Farmers: Time to Order Bio-control Nematodes; Entrepreneurs: Start a Business to Protect Northern NY Alfalfa Crops

Northern NY: May 31, 2017.   The farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is reminding farmers to get orders in for the bio-control nematodes that help protect alfalfa crops from the highly destructive alfalfa snout beetle. The beetle is considered the single most key factor limiting alfalfa as a key feed crop for the dairy and livestock industries in the six northernmost counties of New York State.

The nematodes are available from the Shields Lab at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, and may be available from custom applicators who rear the nematodes following the protocol developed by Cornell entomologist Dr. Elson Shields.

Shields recommends applying the bio-control nematodes on alfalfa fields in the seeding year or first production year for best economic impact. Applications need to be made before September 1. Nematodes should be ordered from the Shields Lab at least 45 days prior to the planned application date. Contact the Shields Lab at 607-591-1493 or at28@cornell.edu for cost and details.

The Shields Lab is available to help farmers who want to rear their own nematodes on-farm. The website at www.nnyagdev.org provides a link to a guide for rearing and applying the nematodes.

Individuals interested in rearing the nematodes as a business enterprise may contact the Shields Lab for guidance. That guidance helped launch a biocontrol nematode rearing business as a new enterprise for an established custom applicator service in Franklin County.

The farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program provided the long-term funding that supported development of the science for using two strains of native NY nematodes as a bio-control for alfalfa snout beetle in tandem with the planting of alfalfa snout beetle-resistant varieties of alfalfa developed with Program funding.

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.

MORE INFO: Click here to learn more about the NNY agribusinesses that assisted nematode applications in 2015: www.nnyagdev.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/NNYADPASBagbusinessPR.pdf

May 15, 2017.  The farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program has announced grant awards for 24 projects. The research projects are focused on dairy animal health, crop disease and pest prevention and management, forage supply options, agricultural nutrient management and farm stewardship, and beef, fruit, vegetable and maple production.

A complete list of the 2017 Northern New York Agricultural Development Program grant projects is online under About Us: Projects at www.nnyagdev.org.

The grants issued by the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program are made possible by State Budget support of the program that prioritizes research and technical assistance to farmers in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties. The Program received $600,000 in the 2017-2018 New York State Budget. The funding is supported by the New York State Senate and administered through the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

‘Our thanks go to the New York State Senate for the funding that allows us to address the agricultural challenges and opportunities unique to Northern New York. Our project results support the sustainability of the agricultural economic engine so critical to communities across the region,’ said Northern New York Agricultural Development Program Co-Chair Jon Greenwood, a dairy producer in St. Lawrence County.

‘The funding provided through the leadership of Senators Patty Ritchie, Betty Little and Joe Griffo with support from their Agriculture Committee colleagues and our regional legislators enables on-farm applied research and trials under real-life conditions,’ noted Northern New York Agricultural Development Program Co-Chair Joe Giroux, a dairy operator in Clinton County.

‘State funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program represents an investment that is applied across the diverse agricultural sectors in Northern New York to enhance production efficiency, animal health, environmental stewardship, and farm sustainability. This is especially critical in times of low milk prices that impact our farm-based economy regionwide,’ said Northern New York Agricultural Development Program Co-Chair Jon Rulfs, a dairy and orchard producer in northeastern NNY.

‘I have seen first-hand how the vital research conducted by the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is impacting New York farmers,’ said Senator Patty Ritchie, who Chairs the Senate Agriculture Committee. ‘I have no doubt the results from the 2017-2018 research projects will go a long way in helping to improve the bottom lines of New York farmers, which will help solidify the future of our state’s leading industry.’

‘This year’s budget contained many important initiatives. Always a priority for me is support for our farmers including funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program,’ said Senator Betty Little. ‘I know the grants being announced today will be put to good use and will help many local farmers do what they do even better. I am so grateful for their hard work, appreciate that they keep us well-fed, and for the jobs and revenue they create that are important to our economy.’

Senator Joe Griffo said, ‘With significant funding once again secured by the State Senate on behalf of the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program, I am hopeful that our farmers will be able to continue the innovative research programs necessary to increase their efficiency and to develop new methods for sustainable success.’

Those receiving Northern New York Agricultural Development Program funds for 2017 projects include Quality Milk Production Services, Canton, NY; W.H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute, Chazy, NY; Cornell University research leaders and extension educators; and the Cornell Agricultural Experiment Station at Willsboro Research Farm, Willsboro, NY.

Northern NY; May 8, 2017.  The farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program has announced the results of vegetable research providing market growers with an unexpected insight into the production challenges associated with the increasingly popular cherry-type tomatoes. The project report, which includes data on labor efficiency, weed control, and brown leaf mold susceptibility, is posted here.

