Inside This Issue

Hot, Hot, Hot..............................................................p.2

What is Your Bottleneck?.........................................p.3

Crucial Conversations..............................................p.4

The Upside of Farming.............................................p 5

Polled Dairy Cattle....................................................p 7

Supplementing Pasture ...........................................p.10

Dairy One..................................................................p.15

Classifieds.................................................................p. 16

Agricultural NewsServing Eastern New York

AUGUST, 2013Volume 41, No. 8

Continued on page 6

Invasive Species – What Is Being Done

by Laurel Gailor, Natural Resources EducatorYou may be wondering what the invasive species hype is

all about. Yes, most everything that is here today has been introduced from one place or another; including livestock, most food crops, pets, and garden flowers. However the dif-ference is that not all introduced species are benign to the environment, economics, and human health.

An invasive species is considered a specie that is non-native and has the potential of causing or has caused major economic loss in forestry, agricultural crops, livestock, and other portions of the economy; major losses in ecosystem man-agement and in biodiversity of landscapes; and lastly, harm to human health. In a report that was developed at Cornell University in the late 1990’s, it was estimated that the cost to the United States was adding up to over $138 billion dollars per year from the environmental damages and losses caused by invasive species (Pimentel et al. 1999). At that point in time, it was also estimated that about 42 percent of the spe-cies that have been placed on the ‘threatened or endangered species’ list was due to the effect of invasive species.

Invasive species aren’t really new to the scene, those that we might think about historically are Dutch Elm Dis-ease, American Chestnut Blight, Beech Bark Disease, Water Chestnut, European Water Milfoil, House Sparrow, Starling, and Norway Rat just to name a few. However, with the increase of globalization, this will also increase the number of invasive species, as well as increase the rate of spread.

As established populations of harmful invasive species increased throughout the country, there was pressure put on the Federal government to develop a coordinated effort in the control and management of invasive species throughout the Country. In February of 1999 Executive Order 13112 was put in place creating the National Invasive Species Council. Prior to this effort, in the early 1990’s, various Acts/laws were implemented at the Federal level, and often were specie spe-cific. The management and eradication of an invasive species was generally handled on an agency by agency basis, and not as a coordinated effort. Additionally during this time, the earlier regulations focused primarily on the aquatic invasive species (AIS). Currently, most every state has an invasive species task force that generally includes state agencies

PAGE 2 AGRICULTURAL NEWS AUGUST 2013

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ALBANY COUNTY RENSSELAER COUNTY WASHINGTON COUNTY 24 Martin Rd. Ag & Life Science Building Annex Bldg.,415 Lower Main St. Voorheesville, N.Y. 12186 61 State Street Hudson Falls, N.Y. 12839 765-3510 Troy, N.Y. 12180 746-2560 518-272-4210

Published Monthly by Cornell Cooperative Extension Saratoga County, 50 West High Street, Ballston Spa, NY 12020

885-8995 Direct or toll free via county office798-0231 654-9003 587-8653 1-800-443-0107

Agricultural News Serving Eastern New York

CORNELL COOPERATIVE EXTENSlON OF ALBANY COUNTYBoard of Directors

Wesley John, President, Albany John Viscuso, Vice President, DelmarBenita Law Diao, Secretary, Latham Thomas Della Rocco, Treasurer, Berne

Herbert W. Reilly, Jr., Legislative Rep., VoorheesvilleBoard of Directors Agriculture Program CommitteeMonica Bush, Altamont Pamela McSweeney, WesterloLinda Sue Black, Albany Doug LaGrange, Feura BushJoan Baim, Voorheesville Michael Stanton, Coeymans HollowJim Beil, Schenectady Edward Noel Wilson, AltamontChase Chaskey, Altamont Edward Zyniecki, AltamontGrace Desemone, Glenmont Kenneth Hunger, Voorheesville Martin Markessinis, Voorheesville Michael Stanton, Coeymans Hollow Susan Vanderwarker, AltamontEdward Noel Wilson, Altamont

COOPERATIVE EXTENSION ASSOCIATION OF RENSSELAER COUNTYBoard of Directors

Eric Sheffer, President, Hoosick Falls Don Maurer, Vice President, TroySusan Boleski, Secretary, Schagticoke Joanne Collins, Treasurer, East GreenbushBoard of Directors Dean Casey, SchaghticokeMarc Sacco, Schaghticoke Mark Cipperly, TroyWalter Kersch, Petersburg Stacy Film, W. Sand LakeChris Roblin, Averill Park Robert Hill, PetersburgGretchen Morton, Troy Pat Severson-Wager, West Sand LakeDavid Fleming, Jr., Hoosick Falls Andy Turner, Cornell Extension Representative,

Hon. Lester Goodermote, County Legislature RepresentativeSteve Pechenik, County Executive Representative

CORNELL COOPERATIVE EXTENSION OF SARATOGA COUNTYBoard of Directors

Harry Amer, President, Ballston Spa Chip Elms, Vice President, Ballston SpaKevin Shaughnessy, Treasurer, Waterford Rob Pastore, Secretary, Ballston Spa

Dick Rowland, Supervisor RepresentativeBoard of Directors Agricultural Program CommitteeEd Hersh, Ballston Spa Rob Pastore, Vice Chairman, Ballston SpaJames Craig, Ballston Spa Paul Coleman, Secretary, Ballston Spa Paul Coleman, Ballston Spa Joyce Soltis, Ballston SpaDaryl Cutler, Ballston Spa James Pettis III, SchuylervilleLeigh Schrader, Glenville Lea Chapman, Ballston SpaSteve Otrembiak, Saratoga Springs Sherri Hanehan, Saratoga Springs David Lee, Saratoga Springs Matthew Luke, Ballston Spa Kenny Bowman, Rexford

COOPERATIVE EXTENSION ASSOCIATION OF WASHINGTON COUNTYBoard of Directors

Terry Zihem, President, Buskirk Dennis Kelly, Vice President, KingsburyPatricia Lockwood, Treasurer, Greenwich

Board of Directors Agricultural Program CommitteeThelma Hack, Fort Edward Kevin McCarthy, Fort AnnDonald Previtali, Argyle Ruthann Sabon-Blackmer, ArgyleJoanne Booth, Greenwich Carey Murphy, Eagle BridgeMarge Irwin, Greenwich Linda McKernon, Greenwich Renee St. Jacques, Argyle

