AGSCI 4010: Ag Sciences Seminar Blog

Bartlett’s Farm is Nantucket Island’s oldest and largest family owned farm. The Bartlett family has been farming the same land since arriving on Nantucket in the early 1800s. These days, the farm offers fresh fruits and vegetables as well as a garden center.

Hear more from alum John Bartlett about their operation, value added food products and marketing, and their new market opened in2006 that offers a wide selection of organic foods, pre-prepared meals, and household staples to stock your kitchen.

Seniors John Orlowski and Geoff Reeves will talk about their respective internships this summer with two large companies involved in crop protection. Read more about their internship on the Ag Sciences internship blog.

 The class will conclude with a presentation by Keith Burnell, R&D Scientist with Syngenta Crop Protection.

Geoff Reeves is a senior Ag Sciences student from Kansas interested in crop production. During the semester Geoff plays for the men’s varsity basketball team. Last summer he lived in Algona, Iowa and worked throughout northern Iowa as a seed intern for MaxYield Cooperative.

John Orlowski is a senior and double major in Ag Sciences and Natural Resources who worked for Syngenta Crop Protection last summer as a crop protection research intern. John serves in many other roles including recruitment coordinator for his fraternity, Alpha Zeta, head of the AgSci Ambassadors, and student representative on the national high council for Alpha Zeta.

Keith Burnell grew up in Greensboro, NC on a small family dairy farm. He earned his Associates in Turfgrass Management from North Carolina State University, and then a  B.S. in Agronomy, M.S. in Crop Science (emphasis in weed science), and Ph.D. in Weed Science with a minor in Ecology from Mississippi State University (MSU).  Since 2005 he has: taught Turfgrass Management at Louisiana State University (LSU), lead the Turf and Ornamental, Tree Fruit, and Biotech research division of a contract research organization in Fresno, California, and worked with Syngenta Crop Protection as both a data manager and now, in his current role, as a field scientist.

Making the decision to return to a family business, such as a farm, is an important one and how we evaluate that choice can significantly influence our decision.  Monday’s discussion will open with some suggestions about how one might approach that decision-making process and follow with some thoughts on developing leadership skills.  Whether or not one chooses to work for family, leadership skills are a proven means of differentiating yourself from your colleagues and peers.

Dr. Angela Gloy’s research and extension projects have addressed a broad range of managerial and marketing issues relevant to different commodity sectors including produce, grains, and dairy.  She currently serves as program director for the NY FarmLink Program which focuses its outreach efforts on farmer retirement, estate and farm succession planning, and beginning farmer concerns.  Previously, she worked with the Cornell Program on Dairy Markets and Policy.

NY FarmNet provides farm families with a network of contacts and support services to help them develop skills for dealing with life challenges and transitions.  NY FarmLink assists agricultural operations in transferring management responsibility and farm assets to the next generation or a non-family member.

Student Team Update
Whether to return to our family farms is never an easy question to answer, but a decision we have to make nonetheless. Dr. Angela Gloy has certainly made the decision-making process less ‘painful’ by providing us with a framework to work with. She pointed out certain essential aspects of the problems we might face, but our team members were not even aware of them. For instance, she mentioned the possible difference in our expectations of working on the farms. She gave some thought-provoking points about what we may not expect when pursuing a career in agriculture and farming. It is important to take these ideas into account and communicate well with the family so we don’t have any conflicts later on. Also, she talked about the importance of leadership in every field. That is what differentiates you from others! In addition, Dr. Angela Gloy recommended and encouraged us to contact Farmlink if we have any
questions, or need advise, which is very helpful as it’s free and available 24/7. At the end, Dr. Angela Gloy surveyed the class for the quiz for small business success. Dr. Angela Gloy also agrees that there is no right and wrong answers for these questions. Guess for now, we just have to explore our options and make the best use of the resources available to make these crucial decisions. But like Dr. Angela Gloy said, once the decision is made, never look back and regret!

Biochar is a soil amendment that has the potential to revolutionize concepts of soil management. Karen Heymann will discuss the basics of biochar as well as her research.

Karen Heymann is a Ph.D. candidate at Cornell, with major concentration in soil science, and minors in agronomy and international development. She received her B.A. in social thought and political economy, a B.S. in plant and soil science and an M.S. in plant and soil science at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She also spent four years working on an organic vegetable farm in Amherst, Massachusetts. She has strong interest in issues involving local and regional farms and access to fresh food, as well as access to food and farming resources in developing countries. Her Ph.D. research focuses on black carbon in the environment and biochar as a soil amendment, carbon storage and stabilization in soils, communicating science to the public, and understanding the social and political movements occurring at the intersection of science and agriculture.

