Expert Precision Ag IS Agriculture

This is a good read.

Go to http://www.lancasterfarming.com/news/southern_edition/expert-precision-ag-is-agriculture/article_4e13df50-174b-581b-8af0-8166559340f3.html to see the story.

Cornell University Team Wins Innovations in Food and Agricultural Science and Technology Competition

From the USDA
 
A team from Cornell University was one of four winners of the first Innovations in Food and Agricultural Science and Technology competition.
 
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the National Science Foundation announced the winners in the $200,000 prize competition. 

The Innovations in Food and Agricultural Science and Technology, called I-FAST, helps scientists and engineers broaden the impact of their research by encouraging collaboration between academia and industry to translate fundamental agricultural innovations into the marketplace.
 
“Innovation is an economic driver and a necessity in the agriculture industry,” said National Institute of Food and Agriculture Director Sonny Ramaswamy. “Through this new partnership with the National Science Foundation, we are able to help move ideas from the research lab to the marketplace, where they can provide real solutions as these teams intended.”
 
Each of the four winning teams receive $50,000 to start a business and move their innovation towards full commercialization. Team members will also participate in the National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps, a six-month entrepreneurial immersion course to develop skills that help them commercialize their inventions and discoveries.
 
Teams also are eligible to apply for additional funding through the USDA Small Business Innovation Research Program, administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
 
The winning teams are:
 
** Cornell University, Ithaca – The team developed a micro electro-mechanical systems microtensiometer sensor that monitors minute-by-minute readings of both plant water and soil stresses to help producers optimize irrigation to improve the yield and quality of crops.
 
** University of Houston, Houston, Texas – The team developed a behavior-based affordable educational toolkit and augmented reality technology system to educate, monitor and improve employees’ fresh- and fresh-cut produce handling practices.
 
** University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Ill. – The team is bringing to market two software packages that make it possible for crop advisors to inexpensively run large-scale, on-farm agronomic trials and create strategies for profitable nitrogen fertilizer management.
 
** Lincoln University, Jefferson City, Mo. – The team developed a pathogen detection biotechnology test kit to determine if E. coli 0157:H7 is present in food to help lower the risk of contamination all along the food chain from the farm to the consumer.
  

Future of Farming -- Driverless Tractors and Ag Robots

An interesting story from CNBC.

See it at http://www.cnbc.com/2016/09/16/future-of-farming-driverless-tractors-ag-robots.html

Bugs Bunny Would Love This Machine

Is this the coolest thing in the world or what?

Carrots being harvested. Thanks to Facebook friend Dairy Carrie for posting the video.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1214152885278738&fref=nf

Empire Farm Days Open Tuesday Outside Seneca Falls

Overview of Empire Farm Days at Rodman Lott & Son Farm just south of Seneca Falls

The theme of this year’s Empire Farm Days is “Nobody Wants to Be Left Behind, So Everyone is Here.”
 
Farmers and vendors alike know this to be true. Empire Farm Days is the largest outdoor farm show in the Northeast and if farmers want to see the latest in technology, equipment and materials for farming, this is the place to be.
 
The 82nd edition of Empire Farm Days will be held Tuesday through Thursday at the Rodman Lott & Son Farm in Seneca Falls. 

It features more than 600 exhibitors and 70,000 visitors each year along with scores of educational programs, equipment and machinery displays, and demonstrations and activities on the 300-acre site.
 
“It’s a good opportunity to interact with vendors and suppliers,” said Douglas W. Shelmidine, owner of Sheland Farm in the town of Ellisburg, Jefferson County.
 
“You can see lots of innovative products because there is a tremendous cross section of vendors,” said Shelmidine, who has attended Empire Farm Days for several years and hopes to go again this year. “And you can see all the newest technology.”
 
“I went for seven or eight years, and the show is where you should be to see what is out there in agriculture,” said Paul Mason, of River Haven Farm in Cape Vincent. “You have a lot of different dealers, like John Deere and International, and you can compare them all. And they do demonstrations there — you can see the equipment actually being used. There is so much information at that show.”
 
Everyone from dairy producers and cattle ranchers to cash croppers, equipment operators, horse owners and farm families attend the show each year.
 
One of the highlights of this year’s show is the Confined Space Manure Pit Simulator to help farmers protect themselves from the hazards around manure pits. The four different gases from manure pits and lagoons can render someone unconscious in seconds and could lead to injury or death.
 
Manure pits also can be explosive.
 
Farmers attending demonstrations of the simulator will learn about the importance of air quality monitoring, along with how to properly use breathing apparatus, harnessing and rigging.
 
