NNYADP Dairy Heat Stress Abatement Research was featured on a late June 2024 episode of the Cornell Cow Convos podcast. To hear the episode click on the highlighted link below.

In the eleventh episode of the Cornell Cow Convos podcast, Lindsay Ferlito, Cornell PRO-DAIRY’s Dairy Animal Welfare Specialist, and Dr. Kaitlyn Lutz, Dairy Management Specialist with CCE Northwest NY Dairy, Livestock, and Field Crops Team, interview Katie Ballard, Research Director at the William H. Miner Institute (and project leader of several NNYADP-funded dairy animal heat stress research projects). They discuss the impacts of heat stress in dairy cows in NY, the takeaways from Katie’s research in this area, and heat abatement strategies to consider on our region’s dairy farms.

To see the results of NNYADP dairy heat stress research, click here.

Willsboro, NY; June 20, 2024. The latest results of “superfruits” research funded by the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) will be featured during a July 10, 2024 field day at the Willsboro Research Farm. Data from the farm and participating growers with juneberry, honeyberry, aronia, and elderberry crops are posted at www.nnyagdev.org under the About: Projects by Year tab.  The 1:30-4:00 p.m. tour is free, open to the public, and will include multiple types of research projects.

Juneberry, honeyberry, aronia, and elderberry are referred to as “superfruits” for their high anti-oxidant, high phytonutrient value sought out by consumers, making them economically significant crops as well.

“Multiple growing seasons with a wide range of environmental conditions as well as pest and disease challenges provide a broad-based ‘laboratory’ for developing best practices to help growers adapt year-to-year,” said Willsboro Research Farm Manager Michael H. Davis, Ph.D.

Dr. Davis and SUNY Plattsburgh Assistant Professor of Biology and botanist Michael B. Burgess, Ph.D., initiated the “superfruits for northern New York” research in 2013, collecting wild varieties to plant alongside commercially-available varieties of juneberry. With NNYADP grant funding, they established New York state’s only juneberry research nursery at Willsboro in 2014.

Today, the Willsboro superfruits research trials include 25 varieties of juneberry, 16 varieties of honeyberry, six varieties of aronia, and seven varieties of elderberry.

JUNEBERRY: Spongy moth damage of 2022 seen in 2023
Most of the commercial and wild-collected fruiting varieties of juneberry at the Willsboro farm did not produce any flowers in 2023 and those that did had very few flowers.

“The extensive spongy moth infestation that defoliated the trial in 2022 likely depleted the resources the fruiting variety plants needed for flower and fruit production in 2023,” said Dr. Davis.

The ornamental varieties of juneberry in the trial not defoliated by the moths in 2022 flowered profusely in 2023.

A grower in Essex County with 10 varieties of juneberry, unaffected by spongy moth caterpillar in 2022, saw significant flowering in early May 2023, just before a severe frost eliminated the opportunity for harvestable fruit yield.

HONEYBERRY: Flowered well, but fruit yield down
In 2023, eighteen of the twenty honeyberry varieties in the Willsboro trial flowered well and in an overlapping pattern necessary for cross-pollination and fruit set. Fruit yield; however, was lower compared to 2021 for all the varieties.

“Fruit yield drop for two years in a row, and shorter than expected bush growth, requires a closer look at nutrient and irrigation management. In 2024 we have aggressively pruned the honeyberry trial to open the canopies that had become dense over some of the varieties,” Dr. Davis explained.

ARONIA: Yield rebounded, but needs attention
Spongy moth damaged but did not defoliate the aronia trial in 2022; howver, the fruiting that year was unproductive. Fruit yield rebounded somewhat in 2023, but did not reach production levels of 2020 and 2021. Dr. Davis is evaluating aronia’s nutritional needs for any deficiencies that might impact the potential for fruit yield. A mid-May freeze damaged the aronia trial in 2023 after the plants were in full bloom.

ELDERBERRY: Deer browse a problem
Elderberry was added to the NNYADP superfruits research roster in 2021. In 2023, deer heavily damaged the trial of five American and two European varieties of elderberry. One plant not impacted by the deer browse reached a height of approximately seven feet and produced flower and fruit. Additional deer fencing has been installed to protect the plants year-round.

Commercial growers in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties have supported this research with data and observations from their own on-farm plantings since 2017. They are marketing fresh-picked and u-pick fruit and value-added products using their fruits.

NNYADP superfruits research results are publicly-accessible at nnyagdev.org.

Funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program 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.

