From the USDA:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture on March 12 announced the decision to withdraw the Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices final rule published Jan. 19, 2017.

The rule would have increased federal regulation of livestock and poultry for certified organic producers and handlers. The withdrawal becomes effective May 13.

Significant policy and legal issues were identified after the rule published in January 2017. After careful review and two rounds of public comment, USDA has determined that the rule exceeds the department’s statutory authority, and that the changes to the existing organic regulations could have a negative effect on voluntary participation in the National Organic Program, including real costs for producers and consumers.

“The existing robust organic livestock and poultry regulations are effective,” said USDA Marketing and Regulatory Program Undersecretary Greg Ibach. “The organic industry’s continued growth domestically and globally shows that consumers trust the current approach that balances consumer expectations and the needs of organic producers and handlers.”

According to USDA reports for 2017, the number of certified organic operations increased domestically by 7 percent and globally by 11 percent. Industry estimates show that organic sales in the United States reached almost $47 billion in 2016, reflecting an increase of almost $3.7 billion since 2015.

The USDA carefully considered public comments and the relative costs and benefits for both producers and consumers of imposing the proposed additional regulations.

More information on the Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices final rule is available in the March 12 Federal Register or https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/organic-certification at this link.

Cuomo Announces Money for CAFO Waste Storage Programs

From staff reports
 
The state has awarded $20 million to implement water quality protection projects on 56 farms across the state.
 
The money was provided through the first round of the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) Waste Storage and Transfer System Program. It supports projects that will allow livestock farms to better manage and store nutrients, such as manure, to protect ground water and nearby waterways.
 
The program is a part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s $2.5 billion Clean Water Infrastructure Act of 2017 which invests an unprecedented level of resources for drinking water, wastewater infrastructure and other water quality protections statewide.
 
“Agriculture remains a key part of New York’s economy and this funding will help farms in every corner of this state protect drinking water supplies and waterways, while also remaining competitive,” Cuomo said in making the award announcement Dec. 20. 

“With this program, we are supporting New York’s economy and ensuring our essential natural resources are preserved for years to come,” he said.
 
Through the program, 61 waste storage and transfer systems will be installed on CAFO-permitted farms in 25 counties throughout the state. Grants will help offset the cost of construction, site preparation and associated best management practices. 

Funded projects will also help farmers meet the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s new environmental requirements first announced in January of this year.
 
The money is being provided to County Soil and Water Conservation Districts, which applied on behalf of eligible farmers, in the Capital Region, Central New York, Finger Lakes, Mohawk Valley, North Country, Southern Tier, and Western New York Regions. 

A list of the award totals is available at https://www.agriculture.ny.gov/Press%20Releases/CAFO_WST_System_Rnd1_Awards.pdf#_blank

“The grant money under the governor’s water infrastructure plan will build on the agricultural community’s strong record of environmental stewardship,” said David Fisher, president of New York Farm Bureau. 

“The cost sharing assistance provides more flexibility on farms to manage nutrients, which helps protect water quality for all New Yorkers. New York Farm Bureau appreciates the public-private partnership, especially as livestock farmers are putting new environmental management plans in place to meet tougher CAFO regulations,” he said.
 
“One of the biggest responsibilities our farmers have is to be good stewards of the land and other natural resources they use. Through this funding, our state’s hardworking farmers can continue the important work they do to support New York’s leading industry, and at the same time, continue their efforts to be leaders when it comes to implementing environmentally safe practices,” said state Sen. Patty Ritchie, chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee.
 
“The governor’s historic clean water initiative is critical to ensuring the quality and sustainability of our natural resources and our farms,” said state Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets Richard Ball. 

“We received more applications than we were able to fund through the first round of this program, which shows the strong commitment of our livestock operations to environmental stewardship," Ball said. "We look forward to releasing the second Request for Proposals in the coming year to benefit even more farms as they strive to maintain nutrient recycling year-round.”

Farm Credit East Provides Updates on Agriculture Economic Conditions

Farm Credit East recently launched a section on its website containing snapshots for nine Northeast agriculture industries. 

These snapshots provide industry-specific year-to-date updates on economic conditions in various sectors of agriculture.
 
Snapshots are available for the Northeast’s dairy, fruit, vegetable, nursery and greenhouse, cash field, timber, aquatic/fishing, and livestock industries, as well as an update and outlook on input costs for the region’s producers. 