DAVE LEGGETTSaratoga County

You know that I have harped on this topic before, but I recently had an experience that brings me back to farm safety, in this case the use of SMV emblems on farm equip-ment. I was on a country road and a driver came up behind me towing a very nice steel-rack hay wagon. The reason that I know it was very nice is because I got a pretty good look at it when he passed me. I looked at my speedometer and I was doing about 30 MPH. Sure enough, the SMV em-blem was in place on the wagon, nice and bright and shiny. As most of you know (or should know) the emblem is to be displayed on vehicles and equipment that travel 25 MPH or less. Obviously, the driver of this truck was uniformed or chose to ignore the law, neither of which is an excuse. Let me repeat the parameters for use of the SMV emblem on farm equipment. Slow moving vehicles are all vehicles that are designed to operate at 25 MPH or less, including farm tractors, self-propelled farm equipment, road construction and maintenance equipment, and animal-powered vehicles. Additionally, every agricultural tractor, self-propelled implement of husbandry, and towed, mounted, or semi-mounted implement of husbandry used separately or in combination, shall separately display a SMV emblem. “Implement of husbandry” means a vehicle designed or adapted exclusively for agricultural, horticultural, or live-stock raising operations or for lifting or carrying an imple-ment of husbandry.

So what should my fast friend have done? First of all he should have considered slowing down. He should not be travelling faster than 25 MPH while towing a hay wagon. Additionally he must be within 50 miles of the trucks reg-istered address. A proper hitch pin with a safety pin must be used. Also a hay wagon or similar implement cannot be towed an interstate or controlled access highway or at any time when the visibility is less than 1,000 feet. Lastly, as I have mentioned in previous columns, you cannot tow more than one hay wagon at time with a pickup truck.

With all the rainy weather that we have had, when it does finally become conducive to getting back in the fields, don’t be in such a hurry that you ignore the laws and some common sense safety considerations. Also, recall that there are strict lighting requirements in effect for farm machinery. I won’t go into those in this column, but if you have questions on that topic feel free to call me at 518 885-8995.

Briefly, I would mention a bit more in relation to the weather. As I am writing this (first week in July), we have just come out of one of the wettest Junes on record (over 8” for the month in the Capital Region). It was nice and dry in May and the farmer who raises corn on our farm even planted some areas that in some other years he could not get on. He remarked that he would have to wait and see if he was able to harvest them in the fall. Then the rains came. Water

Hot, Hot, Hot- Rain, Rain, Rain

AUGUST 2013 AGRICULTURAL NEWS PAGE 3 AUGUST 2013

Top Quality Information is Critical to Agriculture Profitability

Capital District Agriculture and Horticulture Program; serving Albany, Columbia, Greene, Schenectady, and Washington Counties:

Sandra Buxton 746-2560 Farm Business Management

Aaron Gabriel 746-2560 Agronomy Tom Gallagher 765-3500 Livestock Stephen Hadcock 828-3346 New Farmer/Market Development

Charles Schmitt 765-3500 Commercial Horticulture

In Columbia/Greene: 622-9820Mick Bessier General Agriculture

Marilyn Wyman Agroforestry

In Saratoga: 885-8995

David Leggett Livestock

Richard Smith Farm Management/Dairy

In Rensselaer: 272-4210

David Chinery Commercial Horticulture

Kirk Shoen Farm Business Management

Ashley Pierce General Agriculture

In Warren: 623-3291

Laurel Gailor Forestry

Continued on page 4

sat in the low areas for days and sloped areas had erosion and runoff. I would guesstimate that he lost a third of his planting on our farm, and he eventually came back to try to replant those acres. More rain, but it looks like much of the newly planted corn came up. Now it remains to be seen how the harvest will go. I would bet he was not the only farmer to replant some acreage, and I hope that it will work out for all who found themselves in the same situation.

Recent temperatures have been in the upper 80’s and lower 90’s. Heat and humidity are rough on people and rough on livestock as well. Your cattle should have some access to shade, and a continuous supply of water is critical. Shade can be provided by trees, buildings, and sunshades. If the animals are in a building proper ventilation using fans is critical. Increased consumption of water in hot weather will lead to increased excretion of urine and this leads to higher loss of certain minerals including sodium, potassium, and magnesium. Free choice mineral salt should be readily avail-able to livestock. Keep a close eye on your stock and evaluate them for heat stress as the situation warrants.

SANDY BUXTONWashington County

Sometimes the bottleneck in your business comes from an unexpected place. One of my projects this past year was working with a group that obtained money to offer some mini-grants for on-farm cooling. It is a valuable project because it provided some opportunity to get a few dollars – not tons of money for huge projects but some money that could impact small businesses in a very real and substantial way.

However, the lesson I learned as I read through the ap-plications was a reinforcement of some of my regular work. Businesses need to plan ahead and understand how all of their different pieces interconnect.

My example comes from several applications where vegetable and small fruit farms were daily harvesting right before delivery or market. If you are tiny, this might be do-able but impractical. In hot weather, you never really get the field heat out of the produce and it doesn’t hold as well as your customers will want. Also available cooling will help the farm hold pre-picked produce or items returned to the farm from the farmers’ market.

I don’t know if all beginning farmers really understand the need for some type of cooling to hold product and main-tain quality. This is a tremendous block in the roadway since building a customer base relies on providing the best quality items that you can.

But that leads us to a different concern: food safety. Coolers need to have schedules and protocols for cleaning, monitoring, disinfecting and tracking produce so you don’t discover a science experiment growing out of control in the

What is Your Bottleneck?

PAGE 4 AGRICULTURAL NEWS AUGUST 2013

AARON GABRIELWashington County

back corner! Record keeping – first in/first out is a procedure that

relies on knowing when something went into the system. Clean vs dirty product is another differentiation that many farms try to make as a way to reduce contamination in a space. Having 2 spaces so there is no cross contamination is valuable and can help hold product better.

I know this is a vegetable/fruit/fresh market example but every farm has something that is a pinch point. It may be a corral for loading trailers from the field, the method for backing the milk truck up to the milkhouse or maybe you are still struggling to get enough ventilation in a building. How much more work are you doing because of the sacrifice you are living with?

Several producers have said they regularly experience losses of 20% of their crop – this is after harvest and in storage – just think about how much more they would have to sell OR how much less work they could do if they didn’t have that expense.

