Cornell Tree Fruit Production and Berries Resources

Find a wealth of resources to help with production such as growers guides, pest management guidelines, site and soil management, tree training, pruning, and mechanization, and much more.

Tree Fruit Production | Cornell Fruit Resources: Tree Fruit

Cornell Fruit Resources: Berries | Resources for Commercial Berry Growers

Cornell has specialists to help you with production, management, and troubleshooting. 

Anya Osatuke is the Western New York Small Fruits Extension Specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Specialists covering integrated pest management, fruit quality management, and cultural practices are also available through Cornell Cooperative Extension. 

Cover Crop Field Day 2022

September 9, 2022

12:30 pm - 2 pm

Location:

Providence Farm Collective

5701 Burton Road

Orchard Park, NY 14127

Host:

Southwest New York Dairy, Livestock and Field Crops Program

Katelyn Miller

(716)640-2047

email Katelyn Miller

Three cover crop plots consisting of sorghum sudangrass, teff, and buckwheat were seeded in mid-July, and this field day will evaluate their performance to date and provide the opportunity to:

1) Walk through the test plots of sorghum sudangrass, teff, and buckwheat.

2) Learn from experts about integrating these crops into your system for:

• Diversifying your cropping system
• Weed suppression in-between crops
• Soil health
• Value as a livestock feed



3) Connect with other local farmers looking to use these cover crops

1.5 CCA credits are available. 

Attention : Steuben County Farmers Interested in Participating in the Arkport Central School District Farm to School Program

Arkport Central School District is exploring ways to incorporate more locally grown and raised foods in their school meal programs. The district’s Farm to School program aims to serve fresh, local, and high-quality products to students. To support Arkport CSD in these efforts, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Steuben County and Cornell Cooperative Extension – Harvest NY are reaching out to area farmers to learn more about what is available right in our community.

The purpose of this Request for Information is to solicit information from farmers, growers, and producers in the region who are interested in selling to Arkport CSD in the 2022-2023 school year and beyond. The RFI outlines the types of products the district is looking for and seeks information from potential suppliers. We ask that you complete RFI Response Form to help the district gather information about the products they can procure locally. The RFI Response Form asks for information about product availability and distribution/delivery options. You can access the Form Here.

Completed forms can be emailed, mailed, or directly delivered to the CCE Steuben office.

Email forms to: Becky O’Connor, Farm to Institution Coordinator, rao84@cornell.edu

Mail or deliver forms to: CCE STEUBEN at 20 East Morris Street Bath, NY 14810

Save the Date:

Steuben County Maple Syrup Workshop

When: October 3, 2022 from 5:00-8:00 pm

Where: CCE Steuben, 20 East Morris Street Bath, NY 14810

Are you new to maple syrup production or an experienced sugarmaker interested in improving your operation? Then join Cornell University maple specialist Aaron Wightman for an evening of maple syrup production tips and research updates. A variety of topics for a range of skill levels will be presented through a combination of slides, hands-on exercises, and demonstrations. Active participation and discussions are encouraged.  

Aaron is New York's statewide maple specialist and Co-Director of the Arnot Forest Maple Research Lab at Cornell University.  Please join us for this great opportunity with our Cornell Maple Specialist!   

More information regarding registration will be available soon.  Questions regarding workshop content can be directed to Aaron Wightman, arw6@cornell.edu.   

SAVE THE DATE - Farm Trail Day October 8th

We are excited to announce CCE Steuben's first 'Farm Trail Day' on October 8!

We are encouraging the public and families to visit participating farms on this day from 10-4!

The following farms are participating:

·        Lowery Family Farm Stand

·        Ziegenvine Homestead

·        Mud Creek Bison Ranch

·        Crooked Line Apple Orchard

·        Stewart Family Farm

More details will be provided soon including the trail on Finger Lakes Farm Country!

Forage Inventory Calculator Tool for Beef Producers

Amy Barkley, Livestock Specialist

Southwest New York Dairy, Livestock and Field Crops Program

As we move into fall, it's important to ensure that there are enough stored forages on the farm to get beef cattle through the winter. One of the more common stored forages is hay. Using an Excel inventory spreadsheet developed by Bill Halfman with the University of Wisconsin Extension, you can enter data from the farm to find the number of bales it will take to make it until the pastures green up again in the spring. The results you get here will also serve as an early indication as to whether or not additional hay needs to be purchased.

