Inside This Issue

6th Annual Winter Green Up.......................................p.3

If This Is The Big One, Are You Prepared..................p.4

Handy Habits...............................................................p.5

Part Time Farmer........................................................p 8

Annual Feed Dealer Seminar......................................p.9

Diplomacy Through Agriculture..............................p.10

Free Feed....................................................................p.12

Weekend Warrior II ..................................................p.14

Classifieds..................................................................p.16

Agricultural NewsServing Eastern New York

NOVEMBER, 2013Volume 41, No. 11

Continued on page 6

“Soil Health is the Key”Aaron Gabriel

“Soil health is the key” for Mark Anderson at Landview Farms, Inc. The realization came when they took over some rented land that was “dead” and low-yielding. Just one year of a rye cover crop brought the field back to life. Soil organ-isms need to eat, and organic matter is what it takes. Feed-ing your organic matter to soil will improve all three aspects of soil health: physical properties, chemical properties, and biological properties. A healthy soil is porous and has good tilth. It has a proper pH and adequate plant nutrients. The soil organisms are thriving to cycle nutrients, aggregate the soil particles, and create humus to hold onto water and nu-trients. A healthy soil is key because it produces high yields more profitably and it helps crops endure adverse weather.

Consider the 2013 growing season. Fortunately, after a very wet start and then a dry spell, crops turned around and overall were pretty good. What did it take to turn around those fields? Fields with healthy soil will had good drainage so water did not pond and rot the seed. Adequate organic matter promoted good soil structure and pores, so that seeds could get air to germinate and grow. Several inches of rain will leached nutrients, but organic matter held a good supply and microbes recycled nutrients once water-logging had ended. A healthy soil was less susceptible to erosion, because organic matter and surface residues protected the soil from pounding rain drops. If your soil did not have those advantages, then more seed rotted. It took longer for crop roots to get air and resume growth. It took more fertilizer to replace what was lost. And, in the end, yields were lower in a less healthy soil. It all adds up. Mark took me to one of his fields with clay soil. Despite all the rain (we walked through puddles in the roadway), the corn still grew well throughout the field and produced full ears. Improving soil health is the first line of defense for combating adverse weather when growing crops. Plus, it is the way we will get our next bump in crop yields.

Books (and several good websites) have been written on soil health, but I would like to share a couple points I think are important, along with some new tools for soil health. First, while fertilizer is for feeding our crops, it is organic matter that feeds the soil. Feeding your soil organic mat-ter will improve all three aspects of soil health (chemical, physical, biological). We feed the soil with manure, crop

Despite challenging weather and clay soil, you can still get fields to consistently give good yields when you focus on soil health.

PAGE 2 AGRICULTURAL NEWS NOVEMBER 2013

The enrollment fee for each of the above counties includes $1.00 subscription to the Agricultural News, which is published monthly by the Saratoga County Cooperative Extension Association. Periodical postage paid at Ballston Spa and additional mailing offices.

Cooperative Extension in New York State provides Equal Program and Employment Opportunities.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Agricultural News, 50 West High Street, Ballston Spa, N.Y. 12020.

The Agricultural News Committee and participating Cornell Cooperative Extension reserve the right to refuse any and all advertisement; and do not substantiate the reliability or authenticity of the enclosed advertisement. No endorsement of products is implied.

VOLUME FORTY-ONE (ISSN 0149-7021) NUMBER 11

ALBANY COUNTY RENSSELAER COUNTY WASHINGTON COUNTY 24 Martin Rd. Ag & Life Science Building Annex Bldg.,415 Lower Main St. Voorheesville, N.Y. 12186 61 State Street Hudson Falls, N.Y. 12839 765-3510 Troy, N.Y. 12180 746-2560 518-272-4210

Published Monthly by Cornell Cooperative Extension Saratoga County, 50 West High Street, Ballston Spa, NY 12020

885-8995 Direct or toll free via county office798-0231 654-9003 587-8653 1-800-443-0107

Agricultural News Serving Eastern New York

CORNELL COOPERATIVE EXTENSlON OF ALBANY COUNTYBoard of Directors

Wesley John, President, Albany John Viscuso, Vice President, DelmarBenita Law Diao, Secretary, Latham Thomas Della Rocco, Treasurer, Berne

Herbert W. Reilly, Jr., Legislative Rep., VoorheesvilleBoard of Directors Agriculture Program CommitteeMonica Bush, Altamont Pamela McSweeney, WesterloLinda Sue Black, Albany Doug LaGrange, Feura BushJoan Baim, Voorheesville Michael Stanton, Coeymans HollowJim Beil, Schenectady Edward Noel Wilson, AltamontChase Chaskey, Altamont Edward Zyniecki, AltamontGrace Desemone, Glenmont Kenneth Hunger, Voorheesville Martin Markessinis, Voorheesville Michael Stanton, Coeymans Hollow Susan Vanderwarker, AltamontEdward Noel Wilson, Altamont

COOPERATIVE EXTENSION ASSOCIATION OF RENSSELAER COUNTYBoard of Directors

Eric Sheffer, President, Hoosick Falls Don Maurer, Vice President, TroySusan Boleski, Secretary, Schagticoke Joanne Collins, Treasurer, East GreenbushBoard of Directors Dean Casey, SchaghticokeMarc Sacco, Schaghticoke Mark Cipperly, TroyWalter Kersch, Petersburg Stacy Film, W. Sand LakeChris Roblin, Averill Park Robert Hill, PetersburgGretchen Morton, Troy Pat Severson-Wager, West Sand LakeDavid Fleming, Jr., Hoosick Falls Andy Turner, Cornell Extension Representative,

Hon. Lester Goodermote, County Legislature RepresentativeSteve Pechenik, County Executive Representative

CORNELL COOPERATIVE EXTENSION OF SARATOGA COUNTYBoard of Directors

Harry Amer, President, Ballston Spa Chip Elms, Vice President, Ballston SpaKevin Shaughnessy, Treasurer, Waterford Rob Pastore, Secretary, Ballston Spa