Look at your operation and think about what may be pinching you and costing you more money than you think.

A crucial conversation is “a discussion between two or more people where (1) stakes are high, (2) opinions vary, (3) emotions run strong.” “How do you handle such a conver-sation? Do you avoid them? Do you face them and handle them poorly or handle them well?” There are all kinds of crucial conversations that happen each day in our busi-nesses, family, with friends. Having 17 years of experience in Cornell Cooperative Extension, I find that the biggest hurdle to business success is good communication. To learn how to communicate better, I read the book entitled, “Crucial Conversations” (by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, ron McMillan, & Al Switzer). There are several other similar books (like, “Difficult Discussions”), but I could relate to this one the best. I found it very enlightening. Putting it into practice takes effort, but the rewards are great. Your business and personal life depend on crucial conversations. We need to communicate effectively. It can prevent a lot of misery and bring about real success.

What is the key point of this book? “When it comes to risky, controversial, and emotional conversations, skilled people find a way to get all relevant information (from themselves and others) out into the open. At the core of every successful conversation lies the free flow of relevant information. People openly and honestly express their opinions, share their feelings, and articulate their theories. They willingly and capably share their views, even when their ideas are controversial and unpopular. It’s the one

“Crucial Conversations”

What Is Your............. Continued from page 3

AUGUST 2013 AGRICULTURAL NEWS PAGE 5 AUGUST 2013

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On The Lighter SideA Humorous Look at Everyday Farm Life

thing extremely effective communicators we studied were routinely able to achieve.”

This communication is the foundation of making good de-cisions. You need everyone’s knowledge and ideas expressed honestly and without fear. Decisions that are made will be much better, than if one person stifles the input from oth-ers or does not honestly consider what others have to offer.

Your business success may be affected by the weather, milk price, fuel price, or the price of corn. But consider that success in your business (and your family) is primarily affected by how well you communicate. In our dairy tours this summer, and in our up-coming winter meeting, we are highlighting the sensitive subjects of business transfers and management roles on farms. These are crucial conversa-tions. I found reading a good book on communication to be very worthwhile.

In years when it doesn’t rain enough, or one like this, when it rains too much, it’s easy to get discouraged. However, I still think farming has more ups than downs, more bright spots than dark clouds. (Oops, I’m trying to stay positive.)

I sometimes wonder how non-agriculture people get by. I mean, I know that they are more apt to be able to pay their bills, but they aren’t privileged like farmers are. You see, there are so many everyday occurrences on a farm that are truly rare and inspiring. Due to repetition and necessity it can be easy to forget just how lucky we farmers really are.

For example, there is nothing like the exhilaration a farmer feels, after helping in the delivery of a healthy kick-ing and squirming heifer calf, to see it take its first breath, struggle to stand up and nurse from its mother. With every newborn calf every farmer is buoyed by the hope that it will someday become a productive member of the farm herd. Of course sometimes after all that tugging and pulling we are left with a large bull calf; but still it’s a privilege to welcome such new life.

Just the joy of seeing the first leaves of corn pushing their way out of the crusted soil gives every farmer an adrenalin rush, knowing all that work and expense of spring planting was not in vain. Sure, he’s worked very hard plow-ing, planting, and picking rocks to get the ground ready, but it’s all worth it to see those corn plants thrive and hopefully be just a hair taller than his neighbor’s.

Those of us with livestock have the gift of experienc-ing animal nature every day. We see the first calf heifer gradually get used to the milking parlor, and then become an assertive girl who needs to be the first one in the parlor. It’s the same feeling one gets when a new calf drinks from a pail for the first time, or your favorite old cow saunters up to give you a lick.

We also have the privilege of working with others,

The Upside of Farming

but still being our own boss. Behind every farm business is a long list of helpers who are dedicated to making the farm successful. It is a feat to hire and inspire good workers who are “up” people, too.

The list of service people who cheerfully keep the farm running is long, and “up” farmers take good care of them. They know that without a cordial relationship with the breeder, veterinarian, electrician, plumber, mechanic and milking equipment technician they could be in real trouble. They also know that knowledgeable people, like experienced salesman and specialized consultants can be invaluable to the farms success. It is a real privilege to have such a support team watching out for you and your farm, even if sometimes their advice is hard to follow.

There are so many gifts farmer experience all the time, like when a diesel tractor starts on a zero degree morning or a salesman agrees to your price, not his. These gifts make me smile, especially when I see my neighbors heading off to work each morning, all decked out in their Sunday best. I look down at my stained jeans and torn shirt, and marvel at what a privilege it is to be able to wear sturdy comfortable clothes to work each day, even if they are well patched and worn at the elbows and knees.

So, even though it frustrates me sometimes that I can’t Continued on page 6

PAGE 6 AGRICULTURAL NEWS AUGUST 2013

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Continued from page 5

afford a new SUV, or even cable, when you stop to think about it, farmers have a lot to be “up” about.

Joe Peck, a Saratoga County dairy farmer, storyteller and humorous speaker, is author of “A Tractor In the House & Other Smashing Farm Stories” and “A Cow in the Pool & Udder Humorous Farm Stories” which you may order at www.joepeckonline.com or call (518) 584-4129.

The Upside Of........and partners that represent agriculture, natural resources, transportation, parks, to name a few.

In New York State, an Invasive Species Task Force was formed in 2003. This task force was organized to explore all invasive species issues throughout New York State and to provide recommendations to the Legislature and Governor by November 2005. The document in its entirety can be found at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/wildlife_pdf/istfreport1105.pdf From this information, the Invasive Species Council was formed in 2008, this Council is regulated under Envi-ronmental Conservation Law (ECL) Title 17, Section 9 and is a coordinated effort of multiple state agencies including Department of Environmental Conservation, Department of Agriculture and Markets, Department of Transportation, Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, New York State Thruway Authority, Canal Corporation, Adiron-dack Park Agency, Secretary of the State, and Educational Institutions. The Council has an Advisory Committee that includes up to 25 members from stakeholder agencies and organizations. At the local level, Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISMs) groups have been formed or are currently being formed. The local PRISMs are generally made up of agencies and organizations within that given area, as well as not-for- profit groups and private citi-zens to address the invasive species within that given region.