Access the spreadsheet here.

To use this tool, you will need the following information:

• Weights of 6 bales
• The total number of bales that you have to feed for the winter
• The storage loss (There is a reference table in the spreadsheet to assist with this estimation)
• The number of bulls, mature cows, yearling cattle, and calves you expect to feed over the winter
• The number of days you anticipate needing to feed animals throughout the winter
• The amount of hay that is fed to each animal unit (1 animal unit = 1,000 pounds of animal) per day

For assistance with using this hay inventory calculator or for more information on determining forage inventories, contact Livestock and Beginning Farm Specialist, Amy Barkley, at amb544@cornell.edu or (716) 640-0844.

Consider reading Inventorying Forage by Joe Lawrence: PRO-DAIRY Forage Systems Specialist. Access the article here.

Fall 2022 – SOUTHERN TIER

Promoting a Toxic Free Future for New York State

The Fall 2022 CleanSweepNY collection event will take place in Chautauqua, Steuben, Schuyler and Broome counties. Farmers and pesticide applicators/technicians from neighboring counties are encouraged to participate at one of these locations.

Participants must register to participate in this waste collection program. A registration form can be requested at the following phone number or e-mail address:

Telephone:518-225-8146E-Mail:cleansweep@dec.ny.gov

NO REGISTRATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER SEPTEMBER 19, 2022!

The collection locations and dates are as follows:

Falconer, NY: Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Hornell, NY: Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Watkins Glen, NY: Thursday, September 29, 2022

Castle Creek, NY: Friday, September 30, 2022

CleanSweepNY Services are Not Available to Homeowners.

CleanSweepNY services are provided to farmers and owners of former farms, all categories of NYS certified pesticide applicators, cemeteries, golf courses, marinas, schools, landscapers and lawncare providers, nurseries, greenhouses, and other entities possessing unwanted or unusable pesticides and other waste chemicals. Each participant is responsible for transporting their materials to the collection site.

CleanSweepNY results in enhanced stewardship of the environment through the improved management and proper disposal of unusable pesticides and other chemical wastes. These materials may pose human health risks upon exposure and represent a potential hazard to New York State’s groundwater and surface water resources.

The collections are scheduled and organized by NYSDEC with the collaboration of NYSDOT, who generously provide sites for the collection of these unwanted chemicals. CleanSweepNY outreach is aided by Cornell Cooperative Extension, the Agricultural Container Recycling Council, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, New York Farm Bureau, and other related grower associations.

Access the website here.

Download this flyer here

Join a class here

Farm Ops Offering Veteran Scholarships to Attend the 2022 Silvopasture Showcase Tour

Nina Saeli, Farm Ops Coordinator

A scholarship opportunity supporting veteran’s attendance to the 2022 Silvopasture Showcase Tour is available. Veterans may request reimbursement for registration, mileage, hotel stay, and a $100 participation stipend to offset other related costs.

Be sure to read through the event materials at the 2022 Silvopasture Showcase Tour Website, register, and make hotel reservations. Then visit the Farm Ops Scholarship page and follow the steps outlined to submit your scholarship request. Read Steve Gabriel’s “Six Key Principles for a Successful Silvopasture”.

August 2022 Update on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza

Amy Barkley, Livestock Specialist with the CCE SWNY Dairy, Livestock and Field Crops Team

The last major update regarding Avian Influenza (HPAI) in the state was recorded on April 6th, which corresponds to the last outbreak in a poultry flock. With this case, the 8 affected flocks have totaled 9,500 birds. Seven of the flocks were backyard flocks, and one was commercial. This is in comparison to the cumulative totals we've seen across the country, with 400 affected flocks (211 of those were backyard, 189 were commercial) and 40.14 million birds affected across 39 states. In part because of the efforts NYS has taken to secure poultry through increased biosecurity measures, the state's losses to date only account for 0.02% of the nation's affected bird population and 2% of affected flocks.

