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Joe Lawrence, PRO-DAIRY Forage Systems Specialist
The NY & VT Corn Silage Hybrid Evaluation Program is preparing for the 2019 season. With continued collaboration for seed companies, the program will be evaluating 75 hybrids from 14 brands. Reports from previous growing seasons are available. The program continues to be a platform to further study topics of importance to the production and feeding of corn silage. An example of this is work performed in 2017 and 2018, with funding from NYS Corn Growers and NNYADP, to evaluate the impact of Western Bean Cutworm on the risk of mycotoxin development in corn silage. In 2019, additional projects made possible by the Hybrid Evaluation Program will include the testing of starch digestibility by wet chemistry methods in green forage samples (funded by NNYADP) and understanding the variability in nitrogen use efficiency across hybrids (funded by NY Corn Growers and NNYADP).
Preliminary Progress Report #3
Dairy Farm Business Summary and Analysis Program
The third preliminary progress report of the Dairy Farm Business Summary report has been released. As dairy businesses across the state continue to analyze their financial and business performance utilizing the Dairy Farm Business Summary and Analysis Program, updated progress of the farm reports are provided to review the changes that have occurred from 2017 to 2018. With more data in the system, the progress reports are provided for three different herd size groups. For each of these herd size groups, key information is summarized to use for comparison with farms: Progress of the Farm, Per Cow & Per Cwt and Business Chart.
Highlighted factors associated with the three herd size ranges:
Average Herd Size
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286 |
914 |
1,960 |
Milk per Cow
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24,193 |
25,894 |
26,139 |
Milk Sold per Worker Equivalent
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978,578 |
1,193,338 |
1,342,322 |
| Net Milk Income Over Purchased Grain and Conc. Per Cow |
$2,301 |
$2,607 |
$2,731 |
| Operating Costs to Produce Milk |
$15.46 |
$15.64 |
$14.81 |
| Total Costs to Produce Milk |
$21.25 |
$19.29 |
$18.43 |
Apply now to Junior or Beginning DAIRY LEADER
Applications for Junior and Beginning DAIRY LEADER are now accepted online and are due June 30. Students are welcome to apply to both programs, but may only participate in one per year.
- The Junior DAIRY LEADER program is intended to reach youth between the ages of 16 - 19 who have an interest in exploring careers in the dairy industry through hands-on experiential learning. Apply for Junior DAIRY LEADER.
- The Beginning DAIRY LEADER program gives high school participants the opportunity to explore post-secondary agricultural education and career opportunities in a networking environment through interaction with faculty and students, college planning, and personal development. Apply for Beginning DAIRY LEADER.
Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research Grant
Helps Heat-Stressed Dairy Cows Weather Increasing Temperatures
Joseph McFadden, Cornell assistant professor of Cattle Biology, has received a grant to identify on-farm dairy nutritional strategies that improve heat stress resilience in cows. McFadden will work with PRO-DAIRY to share these strategies with farmers. Heat stress in cattle is linked to a condition commonly called leaky gut. Researchers will start by understanding the relationship between dairy cattle’s gut health, intestinal permeability, liver health, immunity and milk production. Working with industry, McFadden’s team will determine whether heat-stressed dairy cows can recover if fed specific remedies. Ultimately, this project aims to identify nutrition-based solutions that improves dairy cows’ ability to adapt to extreme heat.
Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development Updates
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