Event Details

Date

August 19, 2014

Time

10:30am - 3:00pm

Cost

This event is free.

Host

Central New York Dairy, Livestock & Field Crops


Open House / Drive Yourself Tour

August 19, 2014


While most people would love to see the countryside dotted with lots of small dairy farms that we were accustomed to seeing years ago, the trend towards fewer but larger dairy farms that has been ongoing continues today. Many factors have contributed to this trend. 

Smaller herds have historically been housed in tie-stall barns, while farms with larger herds have invested in free stall housing along with a milking parlor for the increased labor efficiency. (Full Time Equivalent = 55 hrs/week) Making the transition from tie-stall to a free stall/parlor can be difficult. It's not a change for everyone. However, for many smaller dairy farms to continue operation by the next generation, additional income is frequently needed. Often times the value of the farm makes up a substantial portion of the older generation's retirement. To buy the farm and to have their own income, this most often means that the farm needs to grow in size. 

To highlight how others have made this change work for them, we have organized an open house/drive-it-yourself tour of several farms in our region. It is a day that is open to farmers, their advisors, and their families (not for the general public) to talk to others who have made this change. We have provided the address for each participating farm. Use your GPS, MapQuest, Google Maps, or an old fashioned road map and feel free to visit whichever and as many of these farms as you wish during the time they have their doors open to visitors. Pick their brains, ask them questions, and determine if this may be a strategy you wish to follow. Some have done it in stages. Others have made the change via a low cost approach by using welding shop parlors, used equipment, and by placing the parlor in the old tie-stall barn building. Some have built totally new complexes. 

There are certainly many other farms in our region that have made this change. This day is simply designed to provide an opportunity to visit with a few who have done so. This open house/tour is not high tech like Robotic Milkers, but it's a change that many more people can afford to implement. There is no charge and no registration. Hope to see you along the way on August 19th.

See the pdf below for the list of participating farms.

To see the farms on a Google Map, go to: http://bit.ly/OpenHouseTour81914
(copy/paste link into browser if link doesn't work)



Open House/Drive Yourself Tour (PDF; 515KB)


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Dairy

Dairy

Livestock

Livestock

Forages

Forages

Grains

Grains

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Announcements

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We send out a bi-weekly e-newsletter that has announcements, upcoming programs, and opportunities for you!  Registration is quick, easy, and free.  Click here to sign up today!

Document and Share Storm Damage

Mother nature has really been difficult over the last few days. Significant damage has been seen throughout NYS. Please let us know what types of damage your farm may have sustained during this time. This could be in the form of property damage, lost power, milk dump due to lost power, loss of livestock, loss of stored feed or growing crops.

Farms are encouraged to DOCUMENT AND SHARE any impacts the weather may have had on their home or business. This could include structure damage, crop loss, inventory loss due to power outages, damage to equipment or fencing, and more.

If your farm experienced any sort of damage, please reach out to any of the folks listed below (or all of them). The more impact information that is collected, the greater the likelihood of a disaster declaration which can bring vital emergency support and awareness. The CNYDLFC Team will continue to collect detail and submit to NYSDAM and the EDEN network.

Reporting Weather Related Impacts (For your home or farm business)

  • First, ensure that all the people and animals on your farm are safe, and that there aren't any unsafe working conditions created because of the weather (check your structures!). If there's an emergency, call 911 - don't try to manage it all on your own.
  • Second, document all negative weather impacts for your farm and their estimated financial cost. Take photos, make estimates, and put it all in a safe place.
  • Reach out to your insurance providers - farm, vehicle, crop, etc. to initiate the claim process as needed.
  • Then, share your farm's damage with any (or all) of the ag support agencies listed below. We all work together to collect storm damage information and funnel it up to Ag and Markets which can initiate a natural disaster declaration.
Your local Cornell Cooperative Extension Association Office.
  • Chenango: 607-334-5841
  • Fulton/Montgomery: 518-853-2135
  • Herkimer: 315-866-7920
  • Madison: 315-684-3001
  • Otsego: 607-547-2536
  • Schoharie: 518-234-4303
  • Saratoga: 518-885-8995
Any of our CNYDLFC Team members (calls/emails/texts/site visit requests all ok)
  • Erik Smith: 315-219-7786
  • Daniela Gonzalez: 315-749-3486
  • Ashley McFarland- 315-604-2156

Your county USDA/FSA service center.
  • Chenango: 607-334-3231
  • Fulton/Montgomery: 518-853-4015
  • Herkimer: 315-866-2520
  • Madison:315-824-9076
  • Otsego: 607-547-8131
  • Schoharie: 518-295-8600
  • Saratoga: 518-692-9940

Your county farm bureau manager

  • Region 3: Bailey Coon: 518-937-0566
  • Region 5: John Wagner: 315-761-9770
  • Region 6: Natally Batiston: 518-937-0269
  • Region 7: Todd Heyn: 518-431-9338

Please let us know how we can help you.


Cash Rent and Custom Harvest Survey

To date, there is limited information available about rental rates and fees for crop harvesting.  Farms can use this valuable information for their farm business planning to help improve decision making and profitability. 

The data that is collected, and the subsequent reports/findings/resources will be helpful for all of us to answer that call of "What's the average rental rate in my area?" and "How much do people charge to combine oats?"



Farmers Can Join MeatSuite For Free!

MeatSuite.com is a free resource provided by Cornell University where NY meat farmers can create a farm profile and list their bulk (wholes, halves, quarters) and bundled (i.e. Grilling Bundle) meat products.

Why should farmers join?

1. It's free and easy!
2. Connect with more local customers. In the past year the MeatSuite.com farm directory had 8,300 visits from New York consumers. Farm profiles get as many as 25 views per month from potential local customers. We also spotlight MeatSuite farms on social media and bring attention and purchases to farms through highlights and giveaways.

How do I join?

Farmers can visit https://www.meatsuite.com/farmers/ to create a free farm profile. You must list at least one product for your farm's profile to go live. You'll also have access to Cornell's free Meat Price Calculator, a helpful tool for pricing your meat to make a profit.

While you're on MeatSuite, check out the "Creating Consumer-Friendly Bulk Meats" publication on the log-in page. It has tips on how to create bulk meat products that are easier for first-time buyers to say "yes" to.

If you have any questions as you create your farm profile or products, we're here to help! Please email Matt LeRoux at mnl28@cornell.edu.


Spotted Lanternfly

Lycorma delicatula, or Spotted Lanternfly (SLF), is an invasive plant hopper from Asia and is an agricultural pest. In the United States, it was first found in Pennsylvania in 2014. Spotted Lanternfly has been found in New York State on Staten Island, all New York City boroughs, Long Island, Port Jervis, Sloatsburg, Orangeburg, Ithaca, Binghamton, Middletown, Newburgh, Highland, and the Buffalo area. SLF threatens the agriculture and forestry industries, and is also a nuisance pest. The nymphs and adults feed on over 70 different plants, but is especially detrimental to grapes, a black walnut, hops, maple trees and apples. New York State Ag and Markets supported CCE efforts to help bring awareness to communities and we developed this Public Service Announcement and would appreciate you sharing it with your member lists. 



CCE Livestock Program Work Team

See the Livestock Program Work Team website for news, upcoming programs, and NYS Slaughterhouse Map.