Northern New York Agricultural Development Program Press Releases

July 6, 2005

Contact: Jon Greenwood, 315-386-3231; Joe Giroux, 518-563-7523; 
R. David Smith, 607-255-7286; jpgs: karalynn@gisco.net, 315-465-7578
Note: Uihlein is pronounced e-line


Improving Meals, Milk and Maple: Fact Sheet Available on Five NNY Agricultural Research Facilities

From the potatoes on your dinner table and the maple syrup on your pancakes to the milk you drink and the fruits, vegetables and meats you eat, you are seeing the results of research conducted at five agricultural research stations and on farms located in Northern New York. A diverse range of projects conducted at the Learning Farm and Education Center, Canton; The William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute, Chazy; Cornell Baker Research Farm, Willsboro; the Cornell Uihlein Maple Research Station, Lake Placid; and the Cornell Uihlein Potato Research Station, Lake Placid, and on farms located throughout the region provides farmers in Northern New York with valuable region-specific information. 

�Ideally, research should be conducted where the results of that research will be applied,� says Northern New York Agricultural Development Program Co-Chair Jon Greenwood, a St. Lawrence County dairy farmer. �The work conducted at the five research stations and on local farms in Northern New York tests crops and livestock under our growing conditions and the results help the region�s farmers evaluate the potential for yield, quality and income for their particular management practices.�

Northern New York Agricultural Development Program Co-Chair Joe Giroux, a Clinton County dairy farmer, says, �The research at these facilities and farms offers the latest in production techniques and technology to help farmers maximize effort and income, reduce environmental impact, and meet consumer food quality demands.�

Current work at the Learning Farm and Education Center operated by Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County in Canton includes evaluating the grass-fed production of beef from Holstein steers, a soil health project; and crop trials of fescue and forage soybeans and a wild strain of reed canarygrass. 

At The William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute, Chazy, a herd of 500 Registered Holstein dairy cattle are housed in a barn built for cow comfort and provide researchers with data on dairy production. The Miner Institute works closely with a network of regional farms currently hosting controlled studies of dairy nutrition. 

At the Cornell Baker Research Farm, Willsboro, a unique subsurface drainage system provides researchers with excellent conditions to analyze field runoff from manure, fertilizer and pesticide applications. Other projects include crop trials, including testing 25 varieties of cold-hardy grapes, and organic crop and vegetable production. The Baker farm crew also manages crop trials for corn, soybeans, grasses and legumes at The Miner Institute.

At the Cornell Uihlein Maple Research Station in Lake Placid, researchers are improving sugarbush management and sweet trees, and evaluating microspouts for tapping trees and UV (ultraviolet) treatment of sap. The two main focus areas at the Cornell Uihlein Potato Research Station, Lake Placid, are producing seed stocks for the New York potato industry and developing new varieties of disease-free seed stock from breeding lines from Cornell University and elsewhere.

For a fact sheet on the five research stations in NNY, go to the Facilities page of the website at www.nnyagdev.org. The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is a farmer-driven research and education program. 

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Backgrounder sheet follows with info on all 5 research stations

Northern NY Agricultural Research Facilities Backgrounder
For jpgs: contact Kara Dunn, karalynn@gisco.net, 315-465-7578

Research Facility Name: Learning Farm and Education Center
Location: 2043 State Route 68, Canton, NY 13617
Operated by: Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of St. Lawrence County
History: Established with NYS Legislature funds in 1960s as a research station at the State University of New York Agricultural and Technical College; CCE of St. Lawrence County took over operations in 1998
Size: 363 acres total: former Martin property (220), former Kennedy farm (143)
Current Projects at Farm: grass-fed production of beef from Holstein steers, soil health project, and crop trials, include plantings of fescue and forage soybeans, and a wild strain screening of reed canarygrass. 
Website: link via www.nnyagdev.org or www.cce.stlawrence.ny.us
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Research Facility Name: The William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute 
Location: 1034 Miner Farm Road, Chazy, NY 12921
History: William H. Miner built Heart�s Delight Farm in 1903. The research institute was established in 1951.
Size: A 40-acre plot is available to Cornell University and the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program for agronomic trials managed by the farm crew from the Cornell Baker Research Farm at Willsboro. The farm in total has about 580 tillable acres.
Current Projects at Farm: variety trials of legumes, grasses, corn and soybeans; study of tillage practices, dairy nutrition, dairy production, and environmental impact of dairying.
Website: link via www.nnyagdev.org or www.whminer.com
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Research Facility Name: Cornell Baker Research Farm
Location: Willsboro, NY 12996
History: E. Vreeland Baker donated farm to Cornell University in 1982.
Size: 350 acres with a diversity of soils.
Current Projects at Farm: crop trials for grasses and legumes, studies of organic crop and vegetable production, and nutrient management and runoff research. 
Website: via www.nnyagdev.org or www.organic.cornell.edu/facilities/willsboro.html
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Research Facility Name:Cornell Uihlein (pronounced e-line) Maple Research Station 
Location: 157 Bear Cub Lane, Lake Placid, NY 
History: Established in 1965 with donation by Mr. and Mrs. Henry Uihlein II.
Size: 220-plus acres.
Current Projects: improving sugarbush management and sweet trees, evaluating microspouts for tapping trees; UV (ultraviolet) treatment of sap.
Website: link via www.nnyagdev.org or http://maple.dnr.cornell.edu
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Research Facility Name: Cornell Uihlein (pronounced e-line) Potato Research Station 
Location: Lake Placid, NY (visitation restricted)
History: Donated in 1961 by Mr. and Mrs. Henry Uihlein II.
Size: 175 tillable acres.
Current Projects: production of seed stocks for New York potato industry; laboratory and field development of new varieties of disease-free seed stock from breeding lines from Cornell University and elsewhere.
Website: via www.nnyagdev.org or http://seedpotato.newyork.cornell.edu/uihlein.html