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North Country Pasture Walks
June 24, 2016 By
July 26 @Scott Sawyer Dairy, Boonville 11am-2pm w/ National Grazinglands Soil Health Trailer
July 26 @ Herrdale/Larry Herr Beef Farm, Lowville 6pm-8:30pm w/ National Grazinglands Soil Health Trailer
July 27 @ TBA (grazing dairy) 11am-2pm w/ National Grazinglands Soil Health Trailer
In Case You Missed It:
May 6, 2016 By
Had a great time at Thursday’s pasture walk in Nelson. Thanks to Troy Bishopp The grass whisperer and Daniel Hudson for making it happen and to all those who made it out! 
Now Available: Consultation Grants for Organic Dairy Farms
February 3, 2016 By
Funding available to participate in Cornell’s Dairy Farm Business Summary and modified Profit Teams
Cortland, NY. The New York Organic Dairy Program (NYODP) has partnered with the New York Farm Viability Institute to make grant funding available for organic dairy producers to participate in the Cornell Organic Dairy Farm Business Summary (DFBS) program and select a project for immediate attention through a modified Dairy Profit Team approach.
Farms currently participating in the Dairy Farm Business Summary and those that have not completed a DFBS before are both eligible for funding. Priority for grants will be given to certified organic dairies, however, farms in transition to become organic are encouraged to apply.
Farmers may first apply for funds to:
. work with a qualified farm business consultant to upload the operating and financial information for the individual farm into the Cornell Organic Dairy Farm Business Summary,
. or, if the farmer has completed a 2016 Summary, to work with the consultant to review the data to select a short-term project that will benefit the farm. Varying levels of funding are available for this initial step.
Funding is also available for farmers to work with a consultant on a project that will help the business better meet its goals. Applicants for a project grant must first complete a 2016 DFBS.
Farmers requesting project funds will be required to work with NYODP to document their desired goal and projects must be achievable within 18 months of the formation of the consultant ‘team.’ Examples of projects include, but are not limited to, developing a business plan, enhancing transitioning practices, and constructing facilities. NYODP will provide up to $1,500 for the consultant and team to complete its project work.
The Cornell Organic Dairy Farm Business Summary is a confidential program that collects operating and financial information from an individual farm to produce a report that the farm operator can use to identify areas where the farm is doing well and areas that need improvement. The Summary also helps analyze if the farm is meeting the financial and long-term goals of the farm business. If enough similar farms participate, the Cornell Organic Dairy Farm Business Summary will create benchmarks against which the owners of farms of similar size can measure their performance.
NYODP Manager Fay Benson will assist farmers in identifying a qualified farm business consultant for each of the two levels of funding. Consultants who have already agreed to work with this modified Organic Dairy Profit Team approach are:
. Klaas Martens, Penn Yan, NY; a well-known pioneer in organic field crop production, a founder of New York Organic Certified, and an advisor on general organic dairy management;
. Tom Kilcer, Advanced Ag Systems, Kinderhook NY, with a specialty in crop rotations specifically fit to an individual farm to provide the best possible forage for dairy animals and livestock;
. Sarah Flack, Sarah Flack Consulting, Enosburg Falls, VT, working with grazers to improve the
performance of farm pastures and livestock production; and
. consultants in the existing Dairy Farm Business Summary network.
For the guidelines and application form for the NYODP consultant and project grants CLICK HERE.
Grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis until funding is spent. For more information, contact Fay Benson at 607-391-2669 or afb3@cornell.edu.
This grants opportunity is funded by the New York Farm Viability Institute through its Dairy Profit Team program.
NY Certified Organic Feb. 9 Meeting: Four Soil Health Presentations: Geneva Site Hosting Speakers; Four CCE Offices to Broadcast Locally
January 27, 2016 By
Geneva, NY. New York Organic Certified has announced three presentations and a farmer panel on managing soil health with crop rotations and forage production to be offered February 9 with speakers on site at the New York State Agricultural Experimental Station in Geneva, NY. Cornell Cooperative Extension offices will broadcast the program via web connection in Canton, Morrisville, Warsaw and Westport.
The February 9 meeting is the second of three New York Certified Organic winter meetings. Rick Pederson of Pederson Farms, Seneca Castle, NY, will present on Putting Soil Health Knowledge into Practice. Pederson manages 600 certified organic acres and an additional 900 acres under conventional production. He grows a diversified crop mix for wholesaling to buyers throughout the Northeast. He will talk about the crop rotations he has developed to provide income and at the same time build resilience in his soil.
Tom Kilcer of Advanced Ag Systems, Kinderhook, NY, will present his research on Alternative Forage Rotations to Protect the Soil on Marginal Land. Kilcer will share his data on double cropping with winter grains and summer annuals to keep the soil covered and allow fieldwork to be done when soils are more likely dry. He will also cover solutions to storing nitrogen for such a system in organic production.
In the Reducing Pasture Compaction with Daikon Radish session, NY Organic Dairy Initiative Project Manager and Cornell University South Central NY Regional Team Small Dairy Support Educator Fay Benson will share the results of planting brassicas in compacted areas of pastures after a very wet grazing season.
A farmer panel on How to Decide Whether to Sell Forages to Dairy Farmers or Plow Them In for Green Manure includes Thor Oechsner of Oechsner Farms, a 600-acre certified organic enterprise growing diversified grains in Newfield, NY. Oechsner is also a partner in Farmer Ground, a small cooperatively owned grain milling business in Trumansburg, NY.