These snapshots will be updated on a quarterly basis and also contain links to other resources and recent articles relating to each industry.
 
The most recent update reports that overall, U.S. agriculture, as well as that of the Northeast, continues to face some challenging market conditions, but there are also a number of bright spots and some improvements are in the forecast. 

Cash field crops in particular are dealing with adverse pricing and while dairy prices are improving, there continue to be marketing challenges in some areas. Nursery and greenhouse, which have had improving economic conditions for the past few years, are reporting relatively good spring results.
 
To dive deeper into industry-specific snapshots, visit FarmCreditEast.com.

NOFA-NY To Hole On-Farm Field Day in Richland

From NOFA-NY:

The Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York is offering an on-farm field day called “Diversifying your Agricultural Offering: Adding Meat to your Veggies” from 3 to 6 p.m. June 20 at Grindstone Farm, County Route 28, outside Pulaski.

Dick and Lucas de Graff will discuss the challenges and successes of adding livestock to their established vegetable operation. Visitors can learn how Grindstone Farms’ diversified offerings have opened up new market doors.

Grindstone Farm, which grows 120 types of fruits and vegetables, has provided Central New York with healthy organic products for over 25 years.

Grindstone Farm is a supporter of NOFA-NY’s On Farm Skills Guide as a tool for training interns. 

NOFA-NY staff will provide a brief overview on how this tool can assist farmers in their training programs.

This event is produced by NOFA-NY with support from the New York Farm Viability Institute.

Pre-registration is encouraged. Cost is $15 per person or $25 for two or more people from the same farm. Visit www.nofany.org to register and for more information.

Livestock Producers Have Until Jan. 30 to Apply for Forage Disaster Program

Monday is the deadline to apply for  the Livestock Forage Disaster Program.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency reminds livestock producers, in eligible counties, who suffered grazing losses that occurred throughout 2016 due to drought, to report their losses and to enroll in the program by Jan. 30.

The Livestock Forage Disaster program is available in the following New York counties: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung, Cortland, Erie, Genesee, Jefferson, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Onondaga, Ontario, Orleans, Oswego, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Suffolk, Tioga, Tompkins, Wayne, Wyoming and Yates.

The program provides compensation to eligible livestock producers who suffered grazing losses for covered livestock due to drought on privately-owned or cash-leased land or fire on federally-managed land. 

Producers in 25 New York counties are eligible to apply for 2016 benefits on native pasture, improved pasture and forage sorghum. Livestock producers are encouraged to contact the their local FSA Office with any questions regarding specific forage crops that are eligible.

Livestock producers must complete the Livestock Forage Disaster program application and required supporting documentation for losses that occurred throughout 2016. Producers who already have appointments scheduled require no additional action to meet the deadline.

Eligible livestock includes alpacas, beef cattle, buffalo, beefalo, dairy cattle, deer, elk, emus, equine, goats, llamas, poultry, reindeer, sheep or swine that have been or would have been grazing the eligible grazing land or pastureland.

Visit www.usda.gov/disaster to learn more about FSA disaster assistance programs or contact your local FSA office. To find a local FSA office, visit http://offices.usda.gov or call (315) 477-6309.

Workshops On Grazing Begin April 21

SUNY Cobleskill, in collaboration with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, is offering a series of four grazing workshops covering vital topics in pasture management, grazing management, animal nutrition, and soil health beginning April 21.

The workshops aim to help local livestock producers — whether small-scale mixed herd farmer, dairy manager, or beef herd owner — learn more about rotational grazing opportunities. The workshops are free and open to the public. 

Two will be evening sessions and two will be daylong events with a field component.

The first workshop will feature a lecture by Dave Roberts, state grasslands specialist for New York with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Roberts leads the agency at the state level in planning and implementing pasture management practices through improving forage quality and production, increasing livestock performance and soil health while keeping farms sustainable and protecting our resources and environment. 

He is part of regional and national teams to improve grazing practices around the country on both pastureland and rangelands. He also travels overseas on volunteer assignments with nonprofit agencies.

The workshops are funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The first workshop will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. April 21 at SUNY Cobleskill’s Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Room 110.

SUNY Cobleskill is also developing rotational grazing demonstration plots to serve as models for those who want to adopt the practice on their own farms. The grazing systems will include cows, horses, sheep and goats, and will be developed with the aid of SUNY Cobleskill students. 