Dick Rowland, Supervisor RepresentativeBoard of Directors Agricultural Program CommitteeEd Hersh, Ballston Spa Rob Pastore, Vice Chairman, Ballston SpaJames Craig, Ballston Spa Paul Coleman, Secretary, Ballston Spa Paul Coleman, Ballston Spa Joyce Soltis, Ballston SpaDaryl Cutler, Ballston Spa James Pettis III, SchuylervilleLeigh Schrader, Glenville Lea Chapman, Ballston SpaSteve Otrembiak, Saratoga Springs Sherri Hanehan, Saratoga Springs David Lee, Saratoga Springs Matthew Luke, Ballston Spa Kenny Bowman, Rexford

COOPERATIVE EXTENSION ASSOCIATION OF WASHINGTON COUNTYBoard of Directors

Terry Zihem, President, Buskirk Dennis Kelly, Vice President, KingsburyPatricia Lockwood, Treasurer, Greenwich

Board of Directors Agricultural Program CommitteeThelma Hack, Fort Edward Kevin McCarthy, Fort AnnDonald Previtali, Argyle Ruthann Sabon-Blackmer, ArgyleJoanne Booth, Greenwich Carey Murphy, Eagle BridgeMarge Irwin, Greenwich Linda McKernon, Greenwich Renee St. Jacques, Argyle

NOVEMBER 2013 AGRICULTURAL NEWS PAGE 3 NOVEMBER 2013

Top Quality Information is Critical to Agriculture Profitability

Capital District Agriculture and Horticulture Program; serving Albany, Columbia, Greene, Schenectady, and Washington Counties:

Sandra Buxton 746-2560 Farm Business Management

Aaron Gabriel 746-2560 Agronomy Tom Gallagher 765-3500 Livestock Stephen Hadcock 828-3346 New Farmer/Market Development

Charles Schmitt 765-3500 Commercial Horticulture

In Columbia/Greene: 622-9820Mick Bessier General Agriculture

Marilyn Wyman Agroforestry

In Saratoga: 885-8995

David Leggett Livestock

Richard Smith Farm Management/Dairy

In Rensselaer: 272-4210

David Chinery Commercial Horticulture

Kirk Shoen Farm Business Management

Ashley Pierce General Agriculture

In Warren: 623-3291

Laurel Gailor Forestry

northcountryautoradiator.com

THOMAS GALLAGHERCAAHP

The sixth Annual Winter Green-Up Grazing Conference will be held on Friday, January 31 and Saturday, February 1, 2014 at the Century House in Latham New York. This year, as a special feature, we have added a day for the 2nd Northeast Silvopasture Conference on Thursday, January 30, 2014. You will be able to register for just the silvopasture conference or just the green-up conference or for all three days at a reduced rate.

This year’s green-up featured speakers will include Doug Paterson – Missouri State Grazing Lands Specialist, Allan Williams – economist and beef geneticist, and Jeff Moyer from the Rodale Institute.

Speakers for the silvopasture conference will include Peter Smallidge – Cornell University Department of Natural Resources, Brett Chedzoy – Cornell Cooperative Extension Forestry Specialist, Dan Carr – Stone Barns Center, and Troy Bishop – Grazing Specialist.

Good news for those of you who could not attend the conference previously because of cash flow issues during the winter, a scholarship fund has been created in the name of David Huse. David was really the pioneer of grass-fed beef in our area. When most were bringing their cows hay David was watching his cows push away the snow to get at the stockpiled grass. David was a tremendous advocate for agriculture, grazing and the beef industry and always willing to share his knowledge with anyone who wanted to learn.

In David’s remembrance, the family has established an education fund to help reimburse farmers who are currently operating or planning to operate a sustainable pasture based livestock operation. Funds will be made available to cover registration costs for up to two people from the same farm for attending educational conferences and seminars beginning with the 2014 winter green-up.

Please contact me at tjg3@cornell.edu or 518-765-3511 to receive an application for the scholarship. If you would like to contribute to the fund please make checks payable to Cornell Cooperative Extension Albany County and mail to PO Box 497, Voorheesville, New York 12186, attn: Gale Kohler. On the memo line please write David Huse Education Fund.

I look forward to seeing you at this year’s winter green-up.

The 6th Annual Winter Green-Up

Grass-Fed Grazing Conference

From Our Family To Yours, We Wish You a

Happy Thanksgiving!

PAGE 4 AGRICULTURAL NEWS NOVEMBER 2013

SANDY BUXTONCAAHP

If your home or business suddenly became an island, how long could you survive? An hour? A day? A week?

As winter approaches and we survive the end of another hurricane season, this question is weighing on my mind. And I want you to think about it too.

Dan King, Greene County’s Emergency Management Specialist, spoke with me about what his county govern-ment’s opinion is. Each household or business needs to be prepared to be responsible for themselves for 72 hours in terms of providing basic things.

72 hours is three days for those who are math-challenged.His comment actually has a great point – unless we are

under attack – by fire, flood or collapsing from some other issue, the government needs about 3 days to handle the true emergency stuff before they can think about providing services or care to non-emergency situations.

Now, many people may not agree. For example, we have people who call 9-1-1 because their pizza did not arrive in 30 minutes.

But it is possible to hold the fort and keep the family under control but it requires some pre-planning. Food, water, fuel and information are all basic necessities to stockpile. But some of what you might need is not obvious. Flashlights, bat-teries, lanterns that are charged, a non-electric can opener, a full gas tank on your vehicle, fuel reserve for a generator, medication, pet food and toilet paper.

One of the tricks some farmers have learned comes from the reality of missing the direct disaster impact but living near the area. Fill up bulk fuel tanks and the equipment, even a tractor not regularly in use, because fuel can be moved if you have it. But if rationing happens, you can’t burn what you don’t have. Regarding Superstorm Sandy, many farmers prepared for the front that didn’t hit but felt the aftermath when there was no fuel to deliver locally.