STUDENT TEAM UPDATE

We thought it was interesting that Karen said “technology has a limited capacity to substitute for natural ecosystem services.” Can you think of possible ecosystems services that technology may have to ability to provide and services technology will usually fall short in substituting for?

During the short video Karen showed about Terra Preta soils, there was a short clip of working digging this soil from the ground and placing on a tractor trailer bed. Do you think that private party harvesting of this soil to sell it to those who have marginal soils is acceptable? Do you feel there is something morally wrong with this or are there benefits that can come from a private party providing such soil to those who don’t have it? Or it is simply just greedy?

Why do you think using Biochar is not a very common practice? How do you think we can we make it a more common occurrence? Or how could we make it more feasible?

With the incredible impact that soils have on greenhouse emissions, we also must realize the impact that we have, as citizens of this planet. What do you do to help/hurt the amount of greenhouse gas emissions in the world? What will you do in the future? If you are interesting a checking out old charcoal furnaces visit Pine Grove Furnace State Park in Pennsylvania.

Professor David W. Wolfe will begin his talk by engaging the class in discussion about current climate change attitudes. He will use the issues raised in class to share more on his research and the issues facing agriculture.

Dr.Wolfe did his graduate work at the University of California, Davis. He joined the Cornell faculty in 1984, where he is Professor in the Department of Horticulture, chair of Cornell’s Center for a Sustainable Future Climate Change Focus Group, co-chair of the New York Soil Health Program Work Team, and on the advisory boards for the NY Water Resources Institute, and The NY Botanical Gardens. He is a leading authority on the effects of climate change and rising atmospheric carbon dioxide on plants, soils, and ecosystems, with many peer-reviewed research publications and several book chapter reviews on the subject.  His recent research documenting earlier spring bloom date of lilacs, apples, and grapes received national media attention.  Dr. Wolfe was lead author for the agriculture chapter of the Northeast Climate Change Impacts Assessment released July 2007, and co-author of the agriculture chapter for the 2008 national assessment sponsored by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program. He is also author of the award-winning popular science book on soil ecology, Tales From the Underground: A Natural History of Subterranean Life, published in 2002.  

For more information see his Cornell website.

STUDENT TEAM UPDATE
Professor Wolfe’s approach to the often controversial topic of global warming was thoughtful and informative. By gathering information from the class rather than simply lecturing, he encouraged us to evaluate the subject with an open mind. How did the information presented by Dr. Wolfe and by your fellow students change or shape your attitude towards global warming? We also discussed how climate change, despite a long list of negative effects, may have some benefits. From an entrepeneurial point of view, how could the agricultural industry take advantage of and benefit from these positive side effects? Of course, the potentially catastrophic consequences of global warming cannot be ignored – despite the lack of consensus on how bad global warming might be, scientists agree that our planet experiences a natural climate cycle. Can individual farmers do anything to protect their livelihoods from the potential climate changes which they face?

Cornell Professor of Entomology John Losey will discuss insect conservation biology and emphasize the service aspect that insects play (e.g.,  pollination and pest suppression). These services are vital for agriculture, but are often taken for granted. Read more about the dollar value of insect services in this Cornell Chronicle article.

Dr. Losey has always been interested in biology and how to apply it to solve real-world problems. He earned his B.S. in biology from Oberlin College in 1986, his M.S. in entomology from Penn State in 1992, and his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in 1996. He came to Cornell in fall, 1997. His research, teaching, and outreach program has two complementary foci: 1) the management of pest insect populations and 2) the management of endangered or declining insect populations. His research in insect conservation biology assesses the current status of both native and exotic lady beetles. Learn more at: Lost Ladybug Project.

UPDATE FROM DR. LOSEY
The topics Dr. Losey addressed will be covered in much greater detail in his course Insect Conservation Biology (ENTOM 3440) in spring 2010. ICB will meet from 10:10-11:25 a.m. on T/TH. This 3 credit course will provide an in-depth look at the concepts and issues surrounding the conservation of insects and other invertebrates.

Topics covered include:

For more information see the course webpage.

Note: You should not be put off by the prerequisites.  They are listed as guidelines.  Students from many backgrounds have flourished in this course, and all interested students will receive permission to enroll.

