Agriculture and Natural Resources Program Committee

Ed Merry

Chris Comstock

Allison Lavine

Emily Brennan

Charles J Susick II

Kevin Peterson

Joe Castrechino

Arkport

Bath

Savona

Avoca

Bath

Corning

Prattsburgh

Legislative Representatives

Hilda Lando

Fred Potter

Dairy Feeder School


October 31-November 14, 2024

10:00 am - 3:00 pm


Program Dates and Locations vary: See the South Central, Central, and Northwest NY location options on the CALS website


Offered in English & Spanish at each site 


Featuring stations with mostly hands-on activities and demonstrations 


Who should attend 

  • Currently feeding dairy cows and want to learn more about the how and why of feeding activities
  • Interested in becoming a cow feeder and want to increase knowledge of cow feeding
  • Interested in learning more about how to improve the feeding process on farm

Topics covered 

  • Economics and importance of feeding and feed management
  • Dry matter and feeder math basics: how to measure DM and refusals, and adjust ration
  • Feed consistency and TMR audits
  • Troubleshooting mixer wagons
  • Bunk silo management, map out bunk, packing density and preservation, and feed out
  • Safety



Registration Fee: $50 per person, Includes lunch


Contact: Kathy Barrett, kfb3@cornell.edu, for more information.


Learn more here.

Did you suffer damage or loss from the recent storms and flash flooding?


The USDA has designated various counties in New York State as primary and contiguous disaster areas due to losses caused by a tornado hurricane, high winds, flash floods, and excessive rain that occurred from July 10th through July 16th, 2024.


Primary NY Counties (7): Cortland, Lewis, Seneca, Wyoming, Erie, Ontario, Tompkins


Contiguous Counties (23): Alleghany, Chemung, Livingston, Onondaga, Steuben, Broome, Chenango, Madison, Oswego, Tioga, Cattaraugus, Genesee, Monroe, St. Lawrence, Wayne, Cayuga, Herkimer, Niagara, Schuyler, Yates, Chautauqua, Jefferson, Oneida Lawrence


Producers can identify what programs they may qualify for by finding more information at our agency link: https://agriculture.ny.gov/emergency-management

 

All counties in our region are eligible for FSA emergency loans. Our local FSA offices can help you determine eligibility, funding maximum, and complete the process.


Steuben County farms should contact the USDA FSA Bath Service Center, 607-776-7398.


Photo: Mark Squires' flooded potato field in Prattsburgh. (Spectrum News 1/Emily Kenny)

The Holidays are Approaching...


The Finger Lakes Region has so many local sources for Christmas trees, wreaths, decor, and holiday gifts! Remember to shop local!


Finger Lakes Farm Country (FLFC) also makes it easy to locate farm experiences, farm stays, and trip ideas so you can enjoy time with family during the holiday season.


Christmas Trees | Finger Lakes Farm Country shows a map highlighting some sources for trees from locally owned tree farms.


From family gatherings at a restaurant offering farm-to-table options to various on farm experiences, you can plan a fun holiday break centered around Steuben County Agriculture right from Finger Lakes Farm Country.


Farm producers and agritourism business owners, don't forget to list your events with FLFC! If you aren't a listed producer/farm and would like to be,


Complete The Participation Form

 

Or if you have questions about Finger Lakes Farm Country please contact Kevin Peterson at kpeterson@corningfingerlakes.com or call 607-936-6544.

Looking for Pesticide Credits?


Remember to always refer to NYSPAD! All opportunities offering credits must be registered so you can search for upcoming events in Steuben and other nearby Counties to find one that fits your schedule most conveniently!


Access the NYSPAD Bureau of Pesticides Management - Information Portal


If you need help contact CCE Agriculture Dept, 607-664-2574.


Steuben County is offering the Crop Symposium with credits on November 14th. See the flyer at the beginning of this newsletter.

Check out the official agritourism webpage for CCE


Click the image below to access the full factsheet

Agritourism Workshops Monthly!


Are you thinking of starting an agritourism business or are you currently operating one?


Join the monthly lunch-hour, workshop virtual series and learn how to grow your agritourism business!


Each session will focus on specific topic to help aspiring agritourism entrepreneurs grow their knowledge and profit through this exciting on-farm business.


Pre-registration Required: Register for the Zoom Webinar here!


Price: Free


All workshops will be recorded and links shared. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.