In addition to serving as models for farmers, the plots will provide students with hands-on experience in pasture-based animal production. Students will also help farmers develop their own rotational grazing plans.

New York Ag Receipts Outpace National Averages

From New York state:

The growth of agricultural sales in New York outpaced the national average, with cash receipts up 36 percent across the state and only 32 percent nationally. 

In 2014, farmers in New York state also set a new record for sales with $6.36 billion in cash receipts, up from $4.7 billion in 2010, representing a nearly $1.7 billion increase in gross income from sales of crops, livestock and other products.

New York has seen a surge in average gross income and a significant increase in sales of many of the state’s top commodities. Since 2010, the following commodities have shown the greatest increases:

   

· Poultry and eggs up 63 percent to $206 million; · Peaches up 80 percent to $12.6 million; · Honey production up 59 percent to just under $9 million; · Cattle production up 132 percent to $415 million; and · Hay up 173 percent to $147 million.

The national estimates for the same commodities for the same period are:

· Poultry and eggs up 39 percent; · Peaches up 2 percent; · Honey production up 38 percent; · Cattle production up 59 percent; and · Hay up 63 percent.

The New York dairy industry also saw record high dairy prices in 2014, constituting about half of the state’s agricultural receipts.

Petition Wants Walmart to Stop Selling Toy LIvestock Truck

From DairyHerd.com.

I've seen just about everything now!

Go to http://www.dairyherd.com/news/vegan-activists-attack-farming-toy to see the story.

New York State Fair Opens Next Week

If there’s anything that says late summer, it’s the Great New York State Fair.

Twelve days of animals, rides, music, fun, education and of course, food, at the Aug. 27 to Sept. 7 event in Geddes, just outside of Syracuse.

2014 State Fair butter sculpture

Probably the least exciting of those is education, but learning is a big part of the fair, according to Acting Director Troy Waffner.

Fair-goers often ask questions of farmers and other producers who show animals or items they grow at the New York State Fair — the first such event ever held in the United States, in 1841.

“It’s our mission to promote everything agriculture in terms of education,” Waffner said. “When I was a fair-goer, I didn’t come here to be educated, but if you tricked me into it, I could find out the most interesting things in the world.”

This year’s fair will offer several new agricultural exhibits for fair-goers and even farmers and producers to check out:

** Equine Avenue exhibit: an interactive demonstration that allows patrons to interact directly with horses, their owners, vets and nutritionists. In a tent outside the Toyota Coliseum.

** Canning demos in the demonstration kitchen. On Aug. 27 and 28, this will feature demonstrations on the best way to can homegrown or locally grown food.

** Sweet potatoes offered in the potato booth for $1. That's in the Horticulture Building.

2014 State Fair Dairy Day Celebrity Milkshake Contest

** A youth horse show in the coliseum on Labor Day.

** New stalls and renovation in the DVM Barn. Dave Bullard, assistant public information officer for the fair, said these improvements will make working in the barn much easier and more pleasant for exhibitors.

** Vegan delight. The first all-vegan/vegeterian food vendor will be in the International Building. Syracuse’s Strong Hearts Café will serve 100 percent vegan fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner and will offer its menu of more than 40 popular milkshakes from its restaurant on East Genesee Street in Syracuse and its satellite location on the Syracuse University hill.

** Gladiola competition. Anyone at the fair at 11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 3 can join the new gladiola competition in the Horticulture Building. Fairgoers can try to make a gladiola bouquet arrangement in 10 minutes and then the audience will vote on their favorites.
 
**  War Dog Memorial. The unveiling of the new memorial honoring canines who have served in the military will be at 11 a.m. Sept. 3. The event will include a wreath laying by members of the military, assisted by Gold Star mothers, as well as brief memorial speeches from dignitaries. The memorial is at the Veterans Memorial in front of the

2014 State Fair maple winners

Horticulture Building.
 
** There will be no poultry exhibits due to concerns about the Avian bird flu. The flu has not been found in New York state, and state Agriculture and Markets officials want to keep it that way, so they canceled all poultry exhibits and competitions at county fairs and the state fair this year. 

** The piglets and sows will be back this year in the Swine Building. They were absent last year because of a problem nationally with Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea.
 

The most exciting of these new exhibits is the Equine Avenue. Waffner said there were comments in the past from fair-goers who were dismayed at not being able to get closer to all the horses for the International Horse Show.

