Cornell University

I spent weeks watering and tending to my forage plot in Hall, NY. With minimal rains, on the edge of a drought, the crops looked weak with no sign of growth. I left my plot in the best shape I could when I headed back to school, and on September 10th, I returned to see that the sparing rain had miraculously helped the cover crops prosper and the alfalfa to regenerate.

Cover crop and grass mixes

On September 9th and 10th, I was invited back to the Annual Seedway Kick-off meeting held in Geneva, NY. The evening of the 9th, we held a reception for all of the district sales managers and their dealers beneath them. A night of meeting new growers I never had to chance to connect with, and catching up with those I did spend time working with was a great experience. Both Seedway and CHR Hansen had tables set up displaying their new products for the upcoming year and enhancements made in their old products and literature.

Final alfalfa and clover stands

The morning of the 10th, we had a plot day at the Hall, NY forage plot I maintained during my internship. We had three different stations, each spending an hour talking about the outlook for that crop in the upcoming year. The forages and cover crops were my showcase. Explaining the numerous hours spent and gallons of water used to try to make the plot look as well as it did for the conditions it faced. I was able to tag along with a group and listen to the pitches about the corn and the soybean plots as well. When he came to the CHR Hansen tent, I was able to pitch in and help my boss describe the products and when to use them.

Plot Day cover crop talk

Overall, the kick-off meeting was a good ending to my internship. Being able to see just how far my plot had come since the beginning and being able to connect with many growers and sellers, I was extremely grateful to have the opportunity to intern with such a welcoming company and community.

Along with all of the corn and soybean trials that I have been scouting, maintaining, and documenting, we have several wheat trials in the mix. This past week we harvested our last wheat plot in the area- Pulaski, NY- and compared the varieties. I’ve never had much experience with wheat in general let alone harvesting it, so this was a new experience for me.

The excitement started out as soon as I arrived; they needed my truck battery to run the weigh wagon since it had suddenly been drained. After pulling my battery and getting the wagon running, we got out all of our equipment for measuring the test weight and moisture and a spreadsheet that calculated the tons per acre. Once we got all set up, the harvester went to work, carefully harvesting one row at a time and then dumping the load in the wagon to be tested and weighed before transferred to the truck. I had the opportunity to watch all of the testing take place for the first variety before jumping in and helping.

Fixing the wagon prior to harvest

Retrieving a sample to be tested

We had two different measuring instruments that gave us the moisture of the wheat of individual samples and then an average of three samples. In addition to moisture and test weight, we recorded the length of the wheat section that was planted and the weight the wagon displayed. On the pre-made spreadsheet, there was already a function that produced the tons per acre given the information we recorded and entered.

In this trial, we only had seven varieties of wheat, whereas most corn and bean plots have upwards of twenty. We had a range of tons per acre between 74 and 88, which for the field they were planted on was very impressive. The soil had been rock hard with little to no moisture for quite a long time and the wheat harvested around the plot had ranged from 26 to 120 tons per acre. We found that the lowest yielding variety was Cornell’s Erie wheat and the highest was Seedway’s 550.

Unfortunately this will be the only plot I will have had the opportunity to harvest, but it was definitely a unique and exciting experience.

Harvesting the wheat trial

The last couple of weeks I’ve been traveling across New York State looking at test plots and fields along with way. From Buffalo to Watertown and Utica as well there’s plenty corn and soybean fields to be seen. As I looked at each plot the main factor effecting the health is the amount of rain.

Signing test plots

Each plot I looked at I’ve been putting up signs and reporting on the best varieties of corn. Even though each field varies in the amount of rain, height, and fertilizer or spray applied; there are several varieties that stood out overall.

Competitors Plot

I complied all of my results into a slide show that showed the best corn varieties; Seedway and others included; and gave a short presentation at their annual sales meeting this past Tuesday. As all the district sales managers listened and discussed at the end, the varieties were not very surprising as most of them were drought tolerant types.

In the up coming weeks, we have grower appreciation days and field days for farmers in the area to view the corn crops side by side before they order next years crop. The soybeans are the next project to come in the following weeks as they are not as matured and ready for presentation yet.

Seedway corn next to Pioneer in test plot

Luke Bryan said it right- rain makes corn… and rain is a good thing. Unfortunately over the course of my internship we have barely had an inch of rain. It has been at least 3 weeks since we last had any measurable rain and the crops are suffering because of that.

Sorghum plotted in the test plot

Over the past few weeks, I have been taking care of my test plots and watering them as needed. Which, in this weather, is at least once a week. The two main plots that I have been monitoring are located in Hall and Seneca Falls, NY which has not been ideal this summer. At least once a week I water the plots with a 1500 gallon tank full of water and fire hose.

Watering the test plot

Both of the plots are mostly cover crops, however, the one located in Hall has forages, alfalfa, grass mixes, and organic corn. The heat has made most of the cover and alfalfa plots burn up and die quickly along with the corn. In hopes of salvaging what has yet to burn up or die, I channel my inner firefighter and break out the hose. The test plot located in Seneca Falls is actually a plot that will be shown during the Empire Farms Days at the beginning of August ans is located right on the show site. The owner and operator of  the land and show has graciously installed an irrigation system to keep the plot watered.

Hopefully the weather God’s have some mercy and let the rain fall soon.

This summer I have a dual internship with Seedway and CHR Hansen, based out of Hall, NY. My internship looks at both ends of the agricultural spectrum; the plant and the animal. The two companies work together; Seedway sells CHR Hansen product and CHR Hansen helps farmers manage their plants. I wasn’t expecting to be a part of both companies this summer, but to my surprise it is very interesting and helpful to see agriculture from both points of view.

When I work with Seedway, I maintain forage and grain plots, I deliver seed, and scout fields for pests, diseases, and any other problems the farmers may be encountering. On the other hand, with CHR Hansen, I take corn silage and haylage samples along with manure samples and analyze them in order to help the farmer get the most nutrients and increase the milk they are getting from their cows.

Stepping foot into NH

During June, I spent a whole week working with CHR Hansen and we traveled up to Vermont and New Hampshire to do some testing. We met with one of the CHR Hansen dealers in Vermont along with a CHR Hansen employee who works in Brazil. Throughout the week, we went to numerous farms and took countless samples. We also presented our results to a few farms, showing them improvements they could make in packing or chopping or how our product would help eliminate their spoilage. Many of the days were long days, not reaching our hotel until close to midnight and then leaving before the sun rose the next morning.

All in all, the week was one that was unforgettable. I put my feet in two states I had never been and with this internship that seems like it won’t be the end of my travels.

Alfalfa, Forage, and Cover crop plot

Penn State Shaker box results