The past week was very eventful, consisting of multiple major farm and food processing site visits, as well as exposure to a new and very interesting type of field work for me. I started off the week by helping to calibrate the rainfall simulator. Here, I was simply measuring the amount of time required to fill each of the five runoff collection jars, seen below. This ensures that the simulation is consistent, which is important in properly demonstrating the impact of rain on different soil treatments to farmers or other stakeholders.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, I had the opportunity to join the team for an overnight trip to Northern New York, where we visited a number of dairy farms, in addition to the Miner Institute. At the farms, we were shown by the farmers how they manage their production and how they engage with research and technology to improve efficiency, animal comfort, and environmental sustainability, all while remaining competitive in the market. From this, a main takeaway was the value of maintaining meaningful and cooperative relationships with farmers, because this is the only way to really help farmers and their production.
The Miner Institute conducts crucial agricultural research and provides education to farmers and communities in order to support agricultural and environmental sustainability. My favorite part of the trip was touring the museum at the institute, which showed how they started out as Heart’s Delight Farm in the beginning of the 20th century, and how the founder, William H. Miner, applied novel technologies and supported countless locals as he built upon his farm.
Thursday, I participated in field sampling for soil greenhouse gases, which is part of the Net Zero Project. The job consisted of placing a LI-COR analyzer over different points in the field and monitoring the data. The machine measured the fluxes of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide being emitted from the soil. This is something I had not done before, but it was a truly great experience because I was able to see in real time not only how such a volume of greenhouse gases come from agricultural soil, but how various soil management practices and environmental factors influence the emission of greenhouse gases. This was a great reminder of how important soil health is, both for the farmer and the environment.
To finish off a great week, I got to visit a Chobani processing plant with the rest of the team from the lab. Here, we toured the facilities and saw how milk collected from hundreds of farms becomes the Chobani yogurt and other products we see in stores. It was amazing to see the diversity and positivity among the workers there. I was most impressed with the incredible scale and speed of production, and how so many different kinds of technology are applied to maximize efficiency. I learned about the many job opportunities and scholarships they offer for people of all backgrounds. I was also able to try some yogurt and even take some home. It was a truly delightful experience which I am grateful for.
Next week, I am planning to travel back to Western New York to do some more work with Cornell Cooperative Extension, and attend the Manure Expo, where I will learn about all kinds of innovations in the industry.