‘This research funded by the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program responded to growers struggling with controlling the rampant growth of the cherry-type tomato plants and questioning whether the time they spend pruning this vigorous tomato is worth the effort,’ said project leader Amy Ivy, a vegetable specialist with the Cornell University Cooperative Extension Eastern NY Commercial Horticulture Program.

The Northern NY trial evaluated and compared the labor, efficiency, and yield of three different tomato training systems: an intensively pruned single leader, a standard double leader, and a less intensively pruned four-leader system.

‘Most growers feel the intensive system takes too much time, but our research showed that it took less time to train and harvest than the less intensive system which became a tangle of vines that slowed the work,’ noted Ivy.

‘Comparing yield and efficiency of harvest with each treatment revealed additional significant difference to help growers decide which system may work best for their individual time and income goals,’ Ivy added.

In addition to taming the rampant growth of the cherry tomato, another challenge high tunnel vegetable growers face is the disease of brown leaf mold. This project included a variety trail comparing a popular but brown leaf mold-susceptible variety, Sun Gold, with three disease-resistant varieties in terms of taste and productivity. Sixty growers and volunteers taste tested the four varieties of cherry tomatoes; results are noted in the final report online.

This research in 2016 also included field trials at the Willsboro Research Farm, Willsboro, NY, to evaluate 13 single or mixed summer cover crop options for weed suppression in field-planted vegetable crops.

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.

Northern NY Ag Program Receives $600,000; Economic Impact Highlighted in Annual Report

Northern NY.  The $600,000 designated in the 2017-2018 New York State Budget for the farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program will fund on-farm field trials in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties. The budget funding is supported by the New York State Senate and administered through the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

New York State Senator Patty Ritchie, who chairs the Senate Agriculture Committee, noted, “I worked hard to include this funding because I know of the vital work that the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is performing to help farmers, right here in our region and across the state, strengthening their bottom lines, growing their businesses, and solidifying the future of family farming in New York State.”

“Restoring this line of funding in the State Budget was a priority for me and my Senate Republican colleagues,” said Senator Betty Little. “We recognize the value of this agricultural program and its importance to North Country farmers and know it will be of tremendous value in the year ahead.”

Senator Joseph Griffo said, “With agriculture as one of our leading industries in New York State, it is imperative that our hardworking farmers are able to adapt and stay one step ahead of the environmental challenges confronting our farms today. With this significant funding once again secured by the State Senate on behalf of the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program, I am hopeful that our farmers will be able to continue the innovative research programs necessary to increase their efficiency and to develop new methods for sustainable success.”

The recent Northern New York Agricultural Development Program Economic Impact Report notes the following highlights from projects completed in 2016:
. the potential for a 7-12 percent return on investment for tile drainage installation;
. developing strategies to address dairy calf and cow health challenges specific to Northern New York, including extreme weather forage options and ways to reduce calf loss to heat stress;
. a new agribusiness startup spurred by long-term regional research results;
. horticultural projects addressing disease and pest resistance;
. preparation to refresh the cold-hardy grape research nursery established with Northern New York Agricultural Development Program funding in Willsboro;
. ways to improve beekeeping practices with attention to pollinator health;
. ways to cope with NNY regional micro-climate extremes; for example, recent apple orchard trials address how to save growers up to $6,800 per acre with an irrigation strategy; and
. niche marketing crop development for ginger, edamame, juneberry and birch syrup; for example, an 8-ounce jar of juneberry jam can sell for up to $8; birch syrup can retail at $200 gallon.

In addition to annual economic highlight and research project reports, the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program website at nnyagdev.org includes 2016 project summaries specific to field crops, horticultural crops, and the maple industry.

The results of 2016 corn grain hybrid trials in Northern New York are now posted on this website in the Field Crops/Corn section, scroll down to find the Variety Trials data for several years.

Cornell University Professor of Plant Breeding and Genetics Dr. Margaret E. Smith notes, “Growers should always choose hybrids based on multiple years of evaluation and multi-location data whenever possible since any hybrid can have a banner year or banner environment one year but not necessarily hold up over a range of different growing seasons.”

See NNY corn hybrid trial results reports for 2004-2016 at www.nnyagdev.org/index.php/field-crops/research-corn/.

MORE INFO:
. Northern New York farmers harvest approximately 13 percent of the total corn acreage in New York State.

. To help growers select the highest yielding corn varieties for planting, the farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program funds Cornell University field trials that evaluate not only yield, but crop vigor, moisture, standability, and other plant health factors that influence the opportunity to grow a high quality, productive crop.

. The 2016 field trials evaluated 50 early-maturing hybrids on farms in Madrid and Chazy, NY, and 16 medium-early hybrids in Madrid.

. An evaluation of leaf disease development was also planned as part of the 2016 hybrids trial, however, generally due to dry conditions throughout the growing season in Northern New York, no significant leaf or insect pressure was found at either the Chazy or Madrid site.

. 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.