Dan Neenan, agricultural safety director at the National Education Center at Northeast Iowa Community College, will offer 20-minute safety-education demonstrations every hour throughout the show. There also will be free, four-hour Confined Space Manure Pit Rescue Training for emergency services personnel. This special training for EMTs will be after the show closes at 5 p.m. Aug. 11 and 12.
 
The Manure Pit Simulator will be located near the New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health and Safety tent. EMTs can register for the training by calling James Carrabba at the New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health at 800-343-7527 ext. 2216 or emailing jcarrabba@nycamh.com

Some other new items at the show this year:

*** Seminars on pop-up fertilizer and using a tile plow to install drainage. From 10 to 10:30 a.m. daily in the Welcome Center, presentations will be given on the advantages of using pop-up fertilizers in direct contact with seed plants to increase early season nutrient availability of corn and soybeans.
From 10:30 to 11 a.m., the presentations will focus on how tiling impacts water management for crop production and how farmers can use tile plows to install farm drainage tile or corrugated tubing.
 
*** The dairy industry will be the featured agricultural sector at the Farm Bureau Family Education Center. Exhibits and resources will focus on the wide array of dairy products in New York state. Visitors can test their dairy knowledge with the Wheel of Agriculture. Another new exhibit this year will showcase programming created by the Seneca County Farm Bureau and highlight local agricultural sites of interest.
 
*** Also at the Farm Bureau center will be another new exhibit showcasing the successful programming created by the Seneca County Farm Bureau and highlighting local ag points of interest. Meanwhile, the pictorial tour of New York agriculture around the perimeter of the tent will note major statistics on farming in New York, with photos depicting agriculture throughout the 11 Farm Bureau regions of the state.
 
*** The new Soil Health Seminar Center will feature two speakers and a farmer panel each day of the event. Presenters will include a soil-health-testing innovator and representatives from the Cornell University Pro-Dairy Program, Western New York Crop Management Association, Seedway and Kings Agriseeds.
 
*** Growers can learn new apple and grape grafting techniques by talking with scientists from the Agricultural Research Service Plant Genetic Resources Unit in Geneva. There will be daily demonstrations of grafting techniques used with apple trees and grapevines.

USDA Week in Review

Check out this video from the USDA, which deals with drone danger, new workplace technology and a monument designation celebration.:

Program on Improving Farm Websites Set for Feb. 4

A program on how to improve your farm's web presence is scheduled for 1 to 4 p.m. Feb. 4 at the SUNY Oswego Phoenix Center, 70 County Route 59, Schroeppel.

The program, titled "Improving Your Farm's Web Presence," will show attendees how to create or improve their web presence for their agriculture business. 

The three main topics that will be covered are: how to create and publish a website, or perhaps improve an existing one; how to interact with social media sites like Facebook or YouTube; and what web applications are out there for farms to connect with buyers.

“Having a web presence is an essential part of marketing in this day and age” stated Lynnette Wright, Agriculture Economic Development Specialist for Cornell Cooperative Extension in Oswego County. She continued “This workshop will help farmers understand how to use social media sites like Facebook, as well the essentials of website design and content.”

The price of the workshop is $15. Refreshments will be served. Pre-registration is required. To register please call 963.7286 or send payment to CCE of Oswego County, 3288 Main St., Mexico, NY 13114. Registrations are due by Jan. 31 and space is limited so reserve your spot today!

American Farmers Say They Feed the World -- But Do They Really?

OK, check this out.

Very interesting read from a public radio station.

Go to http://delmarvapublicradio.net/post/american-farmers-say-they-feed-world-do-they#.Ujw-BGCou8A.facebook to see what I mean.

Morrisville State College Presents High-Tech Farming Exhibit at State Fair

This news comes from Morrisville State College:

An interactive display of high-tech farming that integrates live fish and plants will be among Morrisville State’s attractions at this year’s Great New York State Fair.

Crafted by faculty, staff, and students, the unique display is part of the Onondaga Lake exhibit: “Onondaga Lake: A Fresh Gateway to a New New York,” a 3,000-square-foot marvel in the Center of Progress Building that takes visitors on a journey from the early years of Onondaga Lake to its current cleanup.

Seth Carsten, left, instructional support associate in environmental sciences and renewable energy, and Eric Bremiller, right, CEA greenhouse supervisor, work on Morrisville State's interactive showpiece that is part of the Onondaga Lake Display in the Center of Progress Building at the State fair. Photo by Nicolas Murphy, public relations assistant

Morrisville’s showpiece provides a close-up look at fish and vegetable farming benefiting each other in a controlled environment agriculture (CEA) aquaponics greenhouse, a type of technology that manipulates the growing environment to provide year-round food production.

Fairgoers will get the feel of being in an actual greenhouse where urban rooftop farming is taking place. The grandiose display features a colorful mural of a cityscape, made by Syracuse artist Peter Pullen, along with lettuce and tomatoes growing nearby. A colossal fish tank filled with 300-400 gallons of water and about 50 tilapia, freshwater fish that grow well in greenhouse environments, add to its allure.