Each PRISM is designed to organize invasive species management within their given area/region, including co-ordinating partner efforts; recruiting and training citizen volunteers; identifying and delivering education and outreach program; establishing early detection monitoring networks that include an inventory of invasive species by priority; and implementing direct eradication and control efforts, if nec-essary. For the most part, the Counties within the Capital District area fall within the newly formed Capital Mohawk (CAP/MO) PRISM. The CAP/MO PRISM has been meeting informally with a volunteer coordinator for about five years, and more recently the PRISM has created an Emerald Ash Borer Task Force to prepare communities and landowners for the spread Emerald Ash Borer. Last fall, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation had a request for proposals for the PRISMs that were not currently funded; the CAP/MO funding has been recently awarded to Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Saratoga County. In the near future, CCE Saratoga will be able to hire a full-time coordinator for the PRISM, and begin to organize the various interested organizations and groups to address terrestrial and aquatic invasive species within their region.

Invasive species may not seem much of a concern on your woodlot or on your farm at this time, but it doesn’t mean that it isn’t a concern to a location near you, or one has not been found in the next county over. Let’s join together in education and early detection of invasive species; in order to be able to manage them before they get out of hand, and have the potential of spreading further, damaging crops and leading to serious economic losses.

Invasive Species........ Continued from page 1

AUGUST 2013 AGRICULTURAL NEWS PAGE 7 AUGUST 2013

Feature ArticlePolled Dairy Cattle

By Ashley Pierce, Rensselaer County A couple months ago I was working on a winter cereal

grain test plot when a truck stopped on the road nearby. “What are you looking for out there?” I heard a friendly voice from the truck that had stopped on the road behind me. It was a nearby farmer, Paul Chittenden from Dutch Hollow Farm LLC. After describing what I was doing with the test plot, we started talking about cows. Jerseys, one of my favor-ite breeds, was the breed of cow that that Chittenden family bred on their Schodack Landing farm a couple miles away. Paul mentioned that he was having success with his polled animals. “So you must have beef animals also?” I asked. “No, we breed polled jerseys,” he responded. Because polled dairy animals are not very common, I had a lot of questions to ask. Soon I realized I would need to take some more time to sit and have an in depth conversation with Paul to really understand what they were doing on their dairy.

On a hot day a couple of months later, we were sitting in

side opening stalls; it had chutes on either end where the cows entered single file. At this time, most dairy cows in the United States still had horns. For the most part this worked well for farmers, but has handling strategies changed, man-agement had to as well. At Fair Weather Farm, as the cows waited to be the next in the parlor, the cows behind would often push or knock the cow in front of her with her horns. This was the point where Stanley thought to himself that the horns would have to go. He didn’t want a cow getting injured as she waited to be milked. At that time the Chittenden fam-ily milked 180 cows, which is a very large number for 1952. Stanley dehorned all 180 in three days’ time to make them safer in the parlor and holding areas. After that experience, he thought to himself, “There has to be a better way!” It was labor intensive work and being a forward thinker, he started to wrack his brain for alternatives.

That was when Stanley stumbled upon an ad from a farmer selling polled jerseys in Memphis, Tennessee. He flew down to the farm and came home with 13 polled heif-ers and one bull. They were young animals and he was able to purchase them for a reasonable price. Although he pur-chased 14 animals that day, it was only 3 or 4 of them that really contributed to the future of the herd. The problem with many breeders of polled animals during that time was that they focus so much on the polling that they forget about the other traits, like production, type, feet and legs, etc. At this point, Stanley Chittenden had made the turning point

the Dutch Hollow Farm LLC. office, surrounded by pictures of jersey cows, the farm family, and aerial photos of the land. Paul’s father, Stanley, first started “Fair Weather Farm” in New Lebanon, New York. Stanley was an innovator, always willing to try new things. In 1952 he installed a parlor built by International Harvester. It was a “U” shape parlor with

PAGE 8 AGRICULTURAL NEWS AUGUST 2013

THE PART-TIME FARMERAlbany, Colubmia, Delaware, Greene, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren & Washington Counties

2/10/46 -2/10/1367

Focusing on Quality at Hill-Over Holsteins

Katie Close, CAAHPBesides battling this season’s rainy weather, farmer

Fred Barringer is dealing with the retail world as well. After renting a dairy farm for over 30 years, he decided that he had to do something more for a retirement plan. After doing some homework, he decided that he wanted to bottle his milk in glass bottles –a niche market. He then decided that he wanted to have both an on-farm store and a home delivery service. But, finding someone who would bottle glass wasn’t easy, and running even a small retail business requires a considerable investment. Fred’s first bottler went bankrupt six weeks into the process, so he looked into various other places before choosing Ronnybrook Farm. He sends the minimum 40-gallon shipment required per bottling batch. At this rate, it is estimated that it will take a year to reach his profitability goal of bottling milk from two days of production.

The interuption between bottlers caused a drop from 70 to under 20 homes on his delivery route since Fred started de-livering again this spring. Although he passed out hundreds of flyers for the route, Fred learned that that although it is slow, word-of-mouth is what brings in the most customers.

The store also has a website for orders: http://www.hilloverhealthyandfresh.com/ and a Facebook page, Hill-Over Healthy & Fresh. Fred has learned from his experiences that running a small business comes with many unforeseen expenses and fees and that, particu-larly after a set-back like the bottler’s bankruptcy, it is important to have a business risk management plan in place.

Donna, Fred’s wife manages the store, pro-cesses the orders and par-ticipates in farmers mar-kets. The Barringers’s farm store offers a variety of products besides their deli-cious milk. Argyle Cheese Farmer supplies different kinds of cheese curds and fruit-on-the-bottom Greek yogurt, which customers love. Frozen meats offered by Sir William Meats, ma-ple products from Out on a Limb Maple Farm (which is owned by Fred & Donna’s daughter), Ronnybrook Farm products, cheese by The Amazing Real Live

Food Co. , as well as eggs and honey are also sold in the store. You can also go to the store through Labor Day and enjoy a delicious ice cream cone, milkshake or sundae.

As those who participated in the recent Capital Area Agriculture and Horticulture Program July dairy tour clearly saw, Fred does a fantastic job at keeping his cows nearly spotless and is proud of the quality of his milk. Fred makes sure that all the cows in the tie stalls have their tails washed daily, so when the cows lie down, dirty tails should not come in contact with teat ends. Fred is also meticulous about caring for his cows and milking, using a strip cup on every cow. His 72-cow milking herd enjoys the comfort of tunnel ventilation on hot summer days and mattresses for some added cushion. Fred works closely with Cargill Nutritionist, Mallory Per-kins , who helps balance his ration and take forage samples. Cargill generously provided all participants of the July dairy tour with milk shakes and ice cream.