Sponsor: Cornell Cooperative Extension Agritourism Program Work Team


Past topics and recordings


2024 Schedule:

January 9: Agritourism for Maple Syrup Operations

February 13: Grants for Agritourism Operations

March 12: Staffing your Agritourism Operation

April 9: Working with your Local Tourism Office

May 14: Overview of Agritourism Business Plan in AgPlan

June 11: How To's: Livestock Operations (not a petting zoo)

July 9: Urban Agritourism

August 13: Cut Flower & U-pick Management, Value-Added

September 10: Handling Difficult Customers

October 8: Creating Value-Added

Items/Experiences

November 12: Implementing Outdoor Recreation on the Farm


Please contact Lindsey Pashow lep67@cornell.edu or 518-569-3073 with any questions.

Are you thinking about starting a small farm? Do you already have a farm that you're looking to expand? Invest in your professional development and you'll see the returns in your business. Cornell Small Farms Program offers in-person trainings, workshops, and online courses for aspiring, new and experienced farmers.

Some great options are now open for 2024/2025. Topics include vegetable, specialty mushroom, sheep, and goat production, financial and business plans, grazing management, growing uncommon fruit, high tunnel season extension, soil health and many more.


You can read more and enroll HERE.

Dairy Market Watch

The most recent Dairy Market Watch can be accessed here. Past Dairy Market Watch issues can be accessed here.


Dairy Market Watch is an educational newsletter to keep producers informed of changing market factors affecting the dairy industry. Dairy Market Watch is published at the end of every month, funded in part by Cornell Pro-Dairy, and is compiled by Katelyn Walley-Stoll, Business Management Specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Southwest New York Dairy, Livestock & Field Crops Program.


For those that get printed newsletters, it is included as an insert with each edition.

Interested in NYSERDA’s Agriculture Programs?

 

Below you will find a brief overview of these three programs:


  • Agriculture Energy Audit Program (AEAP): This program offers NY state farmers no-cost energy audits to help identify energy efficiency opportunities on their farm.
  • REAP Technical Assistance Program (RTAP): This program has been designed to assist farmers at no-cost to make applications to the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). If awarded, farmers can receive up to 50% of the total project cost.
  • Energy Best Practices for Agriculture: The best practices have been developed to help educate producers with energy-efficient technologies, how they function, the average cost, and the average payback in years.


To learn more about these programs and eligibility, you can scan the QR code on the image above, or click here: Agriculture Energy Assistance - NYSERDA.

Contact us now: 800-732-1399


Thank you so much for your support in ensuring the viability and growth of New York's agriculture!

Ag Energy NY website has been updated making it easier to access guidance for different types of farm's needs!


Now offering one-on-one consultations for all your ag energy needs, including Solar and Wind Energy! If you are thinking about leasing land to alternative energy, set up a consultation to learn more about how your decisions impact you in the long run!


Contact Gabriel Gurley, rg523@cornell.edu for assistance and additional information!

Best Practices for Tree Seed Handling: What Happens After I Collect?


November 8, 2024, 1:00 pm 


Location: Zoom Webinar

Speakers:

Victor Vankus, Director USFS National Seed Laboratory (NSL)

Kayla Herriman, National Seed Specialist USFS


Reforestation is a high priority, and seed is often the basis. Seed availability is one of the biggest bottlenecks we face in ramping up reforestation across the US. When collecting seed it is important to remember that seed is living tissue and it needs to be cared for after collection. To maximize germination rates in the nursery, seed must be maintained at proper temperatures and humidity from the time it is collected until it is sowed in a nursery bed. This presentation will include guidance on best practices for collection windows, temporary storage, transportation, processing, and storage. This session is the fifth in a series of eight webinars on Tree Improvement.


Advance registration is NOT required for this event.

Register/Join Here


CEU Credits/Certificate Offered:

  • New York Logger Training - Trained Logger Certification (NYLT-TLC) - .25 hour NYLT TLC Credit  [credits applied for]
  • Certificate of Participation
  • Georgia Master Timber Harvester - Continuing Logger Ed. (GaMTH CLE) - 1 hour CLE - MTH Category B Credit
  • Society of American Foresters - Certified Forester Education (SAF-CFE) - 1 hour Category 1 Credit


More information on obtaining credits available here.

Beech Leaf Disease


November 13, 2024

11:15 am - 12:15 pm


Speaker:

Margery Daughtrey, Cornell University


This event is part of the New York State Integrated Pest Management academic seminar series which is designed to increase awareness of new research and techniques that advance Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and its adoption in all types of pest management settings.


