Statewide Swine 101 Week
Free
Wednesday, September 25 | 5:30 - 8:45pm
CCE Herkimer County
5657 State Route 5Herkimer, NY 13350

Other locations & dates available in Morris, Branchport, Lowville, and East Greenbush.

Come and join us for a FREE DINNER, timely information and a take home gift!!

Registration is REQUIRED by September 16, 2024, to receive dinner and be entered to win great prizes!  Speakers are from the National Pork Board, USDA, and NYS Agriculture and Markets Veterinarians.

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Meat Processing and Marketing Workshop Series
$10 per farm
October 22 & 23 | 6:30 - 8:30pm
Two locations to choose from in our region: Cobleskill & Ballston Spa
Other locations available
Dinner included

Topics Covered:

· Evaluating Livestock for Ideal Harvest Timing

· Livestock Handling & Delivery for Meat Quality

· How to Work with your Processor & Navigate Difficult Situations

· Carcass Math Break-Down & Pricing

· How Much Value does Value-added Add?

· Creating Consumer and Processor-friendly Bulk Meat Sales

· An introduction to MeatSuite.com, the Cornell Meat Price Calculator, and the forthcoming Meat Processor Directory.

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Feeders School
$50 per person
October 29 and 30
10am - 3 pm
Two locations to choose from: Little Falls and Schuylerville
Lunch included

English & Spanish

Topics Covered:

· Feed economics and feed management

· Dry Matter and feeder math

· Feed consistency and TMR audits

· Troubleshooting Mixer Wagons

· Bunk Silo management

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Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue: Awareness Course
$200
Thursday & Friday, November 7-8 | 8am - 5pm
CCE Madison County
100 Eaton St
Morrisville, NY 13408

Includes breakfast and lunch for both days.  Includes dinner for the first day.

Join us for this two-day program targeted to firefighters, veterinarians, EMS, animal control officers, equine breeders, equine trainers, large animal facility operators, large animal transporters, large animal owners, students, and stakeholders who want to be prepared and safe in an emergency.  Minimum age: 18

This program aims to cover the practical considerations, behavioral understanding, specialty equipment, techniques, and methodologies behind the safe extrication of a live large animal from entrapments (trailer wrecks, ditches, mud, barn fires) in local emergencies and disaster areas.

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Opportunity for Organic Dairies

Participate in this USDA multi-state project and receive a free evaluation of your milking equipment and parlor routine, a bacteriology test of your bulk tank, and a $100 Amazon gift card.

Contact Daniela for more information and to sign up at 315-749-3486 or DG647@cornell.edu

What will you get? 

· Bacteriology results from your bulk tank on 2 occasions.

· Milking equipment check

· Parlor timing and hygiene evaluation

· A report summarizing your farm's specific mastitis risk factors and a follow up report.

· $100 online Amazon gift card as a token of thanks for the time dedicated to the project.

What will participating farms be asked to do?

Participating farms will be interviewed over the phone/web conference to complete a milk quality survey, and then we will spend 1/2 at the dairy conducting the evaluation including during one of their milking shifts. We will return for a second evaluation ~ 1/2 year later. We will be taking extra precautions from a biosecurity standpoint.

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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".

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List on 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

How do I join?

Farmers can click here 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.

If you have any questions as you create your farm profile or products, please email Matt LeRoux at mnl28@cornell.edu

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NYSERDA's Agriculture Programs

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, click here.

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Video: Endangered Species Act and Pesticides: An Example

Bill Chism, chair of the Endangered Species Act Committee of the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA)'s acclaimed March 20, 2024 webinar on how pesticide labels may change to protect endangered species is now available on NYSIPM's YouTube channel. 

Video: Quebec Farmer Panel on Life After Neonics

Four years ago, neonicotinoid seed treatments were banned in Quebec (the provisions in NY's Birds and Bees Act are similar to this law).

Recently, UVM extension hosted a Quebec Farmer Panel on Transitioning Away From Neonic Treated Seeds.

The discussion was recorded and can be viewed for free and unedited.

Opinion article can be found here by Louis Robert.

NY Farm Bureau's statement on NY's Birds and Bees Act.

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NY FarmNet E-newsletter

Click here to sign up at the bottom of their webpage.

The Farm Hand e-newsletter is the newest monthly resource from NY FarmNet.  Each month they will bring readers information, resources, and news about how NY FarmNet supports agriculture across NYS.

NY FarmNet's free, confidential services are available to all farmers, farm families, and agribusinesses operating in New York State, regardless of size or type.  They help farmers with a variety of personal and financial issues - 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  NY FarmNet can be contacted at 1-800-547-3276 or by email at nyfarmnet@cornell.edu