Water quality, winter calf care and heat stress abatement projects funded by the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program are on the Dec. 11 Dairy Day program at Miner Institute in Chazy, N.Y.

The event is free and open to the public. Lunch is available for $5.

Preregistration is available by contacting Wanda Emerich at 518-846-7121, ext. 117, or email [email protected].

Lake Champlain water research

Laura Klaiber, Miner Institute researcher, will present an update on water quality research related to agricultural production being conducted in the Lake Champlain region.

"Until the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program established these research trials, there had been very few in-depth year-round studies in the Lake Champlain basin designed to investigate how the use of tile drainage impacts nutrient balances in agricultural fields," Klaiber says.

The data generated by this field testing will serve as a science-based foundation to drive water quality conservation for New York state and beyond.

"The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program-funded projects provide critical runoff monitoring within dairy systems and generate important results with broad interests from farmers, regulators, managers, legislators and scientists in New York, New England and Canada," according to Eric Young, USDA ARS soil scientist from Marshfield, Wis.

Klaiber will talk about edge-of-field studies that are developing data critical for guiding environmentally focused farm management metrics.

"As we all know, weather events can be highly variable and extreme, so multiyear data collection that increases our knowledge base is the foundation for developing the best management recommendations to positively impact nutrient use, farm economics and environmental stewardship," she says.

Heat stress abatement

The program will also include Katie Ballard, director of research at Miner Institute, presenting “Beat the Heat: Are North Country Cows Susceptible to Heat Stress?”

The study is evaluating the effects of warm-weather climate extremes on cow comfort and milk production by tracking cows in the Miner Institute dairy herd as well as on other farms in northern New York.

"This research has shown us dairy cows are adversely impacted by episodic bouts of heat stress, even during a summer without any true heat waves. We are evaluating various heat abatement measures that farmers can match to their individual farm facilities to help increase cow comfort and maintain milk production during periods of heat stress," says Ballard, who began building this climate-adaptability knowledge base in 2015 through a grant from the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program.

Winter calf care

Miner Institute research scientist Sarah Morrison will talk about a project that’s looking at ways to enhance dairy calf well-being during winter.

She is looking at how dietary nutrient management can affect calf health and growth in various housing systems.

PREPPING FOR WINTER: Sarah Morrison, research scientist at Miner Institute, will talk about winter calf care at the Dec. 11 Dairy Day program at Miner Institute in Chazy, N.Y.

"This research is providing insights to help farmers target their nutrient programs for calves in different housing systems,” Morrison says. “The information from this study is highlighting strengths and opportunities for managing calves through the coldest months of the year. By focusing on both nutrient and management, calves will have the greatest opportunity for optimal growth and health.”

Funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is supported by the New York State Legislature and administered by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. Learn more at nnyagdev.org.

Source: Northern New York Agricultural Development Program, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.