Additionally, we should all talk about the emergency plan with our families so they understand and can help. Such a plan may include appointing another relative outside of the immediate zone to communicate with so everyone can receive info in case of a local communication blackout.

If you take the time and plan ahead, I know that we will all be much more able to survive these situations. It just takes some focus to remember that we all have to be responsible and think ahead. For more information on what might be some good steps to take contact me 518-380-1498 or your local emergency management representative.

If This is the Big One, Are you

Prepared?

NOVEMBER 2013 AGRICULTURAL NEWS PAGE 5 NOVEMBER 2013

Whenever we think about habits, all kinds of bad ones come to mind. Like smoking cigarettes, biting one’s finger nails or sneezing in church. However, the forming of good habits can make your life much more pleasant. How do you form these good habits?

It’s not easy. It takes several days of forcing yourself to do a task a certain way. Once formed however, a habit is hard to break. And that goes for good ones as well as bad ones. A good habit is always checking the fuel level in a tractor before starting for a distant field, disposing of any plastic bags that might blow around and end up lodged in a tree or hiding any candy wrappers that might betray the location of your private stash. A bad habit is trusting a fuel gauge instead of a dip stick, not picking up all the leftover pieces of wood after finishing a construction project and assuming the cows won’t notice an open gate.

Cows are great ones to teach us the value of habits. Their whole life depends on doing the same thing over and over, day after day. In fact, any change in that routine thoroughly confuses them. For example, in the days when we used to walk our small herd to a distant pasture every morning after milking and walk them back for milking every night, they soon learned the way and dutifully plodded along without complaint. At the time, we always ate supper before milking at night and were busy laughing, talking and eating when someone noticed the whole herd coming up the driveway, single file, headed for their stalls in the barn. Apparently, whoever followed them down to the pasture that morning, got distracted, and forgot to close the gate. During the day they must have explored every square inch of that twenty acre field, and as milking time approached, gathered by the gate only to find it open. They must have stared at that open gate and weighed their options, and, because they would get their daily portion of molasses-flavored grain at milking time, one of them must have said,” I can’t wait here all day, if the gate is open, it must be all right to head for the barn”.

Another advantage of always doing a chore the same way, every day, is not having to worry about whether each step was performed correctly. That is why we always hang the silage fork on the same nail, always keep the rope halters on the same hook and, just in case the cows are the wander-ing kind, always make sure the gates are closed.

That must be why my wife keeps telling me that if I applied that same rule to hanging up my own clothes, I wouldn’t have to constantly ask her where to find my only white shirt.

Joe peck, a Saratoga County dairy farmer, storyteller and humorous speaker, is author of “A Cow in the Pool & Udder Humorous Farm Stories” and “A Tractor in the House & Other Smashing Farm Stories’ which you may order online at www.joepeckonline.com or call (518) 584-4129.

Handy Habits

We’ll take a look at the big picture — protocols, best practices, budgetary concerns — and help you create a forward-looking business plan, with an eye on increasing profits.

For more information, call 800.234.0269 or watch our video at FarmCreditEast.com/consulting.

Greenwich • 800.234.0269FarmCreditEast.com

Farm Credit East can show you how to improve farm profitability.

On The Lighter SideA Humorous Look at Everyday Farm Life

How Are We Doing? YOUR OPINION MATTERS TO US!

Please go to the link below to fill out a short survey. http://bit.ly/AgNEWSSubscriber

PAGE 6 AGRICULTURAL NEWS NOVEMBER 2013

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residues, mulches, cover crops, ag wastes and sometimes non-ag waste products. Rather than trying to raise the soil organic matter percentage, just keep feeding the soil organic matter each year.

Protect the soil surface from rain drops. Rain drops should not fall onto bare soil – that is the beginning of ero-sion. And it is always the best part of the soil that erodes – high organic matter, nutrient-rich silt and clay. Recently I soil sampled an eroded field. I sampled the soil that eroded off the field at the bottom of the slope. Then I went up slope and sampled the top two inches and also a full eight inch profile in several locations. The results in Table 1 show that the lost soil carried off the field has almost twice the organic matter and calcium as the other two soil samples and much more phosphorus. Potassium is not much different than the whole profile, since it is fairly mobile in soil. Erosion takes the best soil. As organic matter decomposes, bacteria and fungi secrete substances that glue soil particles together and give it strength to hold together. This not only prevents erosion, but also prevents crusting and helps maintain pore space. You can keep the soil surface covered with crop resi-dues, sod, cover crops, and winter forages. A simple method to plant rye seed is to add it to the manure spreader in the fall and cover your corn fields. In my cover crop trials with Washington County SWCD, we found that running an aera-tion tillage tool before or after the manure/seed application

improved establishment. If you plan to harvest the forage in the spring, the field should be rolled to smooth it for the harvest machinery. While rye usually does not need tillage at planting, triticale needs aeration tillage or some other way

Table 1. Erosion takes the best soil. Analysis of lost soil and soil left behind on an eroded slope of one field.

Lost Soil

Eroded2” Surface

Eroded8” Profile

pH 5.9 5.5 5.6Organic Matter 4.9 2.7 3.3Phosphorus 18 12 11Potassium 352 313 357Calcium 1788 833 1066

to plant the seed 1 ½” deep for good winter survival.A layer of organic matter can be a problem for germi-

nating seeds. No-till soybeans covered in corn stalk residue may be completely eaten by slugs. Let’s remember that corn, soybeans, wheat, and other crops are annuals. Their ecological niche is a disturbed environment. That is why I think that row cleaners and variations of “strip-tillage” make a lot of sense. Landview Farms has a one-pass corn planting system that really focusses on soil health. First it takes a gutsy tractor to pull a zone-builder. This breaks up any hard layers so roots and water can go down. During

dry spells, water wicks up from the subsoil for roots to get and keep the plant grow-ing. Behind the shank are two disks set to pull soil into a four inch high ridge, fol-lowed by a rolling basket for firming. We have tillage in the row, but the soil and crop residues between rows stay in place. The corn planter follows and places the seed in the four-inch ridge, so that it is raised two inches above the field surface. This helps the soil warm up faster and drain better – a good germination environment. Mark told me that this year, the fields that did grow, were all quite even. Fields that did not grow were simply completely flooded. This is risk management by thoughtful management, before buying an insurance policy.