Besides receiving a 70% forage TMR daily, Fred’s cows also receive fresh pasture at night throughout the growing months. Fred knows that allowing the cows to go out to pasture helps with the cows’ feet and overall health and allows them some exercise. The cows rotate between 7 pad-docks on the 40-acres of pasture. Each paddock, which may last anywhere from 2-5 nights, is clipped after each grazing.

Fred realizes that small farm operators cannot do every-thing on their own. He cannot grow the crops and still be as meticulous with his cows as he would like. For that reason, he hires all crop and field work out while maintaining total control by purchasing all the inputs and directing what is planted and harvested. Fred pays for the custom work on a monthly basis throughout the course of the year. Currently he grows 70 acres of haylage, 30 acres of soybeans and 130 acres of corn for corn silage.

Quality at Hill-Over Holsteins is obvious with a lovely store, lawn and picnic area. Cows are very clean and have very low somatic cell counts (~50K). And the milk in glass bottles tastes great. Fred and Donna are looking for their niche, and I think they have found it.

The cleanliness of Fred’s milking cows and barn is evident, even on a surprise visit.

AUGUST 2013 AGRICULTURAL NEWS PAGE 9 AUGUST 2013

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to becoming the pioneer of breeding polled Jersey cattle in the United States.

The bull he purchased in Memphis was used carefully on his good cows in the herd. From these breedings he raised heifers and kept back a couple of bulls to use on the farm. One of these bulls actually was sold initially to another farmer. Years later, Stanley went to the farm and noticed that the bull’s daughters that had begun milking were very nice animals. They were great producers as well as having excellent type traits. Upon seeing this he bought the bull back and used him on his farm for years, earning the Premier Sire Award five times at the “Big E.” “Fair Weather Champion Superb” was used on the farm until he was 14 years old; remaining placid and easy to work around, while producing high quality polled animals.

These animals were the foundation that the Chittenden family built their current herd on. Eventually, Paul and his family farm moved from New Lebanon to Schodack, New York where they started their own farm. The new venture, “Dutch Hollow Farm LLC.” was named to honor the history of the area and its original Dutch Settlers. The Chittenden family has received numerous awards including multiple Distinguished Service Awards and 2012 Master Breeder Award from the American Jersey Cattle Association. They have also, held national offices including Association Presi-dent and serving on the Board of Directors. At their farm they focus on breeding animals for production and function type. Many of these polled bulls have been sold as breed-ing animals and have made an impact on the jersey breed.

Breeding polled animals eliminates the animal wel-fare concerns and the work associated with preforming the task of dehorning or disbudding. When breeding to a homozygous bull, 100% of the calves will be polled. With a heterozygous bull, 50% of the offspring will be polled. Many years ago it was believed that the milk production of cows with horns was superior to those without (Dehorning and Disbudding of Cattle, AVMA). Now that we know this not to be true and that horns bear no impact on production traits, it may be time to consider using different genetics in our herds. The problem used to be that the trait for polling was not always aligned with increased production traits that producers needed to be profitable. For example, a bull stud could offer a bull that is polled, but he may lack in type, feet and legs, or production traits that you desire to improve in your herd. Modern genetics are still vital to the success and improvement of whatever breed you choose to work with.

Market and demand also is a major driver of the type of

Continued on page 10

Polled Dairy......... Continued from page 7

PAGE 10 AGRICULTURAL NEWS AUGUST 2013

cows being bred on today’s farms. If there is not an interest in polling, these animals will not be selected and offered for sale at the same rate as those with other desirable produc-tion traits. Now we also have genomics as a tool to help us decide which animals to keep on the farm. As I spoke more to Paul Chittenden, Stanley’s son, I asked him what he thought of the future of polling in his beloved Jersey cattle would be. “Holsteins and Jerseys are on the forefront of polled genetics, with the genetics being good enough today that it is encouraging people to bite.” He also noted that in the past, the bulls may not have had the all-around pedigree and traits that producers desired, but now that is changing. The overall traits are getting stronger and more appealing to the commercial dairyman, with a noted increase in interest in the last 5 years.

For more information on the polled trait, check out Polled Holstein History at http://extension.psu.edu/animals/dairy/documents/polled-holsteins-history or the American Veterinary Medical Association fact sheet at https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/Backgrounders/Documents/dehorning_cat-tle_bgnd.pdf. If Ashley can answer any of your questions, she can be reached at (518) 272-4210 or arp253@cornell.edu.

Polled Dairy......... Continued from page 9 Supplementing Pasture With A Total Mixed Ration

Larry Muller, Karen Sullivan, Kathy Soder(Dairy Scientist, Penn State University (lmuller@psu.edu); USDA-NRCS,

Norwich, NY;and USDA-ARS, University Park, PA)

Many graziers in the United States are located in the Northeast and Midwest. With the climate in these regions, we typically have 6 to 7 months of grazing and 5 to 6 months with confinement feeding of stored forages because of the winter climate. It is not uncommon for dairy graziers to supplement lactating cows on pasture with an additional forage for a variety of reasons. Stored forages are needed to provide adequate forage dry matter intake (DMI) during periods when pasture growth and availability are low, such as in the summer or during droughts. Some dairies have high stocking rates due to increasing herd size, and feeding supplemental forages allows them to graze more cows with the same land base. When feeding additional forages, hay or silage will partially replace the DMI from pasture on a 1 lb. to 1 lb. basis.

Many graziers in the USA have the equipment on the farm to feed a total mixed ration (TMR) during the winter feeding period. An increasing number of dairymen are using the equipment to supplement pasture with a partial TMR (pTMR). This is called a pTMR because pasture is not physi-

AUGUST 2013 AGRICULTURAL NEWS PAGE 11 AUGUST 2013

cally part of the mixed ration. Feeding a pTMR to grazing cows offers more “control” over the entire feeding program compared to offering pasture and grain separately. An esti-mate of the DMI from pasture should be part of the ration formulation process by the nutritionist in order to develop a “nutritionally balanced” ration.

As with all supplementation strategies on pasture, there are advantages to feeding a pTMR that should be considered along with the goals of the dairy producer. Advantages of feeding a pTMR to supplement pasture include:

• Helps in estimating DMI of pasture since we know the approximate DMI fromsupplemental TMR.

