• 2015 Dairy Environmental Systems and Climate Adaptation Conference and Tours a Success! 

• Dairy Profit Seminars

• Webinar: Preparing for Manure Spills and other Emergencies on Your Dairy, Who Is Part of Your Response Team?
  

• Volunteers Needed for the NYS Fair Dairy Cow Birthing Center

2015 Dairy Environmental Systems and Climate Adaptation Conference and Tours a Success!

Over 125 visitors from several countries attended this conference that presented a unique opportunity to learn about emerging dairy housing and manure management systems in conjunction with regional climate trends and national and international market force drivers. Climate adaptation strategies for the Northeast and upper Midwest were also a major conference focus. 

"The recent Climate Change and Animal Agriculture conference was one of the best conferences I have participated in for quite some time. The conference was exceptionally well organized, and with over 50 speakers, covered all of the main topics associated with dairy systems and climate change," said Michael P. Hoffmann Associate Dean, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. "I hope that the conference raised the profile of the enormous risks posed by a rapidly warming climate."

The conference featured multiple tour options showcasing on-farm integrated waste handling/treatment systems and on-farm climate adaptation strategies.

Speakers included Hans Johr: The Corporate Head of Agriculture for Nestle in Switzerland, John Fiscalini: California dairyman and cheese-maker, home of the world-famous Fiscalini farmstead cheese; and Frank Mitloehner: Professor and Extension Specialist at UC-Davis, specializing in agricultural air quality and sustainability.

Some key highlights, according to PRO-DAIRY's Curt Gooch, who organized the conference, include:

Average temperatures are predicted to be higher than they are now. There will be a change in rainfall patterns and intensity, with more precipitation in the winter, wetter springs, and hot and dry summers.

"We're already having to adapt, with different seed varieties, and this will continue," he said. And, he said, "it will be even more important to put heat mitigation strategies in the barn if you're not already doing so now."

Also, he said, more thought will need to be given to manure storage as rainfall patterns may increase the amount of storage needed, and the window to apply manure and plantcrops in the spring may be shortened.

Another consideration will be implementing more soil conservation practices, including use of cover crops.

"The good news is in upstate NY we're not going to run out of water," he said. "It's both an asset and a liability. We will need to manage manure and runoff."

For more information about PRO-DAIRY, visit prodairy.cals.cornell.edu. 

Julie Berry, Editor  |  Tom Overton, Director  |  Facebook

Dairy Profit Seminars are a collaboration between Cornell’s PRO-DAIRY and DairyBusiness East magazine. Each session starts at 10:30 am at the Dairy Seminar Center, located on the show grounds at the Rodman Lott & Son Farms near Seneca Falls. They are free and open to the public.

The year's schedule is:

• Tuesday: Milk Quality: How and Why
• Wednesday: Re-Investing in Your Dairy – the Planning Process
• Thursday: Using Income over Feed Costs to Manage Your Dairy

The Junior DAIRY LEADER formal presentation and graduation ceremony will be held at 1:30 pm, Wednesday at the Dairy Seminar Center and will be followed by an ice cream reception.

More complete details are available in the press release.

Webinar: Preparing for Manure Spills and other Emergencies on Your Dairy, Who Is Part of Your Response Team? 

•  11:00 AM – 12:15 PM, August 20
  

This webinar is designed to help farmers and their consultants evaluate how ready their emergency response team is for manure spills and other emergencies on the farm.

Mark Burger, Executive Director, Onondaga County Soil & Water Conservation District, will share the successful model created in Onondaga County and outline the composition of the response team and examples of spills they have responded to.

Burger will highlight “lessons learned,” potential improvements and how they connected with the County's 911 system.

This is the first webinar in a two-part series. The second webinar will be offered in late fall and will address legal considerations and preparedness for spill response.

To join the webinar, click on the dairy webinars section under the production management tab on the PRO-DAIRY website.

The webinar is a partnership between the Cornell PRO-DAIRY Program, Northeast Professional Dairy Association and Onondaga County Soil and Water Conservation District.

Questions? Contact: Kathy Barrett at kfb3@cornell.ede or 607.229.4357.

Volunteers Needed for the NYS Fair Dairy Cow Birthing Center

The 3rd Annual Dairy Cow Birthing Center at the New York State Fair needs dairy farmers and industry representatives to volunteer at the exhibit. Volunteers answer questions and share their story with the public in one-on-one conversations while fairgoers await the birth of a calf. Volunteers are also needed to feed calves, milk cows, sell tee shirts and more!

The Dairy Cow Birthing Center is hosted by the New York Animal Agriculture Coalition, in cooperation with the Cornell Vet School, and has become one of the top attractions at the New York State Fair. Fairgoers come to see a calf born, but fall in love with the people and the stories behind the cows. Volunteers are what make this exhibit extraordinary.

All volunteers are provided with training and receive a “There’s no udder place” tee shirt, free admission and parking to the State Fair.

Sign up on the Volunteer Spot website.

Questions? Contact: Jessica Ziehm at jaz67@cornell.edu or 518-527-3949.