June 18, 2024. The farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) has published the first-year results of the hazelnut trials added to its “superfruits” research series in 2023.  The multi-stemmed wood perennial produces its “fruit” as nuts that are high in protein and oil with 81 percent as healthy mono-unsaturated oleic acid. The trial’s first-year results are now publicly-accessible at nnyagdev.org under About: Projects by Year 2023. The trial will be highlighted at the July 10, 2024 Field Day at the Willsboro Research Farm, 48 Sayward Lane, Willsboro, New York. The field day and tour are free and open to the public; 1:30-4 pm; more info: 518-963-7492.

“This research is evaluating the opportunity to add nut-producing perennial crops onto northern New York’s farms to diversify their income opportunities and biodiversity,” said NNYADP superfruits research leader and Willsboro Research Farm Manager Michael H. Davis, Ph.D.

Hybrid hazelnuts are well-suited to northern New York growing conditions and can be integrated into a wide range of cropping systems, including orchard-style, agroforestry alley-cropping, and silvopasture, according to Dr. Davis.

Agronomist Myra Lawyer helped plant 116 seedlings representing eight varieties of American hazelnut at the Willsboro Research Farm in April and May of 2023. Lawyer provides agricultural assistance as an employee of the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC), working with the Lake Champlain Basin Program.

“As an agronomist and a conservationist, I am interested to begin seeing the trial data regarding expected positive environmental benefits from the hybrid hazelnut’s impact on soil health, biodiversity, and water quality,” Lawyer said.

Eight additional varieties of hybrid hazelnut were added to the trial in the spring of 2024. Deer fencing was installed to protect the planting, with an oat-pea fall cover crop seeding alongside one of the two rows of the trial.

Dr. Davis and SUNY Plattsburgh Assistant Professor of Biology and botanist Dr. Michael B. Burgess established the NNYADP-funded superfruits research, installing New York state’s first Juneberry nursery at the Willsboro Research Farm in 2013. The fruits there now include juneberry, honeyberry, aronia, and elderberry – all selected for their high antioxidant, high phytonutrient value.

With a new grant from the NNYADP, Dr. Davis has recently established a small planting of chestnut for evaluation as another high-value crop for northern New York growers.

Funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program 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.

June 11, 2024. The farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program has posted the second-year results of its Value of Manure project, a regional research project contributing to a statewide effort to update New York’s manure value crediting system. The research considers how advances in nutrition, new manure treatment systems, and overall farm management have impacted manure composition and nutrient availability to corn silage and grain crops.

“Our research is evaluating the nutrient value of different types of manure sources beyond those common at the time the original manure crediting system was developed. We also evaluate the yield and forage quality benefits that manure may have beyond what can be obtained using just inorganic fertilizer to manage the crops” says Quirine M. Ketterings, Ph.D., Director of the Cornell Nutrient Management Spear Program.

Manure contains nitrogen (N) in organic and inorganic forms. Organic N becomes plant-available over time; inorganic N is already crop-available and can be lost when manure is surface-applied or applied when the crop cannot benefit from it. Both types of scenarios are being evaluated.

The project is also looking at how variable manure nutrient composition is between farms, storages on farms and days within a spreading interval. The research group sampled 16 manure sources from five farms in northern NY. The results showed that farm-specific manure management greatly impacted nutrient composition.

A Tale of Two Farms
The NNYADP Value of Manure research project results showed silage yield and silage quality benefited from spring-applied manure at the two trial locations in NNY in 2023. Manure was applied to three strips, and three strips were left without manure application in each location. Then, each strip (manured and not manured) was subdivided into 6 subplots, and each subplot received a different N sidedress rate.

At Farm A, 10,370 gallons/acre of dairy liquid manure were injected in April. Farm B broadcasted 30 tons/acre of solid dairy manure. Sidedress N fertilizer was applied to six subplots at Farm A at rates from 0 to 175 lbs N/acre and at Farm B at rates from 0 to 200 lbs N/acre.

Most economical rate of N (MERN) was calculated to identify the N rate that would give the maximum economic return for manured and non-manured scenarios. The calculation used a fertilizer price of 73 cents per pound of N, and a $55/ton silage value at 35% dry matter (DM).

For Farm A, the MERN was 109 lbs N/acre when no manure was applied versus 0 lbs N/acre where manure had been applied. The silage yield at the MERN was 24.3 tons/acre with manure applied versus 22.9 tons/acre without manure. When no sidedress was applied to zero-N fertilizer subplots, the average silage yield in the manured plots was 4.2 tons/acre higher than when no manure was applied.