• Forage is fed with the concentrate rather than separately, which reduces the risk ofrumen digestive problems due to “slug” feeding of concentrate.

• Forage provides fiber that may be needed when feed-ing high quality pasture.

• Higher milk production per cow. Research at Penn State University found that grazing cows supple-mented with a pTMR produced 8 lb. more milk per day than grazing cows supplemented with just con-centrate (70 vs 62 lb/day). Cows had a higher milk fat and milk protein content, and an improved body condition (see Table 1) when fed the pTMR.

Some of the disadvantages of feeding a pTMR include:• Extra time and labor involved in feeding a TMR.• Higher feed costs.• Management of the TMR; must be flexible and ad-

just to changing pasture quality in terms of pTMR formulation and amount of pTMR to feed.

• Need of an area to feed the pTMR.• Need to remove enough silage daily to maintain good

quality feed• Mixing enough TMR in the wagon to have a good

TMR mix.Managing a “Partial” TMR

A challenge with feeding a pTMR is to determine the amount of forage to include in the mix. Including small amounts of forage with the concentrate mix may mean that some cows in a group may sort feed and eat more of the

concentrate. All cows need to have access to the pTMR at any one time to ensure that aggressive cows do not prevent submissive cows from accessing the feed. Adequate feed bunk space (at least 24 inches per cow) is needed since cows will have access to feed for less time than when fed a TMR with a confinement system. There are no written guidelines on the minimum amount of forage to include in a pTMR. We suggest including at least 5 to 7 lb of forage dry matter per cow. This would be about 15 to 20 lb of silage on a wet basis, or at least one lb of wet forage per one lb of concentrate mix in the TMR. As pasture quantity decreases, the amount of forage in the pTMR will need to be increased.

Because most farms have a range in milk production levels within the herd, we may need to target one pTMR to fit all. This should be targeted toward the higher producing cows. Another option is to feed pTMR with lower amounts of concentrate and to feed some concentrates individually in the barn or milking parlor to the higher producing cows. .

The amount of pTMR to feed will depend on the cow’s requirements as well as the quantity and quality of avail-able pasture. Time of feeding will also affect intake of both pTMR and pasture. In general, feeding a pTMR before cows graze encourages greater consumption of the pTMR and may decrease pasture intake. However, it may provide a better

Continued on page 12

PAGE 12 AGRICULTURAL NEWS AUGUST 2013

in protein and do not compliment the nutritional attributes of pasture as well as corn silage since corn silage may be about 40% grain on a dry basis. Consequently, many pTMRs are formulated to contain less grass-legume silage during periods of high pasture availability, and as the quantity of pasture decreases, grass-legume silage is gradually added back to the TMR.

Formulating a pTMRBalancing a pTMR for cows is similar to balancing a

TMR for non-grazing cows except for two things. It is much easier to estimate pasture DMI when supplementing with a pTMR compared to feeding forage and concentrate sepa-rately. Pasture DMI could be estimated using equations from

synchronization of nutrients in the rumen between what is provided from the pTMR (energy) and from the pasture (pro-tein). Offering the pTMR after the initial period of grazing or prior to milking encourages less consumption of the pTMR. In summer heat stress, some dairymen will graze the cows only at night and feed a partial TMR during the day (TMR by day, pTMR by night). Others may graze at night and for a few hours in the morning, and then feed a pTMR during the heat of the day. TMR is sometimes withheld for a few hours before cows graze so that cows will readily consume pasture.

Generally, cows will adjust the intake of pTMR based on how much pasture is available, but quality and palatability of forage species in the pasture will also affect how much pTMR is left in the bunk. Dairy managers and nutritionists need to adjust feeding practices and ration formulation based on two things – the amount of TMR left in the feed bunk and amount of milk going into the milk tank. These need to be monitored daily and the amount of pTMR fed can be adjusted daily.

There are pluses and minuses to feeding different forages in a pTMR. Corn silage can be an excellent supplemental forage to complement pasture because it adds needed ru-men fermentable carbohydrates as a source of energy for the rumen microbes and also “dilutes” out the high protein in pasture. It also adds effective fiber that can compliment high quality pastures which may be low in effective fiber. Corn silage is a highly palatable feed, is an excellent carrier for the supplemental concentrates, and may allow for lower amounts of concentrate to be fed. Grass-legume silages tend to be lower in rumen fermentable carbohydrates and higher

Continued from page 11Supplementing.........

AUGUST 2013 AGRICULTURAL NEWS PAGE 13 AUGUST 2013

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the NRC to estimate total DMI. Using estimated DMI and forage analysis from pasture, it is possible to formulate a reasonably “balanced” ration to complement pasture. Having flexibility in the formulation is key to maintaining optimal feed available for the cows particularly with the continual changing of pasture quantity and quality. We suggest some reformulation of rations every few weeks during the graz-ing season. Planning ahead for changing pasture DMI from decreased available pasture can help to minimize problems that changes may cause. Monitoring pasture growth rates on a weekly basis is the best method to predict when DMI of pasture may become limited.

Example guidelines to feeding a pTMR are in Table 2. Three different milk production levels (75, 60, and 45 lb/day) and expected total DMI (50, 45, 40 lb/day) are assumed. A high and medium pasture availability are assumed with the subsequent amounts of pasture DMI and pTMR to feed.

For example, cows producing 75 lb of milk would be ex-pected to consume about 50 lb of total DMI/day. With high pasture availability, we would expect cows to consume about 23 lb DMI from pasture. This means that cows are expected to consume 27 lb of DM from a pTMR. We assume that 18 lb of concentrate (1 lb concentrate/4 lb of milk) is a reason-able amount to feed, and should provide enough energy from non-structural carbohydrates. If the forage fed is primarily corn silage, we can reduce the grain (perhaps to 16 lb) fed, since corn silage is typically about 40% corn grain and in-crease forage to 11 lb As milk production decreases and the amount of pTMR to feed decreases, the forage:concentrate ratio increases.

