Agriculture News
Steuben and Schuyler Counties
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Dear Readers:
Beginning in January 2021, we will be limiting mailed versions of the Agriculture Newsletter to those who pay to subscribe due to mailing costs. This email version will continue to be free to everyone interested. Many of you will have received a letter last month describing the options available to you. Use the QR code shown here or sign up online to continue receiving your Agriculture News by email.
- Ariel Kirk, Agriculture Educator
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Agriculture and Natural Resources
Program Committee
Joe Castrechino Prattsburgh
Linwood Ford Savona
Drew Heisey Hornell
Allison Lavine Savona
Gary Mahany Arkport
Greg Muller Bath
Bob Nichols Addison
Legislative Representatives:
Hilda Lando
Fred Potter
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Congratulations to CCE Steuben and the 4H program on meeting and exceeding their fundraising goal on Friday, November 13, 2020!
This single day fundraising event, called FLX gives, allowed CCE Steuben and its 4H kids the opportunity to focus on one dedicated project: New bathrooms for the youth at the fairgrounds.
The current bathrooms are not accessible, are far from the barns, and outdated. With the community's generous support, CCE Steuben surpassed their goal of $12,000 and made nearly $27,000 for this much needed endeavor.
Thank you do all who donated and all who helped plan and share our project goals. We look forward to breaking ground on the bathrooms and sharing our progress with all of you.
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Online Forage Management Course Available
for 2021
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Cornell PRO-DAIRY is offering a seven-week online Forage Management Course January 15 through March 15, 2021. Registration is $265.00 per person. A discount of $25 applies for registrations competed before January 2.
The Forage Management Course will begin with agronomic factors that influence forage quality and follow key strategies for harvest, preservation and feed out of quality feed. It will be valuable for decision makers and key employees in the cropping and feeding system on the farm. The course will include a mix of basic “101” level material combined with more advanced concepts and recent research findings.
Who Should Attend?
This course will focus on practical information for day to day management and decision making of forage crops from crop selection to feed out on a dairy farm. Aspects of the course will be specific to Northeast U.S. growing conditions and horizontal silos (bunks, trenches, drive over piles) but most of the material will be applicable to any dairy operation and storage structure.
Topics Covered:
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· Fermentation and Silage Science
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· Forage Variety Selection & Quality Considerations
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· Forage Harvest Management
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· Silage Storage & Management
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· TMR Mixing Procedure & Maintenance
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· Feed Out and Feed Bunk Management
Read more information within the link above
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Upcoming workshops and events |
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The Feed Dealer Seminars are specifically targeted for nutritionists, veterinarians, crop and management consultants, extension educators, and dairy producers with specific interest in nutrition-oriented topics.
Presentations blend the latest concepts in feeding and other management aspects of dairies with field level application.
The seminar will take place on December 9th, 2020 with a morning session from 8-10:30am and an evening session from 6:30-9pm. The same information will be presented on both days. There is no cost to attend, but pre-registration is required.
Links to join the live presentations will be shared after submitting registration.
Registration is available here.
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New Ongoing Discussion Group for Small Ruminant Management
This discussion group was formed to connect sheep and goat farmers, extension staff, researchers, and service providers to share experiences and information on sheep and goat management.
The group will focus on commercial production of all types including goat and sheep dairies, solar array grazers, traditional meat and fiber operations and grass-fed farms.
This discussion group will meet virtually via ZOOM at 7:30 pm on the third Thursday of every month.
The first meeting was held on November 19th at 7:30 pm and focused on "winter feeding".
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Thinking of Starting a Red Meat Packing Plant in New York State? |
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New York State and our own region has many beef and meat producers in the area, but oftentimes there is a bottleneck when it's time to process. These wait times can hinder processing and create an unstandardized finished product, which can effect consumer opinion of purchasing somewhere other than the grocery store.
Check out the information below for more information:
2020 has been a challenging year for livestock farmers and red meat packers in NY. With many packers already booked solidly for 2021, livestock farmers are feeling panicked about how to get their animals harvested in a timely way. This has driven unprecedented interest in opening new slaughterhouse facilities in the state. But anyone who does not already have a strong background and expertise in the industry faces a steep learning curve, with high risk and a large investment of money.
