Buffalo Go Green (BGG) and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Erie County (CCE Erie) are hosting a workshop to explore the potential of collaborative farming in Western New York. The workshop will be held on March 5, 2022 from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm. Participants can attend via Zoom or in-person at the Aurora Senior Citizens Center (101 King Street, East Aurora, NY, 14052).

Farm operators, Greg and Elisabeth Putney of Rise'N'Swine Farm and Michael and Stephanie Parkot of Always Something Farm, will discuss their production models. These two families have entered a collaboration that will strengthen each farm's bottom line. Andrew Delmonte of Cooperation Buffalo will give an overview of worker-owned cooperatives. Ian McSweeny of Agrarian Trust will explain Agrarian Commons, a community-based approach to land ownership and stewardship.

Join Cornell Cooperative Extension and Dr. Chad Wall, Field Veterinarian for NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets, to learn about the current outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, the threat it poses to NYS poultry production, and how we can protect our birds and stop the spread! This event is for Small Production Flocks as well as Backyard/Hobby Flocks.

Join Farm Business Management Specialist, Katelyn Walley-Stoll, to learn more about the considerations and resources that are available for evaluating and executing your land lease options.

Marketing & Cooking Underutilized Cuts presented by Jean O'Toole, Executive Director of New York Beef Council. 

Dr. Quirine Ketterings, Cornell Professor and leader of the Nutrient Management Spear Program, and Kirsten Workman of Cornell PRO-DAIRY, will discuss management and evaluation strategies to help optimize fertility without breaking the bank with your fertilizer budget.

Annual Meeting of the New York Beef Producers' Association Region 2 and Chautauqua County Beef Producers Association For Cattaraugus and Chautauqua Counties 

                                                                   Saturday, March 12, 2022

                                                               The Falcons Nest Banquet Hall,
                                                          2001 E. Main Street Ext., Falconer, NY.
                                                       5:30 to 6:30 pm - Social Hour & Visit with Vendors 
                                                                   Buffet Dinner to Follow

CCE North Country Regional Ag Team Dairy Specialist Lindsay Ferlito will walk through updates of FARM 4.0 and give insight on cow based measurements from CCE research completed on NY dairy farms. The workshop will be interactive using polls, and strive to answer your questions on FARM 4.0! 

REGISTER

Dan Steward of WNY Crop Management Association, will address the challenge of keeping long term pastures and hay fields.  

Mike Stanyard will discuss the results of the corn nematode sampling study from the NWNY region in 2021 and Janice Degni will review cultural and chemical weed control practices for alfalfa or grass, mixed stands, and pasture. 

Open to all interested beef and dairy producers. After lunch we will have a short business meeting for Region 4 followed by our guest speakers.

The Beef Industry needs our stakeholders to ensure our reputation with the consumer stays strong to ensure beef demand! Learn how to better represent the beef industry and be an advocate for beef!

Presenters: Jan Shearer, DVM, Professor, Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Lindsay Ferlito, Betsy Hicks, Margaret Quaassdorff, Regional Dairy Specialists Cornell Cooperative Extension.
This one-day program is for anyone who works with dairy cattle. We'll cover the basics of feet and leg issues that cause lameness. More importantly we'll discuss practical strategies to avoid and mitigate lameness. The program will include virtual presentations and an on farm walk through with discussion.

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The Hudson Valley Farm Bulk Order program supports other cooperative farm purchasing programs to start up, grow, and thrive.  In that spirit, we have made our organizing materials, lessons learned, and other helpful tools and resources publicly available.  As a courtesy, we'd ask that prospective organizers reach out to coordinate with us if there is potential overlap with some of our vendors, so that we can ensure our program continues to run smoothly.   REGISTER

Advancements in measurements of forage fiber digestibility and a growing understanding of field and management factors that affect digestibility offer the opportunity to improve our management and utilization of forages in dairy rations. 

Gary Bergstrom will provide an update on the diagnosis and management of field crop diseases in New York including two new corn diseases (tar spot and bacterial leaf streak), corn mycotoxins, soybean cyst nematode, and latest options for disease management in corn, soybean, and small grains. Erik Smith will share more about Soybean cyst nematode (SCN), the most damaging pest of soybeans globally, and we are just beginning to identify its expansion into dry bean crops. 