STUDENT TEAM UPDATE

We thought that the Lost Ladybug Project that John Losey talked about in his lecture was a good example of a successful citizen science program.  Citizen science refers to projects that get people involved across the country (many of who have no science background) in helping researchers collect data through observation in their local community.   These projects often include anyone from seniors to children recording their sightings of a rare or in-jeopardy species.  Cornell’s Lab of Ornithology has started a number of successful citizen science projects that involve bird sightings.  Citizen science projects have been acclaimed for getting people of all ages interested in their local environment and the study of biology.  Many projects are used as a teaching tool in classrooms.  All participation on the citizen level is voluntary.  Some questions we had were: How does a citizen science project that involves complicated science include people without science backgrounds?  What do these programs do to make kids excited about science?  How do researchers assess the information sent back by volunteers and how do they account for possible errors?  Do these projects work in making communities more involved in their local environment?

This presentation will cover the principles of product development focusing on small-scale artisan specialty foods. It will also highlight the assistance being provided by the NYS Food Venture Center to farmers and entrepreneurs interested in manufacturing food products for commercial sale.  Specific food examples will be discussed. As an example, in a recent Democrat and Chronicle article,  Dr. Padilla-Zakour is quoted in reference to Red Jacket Orchards’ expansion into the fresh fruit juice market.  Want to try Red Jacket juice? Stop by Manndible!

Dr. Olga Padilla-Zakour is an Associate Professor of Food Processing and also serves as the Director of the New York State Food Venture Center and the Northeast Center for Food Entrepreneurship at Cornell University.  Her responsibilities include technical assistance to start-up food companies and extension programs to support established industries.  Her research efforts are concentrated on processing technologies for fruits and vegetables to add value and to ensure safety; and in the development of small scale processing techniques for entrepreneurs.  She is a recognized Process Authority for acid and acidified foods. She joined Cornell in the fall of 1997.  Prior to that, she worked as a research chemist for Canandaigua Wine Company in California, as an Associate Professor at the Technological Institute of Costa Rica, and as a Plant Manager of a fruit processing facility. She graduated from the University of Costa Rica (Lic. in food technology) and from Cornell University (MS, 1988 and PhD in food science, 1991).

STUDENT TEAM UPDATE
Sustainability is a topic that everyone is talking about today, and the public wants to know exactly where their food is coming from. Why would a small, successful business in a local community want to sell out to a big corporation? Are small, locally owned businesses not the direction everyone seems to want the food industry to go? Also, if 80 percent of all new products introduced to the market will fail, what do you think about organics being so popular?
Regarding the Food Venture Center, we had no idea that it existed or what it did. This opened our eyes about more organizations that can support farmers who want to market their own products. It is awesome that in Geneva, they have a processing plant where food makers can test their systems for food processing before they make huge investments in commercial food processing. The money spent for the Food Venture Center is well worth it for the success of any new food product and is a great opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs to establish themselves. Although we wonder, who takes advantage of the Center and the services it has to offer? Is it often farmers who would like to establish a niche and market their product in a different way, or people from different professions who would like to create marketable products? We would be interested in hearing some stories of how people began making their own products. Do people supplement a primary income with the revenue made from making their product? Are there people who quit their jobs to mass produce applesauce according to their “secret recipe”? Also, does the NYS Food Venture Center provide any services to entrepreneurs after they begin marketing their product?

Senior Agricultural Sciences major William McCaffrey will begin his talk with a description of  what it was like to grow up on a cranberry and strawberry farm in suburban Massachusetts. From there he will describe his time at Cornell from living in the International Living Center to studying two languages and making the decision to travel abroad. He will detail his travels across India and the intense learning involved in his internship, as well as his hands-on experience last summer on a 500 acre CSA in northern New York.
Finally, Will will connect the dots with these experiences by discussing his business plans to develop the front 30 acres on his home farm in eastern Massachusetts.

William McCaffrey is a senior Ag Sciences major from a cranberry farm in East Taunton Massachusetts. Through his Cornell career he has lived in the International Living Center, trained with multiple martial arts clubs, become a member of Alpha Zeta Fraternity, completed an internship in India, and worked on a 500 acre CSA in Essex, New York. After graduation William plans to travel and work on different farms before eventually returning to the family farm.

Tom Sleight, Executive Director of the New York Farm Viability Institute, will engage the class in discussion around important questions on agricultural policy, considerations for the present and future.