Sheep at the 2014 State Fair

“They couldn’t get that close to them in the horse barns to see their beauty,” Waffner said. “With the horses outside on Equine Avenue, people will be able to pet them, take photos with them, paint them, and people who want to study equine science can check out all the breeds up close. Horses have a special allure, heritage and history.”

Another big change at the fair this year: the poultry building won’t contain any poultry.

The state fair and all county fairs in New York state canceled all bird shows and exhibits this year because of concerns about the Avian flu. 

None of the flu strain has been found in New York state, but the state Department of Agriculture and Markets wants to ensure that poultry in the state remain flu-free.

This also means the popular daily rooster crowing contest will not be held. The poultry building instead will house rabbits and cavies. The state fair is replacing the rooster contest with a rabbit-hopping demonstration on seven days.

There will be a special demonstration on Sept. 1 of combing and cutting fur from angora rabbits and spinning the fur into yarn to make hats and mittens.


The New York State Fair has operated since Sept. 29 and 30, 1841, except for 1942 through 1947, when the fairgrounds were used as a military base during World War II.

With state money given for the promotion of county fairs in 1841, the New York State Agricultural Society created the state fair, and more than 10,000 people attended that first year.

The fair moved around after that — to Albany, then to Rochester and other New York cities. But in 1890, Syracuse was chosen as the permanent site of the event.

This story originally ran in Empire Farm & Dairy magazine. If you're interested in more stories like this, subscribe to the magazine by sending $50 for a one-year subscription or $75 for two years to Empire Farm & Dairy, 260 Washington St., Watertown, NY  13601 
 

Register Now for Farm Service Agency Programs

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Juan M. Garcia has recommended that farmers and ranchers who plan to participate in FSA programs register in advance.

Producers are encouraged to report farm records and business structure changes to a local FSA Service Center before April 15.



Enrollment for the disaster programs authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill, including the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) and the Livestock Forage Disaster Program will begin by April 15.


"We expect significant interest in these programs,” said Garcia. “Early registration should help improve the sign-up process and allow us to expedite implementation of the programs. I strongly encourage producers to complete their paperwork ahead of time.”



For further information about disaster programs and USDA’s Farm Bill implementation plan, visit FSA’s 2014 Farm Bill Web page. FSA Service Center locations can be found on the FSA website.

Large Animal Rescue Class Scheduled for Oct. 4 and 5 Outside Syracuse

Teachers show how to extricate a horse from a trailer accident

This news is from the Onondaga County Soil and Water Conservation District:

People who need to learn about how to rescue large animals in emergency situations should attend a 16-hour, hands-on, large animal technical rescue certification class Oct. 4 and 5 at the state Fairgrounds in Geddes.

The course will be taught by Dr. Rebecca Gimenez of Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue, Inc.  She has many years of hands-on experience in these situations.

The class will feature instruction in practical considerations, behavioral understanding, specialty equipment, techniques, methodologies and tactics that should be used for the safe extrication of a live large animal from entrapments like trailer wrecks, water, mud, barn and wild fires in local emergencies and disaster areas. 

Major course emphasis is on livestock and horses, being the most encountered large animal at an emergency incident. This program also covers incidents where people may be trapped with their animals.

This course combines classroom instruction with a variety of audio/visual and demonstrations to help people:

** Be prepared both at home and while on the road for emergencies by having basic first aid, emergency
response equipment, and a resource list complete with contact numbers readily available.

** Have an emergency plan, practice implementing that plan as you would a fire exit drill in the home.

** Learn to post emergency contact information for offices and by land-line telephone locations so that the
information is accessible to all.

** Educate you to keep petroleum products in a separate barn from hay and bedding if possible to reduce
fire/fuel loads to protect your animals where they are housed.

For more information, go to www.4HoovesSMART.com or www.tlaer.org

Class space is limited, so call Mark Burger at the Onondaga County Soil and Water Conservation District at 457-0325 for required pre-registration, list of equipment to bring and more information.

Learn to Care for Livestock in an Emergency at Upcoming Program

Interesting program coming up. Check it http://www.scribd.com/doc/146922234/Jefferson-and-Lewis-County-Animal-Response-Teams-CART out here.

USDA Makes Second Attempt at Livestock ID System

Go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/usda-makes-2nd-attempt-with-livestock-id-system-meant-to-help-control-spread-of-animal-disease/2013/04/17/5f7ff86e-a72e-11e2-9e1c-bb0fb0c2edd9_story.html to read the Washington Post story.