It is time to consider how to reduce erosion when we plant hay fields. If pri-mary tillage is not needed to remove ruts or take out

Continued from page 1Soil Health is...........

NOVEMBER 2013 AGRICULTURAL NEWS PAGE 7 NOVEMBER 2013

NAI-0312-029 Canoe_Farm OL.pdf 1 5/16/12 4:40 PM

One-pass tillage & corn planting. Zone-builder rips and forms a 4” ridge creating a good surface and subsurface environment for the corn plant.

compaction, then we should consider a seedbed preparation that will leave some crop residue on the surface to protect it from erosion. A field cultivator, aeration-tillage, or a no-till seeder may be the answer.

Once you have established good tillage and crop rota-tions to reduce compaction, it is time to seriously consider tile drainage. When you consider our limited land base, your investment in machinery, the cost of inputs, and the wild weather, tile drainage seems like an obvious choice to improve profitability, increase yield, and reduce risk. It is expensive, so one field at a time. Deep-rooted perennials and cover crops will also help you manage the soil profile and should be your first management strategy.

As our cropping systems become more complex, so does the machinery. Penn State has developed a machine that will side-dress nitrogen, apply herbicide, and seed a cover crop at the same time (details at http://extension.psu.edu/plants/crops/soil-management/cover-crops/interseeder-applicator). The purpose is to establish the cover crop early along with other field operations, since time is limited after corn harvest.

The Cover Crop interseeder plants cover crops while it side-dresses nitrogen and applies herbicide.

Dr. Ketterings, Cornell Univ., has a prototype manure injector for solid manure. A YouTube video is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6IHAS4Ng6o. The purpose of this machine is to prevent runoff of solid manure.

Lastly, Dr. VanEs, Cornell Univ., has developed a soil health test. Rather than just measuring the chemical as-pect of soil, test of the physical and biological soil health are evaluated. You can find information of the Cornell Soil Health Test at http://soilhealth.cals.cornell.edu/.

For the future, we need consistently high crop yields in the face of wild weather and high expenses. The foundation of any strategy needs to be excellent soil health. Please call me if you have any questions.

Proto-type of a manure solids injector is being studied by Dr. Ketterings at Cornell Univ.

PAGE 8 AGRICULTURAL NEWS NOVEMBER 2013

THE PART-TIME FARMERAlbany, Colubmia, Delaware, Greene, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren & Washington Counties

2/10/46 -2/10/1367

Visit With Chase FamilyStephen Hadcock Extension Educator

I recently sat down to talk with members of the Chase Family in Pine Plains, NY to learn about the history of this dairy farm and what in store for the future for the farm. First, I met with Barry and Rosemary Chase, the senior generation living at the farm.

I learned from Barry and Rosemary a little about the history of Chaseholm Farm Barry told me that his father purchased the farm in 1937. His father liked dairy cows and de-cided to attend some classes from Professor Harrison at Cornell University to learn “what a good dairy cow looks like.” Barry was raised on the farm and “got the bug” to farm and breed purebred dairy cattle from his father, attending fairs and other activities. He was ready to start farming after graduat-ing from high school, but his father encouraged him to go to college. Barry did go to college and received a Bachelors and Master’s degree. He spent some time in the Peace Corps, but still wanted to come home and farm.

So, in the early 70’s, he came back home and married Rosemary. They settled upon the farm and took over operating the

farm business. In the process, Barry chose to buy the portions of the land and other assets that his siblings. Currently the family owns 330 acres straddling two counties (Columbia and Dutchess).

A decision was made by the family to apply for a New York State Purchase of Development Rights (PDR). The application that was submitted was for the land owned in Columbia County. Barry said that their PDR was one of the last funded by New York State. At this time, there is no

PDR on the land in Dutchess County. Fast forward several years and Barry and Rosemary

have three children and send them all to college. Some new changes take place at the farm. Barry decides to sell the milking cows, but keep the heifers. The barns are rented to a tenant who brings some of his own cows to milk. As heif-ers freshen, some were sold to the tennant. Not all of the tillable land is needed by the tenant to feed his herd. An agreement is worked out with another dairy farmer in the area to rent the land. Each year as the needs of the Chase’s and the tenant vary, the farmer who rents the land works with them to plant and harvest what he chooses to grow.

Barry and Rosemary’s son, Rory, came back to the farm approximately six years ago and chose to start a new enter-prise. Rory learned how to make cheese while in California and wanted to start a cheese making business himself. He also has taken, and continues to take, classes at the Univer-sity of Vermont on cheesemaking. Little over two years ago, he and a friend started Amazing Real Live Food Company. Today, they make a wide variety of cheeses. Rory said he is trying to add one new cheese per year. The cheese is marketed wholesale and retail. On the retail side, they are going to seven farmer’s markets. The income from farmer’s markets represents approximately 40 percent of the income for the business. Rory is currently undergoing some ex-pansion and renovation of his cheese plant. A new cheese cave is being built with concrete walls and ceiling. Follow this link http://amazingreallive.com/ to read more about the cheese company.

NOVEMBER 2013 AGRICULTURAL NEWS PAGE 9 NOVEMBER 2013

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This spring, Barry and Rosemary’s daughter, Sarah, came back to the farm and started a milking herd of her own. Since an early age, Sarah has had a love of the dairy cow. She took time to explore and start to frame her philosophy of dairy production by having various experiences. Her last stop before coming back to the farm was to work and be educated at Hawthorne Valley Farm.

This spring, Sarah started with 24 cows and has bought more cows. She has significant turnover in the milking herd at the beginning for many reasons. As of now, she has approximately 33 cows. During the spring and part of the summer, she purchased some stored feed, but chose to stop feeding silage and rely solely on pasture and grain.

