New Self-Paced On-Farm Poultry Processing Course Available
Amy Barkley, Livestock Specialist
Southwest New York Dairy, Livestock and Field Crops Program

March 1, 2021/Erica Frenay
Has your insurance provider told you they won't underwrite your on-farm processing of poultry unless you complete a training? Do you need to brush up on best practices for processing meat birds on-farm?
Our new self-paced online course offers detailed videos and lessons on food safety and humane techniques for dispatching and processing chickens and turkeys on-farm under the 1000-bird exemption.
The On-Farm Poultry Processing course will take 3-4 hours to complete, and includes quizzes in each section to test your knowledge. You'll have 3 attempts to score 80% or better on each quiz before you can move onto the next topic, and if you pass all of the quizzes, a "Certificate of Completion" will be automatically issued to you.
This certificate may be accepted by your insurer to underwrite your poultry operation, but we cannot guarantee that it will result in coverage. Please confirm with your insurance agent before registering, if your sole intent in taking the course is to obtain farm insurance.
As with all of our online courses, pricing is tiered based on household income and this course ranges from $49 - $99. This On-Farm Poultry Processing course was authored by Cornell Cooperative Extension educator and farmer, Lynn Bliven, from Allegany County.
This new self-paced course joins our program's offering of more than 20 online courses to help farmers improve their technical and business skills. These courses cover a range of topics any farmer needs to succeed, such as farm business, soil health, indoor mushroom production, grazing management, and so much more. You can browse all of our course offerings on our website.
Upcoming Events
Avian Disease and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza - the latest updates and what it means for poultry health
March 18, 2025
In light of the state of HPAI across the country and in NYS, the Poultry Subgroup of the Livestock PWT has developed two webinars to assist small farms and backyard laying flock owners to make informed decisions around getting laying hens and managing disease, while keeping abreast of the current status of HPAI and how they can keep it out of their flocks.
Join Dr. Jarra Jagne of Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine and Dr. Chad Wall of NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets for an evening of learning about avian disease, including Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). We'll cover:
- Updates on the HPAI outbreak
- Symptoms of HPAI
- Common small flock diseases
- HPAI disease look-alikes
- Keeping your birds safe
Shop Talk: Integrated Weed Management

March 19, 2025
Andover, NY
Mike Hunter, Field Crop IPM Coordinator, will share his knowledge on managing weeds. The discussion will cover various management practices in both conventional and organic settings, including herbicide-resistant weeds.
NY Beef Producers Association (NYBPA) Region 2 Meeting
March 21, 2025
Lakewood, NY
Join is for a roundtable discussion with Jeff Hostetter of Select Sires, Phil Trowbridge of Trowbridge Farms, Dr. Shannon Carpenter DVM NYSCHAP Coordinator for NYSAGM, division of Animal Industry, Dr. Katie Card-Allen, DVM Regional Field Veterinarian on Best Practices for Cow-Calf producers. A proactive approach to animal health for mama and baby.
All are welcome. Membership in these beef producer groups is not required.
Following the buffet dinner, a short business meeting will kick off the evening. We will then move to the roundtable discussion.
Announcements
Transition Heifer Calf Program
Join us for this hand-on program and demos! We will be offering this program in English and in Spanish.Calf and heifer managers, dairy herdspersons, farm owners, and heifer raisers interested in learning more about how to better house and manage animals as they transition from the calf phase to the weaned heifer phase.
Topics covered:
Nutrition
Health
Housing Management
Inventory Management
Biosecurity: All attendees must wear clean clothes and boots. You will be required to scrub and disinfect footwear upon arrival to the program and before leaving.
Registration: $25 per person (includes lunch)