In the past month, most of the outbreaks in domestic poultry have stayed in the Western U.S., with some in the Midwest and a few on the East Coast, including Florida and Maine. That doesn't mean that the virus isn't circulating nearby. Recorded wild bird deaths indicate that the virus is still active on the East Coast. Interestingly, the number of wild waterfowl deaths seems to be giving way to an increased percentage of raptor and scavenger mortalities. July saw the continuing trend of decreasing wild bird mortalities from the peak in May. There were 147 total in the country for July. Of those, 73% were from Eastern states and 14% were from NYS and surrounding states.

With the 2014/2015 HPAI outbreak, the country was deemed free of the virus by June of 2015 after the first detection was found in December of the previous year. Warmer temperatures and stronger solar radiation helped contribute to a rapid virus destruction. However, this outbreak has not seen the same remission timeline. Since it's still circulating, the concern moving into the late summer is that the virus will persist into the fall, resulting in it being spread again by wild birds as they begin their fall migration.

At this point, the disease transfer into commercial poultry and backyard flocks is relatively low, but still a real possibility. We need to maintain biosecurity measures such as keeping domesticated birds away from wild birds, limiting the number of visitors in our poultry facilities, and wearing clean clothing in-between taking care of flocks on different properties. More information can be found in the Cornell CALS HPAI fact sheet.

Cornell Cooperative Extension and NY-EDEN will continue to share updates on the outbreak. If you are a flock owner or community member with questions, please reach out to your local Cornell Cooperative Extension office for assistance. Media inquiries can be directed to Cornell Cooperative Extension Communications at cce-communications@cornell.edu.

The Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza response in NYS is being addressed by Cornell Cooperative Extension's NY Extension Disaster Education Network.

Finger Lakes Fiber Festival

September 17 - September 18, 2022

Time:

Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 10am-4pm

Location:

Hemlock Fairgrounds

1 Fair Street

Hemlock, NY 14466

Host:

Genesee Valley Handspinner's Guild

gvhg.org/contact/

The Finger Lakes Fiber Festival educates the public about fiber and its sources, promotes small farms, supports fiber artists and fiber-related businesses, and provides a venue for the public to interact with the fiber arts world.

By sharing skills and knowledge with the public through demonstrations and workshops, the Finger Lakes Fiber Festival is sowing the seeds for future generations of fiber artists and craftspeople.

Our festival features great vendors, with everything you need for fiber arts: raw fleece, roving, spinning supplies, needle felting supplies, dyes, yarns, items needed to knit, crochet, weave—and things you won’t know you need until you see them—not to mention unique, one-of-a-kind, handmade finished items!

2022 Cornell Sheep & Goat Symposium on Grazing Management for Goats and Sheep

September 16 - September 17, 2022

Location:

Cornell University/Frank Morrison Hall

507 Tower Rd

Ithaca, NY 14853

Barbara Jones

607-255-7712

email Barbara Jones

Workshops:

• Pasture walk at the Cornell Solar Farms
• Forage walk at the Cornell Forage Plots
• Managed Grazing 101
• Forage Basics
• Making Grazing Management Decisions
• Solving Problem Spots in your Pastures
• Potential Tools for Managing Internal Parasites in Pastured Small Ruminants
• Grazing Sheep on Solar Farms
• Using Goats to Manage Vegetation Challenges and Enhance Grazing Environments and Landscape

Register by September 9th here. See attachments for registration form and other information. The Symposium program can be accessed here and more details on lodging and parking can be found here.

2-minute On-Farm Feeder School Survey

Would you be interested in an On-Farm Feeder School Training in our region this fall?

Answer this 2 min survey!  

The feeder school training is an in-person program for people that are currently feeding dairy cows, people that want to become feeders, or anyone interested in learning more about dairy cows' nutrition and the art of feeding cows (learn more here). Your feedback is essential for us!

On-Farm Milk Storage and Handling Grant

Application due October 6, 2022

The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center recently announced a grant opportunity for dairies to purchase equipment and other related costs that will improve milk storage, handling, and energy efficiencies. Awards range from $15,000 - $50,000 with a 25% cash or in-kind match recommended. Access the request for applications here.

Seeking input to improve diagnostic testing services at the

Cornell Animal Health Diagnostic Center!