From her training and experience she had, Sarah has chosen to rely heavily on grass and forages as the diet for her animals. During the pasture season, she has been work-ing hard to establish a series of paddocks to move her cows around in each day. With the help of her father, she now has a barn full of hay and a silo full of silage to feed during the

winter. Based upon her desire to have a largely grassed based herd, she is choosing bulls to breed to her cows that will make her cows good graziers. She is leaning toward using Fresian bulls to move in this direction.

Currently, Sarah is selling her milk to her brother Rory for his cheese making business. To help enhance protein, Sarah has purchased some Jersey’s as well and added them to the milking herd. She just received her raw milk license

and is going to start soon selling milk at the farm. Plans are to renovate a garage near the barn as a store to sell the milk out of.

For the next couple of years, Sarah has plans to collabo-rate with a Community Supported Agriculture farm (CSA farm) in Columbia County to be “partner farms.” The other farm is a full-menu CSA. This means that along with pro-viding vegetables, the farm provides meat, milk and other food items for its members. The plan will be to gradually grow and provide milk, butter, yogurt and beef to this CSA.

Her long term plan is to “learn and build my system” and to keep “learning what I need and want” to sustain the business for years to come. Sarah does have plans to expand the herd. She had an intern this summer and will have more employees coming on board soon. This summer, Sarah has been writing about her experiences and sharing them on the National Young Farmers Coalition blog. If you would like to read more about her journey so far, visit http://www.youngfarmers.org/bootstrap/chaseholm-farm/.

The future looks bright for Chaseholm Farm. In talking with Barry and Rosemary, they seem to feel that they and the children can work together to come up with a plan to ensure the continuation of the farm. Both parents are supportive of their children’s ventures. Barry mentioned that he carries on his father’s thoughts about helping their children. His father’s idea of being supportive was to “start you off with a mow full of hay and a silo full of silage.”

Annual Feed Dealer SeminarTuesday November 12th, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. at the 4-H Training

Center, 556 Middle Line Road, Ballston Spa, Cost of the meeting is $12.00, lunch is included

Speakers include: Dr. L. E. Chase, Dept. of Animal Science, Cornell University, and Dr. T. R. Overton, Dept. of Animal Science, Cornell University. Topics Include: Fecal starch – What do we know? Using small grain silages in dairy rations, Fresh cow feed-ing strategies: Ration starch levels, mineral guidelines, Ration protein levels, Nutrition and immunity.

In addition, we will briefly touch on topics including shred-lage, oxygen limiting bunker covers and on-farm soybean process-ing methods.

Pre-registration required, please return no later than November 8th, 2013.

For more information contact Wendy at (518) 885-8995 or wlm8@conrell.edu.

PAGE 10 AGRICULTURAL NEWS NOVEMBER 2013

Diplomacy through Agriculture

By Doug LaGrange, Albany County The International Center of the Capital Region based in

Albany NY, helps the Capital Region engage with the world and promote international understanding. This, according to their website, at iccrablany.org. The ICCR’s mission is to serve as citizen diplomats by hosting international visitors and delegations, and promoting professional and cultural exchanges; to foster education, awareness and advocacy about cultural diversity and global issues and to promote the assets of the New York Capital Region to the global commu-nity. The ICCR was chosen by the U.S. State Department to create an “American experience” for more than 200 visitors from around the globe this year alone.

Recently, Tom Della Rocco (USDA), Tom Gallagher and I (CCE) experienced just such an exchange when we had the opportunity to escort five visitors from Afghanistan around the Capital Region. This was part of the U.S. Department of State’s program, “Farm to Table: Food Processing in the Agricultural Sector in the U.S.”. Our guests included; Mr. Ab Azize ABDUL GANEE, Deputy, Department of Agricul-ture, Irrigation, and Livestock (DAIL), Badghis Province; Mr. FARIDADDIN, Director, DAIL, Ghor Province; Mr. Mohammad Ibrahim KARIMI, Director of Operations,

Kapisa Farm Service Center; Mr. Aaqa RAHIM, Professor, Agronomy, University of Faryab; and Mr. Arash YOUNOSI, Chairman, Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Balkh Province.

Ours was the final leg of a three week journey across the U.S. and was intended to provide examples of agribusi-ness, State and local government support of sustainable agriculture, agricultural production finance and food and agricultural security. Shortly after initial introductions, our first day started with a trip to the NYS Department of Ag and Markets. Our visitors were given an overview of dairy in NYS along with the role that Ag and Markets plays in

Feature

Our Afghan volunteers packing onions for the Food Bank

NOVEMBER 2013 AGRICULTURAL NEWS PAGE 11 NOVEMBER 2013

insuring that quality standards for dairy products are met in supplying safe and healthy products to the consumer. A second presentation outlined the role of Ag and Markets in general food safety and inspections from farm to market. Both topics provided much information and opportunities for questions.

The next stop brought us to Codinos Foods in Scotia for a tour of their plant. Owner Leno Codino, who emigrated from Italy in 1954, started our visit with a brief video and historical overview before our eventual tour of the process-ing plant. Once primarily a retail establishment, it is now solely a manufacturer of a variety of pasta products sold across the nation.

Our last stop of the day was at Proctor’s Theater in Sche-nectady. Here representatives of the Schenectady Metroplex Development Authority discussed the county’s economic development through public and private partnerships along with how they take advantage of State and Federal grant op-portunities. Also joining us at Proctor’s was Jim Barber, NY Director of USDA FSA. Mr. Barber outlined, and answered questions pertaining to, government programs that have been developed to strengthen agriculture in our region.

Day two of our tour started with a visit to Indian Ladder Farms in the Altamont-Voorheesville area. Owner, Peter Ten Eyck gave us a historical overview of the farm includ-ing their decision to enter into the sale of their development rights which dedicates the farm land to agriculture use in perpetuity. Our visitors toured the whole operation from apple picking to cider making and concluded with lunch at the Farm Café.

