Lots of New to See at Empire Farm Days Aug. 9-11

From Empire Farm & Dairy Magazine

Empire Farm Days is coming back to the Rodman Lott Farm outside Seneca Falls Aug. 9-11.

This year’s theme is “Experience Empire.” 

Here are some of the things you will find at this year's event:


** The 2016 Soil Health Center seminars, crop plot tours and farmer panel discussions are focused on the use of cover cropping, interseeding, soil biology, reduced tillage practices and utilizing winter grain cover crops for forage. Presenters include Dr. Matthew Ryan and Dr. Janice E. Thies of Cornell University, and Cornell PRO-DAIRY Dairy Forage Systems Specialist Joe Lawrence.
 
New York grower Donn Branton, farmer and nutritionist Gabriel Carpenter, and Pennsylvania No-Till Alliance President Jim Hershey are among several farmers participating in panel discussions.
 
** The time has changed for the ever-popular Field Equipment Demonstrations. The demos will be at 10 a.m. for the daily Tillage and GPS-Guided demonstrations followed by Hay Mowing at 11 a.m. and Forage Chopping and Handling demonstrations at 1 p.m. and Hay Raking, Baling, Processing and Handling at 2 p.m.
 
** There will be new live coverage sprinkler irrigation demonstrations with systems designed for use in field crops, fruit orchards and berry patches at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily, sponsored by Nelson Irrigation and CFS Irrigation Supply.
Presenter Steve McCoon will help growers learn how to balance available water supply with plant needs, soil health, depth and intake rates.
 
** A Precision Ag Seminar will be presented from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Aug. 10 at the Soil Health Center. It will be put on by Western New York Crop Management IT Manager Avery DeGolyer, Ben Flansburg with BCA Ag Technologies, and a farmer panel and is sponsored by the New York Farm Viability Institute. 
Presentations will cover field prescriptions, data management and security, different hardware and software systems and how to develop the right prescription for specific farm needs.
 
** The Empire Farm Days Test Drive and Ride Experience is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily at the farm show. The event features the opportunity to try CAT Equipment, a Kubota skid loader equipped with the new Michelin Tweel® tires and RAM trucks.
 
** Dairy Profit Seminars on Enhancing Herd Health through Effective Protocol Management; Spreading the Word on Manure: the Planning and Implementation Process; and The Changing Labor Environment: Responses and Approaches, sponsored by ASAP Interiors, Dairy Farmers of America, Farm Credit East, Farm Family Casualty Insurance, Lallemand Animal Nutrition, Multimin USA, PikeSide Enterprises, Cornell PRO-DAIRY and DairyBusiness and HolsteinWorld magazines.
 
** Mock self-propelled applicator slow moving vehicle inspection demonstrations with the New York State Police daily at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., sponsored by the New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health, New York State Agri-Business Association and Northeast Region Certified Crop Advisers.
 
** The new federal Worker Protection Standard requirements and implementation schedule for agriculture chemical handling will be presented at 1 p.m. Aug. 9. The presentation is by state Department of Environmental Conservation Pesticide Control Specialist Christopher Wainwright, sponsored by the New York State Agri-Business Association, and Northeast Region Certified Crop Advisers.
 
** The New York pork industry is in the Farm Bureau Family Education Center spotlight with new interactive games for young and old.
The Franklin County Farm Bureau Farm Safety Day program will be showcased as the Farm Bureau Promotion and Education Award Winner.
 
** The Ag in the Classroom exhibit focuses on “What’s in the Garden?” as the Ag Literacy Week book for 2017.
 
** The Empire Farm Days Equine Center Round Pen demonstrations with live horses will feature Miniature Horses for Show and Therapy with Jessica Gulvin of Heart O’Gold Equine on Aug. 9, Living American History with American Mustangs with Emma and Jack Minteer of Rose Hill Ranch on Aug. 10, and an Introduction to Equestrian Vaulting with Laura Bagley of Sunshine Meadows Farm and Stables on Aug. 11. 

The demonstrations take place at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily and are sponsored by Layden Fence and Livestock.
 
** Planter Technology and Tile Plow Seminars will be offered respectively at 10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. daily by White’s Farm Supply.
 
The short presentations will cover the advantages of using variable rate seed and fertilizer applications, section control and technologies that ensure proper seed depth and placement for optimal corn and soybean production; and how farmers can use a tile plow to install farm drainage for water management to improve crop production.
 
** A Small Farm Seminars series will be offered on Aug. 10 in the theater area of the Cornell Empire Building.
 
At 9:30 a.m., Cornell Small Farms Program Overview of Resources with Violet Stone, communications coordinator, small farm program; 10 a.m., Starting a Farm? The Northeast Beginning Farmer Program Can Help! with Violet Stone; 10:30 a.m., Building Soil Health: Approaches that Work on Small Farms, Ryan Maher, soil health specialist, small farms program; 11 a.m., Agroforestry Overview: New Crops and Products, Steve Gabriel, agroforestry specialist, small farms program; 11:30 a.m., Mushroom Production Basics, Steve Gabriel; noon, NY Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship Program, Fay Benson, small dairy specialist, Cornell University SCNY Regional Team.
 
** Casella Organics is presenting daily 10 a.m. field demonstrations of its Fiberlime™ product, a mix of recovered lime, clay and short paper fibers. The lime is calcium carbonate, similar to the ground limestone rock commonly used to raise soil pH and add calcium for plant growth while the cellulose fiber helps improve soil structure.
 
** The Potato Field Days started in 1931 by the Empire State Potato Growers is now Empire Farm Days. The new SPUD NATION™ Food Truck, a 2016 initiative of the U.S. Potato Board, will be at Empire Farm Days with its globally-inspired potato dishes menu. Stop by the Empire State Potato Growers booth for a free bag of potato chips.  

** The NY Beef Center will feature live cattle handling demonstrations with Cornell University Beef Extension Specialist Mike Baker daily at 11:30 a.m., a cattle breeds exhibit with live animals and a special training program on Aug. 9 for the Beef Quality Assurance program.
 
** Shooting sports take center stage in the Empire Farm Days Outdoor Center with members of New York’s first-ever scholastic trap shooting team from Belleville Henderson Central School in Jefferson County.
They will have information on the growing interest in this student endeavor in New York and nationwide. The Outdoor Center is sponsored by Fred’s Tents and Canopies.
 
** An historic 7-foot round boat that looks like a flying saucer will be at the Empire Farm Days pond near the in-water safety demonstrations with New York Sea Grant, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and state Marine Services Bureau.
 
**  The History of Match Box Toys will be a new program at the New York State Grange Center tent.
The daily schedule of 25-minute programs opens at 9:30 a.m. with Fire Safety is Fun with Dalmatian ‘Sparks’ and Tibbie Dell.
 
** The Match Box Toys program with Richard McKee will begin at 1:35 p.m. each day.

Empire Farm Days runs 9 am to 5 pm on Tuesday and Wednesday, 9 am to 4 pm on Thursday. Parking is $10 per vehicle. Learn more at www.empirefarmdays.com, 877-697-7837.