A cost-sharing program to encourage the application of biocontrol nematodes for managing alfalfa snout beetle shas been funded for 2015 by the NNY Agricultural Development Program Small Grants Program and is being implemented by Cornell University Cooperative Extension Field Crops and Soils Specialists in Jefferson, Lewis, St. Lawrence, Franklin, Clinton and Essex Counties and the Shields’ Lab at Cornell University.

Click here for program guidelines

For more information and to enroll, contact your local CCE Specialist:
Jefferson and Lewis counties: Mike Hunter, 315-788-8450 ext 266, meh27@cornell.edu

Clinton, Essex, Franklin and St. Lawrence counties: Kitty O’Neil, 315-854-1218, kitty.oneil@cornell.edu

Alfalfa Snout Beetle (ASB) is the major limiting factor in alfalfa production and stand longevity in all Northern New York counties. Uncontrolled, ASB can destroy a new alfalfa seeding in just a year or two. Field losses cost producers from $250 to $400 per acre from this insect. Over the past 25+ years, with funding support from the farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program, an ASB biological control program has been developed by the Shields’ Lab at Cornell University that uses native, insect-attacking nematodes (biocontrol nematodes). To date, approximately 8,000-10,000 acres of alfalfa have been treated with these ASB-biocontrol nematodes on about 65 farms.

Some farms have inoculated the majority of their alfalfa acres while a number of farms have only inoculated 1-2 fields. Early adopting producers, who have treated multiple fields within an area have reported a significant decline of ASB on their farm and have returned to growing alfalfa successfully. The decline in ASB population in an area has taken 3-5 years after multiple fields were treated. In contrast, farmers who have treated only a couple of fields in an area are not seeing much impact on their ASB populations. For these reasons, this cost-sharing program was developed to encourage more growers to treat fields within problematic ASB areas.

On-farm research the past 7 years indicates that just a single application of biocontrol nematodes is required in a field because these biocontrol nematodes persist in the field for many years, including across multiple year rotations to row crops.

Many farmers are hopeful that planting the new ASB-resistant alfalfa varieties will solve their ASB insect problems, but these varieties are currently only moderately resistant and can be overrun by high ASB populations. For example, heavy ASB pressure wiped out all of Cornell’s resistant alfalfa lines planted in a Lewis County field comparison in 2014.

To effectively control ASB, a dual management strategy must be used. ASB populations must be reduced using biocontrol nematodes before ASB resistant alfalfa can be used effectively. The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program has funded the selective breeding of ASB-resistant alfalfa varieties.

 

The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program held its 2015 annual meetings in Watertown in January and at Miner Institute in Chazy in February. NNYADP Co-Chair Jon Greenwood led the Watertown meeting; NNYADP Co-Chairs Joe Giroux and Jon Rulfs led the Chazy meeting.

Farmers attending the meetings heard the successful results and updates of several research projects funded by the farmer-driven NNYADP for Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties. Legislators, legislative aides and media also attended the meetings.

Each meeting included the opportunity for farmers to gather by commodity groups: dairy and field crops, livestock, horticulture, and maple to review past projects and identify areas of need and opportunity for future small grants funding.

Click here to see photos and summaries.

 

February 27, 2015: NNYADP Posts Economic Impact Report
Link to press release as pdf

The farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program has posted the economic impact report for its 2014 projects at www.nnyagdev.org. The program serves Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties with farmer-selected agricultural research and technical assistance projects.

Twenty-nine NNYADP–funded projects in 2014 included research focused on dairy and field crops production, crop and livestock pest and disease management, agricultural environmental management, beef production and marketing, and fruit and vegetable production.

One NNYADP project showed promise of protecting strawberry crops with the application of the successful biocontrol treatment developed by Cornell entomologist Elson Shields, at left, with NNYADP funding to manage a highly-destructive alfalfa pest. The participating berry grower was suffering up to $30,000/year in economic loss to two types of weevils.

Shields’ protocol for using native NY nematodes to reduce alfalfa snout beetle that can destroy entire crops in one growing season was applied to nearly 10,000 acres of alfalfa in 2014, extending its value to dairy, livestock and cash crop farmers.

In a separate NNYADP project, Cornell researchers are gaining ground in selectively breeding alfalfa snout beetle-resistant alfalfa varieties. Alfalfa is valued by the dairy industry at $135/ton for milk production.