After leaving Indian Ladder Farms, we took the opportunity to stop at the Thacher Park overlook for viewing and pictures. This gave us some time to answer questions and get to know each other on a more person-al level. We then moved on up the road to the Patroon Land Farm. The farm supplies the Food Bank and its participat-ing agencies with diverse, fresh produce. Secondarily, its purpose is to provide educational opportunities for students and volunteers to learn about agriculture and participate in farming

activities. Our guests took part in packing boxes of onions for delivery to the Food Bank and were given a tour of the facilities and equipment.

The final stop of our two day tour was a brief one at the LaGrange Brothers Dairy Farm. Questions about dairy farming were asked and comparisons were drawn to Af-ghan farming. Interest was high as they arrived during the afternoon milking and were given an overview of how dairy

Timothy Albright of Indian Ladder Farms discusses various apple varieties with our guests

Continued on page 12

PAGE 12 AGRICULTURAL NEWS NOVEMBER 2013

Continued from page 11farming in the U.S. strives to make the safest and healthiest product available.

All in all, our time spent with our Afghan friends was as rewarding to us as it was for them. To meet people from a foreign land, outside of the usual headlines, offers a vastly different perspective and creates a great educational ex-perience for all. Solving the world’s problems is tough but agricultural diplomacy is a great start!

Diplomacy................

Ration ArticleFREE FEED!

Dr. Rick Grant, President William H. Miner Agricultural Research InstituteSubmitted by Richard Smith, Saratoga County

Earlier this year I heard Dr. Larry Chase at Cornell University give a talk on what he called “free feed” – i.e. feed shrink and wastage. The audience chuckled and the phrase stayed with me. Over the past few months I have delved into the literature to see just how much free feed you might find on a typical dairy farm. Certainly, reducing feed shrinkage offers substantial economic opportunity on nearly every farm. On a whole-farm basis, our goal should be to maximize the efficiency of feed use for productive purposes and minimize the waste.

Feed wastage occurs during forage harvest, feed delivery, and storage; loading and mixing of diets, and feed-out and delivery of these diets. So-called feed inefficiency factors on-farm include: 1) excessive dry matter or nutrient losses from wind, precipitation, spillage, or feed predation, 2) in-consistent nutrient delivery due to TMR mixer condition, over- or under-filling, mixing time, or improper feed-out, and 3) workers not following the SOPs each and every time. To give you an idea of the potential magnitude of feed loss, consider that dry matter losses from forage harvest to feed-out may range from 17 to 64% for haycrop silage and 12 to 23% for corn silage! On a smaller (and sillier) scale, birds can consume up to 1.5 pounds of TMR per month – I’ve always wondered if a flock of starlings or pigeons could change the forage-to-concentrate ratio of our TMR when they descend on our barns at the Institute.

Feeding environment has a major influence on the cow’s behavioral, productive, health, and efficiency response to diet – in other words, how much free feed is captured. Major components of feeding management include refusal amount, feed accessibility, frequency of feed delivery, and consistency of feed delivery. Higher amounts of feed refusals tend to be associated with greater sorting against longer particles. Some research from University of Guelph suggests that, at about 3 to 5% refusals, there should be none or very little sorting.

Tom Gallagher and Tom Della Rocco with our Afghan visitors at scenic Thacher Park

Arctic Cat ATV'S and Snowmobiles

Stihl Chainsaws and Leaf Blowers

Sales Service Parts

Dry Creek, Lignetics, and

Warm Front Wood Pellets

Country Power Products, Inc.Family Owned and Operated

2339 State Rt 40 Rts 29 & 40S

Greenwich, NY 12834Phone: 518-692-1015

Fax: 518-692-1236 john@countrypowerproducts.comwww.countrypowerproducts.com

NOVEMBER 2013 AGRICULTURAL NEWS PAGE 13 NOVEMBER 2013

Higher feed refusal rates are also associated with reduced feed efficiency on a group or pen basis, although research results are variable – and the potential difference between pen and individual cow response must be considered.

Some herds are fed to a “clean bunk” in an effort to minimize TMR waste. But, when fed for low refusals, cattle typically have greater eating rate and may be at a greater risk for rumen acidosis. A cow’s motivation to eat increases markedly after only 3 hours without feed, and restricting feed access by 10 hours/day reduced dry matter intake by 3.5 pounds per day. An on-farm case study from Nebraska found nearly 8 pounds more milk production daily when cows experienced 0 versus 6 hours/day of a functionally empty feed bunk. So, it appears that this “free feed” returns a good profit.

What about feeding frequency? Once versus twice daily feed delivery is associated with less sorting against long particles, better meal distribution throughout the day, and greater milk production efficiency. However, increasing fre-quency of feed delivery beyond 2x/day, although it improves efficiency, may not be desirable long-term if it reduces resting behavior, which some studies indicate. Studies also indicate that more frequent feed push-ups in the two hours after feeding and consistent feed quality and quantity along the length of the feed bunk are associated with greater efficiency of milk production and less competition and switching of feeding place along the feed bunk.

Based on the published research, a proposed ideal feed-ing management environment might be: 3% feed refusal target, TMR fed 2x/day, every ½ hour feed push-ups for the 2 hours post-feeding, consistent feed quality and quantity delivered along the bunk, empty bunk <3 hours/day, and no overcrowding at the feed bunk.

I’ll end with a few questions to ponder:• Are you taking advantage of the “free feed” found on

every farm?• What is the on-farm range in “time without feed” and

its consequences?• How do we effectively manage for low amounts of feed

refusals?• Are maximal feed efficiency and optimal cow well-being

compatible?

McDermott Receives DSA

Laura McDermott, Hebron, NY, of Cornell Cooperative Ex-tension’s Eastern NY Horticul-ture Program was recently hon-ored by the National Association of County Agricultural Agents as a Distinguished Service Award (DSA) recipient during a banquet in Pittsburgh, PA. The DSA is given to encourage and recognize excellence in the field of profes-sional Extension for members

with more than ten years of service.In her nomination, one of the farmer nominators com-

mented, “Laura has been great to work with. Her knowledge

spans a great many subjects thanks to her work in so many areas. I highly support her nomination for the Distinguished Service Award.”