The college’s demonstration shows how aquaponics, a combination of aquaculture (fish farming) and hydroponics (growing plants without soil), makes it possible to produce locally grown vegetables and fish while reducing or eliminating the use of non-renewable inorganic fertilizers that are typically used. 

“Through our exhibit we want to educate people that you can grow food in the city and that CEA is an environmentally and socially sustainable, and potentially economical agricultural option,” said Laurie Trotta, director of the college’s aquaculture center and coordinator of the display. 

“Aquaculture and aquaponics is agriculture and it is suitable for urban to rural environments and can range from a small home garden to a large-scale commercial operation,” she explained. 

The display, which will be staffed by faculty, staff, students, volunteers and alumni with CEA greenhouse experience, will also feature a video describing the components and processes of growing the fish and plants in the Morrisville system. 

Fairgoers will be able to access more information from a brochure or digitally through QR codes and their smartphones or by accessing two computer kiosks in the display.  There will also be graphics about the college’s CEA greenhouse, sustainability, urban renewal, and urban agriculture, including the Helping Hands’ Urban Farming Initiative in Syracuse.

Overall, the Onondaga Lake exhibit shows how coordinated remediation efforts between state and local partners of Onondaga Lake are providing future economic vitality.

“As a leader in agriculture and green initiatives within the SUNY system, we support efforts to stimulate economic growth while maintaining the integrity and sustainability of food sources, water,
and soil,” said Chris Nyberg, Dean of Morrisville’s School of Agriculture, Sustainability, Business and Entrepreneurship.

The environmentally conscious college teamed up with engineering firm O’Brien and Gere in designing its own CEA campus greenhouse where tilapia, a variety of lettuce and herbs, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and strawberries are produced.

The produce is sent to the college’s dining facilities and the
Copper Turret, a college-run restaurant, while the tilapia is sold locally. Morrisville Fresh, a student run business and part of the agricultural business program, also sells the produce grown in the greenhouse at farmers’ markets and on-campus. 

Additional State Fair presence

The college will have additional presence at the State Fair.

Fairgoers can learn more about horses housed in the college’s building located near Gate 4 by the Coca-Cola Coliseum and
the Iroquois Indian Village.

In addition to horses, the college’s automotive department will showcase a drag racing car which was built by automotive technology students, and the college’s renewable energy program will exhibit a portable wood gasification system for producing electricity from wood and agricultural waste.

Participants can also obtain an array of information about the college, athletics, activities, and speak to faculty and staff about the college’s program offerings, including new degrees in culinary arts
management, videojournalism and applied psychology.

Morrisville State alumni are encouraged to stop by and access materials to find fellow classmates, enjoy history about the college and get caught up on its expansion and progress. Alumni Day at the Fair is today, Aug. 24.

The college will also have a presence and provide samples in the Taste New York Marketplace (formerly Pride of New York), managed by the Morrisville State College Auxiliary Corp. through Nelson Farms. Located at the main entrance to the Fair, the building resembles an old-time store stocked with food grown or produced in every corner of New York State.

The School of Agriculture, Sustainability, Business and Entrepreneurship will also have an exhibit in the FFA Building. Additionally, the college will participate in the SUNY Day display Aug. 30 in Center Court.

Equine faculty and students will be honing their prowess, competing with the Morrisville College Foundation’s six-horse Belgian hitch in the coliseum near the dairy barn. Admission to the horse show is free. Morrisville is the only college in North America to compete with a six-horse hitch.

Morrisville State students also will volunteer at the Dairy Birthing Center, which is making its debut at the fair. 

Technology Important for Small Farmers

Go to http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/2013/07/conferees-discuss-how-help-farmers-through-technology to see the story.

University of Missouri Researchers Develop App for Farm Safety

Go to https://nbsubscribe.missouri.edu/news-releases/2013/0502-mu-researchers-develop-app-to-help-save-farmers%E2%80%99-lives/ to read the story.

Tornado Damages Farm Technology

Go to http://msbusiness.com/businessblog/2013/04/12/tornado-damaged-telecom-tower-cripples-farming-efforts/ to check out the story.

Software Seminar for Farmers Set for April 22

Trac Software seminar set for next week at the Ag Experiment Station in Geneva.

Go to http://blogs.cornell.edu/fruit/files/2013/04/TracWorkshopGenevaPromo2013-2ajvwqy.pdf for more details. Deadline to sign up is Wednesday, April 17.

Ever Changing Technology on the Farm

Here's a great story about technology on the farm.

http://westernfarmpress.com/management/farm-technology-palm-your-hand?page=1