Animal Response and EconomicsA research study with 30 high genetic merit Holstein

cows was conducted at Penn State for 21 weeks from May to October and found that feeding a pTMR with pasture resulted in a higher milk yield, greater milk component percentages and yield, and less body condition loss compared with pasture plus concentrate (Table 1). We calculated the net income per day to be $0.68/cow/day greater for the pTMR compared to pasture plus concentrate. The pTMR fed was the same TMR that was fed to the confinement herd. Formulating a specific pTMR for this study would have cost less and likely have resulted in an even greater milk yield and profitability. It is noted that these are the costs associated with feeding including tractor and equipment use, labor, fencing, water, and fertilizer costs for the summer grazing season.

A study using a computer simulation model program called Dairy Forage System Model(DAFOSYM) was conduct-ed for a 100 cow herd by Soder and Rotz of the USDA-ARS to evaluate the long term economic impacts of feeding either a concentrate or pTMR on grazing dairies for the entire year. This includes both the grazing and confinement periods. Us-ing the values in Table 1 from the research study at Penn State, net return per cow was $223 higher per year for the pTMR system than for pasture plus concentrate. Feeding a pTMR to grazing dairy cows provides a viable feeding strat-egy for increasing milk production and profitability in the USA compared to pasture plus concentrate system.

PAGE 14 AGRICULTURAL NEWS AUGUST 2013

Marketing Tips for Farm Business Success

James C. McConnon, Jr., Extension Specialist and Professor of Economics

University of Maine101A Libby Hall, Orono, ME 04469

mcconnon@maine.eduSEMINAR ABSTRACTCustomers are the most important part of any farm

business and how you communicate with them will de-termine how many you have. Marketing is the pathway through which you communicate with your customers; through your products, packaging, pricing, branding, and promotional techniques. That’s why marketing is such an important aspect of growing a profitable and sustainable small fruit or vegetable business.

The purpose of this seminar is to share with you some practical and proven tips that will strengthen your market-ing efforts and improve your bottom line. Effective mar-keting tips that have helped farm operators improve their profitability will be presented and discussed.

Marketing Tips for SuccessWhile there is no “cookbook formula” for success, here

are ten proven tips that have helped farm businesses strengthen their marketing efforts and improve their bot-tom lines.

Tip #1: Research Your MarketThe success of your farm business depends on your

ability to effectively compete in a changing marketplace and profitably meet the changing wants and needs of your customers. Market research can be as simple as asking your customers a few questions or reading about the latest industry trends. The intent is to learn as much as you can about the market so you can grow and sustain your farm business.

Tip #2: Target Your MarketYour target market includes all of those customers you

are trying to attract. It’s important to remember that while everyone out there is a potential customer, there are some who have a greater need or ability to buy your products than others. So, focusing your limited resources on those custom-ers with the greatest likelihood of buying your products is an important strategy for success.

Tip #3: Educate Your CustomersWhile it’s important for you as the farm business op-

erator to learn as much as you can about your customers, it’s equally important for you to help your customers learn about you, your farm business and the products you produce and services you provide.

Tip #4: Price Your Products for ProfitPricing is an art, not a science. You need to know your

costs, your customers, and your competition, and you need to be flexible in the prices you charge. The key to pricing is to set the price high enough to cover your costs and ensure a profit, yet low enough to encourage people in your target market to buy your products.

Tip #5: Diversify Your Marketing StrategiesA common feature among successful farm businesses

is that they use a number of different strategies to mar-

ket their products. Many small producers both wholesale and retail their products. Some growers sell their products to restaurants and through their local farmer’s market. It’s important to recognize that for many small farm businesses, diversifying their marketing is a good method of managing risk and increasing profitability.

Tip #6: Market for QualityMany farms in New England have a difficult time com-

peting in the high-volume commodity markets. They have to focus on quality not quantity. One way for New England farmers to compete is to focus on offering the highest quality products possible. In most cases, high quality and profits go hand in hand.

Tip #7: Practice Excellent Customer ServiceCustomers are the most important part of any business.

Research shows that 60% of customer defections are a result of poor customer service. Practicing good customer service will help satisfy existing customers and bring in new customers.

Tip #8: Communicate with Your Customers Through the Web

An increasing number of people are using social media to communicate with one another. If your customers are part of this growing group of consumers, you should consider using web-based and/or mobile technologies to reach and interact with them.

Tip #9: Create a Brand for Your Business and Prod-ucts

Creating a brand name or local identity for your farm busi-ness and products may improve the demand for the products, the prices you receive, and farm profitability. Developing an image and logo are important first steps in establishing an effective brand for your farm business.

Tip #10: Develop a Marketing PlanA marketing plan is a written document that communi-

cates your farm’s marketing goals and objectives and how you plan to achieve them. A marketing plan will help you prioritize your marketing efforts and help to ensure that you are communicating with your target market as efficiently and effectively as possible.

From: 2011 New England Fruit & Vegetable Conference proceedings

AUGUST 2013 AGRICULTURAL NEWS PAGE 15 AUGUST 2013

JUNE 2013

Wednesday, July 03, 2013 3:06 PM 1

file for Dairy One June 2013

Name Typetest Bd Cowyears Milk Fat Protein 3x

VERMONTBENNINGTONPINE HILL VIEW 2 LLC DHI-AP H 383.7 19248 751 3.9 615 3.2RUTLANDMACH FARM, INC. DHI-APCS H 163.1 22405 851 3.8 689 3.1BOOK BROTHERS DHI-APCS H 116.2 21428 784 3.7 650 3.0