With more than twenty-two years of service to both commercial producers and homeowners in the Capital Re-gion, Laura has proved to be a tremendous asset to Cornell Cooperative Extension. The New York State Association of County Agricultural Agents is pleased to be able to announce this great honor and share it with the public.

PAGE 14 AGRICULTURAL NEWS NOVEMBER 2013

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Labor Issues for Ag Employers Topics will include:

OSHA Affordable Care Act Immigration Update NYS DOL Update

Speakers to include: Thomas Maloney, Cornell University, Immigration Policy Update

NY Farm Bureau Policy Update Sandy Buxton, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Basic OSHA Issues

And others…..

December 12, 2013 Registration at 9:00 a.m.

Class: 9:30 a.m. —3:30 p.m.

At The Cornell Cooperative Extension – Albany County Office 24 Martin Road, Voorheesville, NY 12186

Registration Form – Labor Issues for Ag Employers on Dec. 12, 2013 @CCE-Albany Cty, Voorheesville, NY

Name:______________________________________Phone:___________________________

Address: __________________________________________ Email:____________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Registration $35/person. (Or Discount for Early Bird Registration received before Nov. 28 $30/person).

# Attending_________ x $______/person = Total Enclosed $___________________________

Please return to: CCE-Albany County, PO Box 497, 24 Martin Road, Voorheesville, NY 12186

For additional information or special accommodation, call Gale at 518-765-3500 or Sandy at 518-380-1498.

Special accommodation needed: ________________________________________________________.

Weekend Warrior IINovember 16th, 2013

9:30-3:00 Tamarac High School 3992 NY 2, Troy, NY

Are you a small or part-time farmer? Join us for a day of fun and informative classes on small farm production. Choose from three distinct tracks focused on: Beef Cattle, Sheep and Goats or Poultry.

Class topics will include dystocia, grazing, process-ing, parasite control, stretching your winter feed, common poultry diseases and much more. The day will feature keynote speaker Jessica Ziehm from the New York Ani-mal Agriculture Coalition who will speak on knowing your consumer and being an educational producer, as well as helping to promote a positive image and understanding of agriculture and animal production. Over lunch “Munch and Mingle” with Dr. Roger Ellis, NYS Ag and Markets Veterinarian, while you enjoy a delicious homemade lunch (included with registration). Pre-registration required no later than November 8th, 2013. For a full registration flyer with complete class descriptions and presenters please go to www.ccerensselaer.org or contact Marcie at 518.272.4210 / mmp74@cornell.edu. Registration fee is $35.00 per person, discounted rate of $25.00 for 4-H members or second person from the same farm.

Seth McEachron, co-owner of Battenkill Valley Creamery, Salem, NY hosted over 70 Promotion and Education committee people on an American Farm Bureau conference tour in September. He gave a history of his business and a look at what they do. The group also visited Mary Jeanne Packer and her crew at Battenkill Fibers, a fiber mill in Greenwich, NY. The tour group represented committee people from all over the country who were in Saratoga County for a multi-day conference.

NOVEMBER 2013 AGRICULTURAL NEWS PAGE 15 NOVEMBER 2013

SEPTEMBER 2013

In our store you will find a full service Pet Center with everything from

Angelfish to Zebra Finch – Yankee Candles – Carhartt and a great assortment of Muck Boots – There is Dog Grooming and Training available on site, and even a Tack Shop if you feel like Horsing

About!

Green Mt. Organic Feeds

Poulin Grains

Whitman’s Also Has Got Gas Propane Fill Station ready to fill any size tank!

