Maple Producers Visit Sugarhouse in Lewis, Jefferson Counties

Go to http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/news04/state-maple-producers-visit-sugarhouses-in-jefferson-and-lewis-counties--20170816 to check out the story.

2 Appointments Made at the USDA

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue made two key appointments this week to help fulfill the vital mission of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to ensure the safety of the nation’s food supply. 

Perdue announced that Carmen Rottenberg was selected as Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety and Paul Kiecker was named Acting Administrator for the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). 

The two will serve in those capacities until presidential nominees are confirmed by the Senate for those roles.

“Ensuring the safety of our nation’s food supply is our most important responsibility, and it’s one we undertake with great seriousness," Perdue said.  

"Both Carmen and Paul have dedicated their careers to the mission of food safety and I am pleased to have appointed them to these important roles within the USDA,” said Perdue. “I commend the work of the entire USDA’s food safety team for painstakingly safeguarding the food we serve our families every single day.”

Rottenberg will oversee development, implementation and enforcement of all of FSIS regulations, policies, and programs. This appointment follows nearly six years in leadership roles in the FSIS Office of the Administrator, including serving as Chief of Staff, Chief Operating Officer and, most recently, Deputy Administrator.

In those leadership roles, Rottenberg executed a budget of over $1 billion, prioritizing resources and resolving disputes, advancing the agency’s vision and goals, and leading innovative solutions to challenges in FSIS.  

She spearheaded strategic planning at FSIS and implemented numerous initiatives to strategically move the agency forward. Rottenberg implemented two major reorganizations, leading to a more streamlined, efficient agency better positioned to carry out its food safety mission.  

Through her leadership and oversight, an early governance process matured into an established systematic approach to agency decision-making, resulting in more deliberative, science-based decisions that consider enterprise-wide risks and benefits. Rottenberg led the very successful i-Impact initiative, which has increased the awareness of and engagement in FSIS’s public health mission by the more than 9,000 employees throughout the Agency.

Rottenberg has a bachelor's degree in political science and philosophy from Hope College in Holland, MI and a law degree from American University’s Washington College of Law.

Kiecker has been with FSIS for 29 years and is committed to a strong public health vision that has guided him to overcome obstacles, identify opportunities for improvement, manage resources efficiently, and achieve food safety objectives to prevent foodborne illness.

Since joining FSIS in 1988 as a food inspector, Kiecker has served in a number of roles at the agency, most recently as Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Field Operations. He came to Washington, D.C. to serve as Executive Associate for Regulatory Operations, after serving as the District Manager in Springdale, AR and Madison, WI, as well as Deputy District Manager in Madison, WI.  

Kiecker’s experience with FSIS also includes work with the Office of Investigation, Enforcement, and Audit, where he has served as a Compliance Investigator and as Supervisory Compliance Officer.

In his various positions with FSIS, Kiecker has played a critical role in leading external coordination with other federal agencies, state and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, international organizations, and law enforcement agencies.  

He also has had oversight responsibility for strategic planning, policy formulation and implementation, budget development and execution, human resource management, and day-to-day inspection operations.

Tiny Parasite Wreaks Havoc on New York Bee Supply

A column from state Sen. Patty Ritchie:

Bees, both wild and managed, play a key role in our state’s agriculture industry, helping crops of all kinds thrive.  

However, these powerful pollinators are under attack by parasitic mites.

The varroa mite – a tiny parasite that attacks honeybees – has infected 90 percent of the bee colonies surveyed this year. As a result, agriculture could see up to $500 million in potential losses. The top crops that are dependent on healthy and abundant pollinators are apples, pumpkins and tomatoes. 

In addition, managed bee colonies in Upstate New York have lost up to 70 percent of their bees over the last few years because of disease, pesticides and loss of habitat, according to a recent state study. Once the mites take hold, potentially deadly viruses spread throughout the colony, which could wipe the colony out.   

Experts say that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep this mite from spreading. The varroa mite thrives off weakened bee colonies and when one colony dies, nearby hives will take honey from the weakened bees, which causes the mites to spread at a rapid rate.

The destruction of bee colonies is starting to reach alarming levels. In an effort to combat this problem, I’m pleased to have been able to secure $290,000 over the past two years in state funding for various programs at Cornell University, aimed at conducting vital research and disease testing to protect our state’s bee population.  

As chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, I will continue to work to support programs and spearhead initiatives designed to preserve our state’s pollinators and help keep this key sector of the state’s economy “buzzing” for years to come.

Congress Members Ask USDA to Make Milk an Agricultural Commodity

A number of congressmen and women have written to the U.S. Department of Agriculture with a plan that could help farmers when milk prices go down.

Go to http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/news03/letter-urges-usda-to-make-milk-agricultural-commodity-20170729 to check out the story.

Dairy Farmers Persevere During Adverse Industry Times

Check out this story about problems hitting farmers in the dairy industry in New York state.

Go to http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/news03/dairy-farmers-persevere-during-adverse-industry-trends-looking-for-silver-lining-20170730 to see the story.

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.

Program Aug. 15 Details Use of Refractometers in Evaluation Colostrum Quality

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County will have a program demonstrating on farm use of refractometers in evaluating colostrum quality and calf immunity on organic dairy farms.
 
Detailed colostrum and calf feeding management can improve calf well being, reduce the frequency of illness and can eliminate the use of medications and therapy costs. Every calf on organic dairies should be fed a sufficient quantity of high-quality colostrum and whole milk.
 
A calf comes into the world defenseless, without an immune system sufficient to protect it from disease. Activation of the immune system from vaccines that produces the antibodies necessary to fight disease takes several weeks. 

To bridge the immunization gap starting at birth, the calf must take in antibodies from colostrum.  

The value of calves acquiring passive immunity through colostrum management comes from improved calf health, especially respiratory health. Studies done since the late 1960s have also shown the value of colostrum and blood IgG levels in young calves will impact the long term health and future milk production of the dairy herd.
 
Jefferson County Cornell Cooperative Extension will demonstrate the use of refractometer as an easy, on farm method of evaluating colostrum quality and total solids in milk fed to calves.
 
The workshop will be held from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday Aug. 15 at Meeks Farm Organic Dairy, 25793 Waddingham Road, Evans Mills, Jefferson County. There is no fee for this workshop. RSVP not required but registration allows us to communicate any cancellations or changes in arrangements.
 
Kim Morrill of Cooperative Extension will be the guest speaker for the workshop. Morrill has published a paper in the Journal of Dairy Science showing that the Brix scale measurement from refractometer could be used to estimate failure of passive transfer in calves. One refractometer can be used to evaluate colostrum quality, total solids in milk as well as passive transfer in calves. 
 
Participants will be able to take back to the farm information about the quality of colostrum and how it varies greatly, how total solids of waste milk fed to calves fluctuates day to day and measuring immunoglobulin concentrations in the calf’s blood is the only method for evaluating passive transfer of immunity.
 
For more info please contact Ron Kuck, Dairy/Livestock Educator, CCE of Jefferson County; (315) 788-8450 (office), (315) 704-8810 (cell) or rak76@cornell.edu