Save the Date!! Dairy Day

January 7 at White Eagle Conference Center, Hamilton, NY

January 8 at CCE Saratoga County, Ballston Spa, NY

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Save the Date!! Corn & Soybean Day

January 14 at White Eagle Conference Center, Hamilton, NY

January 15 at Saratoga County 4-H Training Center, Ballston Spa, NY 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sponsor Dairy Day and/or Corn & Soybean Day

Choose from three tiers: Silver, Gold, or Coffee Hour!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Labor Roadshow VIII

This event will cover a range of pressing topics, including: overtime and payroll compliance, Union organizing updates and management strategies, leadership and language learning opportunities for English- and Spanish-speaking supervisors and managers, heat safety and compliance, benefits for farm employees, farm safety, risk management, and insurance and farm employee housing management.

In-Person events will be held in two locations:

• December 11, 2024: Hudson Valley Community College, Troy, NY From 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
• December 13, 2024: Jordan Hall, Cornell Agritech, Geneva, NY From 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM

Online sessions will be held via Zoom on topics that are different from, and in addition to, the in-person events:

• December 17, 2024 from noon to 2:00PM
• December 18, 2024 from noon to 2:00PM

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Farmers Helping Farmers: Assistance for Hurricane Helene Victims

Many herds and homes in Western North Carolina have been hit hard by Hurricane Helene. The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) is helping to connect farmers who have lost their feed supply during the disaster with others who have hay or feed to donate.

Three donation sites for livestock supplies are open in North Carolina to help those affected by Hurricane Helene. Needed items include round and square hay bales, grain mix and pellets for cattle, and fencing supplies. Click here for more information.

If you are able to assist livestock producers through providing feed or supplies, please click the link above, or click here to learn how.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Farmworkers can Receive Farm and Food Workers Relief Program Benefits

Frontline farm workers and meat packing workers who were employed sometime between January 27, 2020 and May 11, 2023 are eligible to receive a $600 Farm and Food Workers Relief Program payment from the federal government. 

Although many workers have received this payment already, there are still eligible workers in New York. Are any of them on your farm? The window of opportunity to apply for these funds is closing and we want to help you help your workers receive this benefit.  Youth (under the age of 18) are eligible for a relief payment. Youth must provide the same documentation as adults.

What Information is Needed?

Workers must provide acceptable photo identification. Acceptable photo identification includes:

• State-issued driver's license or identification
• Consular- or government-issued identification (foreign or domestic)
• H2A Visa or H2B Visa
• Employer-issued identification

and provide proof of employment as a farm worker or meatpacking worker within the U.S. and its territories during the period between January 27, 2020 and May 11, 2023. Acceptable proof of employment includes one of the following:

• W-2 tax form from 2020, 2021, or 2022
• Pay stub that pre-dates May 11, 2023
• Employment contract
• Letter from an employer, including employee name, occupation, work performed, time period employed, and employer signature
• H2A Visa or H2B Visa

For more information about the program PASA's website for the program provides detailed information. Go to www.farmworkers.com. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Microenterprise Grant Program - Herkimer County

To fill a void in helping micro existing companies or start-up companies by providing funding for fixtures, equipment, machinery, and furniture, while at the same time amplifying efforts to increase job opportunities for low-to-moderate income.  Click here for more information.

$5,000 - $35,000: Must result in either the creation of at least one new job for individuals of low-to-moderate income, or company owner must be of low-to-moderate income.

Criteria: Involved in manufacturing, warehousing and distribution, agriculture, high technology, research and development and traditional and innovative small business endeavors.  Must be located within the County of Herkimer.  Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, Limited Liability, or Corporation.

Commercial enterprises that have 5 or fewer full-time employees, one or more of which owns the enterprise at the time of the application.  Must complete approved entrepreneurial assistance or small business-training program.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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".

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

USDA Launches Assistance Network to Support Financially Distressed Farmers and Ranchers

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing the launch of the Distressed Borrowers Assistance Network, an initiative designed to provide personalized support to financially distressed farmers and ranchers across the nation. Through a series of Cooperative Agreements, this national network will connect distressed borrowers with individualized assistance to help them stabilize and regain financial footing

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dairy Market Watch

September's Dairy Market Watch is now available for sharing, downloading, or viewing 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, Farm Business Management Specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension's Southwest New York Dairy, Livestock & Field Crops Program.