1873 Vt. Rte. 67 – North Bennington,Vermont 802.442.2851 / 800.521.2705

file for Dairy One September 2013 Name Typetest Bd Cowyears Milk Fat Protein 3x VERMONT BENNINGTON PINE HILL VIEW 2 LLC DHI-AP H 394.1 19541 763 3.9 626 3.2 RUTLAND MACH FARM, INC. DHI-APCS H 162.7 22764 869 3.8 700 3.1 BOOK BROTHERS DHI-APCS H 118.5 21819 812 3.7 663 3.0 NEW YORK COLUMBIA KELLER R & SONS HD1 DHIR H 260.8 27404 981 3.6 843 3.1 OOMS ADRIAN & SONS DHI-AP H 468.0 26672 989 3.7 818 3.1 LYN F. MAIN,JR DHI-APCS H 1163.0 26154 958 3.7 817 3.1 3X LONAN FARM DHI-APCS H 570.2 27059 1000 3.7 808 3.0 3X THE DAVENPORT FAMILY HD DHIR H 53.8 25965 961 3.7 767 3.0 DAVENPORT, JIM HERD 3 DHI H 19.9 24867 926 3.7 740 3.0 DUTCH HOLLOW FARM DHIRAPCS J 640.9 21100 1007 4.8 716 3.4 3X TRIPPLE CREEK FARM DHI-AP H 150.1 22634 864 3.8 710 3.1 OOMS,ANTONIE&MICHAEL HD DHI-AP H 104.1 22076 886 4.0 695 3.1 3X ELITE DAIRY DHI-AP B 71.4 19425 822 4.2 686 3.5 BARRINGER, FRED DHIR-AP H 82.9 21765 856 3.9 683 3.1 RONNYBROOK FARMS DHI-AP H 86.1 21914 762 3.5 664 3.0 MILLERHURST FARM DHI-AP H 124.1 22285 824 3.7 660 3.0 B.B.T.T.FARM DHI-AP X 191.8 19271 768 4.0 655 3.4 KIERNAN, WILLIAM DHI-AP H 170.6 22021 832 3.8 649 2.9 OOMS,ANTONIE&MICHAEL HD DHIR-AP J 79.0 18022 856 4.7 617 3.4 3X GREENE STORY, MATTHEW C. JR. DHI-AP H 43.2 22595 778 3.4 664 2.9 VALLEY VIEW FARM DHIR-AP J 57.6 17202 883 5.1 640 3.7 RENSSELAER GREEN, DAVID DHI-APCS H 310.5 27968 1090 3.9 856 3.1 3X DAN REQUATE DHI-AP H 172.4 26826 1031 3.8 809 3.0 3X CANNON MATT & PEGGY DHI-AP H 105.8 22605 916 4.1 764 3.4 MCMAHON, JOHN & DAN DHI H 121.0 22907 860 3.8 721 3.1 TARBOX FARMS 1 DHI-AP H 98.3 22218 783 3.5 665 3.0 LUKELAND FARMS DHI-AP H 92.8 19959 788 3.9 623 3.1 SARATOGA PECK, WILLIAM DHIR-AP H 625.7 28564 1081 3.8 894 3.1 3X FLYHIGHER HOLSTEINS LLC DHIR-AP H 154.6 27102 1032 3.8 825 3.0 3X KEVIN PECK DHIR-AP H 594.0 26665 965 3.6 803 3.0 3X HANEHAN FAMILY DAIRY DHI-AP H 676.2 25601 935 3.7 793 3.1 PECK, JOSEPH DHI-AP H 110.7 24751 908 3.7 776 3.1 PAT KILLIAN DHI-AP H 318.0 23672 902 3.8 746 3.2 SMITH BROS. DHI-AP H 172.3 23761 914 3.8 733 3.1 SPEIDEL, RICHARD DHI H 95.4 23063 942 4.1 694 3.0 CURTISS, C.E. & SON DHIR-AP H 25.5 20234 830 4.1 663 3.3 SCHOHARIE SUNY AG &TECH COLLEGE DHIR H 165.5 30291 1282 4.2 926 3.1 3X ARGUS ACRES, LLC DHI-AP H 400.4 25432 1000 3.9 816 3.2 SCHULTZ BROS. FARM INC. DHI-AP H 143.6 25788 1008 3.9 816 3.2 CACCIOLA GERRY & SHARON DHI-AP H 297.6 24800 913 3.7 756 3.0 3X BOULDER BROOK FARM DHI-AP H 134.0 24510 841 3.4 740 3.0 LLOYD,DAVID,DENISE,JASON DHIR-AP H 156.5 23273 946 4.1 733 3.1 STANTON,JOHNDEBERIC DHI-AP H 174.2 23961 905 3.8 718 3.0 3X

RKEYVALE II DHI-AP H 71.4 22135 813 3.7 700 3.2 EVERETT, TIM & PATTI DHI J 24.6 18790 871 4.6 697 3.7 RUTHER, STEVEN & MARION DHI-AP H 79.9 23380 838 3.6 686 2.9 SUNY AG &TECH COLLEGE DHIR X 14.1 19940 979 4.9 677 3.4 3X LVA FARMS NO B.S.T. DHI-AP H 115.2 22662 786 3.5 666 2.9 STANTON,JOHNDEBERIC DHI-AP A 20.8 20914 798 3.8 631 3.0 3X WASHINGTON KENYON HILL FARM DHIR-AP H 408.5 28080 1078 3.8 872 3.1 3X LINCOLN HILL FARM DHI-AP H 171.9 27964 1016 3.6 861 3.1 3X STEWART FARM DHI-AP H 132.1 25910 940 3.6 791 3.1 MAIN DRAG FARM DHI-AP H 164.3 24744 907 3.7 785 3.2 RUIGVIEW FARM DHI-AP H 89.2 25549 956 3.7 785 3.1 WALKER FARMS DHI-AP H 1050.7 26141 935 3.6 779 3.0 3X ADAM AUSTIN DHI-AP H 26.6 25748 883 3.4 775 3.0 3X CREEK FARM DHI-AP H 276.6 24265 945 3.9 765 3.2 HIBROW FARM DHI-AP H 250.1 23884 903 3.8 763 3.2 3X MARNS, ALBERT & DONNA DHI-AP H 166.3 24630 836 3.4 758 3.1 TOOLITE FARM LLC DHI-AP H 118.7 24384 914 3.7 741 3.0 DEER FLATS FARM DHI-AP H 281.2 23680 881 3.7 735 3.1 TUDOR, JOHN DHIR-AP H 110.1 21839 806 3.7 698 3.2 THE KUSTER FARM DHI-AP H 114.2 22170 893 4.0 698 3.1 HOYT, JAY & LORI DHI X 81.7 20401 910 4.5 689 3.4 ANDREW,HOWARD & JAY DHI-AP H 117.7 21623 823 3.8 675 3.1 TWIN BROOKS FARM LLC DHIR-AP H 213.2 22127 838 3.8 672 3.0 FAIRVIEW FARMS DHI-AP H 46.6 22147 862 3.9 669 3.0 ABBOTT III, ROBERT DHI-AP H 57.4 21279 765 3.6 640 3.0 WEEPING BIRCH FARM DHI H 88.8 19282 815 4.2 636 3.3 SEACORD, RICHARD & BRIAN DHI-AP J 78.0 16462 873 5.3 634 3.9 REID, KYLE & SHANNA DHIR-AP H 105.6 20562 758 3.7 628 3.1 WEEPING BIRCH FARM DHI X 31.7 17153 807 4.7 606 3.5

ClassifiedsClassified ads must be in your local Cooperative Extension Agriculture Office by the first of the month to appear in the following months publication. Each enrollee is entitled to one free ad a year, one inch in size with no repeat insertions per year, in the classified section.

Sweeney FarmS: Custom combine and corn; Drying, storage and handling. Hay For Sale. Small Excavation Trucking. Call Larry Sweeney 664-5770 or 256-2766.

Breeding BullS: Available from our best cows. David Wood 882-6684.

regiStered HolStein Service BullS: From Top AI Sires and High Producing Dams. Call William Peck at 695-3375.