The New York Crop Insurance Education Team, and Cornell Cooperative Extension provide support for these meetings. There will be a brief description of how crop insurance can benefit organic farmers at the February 9 and March 8 NYCO meetings.
The NYCO meetings begin at 10 AM in Jordan Hall at 630 West North Street at the New York State Agricultural Experimental Station in Geneva, NY. There is no cost or need to register to attend the program in Geneva that features presentations by and discussions with farmers from across New York State, crop and dairy consultants, Cornell University researchers, and Cornell Cooperative Extension educators. Participants are asked to bring a dish to pass at the potluck lunch.
Those interested in attending the February 9 NYCO program via website at an Extension office should contact that office directly as follows:
. Canton: CCE of St. Lawrence County, 2043B State Highway 68, Kitty O’Neil, 315.379.9192 x253,
. Morrisville: CCE of Madison County, 100 Eaton Street, Katherine Brosnan, 315.684.3001,
. Warsaw: CCE of Wyoming County, 401 North Main Street, Zach Amey, 585.786.2251 x123, and
. Westport: CCE of Essex County, 3 Sisco Street, Anita Deming, 518.982.4180 x409.
For more information on New York Certified Organic, contact Fay Benson at 607.745.3807, afb3@cornell.edu.
New York Certified Organic sets 2016 winter programs in Geneva
December 31, 2015 By
New York Certified Organic, a group of grain and dairy farmers meeting together since 1994 to increase their practical knowledge and expertise with the organic production of crops and milk, has announced its winter 2016 programs, all beginning at 10 a.m. on various dates in Jordan Hall at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, 630 W. North St., Geneva.
The 2016 NYCO winter meetings are as follows: Three sessions on “Organic Crop Management Through Good Years and Bad” will cover “What to Do When the Cultivating Window Does Not Open Very Wide,” “The Effects of Long-Term Management on Weed Competition in Organic Soybean” and “Using Crimped Cover Crops for Soybean or Squash Production” on Jan. 12; four sessions on “Managing Soil Health with Crop Rotations and Forage Production” will cover “Putting Soil Health Knowledge and Crop Rotations into Practice,” “Alternative Forage Rotations to Protect Soil on Marginal Land” and “Reducing Pasture Compaction with Daikon Radish” and a farmer panel will discuss “How to Decide Whether to Sell Forages to Dairy Farmers or Plow Them in for Green Manure” on Feb. 9; and four sessions on “Changing Markets for Organic Grain and Dairy Sessions” will cover “Developing New Markets for Organic Grain,” “What is Transpiring in the World Market of Organic Grain,” “What Do You Want to Make Per Acre on Your Farm” and “Flax Grain Production and Uses” on March 8.
The New York Crop Insurance Education Team and Cornell Cooperative Extension provide support for these meetings. There will be a brief description of how crop insurance can benefit organic farmers at each of the 2016 meetings. Participants are asked to bring a dish to pass at the potluck lunch.
For more information, contact Fay Benson at 607-745-3807 or afb3@cornell.edu.
See this article in Morning Ag Clips!
Healthy Soils for Dairy Grazers Workshops Set on Three NY Farms in August
August 4, 2015 By
The New York Grazing Coalition, Organic Valley Cooperative, and Cornell CooperativeExtension are hosting three free on-farm healthy soils workshops for dairy operators who graze their cows. The workshops in Groton, Lisbon and Little Falls, NY, will feature hand-on learning opportunities with the National Grazinglands Coalition Soil Health Trailer and soil health presenters. The National Grazinglands Coalition Soil Health Trailer is equipped to measure and demonstrate vital physical, chemical, and biological components of soil health. Workshop participants will use penetrometers to measure soil compaction, and see a demonstration of the Active Carbon test that measures how much food the soil contains for the biological organisms that support soil health.
NY Organic Dairy Initiative Coordinator Fay Benson will compare soil management plots under a rainfall simulator to measure soil aggregate stability. Benson says, “Soil health is being identified as the limiting factor to productivity on many farms nationwide. While seed companies and agronomists have done an excellent job of improving seed selection and the nutrient or chemical composition of soils to support crop production, we now realize the need to also focus on the physical structure and biological life in the soil to maximize the value of our fields and pastures.”
Livestock concentration, soil compaction and erosion, living plant cover, dead plant residue on the surface, forage mass and height and soil organic matter are some workable aspects of grazing land management. At each workshop, Organic Valley Cooperative Soil Agronomist Mark Kopecky will present farm management factors that contribute to overall soil health and consequently the growth and productivity of grazing lands. He will cover the soil traits that affect rainwater runoff and infiltration.
The workshops also include a short presentation on USDA Risk Management Agency policies to address the types of farm risks that are more difficult to manage.
The 10am to 2:30 pm workshops are free and include a light lunch. Registration is requested with Ellen Fagan, Cornell Cooperative Extension, 607-753-5078, etf22@cornell.edu, for the program of your
August 24: Fay Benson’s Custom Grazing Farm, 546 Cobb Street, Groton NY
August 25: Bob Zufall’s No-Grain Dairy, 21 Campbell Road, Lisbon NY
August 26: Dan Casler’s Organic Dairy, 909 Paradise Road, Little Falls NY.
The National Grazinglands Coalition Soil Health Trailer is available to New York through a five-state Conservation Innovation Grant funded by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