We are seeking your input to help the Cornell Animal Health Diagnostic Center (AHDC) make strategic decisions regarding veterinary diagnostic services. Your input is incredibly valuable to guide the future of the AHDC and to shape the services we offer. Please take just a few minutes to complete this survey (estimated completion time is about 3 minutes). 

Data from this survey will assist us in making informed decisions on test offerings, client services, communication methods, and diagnostic consultation and outreach.

As a thank you, all participants who complete the survey will be entered into a drawing to win one of the following prizes: $500, $400, $300, $200 or $100 credit for diagnostic testing at the AHDC!

Thank you again for your help!

Follow this link to the Survey:

Take the Survey

OR copy and paste the URL below into your internet browser:

https://cornell.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cYcTFWtLAxwbEz4?Q_DL=vt39JNPkTZcfCWj_cYcTFWtLAxwbEz4_MLRP_6YgNItVfOZBXJI2&Q_CHL=email

Protecting Pastures from Drought

Fay Benson

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cortland County

I've had plenty of opportunity in my work to watch other graziers as well as graze my own animals. One conclusion I've come up with is: "Anyone can graze in a wet year; it takes a good grazier to graze in a dry year". Drought disrupts grazing operations more than confinement operations since confinement operations plan to have stored feed for their animals so when drought weather hits they have time to react and make alternative plans. It doesn't affect the livestock. As pasture soil dries, grass growth slows, graziers try to keep their rotation going hoping for rain. When it doesn't come they have to change to stored feed which can have a negative effect on livestock production. 

An Ounce of Prevention - Some of the management practices that can help prevent drought disruption are:

• Graze Half and Leave Half - This refers to managing your residency of the animals in the paddock. You should have an estimate of the dry matter before your animals enter a paddock, then remove the animals when half the dry matter is grazed. This practice is depicted in the drawing below with (A) being the sward when animals enter, (B) when animals should be removed, and (C) if overgrazing is allowed. The practice increases productivity in normal weather but protects from future droughts in the following ways:
• Leaving more residue sward above ground leaves longer roots below ground so they can reach more water.
• The increased residuals also shade the soil so that evaporation is reduced. 
•  More leaves increase solar collection to get the plants off to a quicker start.
• Soil Organic Matter and Droughts - When I first started grazing in the 1980's we were told to follow the New Zealand style of grazing Rye Grass, which was to put animals in when grass was ten inches and remove them at three inches. This provided very high protein and low fiber forage for the grazing animal. Since then our graziers have evolved to a Northeastern style of grazing which is closer to putting the animals in around fifteen inches or more and remove when half is consumed. This fits our climate and native grasses better since the New Zealand style was found to reduce the amount of soil organic matter (SOM). The lower fiber in the plants decreased the carbon content of the residue as well as in the manure from animals eating it. Forty percent of SOM is carbon. The shorter residue will also be more prone to droughts. Graziers should monitor their organic matter in their soil for the following reasons:
• For every one percent increase in SOM an acre of pasture will hold 16,000 gallons of water per acre. If you can raise SOM by two percent, it will hold more than an inch of rain than it did previously.
• For every one percent increase of SOM the soil will have 20-30 lbs. more Nitrogen, 4-5 lbs. of Phosphorous and one lb. of Sulfur.

Can Irrigation be a Tool for Drought Relief? - Over the years I've heard many experiences and have read a few studies about using irrigation on pastures. The experiences and studies both show that more often than not that irrigation doesn't work well. These are the questions a grazier needs to answer to see if irrigation can work for them:

• Do you have access to the volume of water you need? Optimum pasture sward can be produced with one inch of water (27,000 gallons per acre) every week. Obviously it gets by with much less. For my example lets irrigate a half of an inch a week (13,750 gallons). With a forty-acre pasture system this would require 540,000 gallons per week.
• Do you need legal permission to use this much water? As I understand DEC rules, they allow taking up to 100,000 gallons per day from surface water.
• Do you have the infrastructure to move the water around your pastures? This is where the math gets complicated. It involves what type of sprinkler system you'll be using. For example, the K-Line system (photo 1) handles low volume for smaller areas like 8 acres in seven days. It requires a flow rate of 40 GPM at 50 PSI at the pump discharge: Sizing a pump to this depends on size of your water lines, how many sprinklers, and the amount of head or elevation the water needs to travel up or down.
• If you move up to the water reel system (photo 2) for larger pastures these requirements go up to: 75-150 GPM at 70-120 PSI.

