Northern NY Ag Development Program funds Miner Institute Research

The Press-Republican, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
·3 min read
1

Feb. 13—CHAZY — Three Miner Institute research proposals have been selected for funding from the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program — a farmer-driven small grants program.

Funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) is supported by the New York State Legislature and administered through the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

A panel of Northern New York farmers representing the diverse agricultural sectors in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence Counties identify needs and prioritize projects for funding that will "produce practical, real-world results that benefit farms, agricultural businesses, and the communities of the six-county NNY region," according to NNYADP.

The three Miner Institute projects will focus on the effects of heat stress on dairy cows; the effectiveness of inter-seeding; and the nutrient runoff impacts of cover cropping and no-tillage corn production on tile-drained fields.

FIRST PROJECT

One of the projects will follow-up on a heat stress study conducted during the summers of 2017-2019. These studies showed that dairy cows in Northern New York are adversely impacted by episodic bouts of heat stress with all participating farms being impacted to varying degrees regardless of the type of heat abatement system employed.

Cows on farms with minimal heat abatement were more susceptible to heat stress with decreased resting time, increased lameness and decreased milk protein content, which resulted in a negative impact on farm profitability.

Last year, fans were installed on one of the farms with minimal heat abatement. This will provide the research team a unique opportunity to evaluate the same herd under similar management conditions to assess the impact of fan installation on animal well-being and farm profitability.

SECOND PROJECT

A second project will look at the effectiveness of inter-seeding as an alternative to cover cropping to prevent soil erosion and build up organic matter in soils. Inter-seeded crops are grown alongside corn rather than in the field once corn is harvested. One major barrier to inter-seeding adoption is it tends to decrease corn yields. This project will aim to see if corn silage yields can be boosted and if the silage quality can be improved. Two interseeding treatments will be tested — one with forage kale inter-seeded with corn; and one with forage sorghum inter-seeded with corn.

Increased awareness of the impacts of erosion and nutrient losses from agricultural activities has driven the adoption of management practices such as cover cropping and no tillage corn production.

THIRD PROJECT

A new project on an active research field site in Keeseville will examine the impacts of these management practices in two adjacent corn fields. Overland flow and subsurface tile drainage will be continuously measured and sampled year-round from these fields to determine whether planting cover crops and transitioning to no-tillage will reduce the rates of erosion and nutrient losses.

"Miner Institute receives research funding from federal grants and the ag industry, but we particularly appreciate the funds we receive from the NNYADP because farmers in our area select the projects which are funded," Katie Ballard, Miner Institute's director of research, said.

"So, we know the research is beneficial and valued by them."