For Farm A, the economic yield at the MERN, not including the cost of application, was $1,137/acre with manure versus $986/acre without manure.

For Farm B, the MERN was 56 lbs N/acre when no manure was applied versus 113 lbs N/acre. where manure had been applied. The increase in fertilizer N reflected a very large increase in yield. When no sidedress was applied to zero-N fertilizer subplots, the average yield in the manured plots was 4.6 tons/acre higher than when no manure was applied. At the MERN, the yield was 17.1 tons/acre when manure was applied versus 12.5 tons/acre without manure.

For Farm B, the return at the MERN, not including the cost of application, was $658/acre when manure was applied versus $449/acre without manure.

Impact on Forage Nutrients
Manure application at Farm A increased forage potassium, calcium, magnesium, and copper in the silage. Crude protein, phosphorus, potassium, and copper contents were lower in the lower N sidedress plots than in the higher-rate subplots. At Farm B, manure application increased forage soluble protein, neutral detergent fiber, and manganese concentrations. Crude protein and soluble protein contents were lower when less N was sidedressed.

This research continues in 2024 with a new grant from the farmer-driven NNYADP. Project collaborators include Champlain Valley Agronomics, Peru, NY; W.H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute, Chazy, NY; and Cornell PRO-DAIRY, Ithaca, NY.

Complete results from the NNYADP Value of Manure trials in 2022 and 2023 are posted at nnyagdev.org under About: Projects by Year. Statewide project results are summarized on the What’s Cropping Up? Cornell Field Crops blog.

Funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program 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.

Funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program 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.

NNYADP DAIRY RESEARCH RESULTS TO BE PRESENTED AT 2024 AMERICAN DAIRY SCIENCE CONFERENCE
Miner Institute to Share Cow Comfort Before-and-After Cooling Fans Data with Dairy Industry Professionals

Northern New York; May 28, 2024.  The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) has announced that the result of its latest dairy cow heat stress abatement research funded by the farmer-driven program will be presented at the June 16-19, 2024 American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) conference in Florida and in the Cornell Cow Convos podcast at 12:00 pm on June 27, 2024.

“This study provided a unique before-and-after opportunity to evaluate the impact of the installation of fans on animal well-being and performance during the short periods of heat stress that are common in northern New York and do not allow the time needed for cows to acclimate,” says Katie Ballard, Director of Research at Miner Institute, Chazy, New York. Ballard has overseen a number of NNYADP-funded dairy animal heat stress research projects.

Ballard will travel to the ADSA conference in West Palm Beach  to present the before-and-after impact of fan installation on cow comfort and performance on a farm not previously using fans. Earlier NNYADP-funded research provided no-fans-in-use baseline data from that farm at which the farm management team installed 51-inch variable-speed, auto-control fans in 2022.

The earlier on-farm heat stress abatement conducted by Miner Institute with NNYADP grant funding showed the impact of periodic and short duration environmental heat stress events on dairy cows, particularly on higher-producing cows under northern NY conditions. The data showed decreased milk production, changes in milk composition, decreased reproductive performance, and increased rates of lameness during the episodic heat events.

The data collection includes environmental temperature and relative humidity, reticular temperature of the cows in the study, lying and standing time, lameness, bulk tank yield and milk composition, and measures of reproduction performance.

“In our earlier projects, improving air movement on one farm resulted in an hour more of lying time by the cows. One hour of increased lying time has been equated to the opportunity to gain 2 to 3.5 pounds more milk per cow per day,” Ballard explains. “Our date in 2023 in terms of lameness, milk production and composition, and reproduction impact clearly showed the economic value from the use of fans.”
Table 3 shows the impact of environmental heat stress events on the reticular body temperature and lying time of dairy cows before and after installation of fans on a northern New York dairy farm; source: Miner Institute, NNYADP The Effectiveness of Fans for Heat Stress Abatement in Lactating Dairy Cows in Northern New York results report.

 

Figure 5 shows the before and after impact of fan installation on average milk production per cow per day on a northern New York dairy farm participating in NNYADP-funded heat stress abatement research in 2019 and 2022-2023.

The economic impact of climatic heat stress alone on the U.S. dairy industry was estimated at $900 million in annual losses in a research report published by R. J. Collier et al. in the ADSA Journal of Dairy Science in 2006.

The NNYADP-funded research over time suggests the question of whether recommended windspeed to increase animal comfort and mitigate the physiological impact of heat stress on dairy cows in northern New York needs to be increased over current recommendations.

Funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program 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. The results of NNYADP projects are publicly-accessible at www.nnyagdev.org.