomato pruning study, greenhouse pepper production under field and high tunnel conditions, adaptive nitrogen management for corn and incorporating cover crops into the adaptive management model, and field trials of farmer selected organic spring wheat breeding lines.

In 1982 E. Vreeland Baker, a Willsboro farmer and entrepreneur, donated his 352 acre farm to Cornell University for agricultural research and demonstration.  The facility serves to connect Cornell faculty in Ithaca with the challenges and issues facing North Country farmers.  Willsboro Research Farm is managed by the Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station.

This event is free and open to the public.  For more information call 518-963-7492.

June 26, 2017.  How healthy are the bees in Northern New York?

The results of a first-ever survey to identify the presence of key parasites and pathogens in regional bee colonies are now posted at www.nnyagdev.org.

The farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program provided a small grant a survey of Northern New York bee colonies to contribute to regional knowledge and educate regional beekeepers on practices to better maintain the health of their bees and their businesses.

“This project documents for the first time the levels of key parasites and viruses in commercial and hobby bee colonies in Northern New York,” said project leader Emma Mullen, a Honey Bee Extension Associate with Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

The data on the levels of 8 viruses in the NNY bee colonies contributes to a statewide database on the factors influencing pollinator health and identifying current management practices by beekeepers.

Thirty-one beekeepers with colonies in Northern New York provided data to the survey that notes:

. NNY bee colony winter losses of 21.3 percent, summer losses of 6.17 percent from October 2015 to September 16, 2016; the statewide average for that time was respectively 28 percent and 7 percent.

. Varroa mites, considered the most detrimental and widespread parasite of bee colonies, were significantly higher in bee colonies in NNY than in other regions of the state in 2016.

. Levels of Nosema, a parasitic fungal pathogen found in the bee digestive system, were significantly lower by 65-82 percent in bee colonies in NNY than in other regions of the state.

The research continues in 2017 to determine the main predictors for colony loss.

“Considerable evidence points to parasites and pathogens as a leading factor of bee colony loss and statewide beekeepers continued to experience unsustainable colony losses, averaging one-third of their operation in 2016, though less so in Northern New York,” Mullen said.

The cost to replace a single colony of bees ranges between $100 and $200.

Among the practices Cornell University and Cornell Cooperative Extension educators are encouraging beekeepers to pursue to encourage bee and colony health are detailed recordkeeping of colony observations and management, heightened monitoring for Varroa mites, and an Integrated Pest Management approach for disease and pest management.

Seventy-three percent of beekeepers in NNY reported already keeping records of colony inspections of growth, health, and productivity.

The average honey harvest by beekeepers in Northern NY is 46 lbs. of honey per hive.

The 2016 Improving Beekeeping Management Practices to Increase Pollinator Health and Honey Production in Northern New York report, data tables, and a NNY Beekeeper Directory are posted under the Horticulture tab on this website.

The farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program provides research and technical assistance to the six northernmost counties of New York State: Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence. Funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is supported by the New York State Senate and administered by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Click here to download high res jpg of photo at top of page

Event Notice:  August 1, 2017, 6-8 pm, CCE Lewis County, Lowville:  NNY bee health project leader Emma Mullen presents a bee health workshop on parasites, pathogens and pesticides in NYS. Cost: $5/person, pre-register by July 27 before 4 pm wth 315-376-5270.

 

The results of a research, funded by the farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program, evaluating a nutritional strategy to help dairy calves beat heat stress conditions unique to the northern region of New York State will be presented at the American Dairy Science Association meeting in Pittsburgh, PA, June 25-28, 2017.

Heat and humidity are the two key factors that prompted development of a project evaluating fat supplementation as a way to optimize dairy calf caloric intake to improve growth and health during times of heat stress. The research trial was conducted by W. H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute, Chazy, Clinton County, NY.

“Heat stress accounts for approximately $253,000 in annual losses of dairy animals from birth to one year of age across New York state,” said Miner Institute Director of Research Katie Ballard, adding, “and the average maximum temperature-to-humidity index (THI) in northern New York has been greater than the upper critical limit for lactating dairy cows from May through September in recent years.”

“When nutritional intake is reduced and energy is spent moderating body temperature during heat stress, calf growth is decreased and immune response can be negatively impacted. In addition to temperatures above the critical high index, the wide swings in temperatures in Northern New York are potentially more of a detriment because animals, young and mature, do not have time to properly acclimatize,” said project leader Kayla Hultquist, who will present the project results to the American Dairy Science Association.

In previous research, dairy calves consumed more starter grain to support the additional energy needed to regulate their body temperature in cold weather.

The research trials at Miner Institute focused on calves from 2 days to 57 days old. Each calf was assigned to one of three milk replacer treatments: no added fat, fat added when temperature exceeded 78 degrees Fahrenheit, or fat added throughout the study.

Average daily weight gains during the first six weeks of age were greater for calves receiving fat supplementation compared to the group not receiving fat-supplemented milk replacer at the same age, however, there was no difference between treatments when calf height or stature was compared. This indicates that weight gained by fat-supplemented calves was not because they grew taller; they just got heavier which is not desirable.

Overall feed efficiency, measured as weight gain across the entire trial period, was the greatest in the group that received milk replacer without added fat, indicating that farmers should considering feeding a lower fat milk replacer in the summer months to increase feed efficiency and still achieve appropriate growth in their calves.

The farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is a research and technical assistance program serving all agricultural sectors in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties. Funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is supported by the New York State Senate and administered through the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.