As Tom writes: Food–everyone needs to eat. Energy–what are we going to do when we run out of oil? Water–some say the battleground that the next generation must deal with.

Agricultural policy lies at the core of these issues. The impacts are global. The impacts are local. How do farmers and farm organizations meet these policy challenges? How and why are farmers, consumers and farm organizations colliding on these issues? What tools and skills do you need to hone to effectively engage on policy? How do we make sense of all of this to become and/or guide policy makers to reach sound decisions for sustainable food, energy and agricultural systems?

Thomas N. (Tom) Sleight has served as the Executive Director of the New York Farm Viability Institute since 2006. He returned to New York having served a broad spectrum of agricultural constituents and customers from around the country and around the globe.

Most recently Tom was the Director of the Division of Marketing for the Virginia Department of Agriculture. Prior to Virginia, Tom served as Executive Director of the U.S. Grains Council in Washington, DC.

Tom is a native New Yorker, having grown up as the 10th generation on his family’s dairy farm in Dutchess County. Tom attended Cornell University for both undergraduate and graduate studies in Agronomy and Agricultural Economics.

FOLLOW-UP FROM TOM:
During Tom’s talk, when asked how students could stay informed on policy issues, he suggested subscribing to farmpolicy.com. It’s free to subscribe (email farmpolicy-on@list.farmpolicy.com) and there’s also a twitter page.

FOLLOW-UP FROM THE STUDENT TEAM:

Tom Sleight was a great speaker for this week’s seminar.  One point for discussion is the “bifurcation” of agriculture. Tom used this word many times in his presentation, meaning that agriculture has been divided into two sections, large agriculture and small agriculture. Is one more beneficial than the other to our economy? Which practice is more sustainable? These are questions we need to be thinking about as the upcoming leaders in agriculture. As the rising leaders in agriculture, what advantages do we have? As Cornell graduates we will have many opportunities at the tips of our fingers, what are the big decisions that we are going to have to make? Tom did an excellent job with his presentation and brought up many questions and points to think about as our journey in this field begins.

Cornell Professor Quirine Ketterings and Cornell Cooperative Extension director of Seneca County, Shawn Bossard will give an overview of Certified Crop Advising (what it is, requirements for becoming a CCA, current training materials, ongoing work on creating a Cornell Ag Science course for CCA) and share more on a potential internship position working with them to  development  an on-line course for CCAs.

Quirine Ketterings is an associate professor of Nutrient Management in Agricultural Systems, with statewide responsibilities for field crops, soil fertility, and nutrient management.

Shawn Bossard is currently the Executive Director for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Seneca County.

Links of interest:
Northeast Region Certified Crop Adviser
Certified Crop Adviser
Cornell Cooperative Extension
Nutrient Management Spear Program

Follow-up questions from the student team and answers from Dr. Ketterings:

Once you become a CCA, what types of jobs are you looking at. What are some typical questions or reasons a farmer might call you onto their farm? Is being a CCA a full-time job or is it incorporated into another profession?
Being certified as a CCA adds value to jobs like crop consultant, seed and fertilizer sales representative, extension educator, soil and water conservation officer, soil conservationist, and anyone else working with farmers or the farming industry. So, the certification is not a job by itself but a qualification to your job.

What is the typical age range of people who take the exam and become certified? Are you noticing more and more students taking the exam? Are they typically people who own their own farms?
The age of test takers ranges widely. In the past, to become certified, you had to demonstrate a minimum number of years of experience at the time of application. Now that the program has initiated the “CCA Candidate” program, exam results will remain valid for at least four years so you can gain the experience you need to become fully certified in the years after you pass the exams. This will now allow undergraduates to take the exams in their final semester at college, and then work and become fully certified once the work-experience requirement of two years experience for those with a Bachelor of Science Degree in agriculture is met.

What are the requirements of farms to have access to someone who is a certified advisor? Must all farms employ such a person or is it just recommended?
It is recommended to work with certified crop advisors for crop management but it is not required. The only exception in New York State is that you will need to be a CCA if you want to become a CAFO (concentrated animal feeding operation) planner. So, all CAFO planners are CCAs but not all CCAs are CAFO planners. Being a CCA adds credibility to the advice you would be giving the farmer as it tells a farmer that you are in a program that requires you to take continuing education credits and stay up to date on the latest developments in pest management, crop production, soil and water management, and soil fertility.