NEW YORKCOLUMBIAOOMS ADRIAN & SONS DHI-AP H 468.0 27809 1031 3.7 856 3.1KELLER R & SONS HD1 DHIR H 250.9 27729 978 3.5 846 3.1LONAN FARM DHI-APCS H 568.0 27430 1033 3.8 835 3.0 3XLYN F. MAIN,JR DHI-APCS H 1152.4 25968 938 3.6 812 3.1 3XDAVENPORT, JIM HERD 3 DHI H 20.2 25955 957 3.7 773 3.0THE DAVENPORT FAMILY HD DHIR H 51.8 25726 951 3.7 763 3.0DUTCH HOLLOW FARM DHIRAPCS J 636.1 21205 1000 4.7 720 3.4 3XTRIPPLE CREEK FARM DHI-AP H 151.9 23224 854 3.7 719 3.1OOMS,ANTONIE&MICHAEL HD DHI-AP H 109.2 22453 882 3.9 704 3.1 3XELITE DAIRY DHI-AP B 78.3 19574 832 4.3 691 3.5BARRINGER, FRED DHIR-AP H 83.9 21161 812 3.8 663 3.1RONNYBROOK FARMS DHI-AP H 86.4 21939 757 3.5 661 3.0MILLERHURST FARM DHI-AP H 125.0 22207 805 3.6 657 3.0KIERNAN, WILLIAM DHI-AP H 170.1 22231 820 3.7 652 2.9B.B.T.T.FARM DHI-AP X 194.6 19065 754 4.0 648 3.4BURCH & SONS DAIRY DHI-AP H 26.6 19821 768 3.9 627 3.2OOMS,ANTONIE&MICHAEL HD DHIR-AP J 75.9 17757 841 4.7 614 3.5 3XGREENESTORY, MATTHEW C. JR. DHI-AP H 44.0 22009 766 3.5 651 3.0VALLEY VIEW FARM DHIR-AP J 57.7 16889 866 5.1 634 3.8RENSSELAERGREEN, DAVID DHI-APCS H 312.2 28385 1107 3.9 873 3.1 3XDAN REQUATE DHI-AP H 169.5 26920 1035 3.8 811 3.0 3XCANNON MATT & PEGGY DHI-AP H 100.6 22496 917 4.1 765 3.4MCMAHON, JOHN & DAN DHI H 121.6 23160 869 3.8 722 3.1TARBOX FARMS 1 DHI-AP H 95.7 22445 794 3.5 678 3.0LUKELAND FARMS DHI-AP H 92.2 19899 778 3.9 622 3.1LEWCLIF FARMS DHI-AP H 119.9 18471 733 4.0 613 3.3SARATOGAPECK, WILLIAM DHIR-AP H 620.9 28737 1086 3.8 897 3.1 3XKEVIN PECK DHIR-AP H 595.6 26473 953 3.6 799 3.0 3XHANEHAN FAMILY DAIRY DHI-AP H 674.5 25304 932 3.7 786 3.1PECK, JOSEPH DHI-AP H 110.9 24604 896 3.6 764 3.1SMITH BROS. DHI-AP H 167.7 24612 927 3.8 758 3.1PAT KILLIAN DHI-AP H 322.8 23407 900 3.8 742 3.2SPEIDEL, RICHARD DHI H 94.6 22980 951 4.1 691 3.0CURTISS, C.E. & SON DHIR-AP H 24.9 21034 831 4.0 686 3.3SCHOHARIESUNY AG &TECH COLLEGE DHIR H 160.2 29518 1220 4.1 909 3.1 3XSCHULTZ BROS. FARM INC. DHI-AP H 144.1 25871 1011 3.9 819 3.2ARGUS ACRES, LLC DHI-AP H 396.8 25091 1008 4.0 804 3.2CACCIOLA GERRY & SHARON DHI-AP H 305.6 24173 881 3.6 738 3.1 3XBOULDER BROOK FARM DHI-AP H 134.2 23941 840 3.5 717 3.0

Wednesday, July 03, 2013 3:06 PM 2

file for Dairy One June 2013

Name Typetest Bd Cowyears Milk Fat Protein 3x

EVERETT, TIM & PATTI DHI J 23.4 19560 885 4.5 716 3.7STANTON,JOHNDEBERIC DHI-AP H 167.9 23537 901 3.8 706 3.0 3XRUTHER, STEVEN & MARION DHI-AP H 76.9 23277 852 3.7 693 3.0RKEYVALE II DHI-AP H 68.8 21465 764 3.6 677 3.2LVA FARMS NO B.S.T. DHI-AP H 112.6 22674 789 3.5 670 3.0SUNY AG &TECH COLLEGE DHIR X 14.2 19190 891 4.6 657 3.4 3XSTANTON,JOHNDEBERIC DHI-AP A 24.8 21203 812 3.8 637 3.0 3XWASHINGTONKENYON HILL FARM DHIR-AP H 403.8 27633 1048 3.8 858 3.1 3XLINCOLN HILL FARM DHI-AP H 173.3 27773 999 3.6 851 3.1 3XADAM AUSTIN DHI-AP H 26.0 26275 889 3.4 791 3.0 3XMAIN DRAG FARM DHI-AP H 155.2 24904 905 3.6 789 3.2STEWART FARM DHI-AP H 133.6 25597 935 3.7 787 3.1RUIGVIEW FARM DHI-AP H 90.9 25323 956 3.8 782 3.1WALKER FARMS DHI-AP H 1048.4 26021 922 3.5 777 3.0 3XHIBROW FARM DHI-AP H 245.2 24164 902 3.7 768 3.2DEER FLATS FARM DHI-AP H 237.2 24847 898 3.6 768 3.1REAFIELD FARM DHI-AP H 236.2 24091 924 3.8 767 3.2CREEK FARM DHI-AP H 266.1 23780 930 3.9 756 3.2MARNS, ALBERT & DONNA DHI-AP H 167.3 24284 826 3.4 750 3.1TOOLITE FARM LLC DHI-AP H 121.3 24220 898 3.7 740 3.1TWIN BROOKS FARM LLC DHIR-AP H 214.9 22711 843 3.7 690 3.0THE KUSTER FARM DHI-AP H 116.3 21948 873 4.0 689 3.1TUDOR, JOHN DHIR-AP H 110.2 21240 782 3.7 677 3.2FAIRVIEW FARMS DHI-AP H 48.1 22032 862 3.9 669 3.0ANDREW,HOWARD & JAY DHI-AP H 118.6 21298 805 3.8 665 3.1HOYT, JAY & LORI DHI X 78.3 19741 878 4.4 662 3.4ABBOTT III, ROBERT DHI-AP H 58.1 22125 792 3.6 659 3.0TRINKLE FARM DHI-AP H 356.6 21143 771 3.6 656 3.1SEACORD, RICHARD & BRIAN DHI-AP J 80.6 16349 845 5.2 625 3.8WEEPING BIRCH FARM DHI H 91.0 19049 777 4.1 619 3.2REID, KYLE & SHANNA DHIR-AP H 102.7 20340 750 3.7 612 3.0CHRISTOPHER MITCHELL DHIR-AP H 51.8 19596 723 3.7 604 3.1

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Hay For Sale-excavation and trucking. Call Larry Sweeney 899-9202. Breeding BullS: Available from our best cows. David Wood 882-6684.

regiStered HolStein Service BullS: From Top AI Sires and High Producing Dams. Call William Peck at 695-3375.