The most sustainable pasture irrigation system I've had the opportunity to visit was on Birds All Dairy in Canaseraga NY. Janice Brown and her husband Kim Shaklee have operated the 40 cow grazing dairy since 1993. Kim was an irrigation manager for a number of farms in Colorado before they moved here to New York. When they came the resources they specifically looked for was: reasonably priced and a farm that had irrigation potential. His design consists of:

• A pond supplied by a stream acts as his reliable source of surface water for the system. In dry times the rate of flow isn't high enough to supply the 80,000 gallons a day the small Kifco hard hose traveler can apply.
• He uses an electric pump to pump out of the wetland at night (lower electric rates) up to a holding pond 130 feet above the wetland.
• He has six inch lines connecting the wetland and holding pond. The same line and others feed from the pond to valves in the different pastures.
• From these valves he connects a booster pump that adds to the gravity from the uphill ponds to provide the flow required for the water reel.

Record Silking/Tasseling Dates for Corn Fields

Joe Lawrence, Cornell PRO-DAIRY

Tracking Growing Degree Days (GDD's) is an effective way to monitor the progress of a corn crop and in recent years a number of online tools for tracking GDD's have been developed. For the Northeast, the Climate Smart Farming GDD tool from Cornell is a great option. Dr. Kitty O'Neil with the North Country Regional Ag Team prepared an instructional video for using the tool. While this tool was designed to estimate GDD accumulation from planting, you can simply enter in silking/tasseling date in the planting date box to track accumulation from that date.

One approach to predicting corn maturity with GDD's is to monitor GDD's from planting to harvest and some seed brands provide estimates of GDD's needed for different hybrids. For corn, the 86/50 method is used for calculating GDD's, this references a base temperature of 50oF and a maximum of 86oF.

There are few considerations to keep in mind for this...

Access the full article here.

Finger Lakes Farm Country has a new app! 

Visit Finger Lakes Farm Country to download it today!

Agricultural Exemptions, Agricultural Structures & Agricultural Assessments

                                    Image: New York State Agricultural District boundaries and Agriculture and Markets

Thursday, September 22nd

5:30-7pm

Location: TASTE NY Building, 840 Upper Front St, Binghamton

Join Cornell Cooperative Extension Broome County and Broome County Planning in a training where we will provide an overview of the differences between agricultural districts, agricultural zoning and agricultural assessments. We will take a deeper dive into how each operates at a state and local level. We will also discuss how agricultural structures and zoning intersect and which statewide programs apply to structures such as barns and storage facilities. Our guest presenter is Bob Wright, Real Property Analysist with Cattaraugus County Real Property Services. You can register for the live session here or the Zoom session here. 

My Feed Dust is Moving!? Grain Mites and How to Manage Them

Amy Barkley, Livestock Specialist

Southwest New York Dairy, Livestock and Field Crops Program

Every summer, I get calls from folks wondering why there are nearly microscopic bugs covering the walls and floors of their feed storage areas and their feed buckets. Looking for a cause, many easily trace it back to their bags of grain. The dust on the exterior of the affected bags appears as if it's moving in a gentle breeze, and there may be a thick layer of dust coating the inside of the feed bags. On closer inspection, it's apparent that the dust is actually hundreds of thousands of nearly microscopic grey-brown looking mites. These are grain mites.

What are grain mites?

Grain mites are very small arachnids that live in processed grains, such as cracked corn, ground wheat, and finished feed pellets, crumbs, or mash. They live in very large populations, with females laying upwards of 800 eggs over their lifetimes, or 30 eggs per day.

Why are they a problem?

Grain mites eat the most nutritious parts of the feed, such as the germ, prior to feeding on other parts of the seed and/or any mold growing on the grain. This consumption decreases the concentration and quality of nutrients in the feed for livestock, which may result in deficiencies. Additionally, they release disagreeable odors that may discourage feed consumption by animals. They are easily transmitted by insects, the wind, and people to other feed storage areas.

How did they get in the grain and what conditions do they need to survive?

