Cooperative Extension to Hold Spring Beef Week

From Northern New York Cooperative Extension agencies:

Beef cattle at the New York State Fair

Cornell Cooperative Extension associations will hold 2016 Northern NY Spring Beef Week programs in Canton, Malone, Watertown and Westport the week of March 1 to 4.

The Beef Week will include presentations on the Cornell Beef Farm Business Summary and how to know if a beef cattle enterprise qualifies as a business or a hobby.

At each of the four programs, Cornell University Beef Extension Specialist Mike Baker will present results from the Cornell Beef Farm Business Summary, a tracking and evaluation tool modeled after a similar program for dairy farms. 

The program allows participants to judge the success of their own farm business and measure their standing against similar farms statewide.

2016 Northern NY Spring Beef Week participants also will learn the financial markers that every beef producer should strive for and how to use the Beef Business Account Book. 

Participants are asked to bring a laptop computer, receipts and financial reports on assets and liabilities, account balances and value of equipment and property. Information is treated confidentially.

"For some families, raising beef cattle may not provide a full-time income, but it can still be considered a business enterprise if it meets certain criteria," said Betsy Hodge, regional livestock educator with Cooperative Extension in St. Lawrence County.

"The Beef Farm Business Summary is a good tool for identifying costs, income, weaknesses and opportunities for any size enterprise," she said.

The 2016 NNY Spring Beef Week programs will be held:
 
March 1: Watertown, 7 p.m., CCE Jefferson County, 203 N. Hamilton St., register with Ron Kuck, 788-8450, rak76@cornell.edu, or Mellissa Spence, 376-5270, mms427@cornell.edu

March 2: Canton, 7 p.m., CCE St. Lawrence Extension Learning Farm, 2043 State Route 68, register with Betsy Hodge, 379-9192, bmf9@cornell.edu

March 3: Malone, 7 p.m., Franklin County Soil and Water Conservation District, 151 Finney Blvd., register with Diane Dumont, (518) 484-7403, drd9@cornell.edu

March 4: Westport, 6:30 p.m., CCE of Essex County, 3 Sisco St., register with Anita Deming, (518) 962-4810, ald6@cornell.edu, or Sara Bull, (518) 561-7459, slk95@cornell.edu.

The 2012 Census of Agriculture counted 12,077 beef cows and 932 farms producing beef animals in Northern New York. 

Find more information about livestock production online at www.ccenny.com