This free webinar will lay out some of the primary considerations for opening a red meat slaughter and processing facility, from infrastructure to regulations and from labor to financing.
Presenter Marty Broccoli of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Oneida County has 40 years of experience in the meat packing industry, and provides technical assistance for new plants in NY. Keith Schrader is a long-time beef farmer who owns Schrader Farms Meat Market, a USDA slaughterhouse in Romulus, NY.
Both will share key tips and lessons learned, with ample time for Q&A.
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Dear Readers,
Unfortunately Spotted Lanternfly has been seen alive in NY. The article below by our grape specialist, Hans Walter Peterson, gives more details of the event:
We've all been saying that it was not really a matter of if the spotted lanternfly (SLF) would arrive in New York, but when.
Unfortunately, this might be the beginning of 'when'. In the first full week of November, we learned that several live and dead adult SLF were found in the Ithaca area, along with several egg masses. You can read the official announcement from Ag & Markets here. Staff from NY Ag & Markets, the Department of Environmental Conservation, and others have been conducting intensive surveys of the area since the discovery, trying to identify any other occurrences of the pest. Work has also started on developing plans for the removal of tree-of-heaven (the most preferred host of SLF), as well as targeted insecticide use. Although tree-of-heaven is the favored host of SLF, removing tree-of-heaven from your property alone won't prevent SLF from showing up as it can move into vineyards from neighboring properties and it can survive on other preferred hosts, besides grapes, including black walnut, butternut, river birch, willow, sumac, red maple, and silver maple.
We're all crossing our fingers that the inspectors will be able to find and destroy all of the egg masses in the area, but it's entirely possible that not all of them will be found. The fact that we have now had our first confirmation of egg cases in the Finger Lakes region means that our vigilance about this pest needs to get "kicked up a notch" (as Emeril Lagasse would say) in the coming months. As most growers know, after tree-of-heaven, grapes are another attractive host for SLF, so the proximity of this pest to our region means that there is an increased risk for them to impact vineyards.
So while work continues to figure out the extent of this recent population of SLF, here are a few things that might be helpful to read about, prepare for, and discuss among your staff over the dormant season.
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First and foremost, become familiar, or refamiliarize yourself, with what SLF egg masses look like (freezing temperatures will kill the adults but not the eggs). As we move into the winter pruning season, it will be important to keep an eye open as you're walking past barns, end and line posts, fences, etc. where SLF can lay its eggs (which is almost anywhere). The egg masses can look like splotches of mud or dirt, so they can be difficult to see. This YouTube video from the IPM Program gives some good basic information about what to look for, and lots of pictures of what the egg masses look like.
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Become familiar with the quarantine requirements for traffic coming from areas already with established SLF populations (anywhere outlined in red in the current SLF map below). Be sure to ask vendors, visitors or others who are coming from those areas or who visited there to be sure that they thoroughly inspect their vehicles and loads before they come into New York State.
- Become familiar with insecticides that are labeled for use on grapes for SLF. As you are making decisions about pest management material purchases this winter, this might be something to take into consideration. The materials that have been approved for use in NY on SLF are already labeled for other pests in grapes, so you may already have one or more of these products on hand. If you tend not to use insecticides in most years, it would still be good to know what the options are in case SLF shows up in your vineyard next year.
- The materials with 2(ee) approval (meaning you have to have the 2(ee) label in your possession) in New York State are listed in the attached chart.
Most importantly, be sure that you, your employees and others at the farm know what to do if you believe you have found SLF.
- Take pictures of the insect or egg masses. If possible, include something for scale such as a coin.
- Note the location: address, intersecting roads, landmarks or GPS coordinates.
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Email the information to: spottedlanternfly@agriculture.ny.gov
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Storing Squash for the Winter Season |
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Winter squash are best harvested in the fall before a hard frost. Here are some pointers to store your garden harvest or local purchase successfully:
- Select full sized (mature) fruit with a firm, glossy rind. Press gently on the rind with your fingernail and if mature, the rind will resist the pressure of your fingernail.
- Wash and dry the outside skin.
- Cure squash before storing. This is done by having the squash outside on the final hot days of summer at around 80F for 7-10 days.