The mites either transfer from a feed store, warehouse, mill, or from the environment. It's also possible for these mites to come from contaminated grains in the home pantry, such as flour or cornmeal. Grain mites are not particularly choosy about the grain they inhabit, so long as it's processed. That means that they can transfer back-and-forth between the home pantry and the feed storage area.

The shred of good news is that these mites need specific temperature and humidity ranges to flourish. They thrive in conditions with high temperatures and high humidity (55% or more). Under optimal conditions, the mites can complete their lifecycle in 9-11 days, infesting a feed storage quickly. Research indicates that their lifecycle is completed in 16 days at 71°F and 28 days at 50°F - 60°F.

How do you get rid of them?

If you find that your feed is infested, discard all feed that may have been in contact with the affected bags as well as the affected bags themselves. Alternatively, you can feed out the less infested bags, but this is not recommended because the mites quickly destroy the nutritional value of the feed. If you have a small number of feed bags and the infestation is mild, you can freeze the feed for several days to kill off the mites.

Once the infested feed has been removed, clean the area with soap and water or use an miticide as per the manufacturer's instructions. Eggs and juveniles can bear a protective coating that resists insecticides and soapy water washes. Therefore, repeated treatments may be needed to control an infestation. That all said, the best control strategy is prevention.

Cleaning and sanitizing grain bins prior to adding more feed can help reduce mite numbers. If grain is to be stored in bins or areas for more than 6 months, pre-treating the area with an arachnicide as a preventative can be helpful. The same goes for buildings where feed is stored in bags. 

Check feed storage areas at two-week intervals during the warmer months and once a month during the cooler months to identify and treat early infestations. The colder winters of SWNY can act as a layer of control, so long as the grains are exposed to areas with cold temperatures and low humidities.

Another way to manage mite loads is to only purchase the amount of grain that you'll use within 2 weeks in the warm, humid months and enough that you'll use within a month during the cooler months at a time. Clean and sanitize between grain shipments for an added layer of prevention. In addition to keeping mites at bay, the shorter storage time helps to reduce natural nutrient degradation from environmental exposure over time.

These two resources were used to help compile this article:

ENTFACT-629 Grain Mites, University of Kentucky

              https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef629

Flour and Grain Mites, Penn State University

              https://extension.psu.edu/flour-and-grain-mites

Article cover photo from Penn State University.

Ag Energy NY – A CCE Program for Farm Energy Efficiency

Would you like to save on your farm energy bills? There are many opportunities to reduce energy use through efficiency improvements that save money, labor, and maintenance costs. Energy efficiency also has co-benefits, buffering farms from high costs in energy market fluctuations and making it easier to transition to electric power and renewable energy.

Ag Energy NY is a program by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County, offering a smartphone-friendly website and factsheets describing farm energy efficiency technologies, techniques, and incentives. Ag Energy NY focuses on the following farm sectors: crops and vegetables, beef, swine, poultry, grain drying, maple, orchards, berries, and vineyards. Ag Energy NY is part of a broader NYSERDA program, Energy Best Practices in Agriculture, which also provides support for dairies and greenhouses.

After reviewing energy efficiency measures online, you can reach out to the Ag Energy NY team with questions and to connect with a NYSERDA FlexTech Consultant for farm-specific advising. NYSERDA offers no-cost, no-commitment energy assessments to help farmers prioritize areas for improvements and identify incentives to help with implementation. For more information, visit www.agenergyny.org.

Interested in finding out more? Click HERE to fill out the survey.

GAPs Online Training

• October 12, 2022 – November 1, 2022

Register here for any session of the GAPs Online Produce Safety Course 

Implementing Good Agricultural Practices is a 3-week web-based course intended to improve your understanding of GAPs to guide assessment of risks and implementation of practices to reduce risks on fresh produce farms. Taking this course will not result in your farm being "GAPs Certified". GAPs certification is done by a third party (e.g. USDA, Primus, Global GAP) and involves the successful completion of an on-farm audit.



Class size is limited to 25 people on a first come, first serve basis. A minimum of 10 participants must be registered for us to offer the course. Special arrangements can be made for large groups to ensure everyone is in the same class together. The course price is $225. 