Lynn Sosnoskie's presentation will focus on the evolution of herbicide resistance in agronomic crops with a focus on the current issues facing New York producers including: Palmer amaranth, waterhemp and horseweed. Then, Elson Shields will discuss seed corn maggot in NY corn and biological control of corn rootworm. 

Joe Lawrence discusses the options for pest management traits in genetically engineered crops can be confusing and continues to change.  Mike Hunter will discuss the limited availability of certain herbicides will likely change the herbicide programs used to control problematic weeds of field crops. 

Join the Cornell Livestock Program Work Team for a free webinar on how to make shearing day a smooth, and enjoyable process. Special guest Jody Hatch from Salmon River Alpacas will discuss shearing day prep, expectations of owners and shearers, and shearing day management logistics.

The success of AMS management relies heavily on feed management and strategies that can maximize cow traffic, production, and health at the lowest possible cost. Join SWNY team and MSU Extension for a webinar on April 6, 2022, at noon (ET). To talk with us and share the most recent high-quality research information on nutrition and feed management for dairy cows in AMS, we brought together two researchers' experts in AMS, Dr. Gregory Penner, and MSc. James Salfer. Register now!

You are raising and selling local meat, but are you making a profit? There are tools that can help with that! Learn about how to figure out your cost of production, use the NEW Cornell Meat Pricing Calculator to develop prices that deliver a profit in every channel, improve marketing techniques to reach target customers, and how to use MeatSuite.com

Adding Value to Your Marketing Display presented by Jean O'Toole, Executive Director of the New York Beef Council. 

As the cost of owning land rises, and farm profitability tightens, now's the time to evaluate the role that leased and rented land plays on our local farms - and our bottom lines. Join Farm Business Management Specialist, Katelyn Walley-Stoll, to learn more about the considerations and resources that are available for evaluating and executing your land lease options with risk management in mind. Topics of discussion include written lease agreements, "fair" rental rates, risk management tools, and tools for analyzing enterprise opportunities.

Join a set of Cornell Cooperative Extension educators for an Inspired by Annie's Project four week series focused on elevating your marketing techniques. This series will take place on Tuesdays in April (5th, 12th, 19th & 26th), from 11:30am-1pm - allowing for participation during flexible lunchtime hours. Annie's Project is taught by trained facilitators and is designed for farm women who have been in farming, or agri-business, or part of the food system for three to five years, and want to develop their understanding, interpretation, and opportunities in sustainable agriculture. Annie's Project gives farm women the opportunity to learn from female agricultural professionals and network with other women in similar situations.

This free, virtual webinar takes students through what to look for when purchasing these compact, hardy, and entertaining animals. Our discussion topics will include breeds & production considerations, purchasing options, common diseases to look out for, and integrating newcomers into the herd.

The Finger Lakes Wool pool will be held in Seneca Falls this year. Pricing is $0.32 for clean wool and $0.07 for off-sorts, with a $10 membership fee per farm. Compensation options are available.

This webinar covers the approach used for setting meat prices, both for bulk and by-the-cut sales, using the Cornell Meat Price Calculator (MPC). Attendees will learn what data to collect from their farm and how to use the new MPC. The MPC is a user-friendly online tool for farmers that allows them to set prices that ensure they reach farm financial goals. The webinar will be recorded and shared, so that farms using the MPC can play it back when they are ready to use the MPC.  

Are you planting things in soil? (We're guessing the answer is probably yes). Then you need a soil sample! NYS and NJ Veterans are invited to join Cornell Cooperative Extension Specialists, Amy Barkley and Katelyn Walley-Stoll, to learn more about soil sampling in a FREE virtual seminar. This will take place on Monday, May 23rd, 2022 from 6pm - 7:30pm via Zoom. Registration is required before May 20th by visiting tinyurl.com/SoilSample22.

A FREE, virtual three part webinar series for dairy producers interested in diversifying or vertically integrating their business. Our discussion will include market availability and considerations, business planning and goals, interacting with regulatory agencies, planning requirements, and equipment types and layout, audit readiness, compliance training and record keeping.

This webinar covers the approach used for setting meat prices, both for bulk and by-the-cut sales, using the Cornell Meat Price Calculator (MPC). Attendees will learn what data to collect from their farm and how to use the new MPC. The MPC is a user-friendly online tool for farmers that allows them to set prices that ensure they reach farm financial goals. The webinar will be recorded and shared, so that farms using the MPC can play it back when they are ready to use the MPC.