Dust is starting to fly which is bringing in some pre-emergent herbicide questions: What is happening to my PRE herbicides? Are they still there? And do I need to adjust my weed management plans? 

Regardless of how beef animals are finished, either by grass, grain, or a combination, market weight animals that are sent to the auction or processor should be finished properly. This article reviews the characteristics of finishing as described in the Cornell Small Farms video, "Determining Market Readiness of Finished Cattle", narrated by Dr. Mike Baker, found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrF5aCEAI-0&feature=emb_title

This winter was a "classic NY winter", but was it cold enough to actually impact insect populations? While we can't predict pest pressure with any greater accuracy than long-term weather forecasts, we can evaluate historic insect populations, weather and biology to give us a better idea of what we could see this growing season. 

Following the challenging weather of the 2025 growing season, many dairy farms are facing tight forage inventories and looking to 2026 to rebuild forage supplies. The current economic conditions of escalating input costs and tight milk prices increase the difficulty of accomplishing this goal. Despite all of this, farms can still look for the best practices to achieve their forage inventory goals.

Chicks are on the ground, the weather is warming, and in a few short weeks, the first batches of pasture raised chickens will be processed. For many, this means processing in preparation for sales off the farm or at farmer's markets. Bearing that in mind, there are requirements that producers must follow to ensure food safety and legal packaging/labeling of that poultry for sale.

It's no secret that last year's spring was a particularly cold and wet one. While it seems like this spring should be warming up and drying out sooner than last year, it's still important that we know how to stay flexible in chaotic conditions and make the right management decisions for our short and long-term goals.

Knowing that we will likely continue to experience volatile N pricing, coupled with less than stellar commodity prices, it's a critical time to evaluate your nutrient management strategy. So,what can you do to maintain your crop yields while also protecting your bottom line?

What's the status of the dairy industry in NY?

March 2026 has been wet, hovering around 150 percent of normal precipitation for much of New York. While this has some manure storages approaching or exceeding their operational capacity, it is critical to follow the prohibited spreading conditions within the CAFO permit and spreading plans in your CNMP. 

Check out this spring forage checklist from Joe Lawrence as we fly into spring and the upcoming growing season. 

As last year has certainly shown most of us, water is one of the biggest drivers of success or stress in a cropping system. Not only is it difficult to manage something so unpredictable, but sometimes the things you do to keep water in your fields during a drought are the same things that can turn the field into a muddy mess for weeks. 

Raising chickens for meat on pasture is popular among SWNY farmers. From 2022-2025, a team from CCE followed the production and financial inputs and outcomes of 36 broiler farmers across the state. From this, we now have an accurate series of averages for production and pricing across the state as well as conclusions to help improve the success of small-scale broiler enterprises.