To learn more about click here!

PRO-DAIRY seeks farm partners for greenhouse gas project

PRO-DAIRY Dairy Environmental Systems (DES) is seeking farm partners for a study of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from manure storage sites.

Methane is an important GHG emitted from manure storages. New York State (NYS) has begun an intensive effort to reduce methane emissions in support of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). Despite its significance in air quality and climate change, the sources and quantities of methane from dairy farms are uncertain. DES has a project to help define the existing impacts of methane from manure storage and the potential treatments to reduce it. The project aims to improve GHG emission estimates and provide observational evidence to support best practices to reduce emissions from dairy farms in NYS.

DES will measure air methane concentration using a backpackable gas analyzer around and near the perimeter of in-ground, long-term storages of dairy manure about once monthly for at least two years and up to 30 months. A drone for vertical and aerial methane measurements and a ground-based meteorological station will be used to construct methane emission flux estimates. Initial visits will include sampling for nitrous oxide (another GHG) using a similar gas concentration analyzer.

The temperature within each long-term manure storage will also be measured. Influent and effluent from each storage will be sampled to determine volatile solids content and nutrient content (ammonia, Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen, total phosphorus, potassium) to try to refine a predictive equation.

DES will include each of the following dairy manure storage types that have a known input, a scheduled emptying, and are not excessively influenced by surrounding barns.

Satellite/remote storages may be possible.

1. Raw manure
2. Raw manure separated liquid
3. Digested manure, unseparated
4. Digested manure, separated liquid
5. Digested manure + food waste, unseparated
6. Digested manure + food waste, separated liquid

Results will inform how to help dairy farms establish a baseline and then move towards sustainability. Please contact us with potential sites to be considered for inclusion in the study.

If you would like to participate, please contact Camila Lage at cd546@cornell.edu or 607-422-6788 for more information.

Are you a farmer impacted by flooding in the Summer of 2021?

One loan is still available until September 19th in Steuben County.

Notice has been given that Steuben and other counties were given a natural disaster designation for the flooding events that occurred in August 2021.

Click here to learn more and apply for an emergency loan through the USDA. - Application Deadline is September 19, 2022.

New York State Pawpaw Conference

Saturday, October 1, 2022, 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM



Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oswego County (CCE Oswego County) and Cornell Cooperative Extension Harvest NY (CCE Harvest NY), will be hosting a state-wide conference on a native fruit called pawpaw (Asimina triloba), at the historic Kallet Theater in Pulaski, NY. Pawpaw is the largest edible fruit native to North America. It looks tropical and has a flavor most commonly associated with mango and banana. Its natural habitat extends from Michigan and New York to as far south as northern Florida, and as far west as Oklahoma and Kansas. While the fruit looks and tastes tropical, it can withstand cold temperatures down to USDA hardiness zone 5 and can be grown alongside other fruits right here in upstate New York. There are even historical records dating back to the nineteenth century showing that pawpaw was discovered in southern Oswego County near the Three Rivers Area. Today, however, most of the wild pawpaws are in the western portion of the state. While pawpaws were grown by Indigenous Peoples in the past, sadly they became North America’s forgotten fruit.

Interested in learning more?

Please see below the conference agenda and registration information for the (first?) statewide, all-day Pawpaw Conference scheduled for Saturday, October 1, in Pulaski NY. 

Conference link:

https://thatscooperativeextension.org/events/2022/10/01/new-york-state-pawpaw-conference

Sleeper Species Coffee Talk

Join Ayodele O’Uhuru and the RISCC team on September 13th at 3pm EST

In our upcoming coffee talk, we will dive into our latest Management Challenge, Are you Sleeping? Are you Sleeping? Predicting Invasion Potential of Non-Native Plants. We will present a list of priority sleeper species for the Northeast, describe criteria we chose to identify them, and suggest the next steps for planning ahead.

Register for the event here.

NY Invasive Species Speaker Series Webinar

September 28th 11:00 am

Non-native terrestrial planarians in the US: already widespread, abundant, and predatory, presented by: Dr. Peter Ducey, Professor, SUNY Cortland.

Click here to access the zoom link for the September 28th webinar as well as the full calendar of webinars from now through November.

All past presentations are available here.