Corn and soybean growers in Northern New York and elsewhere in the state are welcoming the results of the NNYADP Corn & Soybean Disease Diagnosis and Assessment. Results are alerting farmers to react quickly newly-emerging and perennial crop problems. The regional corn and soybean industry is valued at $106.91 million.

NNYADP-funded research conducted by the Quality Milk Production Services Lab in Canton has begun identifying mastitis-causing contagions that appear to be becoming a new challenge to the $486.9 million dairy industry of NNY.

A 44 cents per cow per day gain in income over feed costs was the estimated benefit of the NNYADP project evaluating regional options for cost-effective, lower-starch feed options to replace corn in the dairy cow diet. This project was conducted by W.H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute in Chazy.

Dairy and field crops projects in 2014 produced insights on how dairy operators can boost forage quality, feed digestibility, fiber balance, and the resulting milk per acre gain in production when that forage is fed to dairy cows. For example, participating farms saw more than a 110 percent gain in crop yield on eight fields in the research trials evaluating field-by-field nutrient use. The return in efficiently grown corn crops is expected to return as much as $4.15 per bushel in 2015.

The NNYADP economic report notes that one Northern NY dairy farmer who worked with crop advisor to implement the Adapt-N software that identified the level of nitrogen needed to grow corn estimates he saved $20,000 in fertilizer that was not needed.

The small livestock farmers who help drive the NNYADP asked for assistance in controlling a parasite that is a cause of high mortality in sheep and goats. On-farm NNYADP research conducted in 2014 is identifying strategies that work and treatments that are not effective for the NNY small livestock industry valued in excess of $679,000.

One of the NNYADP fruit and vegetable projects in 2014 evaluated opportunities for high tunnel growers to extend their revenue opportunities with high value crops, including $8/lb basil, $16/lb ginger, and $3.50/lb. beans.

Vegetable growers are benefiting from NNYADP research and outreach on how to cope with leaf mold that impacts greenhouse and high tunnel production of tomatoes as a high value retail crop valued at an average of nearly $3500/acre according to the NNYADP economic impact report.

Precision apple orchard management work is improving fruit quality and harvest opportunities for the $16 million Northern New York apple industry.

NNYADP funds established the first Juneberry genetics nursery in New York State in Willsboro as the go-to research center for the ‘superfruit’ high in both nutritional value and consumer interest. The NNYADP report cites a pint of Juneberries retails for 20 percent more than a pint of blueberries

The NNYADP economic reports and project results are posted online at www.nnyagdev.org. Click on the boxes to the right on the home page for Economic Reports and Success Stories. Click on individual headings at the top of the page to find research reports in your interest area: Dairy, Crops, Livestock, Local Foods/Horticulture, Maple, and Bio-Energy.

 

The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is among the priority programs that NY Farm Bureau (NYFB) is encouraging State legislators to fund in the 2015-16 State Budget. NYFB recently sent a notice listing 13 of 35 programs it supports; NNYADP is on the longer list that advocates will be presenting in Albany on March 2-3.

On Monday, February 23, NYFB issued a call for support for NNYADP and other organizations not in the earlier mailing. The following link was provided in that email for expressing your support for funding renewal for NNYADP.

http://capwiz.com/nyfb/issues/alert/?alertid=64154016&type=ST&show_alert=1

Extension Dairy Performance Management Workshops: Feb. 18 in Malone, Feb. 19 in Canton

Cornell Cooperative Extension will present 10am-3pm workshops on performance management for dairy operators on Wednesday, February 18 in Malone and Thursday, February 19 in Canton. The workshops are targeted to dairy owners interested in learning more about leadership styles and qualities and how to put them to work to attract the right employees.

Presenters are Tom Mahoney with the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University and University of Vermont Professor Emeritus Rick LeVitre, who is now executive director of Cornell Cooperative Extension Franklin County.

Workshop participants will discuss how to prepare a job description to attract the desired workers as well as techniques for documenting and positively disciplining problem employees. An Employee Handbook authored by Mahoney will be available for $7.

The Malone workshop will be held at the 911 Emergency Services Building on Bare Hill Road; the Canton workshop will be at the St. Lawrence County Extension Learning Farm.

The workshop fee includes lunch and is $30/person; details and registration are online at https://reg.cce.cornell.edu/Dairy_216. For more information, contact NNY Dairy Specialist Kim Morrill at 315-379-9192, kmm434@cornell.edu or Rick LeVitre at 518-483-7403,rlevitre@cornell.edu.