Location: Zoom

Register to Attend

2024 Webinar Series for Greenhouse, Nursery & Garden Center Professionals


Join UNH Cooperative Extension and other experts to sharpen and refresh plant production skills. These monthly webinars on a variety of topics are intended to provide practical training for greenhouse, nursery and garden center professionals, although all are welcome to attend.  One New England pesticide applicator recertification credit has been applied for each event. 


Register for one, multiple or all of the interactive, Online Classes


2024 Class Dates:


August 27 - Thielaviopsis Control - Dr. Bo Liu

September 24 - Injecting a Drench - Jonathan Ebba

October 29 - Renewable Energy Sources for Greenhouse Environmental Control - Dr. Md Sazan Rahman

November 26 - Mealybug - Dr. Amber Vinchesi-Vahl

December 17 - Fertilizer Selection Basics/Water Analysis - Jonathan Ebba

If you have questions or would like assistance registering for or accessing the webinars, including language access, please contact Jonathan at Jonathan.Ebba@unh.edu

Bee Breeding and IPM for Better Pollinator Health



November 20, 2024

11:00 AM


Register here.


The webinar will be recorded for anyone unable to attend the live session.


Dr. Hongmei Li-Byarlay, Associate Professor, Central State University will be discussing recently published and current research on the genetics and breeding of mite-resistant stocks in honey bees, and a recent study using a sustainable method to manage varroa mites in bee hives.

What's Bugging You?


Join Live, on the first Friday of every month from Noon to 12:30 EST on Zoom.


Each month, experts will share practical information and answer questions on using integrated pest management (IPM) to avoid pest problems and promote a healthy environment where you live, work, learn and play. We’ll end with an IPM Minute and cover a specific action you can take in the next few days to help you avoid pest problems.


Watch the past Event presentations Here. Register for the 2024 events Here.


The 2024 What’s Bugging You First Friday schedule is now available on the program’s website, and you can register for multiple events using our registration form. We look forward to seeing you in 2024!


November 1st: 2024 Tick Blitz Results | No Spray Needed

December 6th: Feed the Birds | Repurposing a Holiday Tree

Plant Propagation Workshop Series: January 22 - March 19, 2025


Learn basics of sexual propagation, vegetative propagation, and micropropagation via Zoom


Presenter:

Dr. Mark Bridgen, Professor of Horticulture, Cornell University

Bridgen has taught plant propagation & micropropagation for over 30 years.


Dates/Times:

Wednesdays, January 22-March 19, 2025

2-4pm (EST)

3 modules, with 3 two-hour sessions within each module

Participants can attend all modules or register for individual modules.


Fee:

$150 per person/per module. All three modules: $400. Save $50!

Participants must have access to Zoom to participate in real time. Lectures will be recorded and available to participants after live sessions.

Dear Readers,


FLFC is a collaborative effort between the regional CCE offices and their respective counties' visitor centers. You may have seen the logo or heard of the Agritourism Trail project in the last year or so. We are continually building and adding visitor information to the website at no cost to you. If you are interested in having your farm listed on the site, please complete the survey, or reach out to Kevin Peterson, contact information below.


Did You Know?


Finger Lakes Farm Country is a regional agritourism program that combines agriculture and tourism to promote the abundance of agricultural resources in the southern Finger Lakes. Through a collaborative approach to marketing and promotion, the program creates a memorable brand for agritourism attractions and businesses in the area, while showcasing educational and recreational activities for visitors to the region.


In an effort to sustain local farms and create an environment for entrepreneurism, Finger Lakes Farm Country will promote the region’s abundant agritourism resources through a variety of marketing strategies. The Finger Lakes Farm Country region includes the counties of Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga, and Yates.


Interested in Joining?


Complete this survey


If you have questions about Finger Lakes Farm Country please contact Kevin Peterson: kpeterson@corningfingerlakes.com or call 607-936-6544

NY FarmNet Services: Always Free, Always Confidential
NY FarmNet is here to support farmers, farm families, agricultural service providers, veterinarians,
milk truck drivers, and others involved in the agricultural industry in New York State.
Call today 1-800-547-3276.

Reach out to them for business or personal consulting. 

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Steuben County 

20 East Morris Street | Bath, New York 14810

607-664-2300  |  smw272@cornell.edu  |  PutKnowledgeToWork.org


Cornell Cooperative Extension puts knowledge to work in pursuit of economic vitality,

ecological sustainability and social well-being. We bring local experience and

research based solutions together, helping New York State families and

communities thrive in our rapidly changing world.

Cornell University Cooperative Extension provides equal program and employment opportunities.

CCE does not endorse or recommend any specific product or service.

This newsletter is solely intended to educate consumers about their choices.