Storage lengths for popular squash:
Acorn- 5-6 weeks
Butternut and pumpkins- 2-3 months
Turban type and buttercup- 3 months
Hubbard- 6 months
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Do you know what it means to be a
Dairy of Distinction?
Oftentimes in our farming region you will see the logo above displayed prominently in front of a dairy farm, usually hanging on the same signposts as the farm sign. But what does this mean?
- The Dairy of Distinction designation is a point of pride to our farmers. Each farm applies to be considered for the award and is judged by regional industry professionals in May.
- Well-kept and attractive farms instill confidence in consumers. This then creates public support of farming and the dairy industry.
- All Northeast dairy farms actively producing milk on the farm for sale are eligible to apply for the award.
- Awards are based on neatness and overall farm maintenance.
- Awardees are re-judged on an annual basis and must receive a score of 90% to continue being considered a Dairy of Distinction.
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U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds farmers and ranchers that the deadline to apply for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP 2) is Dec. 11, 2020.
This program provides direct relief to producers who continue to face market disruptions and associated costs because of COVID-19. If you applied for CFAP 1, you are NOT automatically signed up for CFAP2, you must reapply with your local FSA office.
A full list of eligible commodities can be found here.
For more information, or to apply, visit www.farmers.gov/cfap or contact your local FSA office, Steuben County: (607) 776-7398.
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We have many local apple growers in the area. Take advantage of our local producer's bounty and stock up for winter snacking.
- Late season apples are best for storage as they'll last longer.
- Harvest just ahead of optimal eating quality.
- Sort apples and store those with no marks or bruises. Undamaged fruit will last longer. Eat the marred fruit now.
- Store in baskets or boxes lined with perforated plastic to help retain moisture. Separate fruit can be individually wrapped in newspaper or tissue paper.
- Store in an environment between 32-38F with high humidity. Basements or root cellars are common locations.
- Refrigerator storage tends to dry out apples and make them shrivel up if not wrapped to preserve moisture.
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Dear Readers,
The DEC gave licensed pesticide applicators some leeway during the pandemic as there wasn't an easy answer to renew their licenses and gain the appropriate credits when we were in lockdown. Please note the information below, compiled by our regional specialists, for details on how to renew your license.
Important Notice for Licensed Pesticide Applicators
Because of COVID-19, the DEC did not require growers whose licenses expired in November of 2019 or later to renew their applicator’s license in order to buy and spray restricted-use materials during the 2020 growing season.
That discretionary policy is no longer in effect. If your license expired between November 2019 and Nov. 23, 2020, you must obtain the full number of recertification credits and renew your license. Starting Nov. 24, 2020, you cannot buy or apply pesticides until your license has been renewed. The DEC is giving growers a 90-day grace period before adding penalty credits to overdue renewal applications.
Growers should complete COVID-delayed license renewals by February 23, 2021. If your license expires after Nov. 23, 2020, you will follow the typical DEC renewal process.
To recertify, you must have 25% of your required credits in the same category as your license. If you are a commercial applicator, the remaining 75% must be in your category or core credits. If you are a private applicator with a license in categories 21-25, the remaining 75% can be a mix of your category, core, or any other 21-25 category. Category 21-25 licenses must get 10 recertification credits over the 5 year license period and cannot get all 10 credits in a single year.
We at Cornell Cooperative Extension realize that growers may be short on recertification credits. We are working hard to set up opportunities to get credits. At least six category 23 and two category 22 credits will be available during the online Empire Producers Expo from January 12-14, 2021. We hope to offer a limited number of in-person seats at Expo satellite sites so those needing to recertify who also have poor internet connectivity can attend Expo. Additionally, CCE has a number of upcoming winter meetings; we anticipate being able to offer recertification credits at those meetings as well.
Growers seeking credits are encouraged to call CCE or to check the DEC’s list of upcoming courses online . Courses appear on the list about 30-45 days in advance of the class occurring. Some ag input suppliers and industry groups may also be in a position to offer credits. Online, self-study recertification courses are also available as an option with the CCE PMEP (Pesticide Management Education Program) Distance Learning Center. For any questions regarding your license renewal, you can contact the DEC at 518-402-8748.
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