REMODELING DAIRY FACILITIES FOR HEIFERS

“Most people overestimate the value of an existing building and underestimate the cost of renovating it for an alternative use.” McFarland and Graves, 2005

Dairy producers continue to upgrade and modernize their dairy operations. This of= ten results in an empty freestall barn that was pre= viously used for lactating cows. This was the situation last summer at Miner Instit= ute. We looked at some ideas for remodeling the facility to accommodate heifer rearing and research trials. We decided to house some of our heifers in it = with little or no renovations for the time being.

The decision of what to do with an existing building can be simplified when we approach it systematically. At the recent NRAES Dairy Calves and Heifers Conference, Dan McFarland from Penn State Cooperative Extension presented a talk entitled “Refitting and Retrofitting Dairy Facilities for Heifers.” McFarland suggested that we ask ourselves 3 questions when evaluating a building for a possible renovation:

1. = Why is the building available?

2. = Are there other building needs on the farm?

3. = If you didn’t own it, how much would you be willing to pay someone else for it?

In addition to these questions, McFarland suggested that we consider the follo= wing items:

Determine animal needs. The building needs to provide an adequate environment to promote heifer hea= lth and performance. If the building limited lactating cow performance, it will likely limit heifer performance.

<= /o:p>

· = Consider the caregiver. The building needs to be labor efficient. Remem= ber that heifers occupy the pens 24 hours per day in contrast to lactating cows= , so consideration must be given to pen arrangement and gating in order to facilitate cleaning, breeding, and other routine tasks.

· = Cost analysis. Tangible and intangible costs need to be considered when evaluatin= g a building for heifer use. Tangible costs are actual renovation costs. Tangib= le costs associated with a renovated building can often exceed the cost of a corresponding component in a new building. Intangible costs result from red= uced performance of the renovated building compared to a new building designed f= or the intended purpose. Reduced animal performance and labor inefficiency are continuing intangible costs.

<= /o:p>

<= span style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· Factors to evaluate. We = must consider the location, ventilation, resting area, feeding area, water and o= ther utilities, manure handling system, flooring, structural soundness, and maintenance requirements of the building.

Take home me= ssages

· = Older freestall barns can be renovated = to accommodate heifers. However, renovating a barn can be a great decision or a big mistake.

· = All costs of renovation must be considered and compared with the co= st of a new facility. If the cost of renovating is greater than 2/3 to 3/4 of = the price of new facility, consider building new.

· = If the renovated barn provides the opportunity to raise healthy, productive heifers and contributes to improved efficiency of the dairy farm…renovate!

· If the renovation cost is too high, provides substandard environmen= tal conditions for animals, or inefficient work cond= itions for employees…consider walking away!

Heather Dann<= /p>

dann@whminer.com=

VET’S CORNER

Ketosis diagnosis was the topic for our recent M= iner Institute farm discussion group. For tie-stall herds, cows are easier to watch for refusal of concentrates. If the herdsperson can smell ketosis on the cow’s breat= h or milk, she can be checked for urine ketone and t= reated promptly. In larger TMR-fed h= erds, appetites of fresh cows are hard to monitor, unless the fresh cows are lock= ed up in headlocks for at least a half hour daily and individually checked to = see that they are eating. Besides diminished appetite, other classical symptoms= of ketosis include hard, dry, and shiny feces, decreased milk yield and rapid weight loss. We discussed specific methods to monitor each symptom.

In many herds, fresh cows are temp checked daily= and some herdspersons use urine strips daily. In the face of a herd problem, da= ily urine testing may be warranted, but in a normal herd with the occasional case it doesn’t require daily testing. In the case of a normal herd, urine testing can be reserved for cows with diminished appetite and other symptom= s. Stimulating cows to urinate has never been one of my talents. My patients s= eem to “clamp up” when I approach, so collecting urine is a major undertaking and too time-consuming for me. Herds that are willing to check urine ketone tend to report high levels of keto= sis. If a cow is eating and has no other symptom than a dark urine strip, I don’t prescribe treatment because the urine strip test produces some false positive tests. Our practice uses a pink milk test, which is more expensive but accurate on confusing cases.

Rectal exams of fresh cows can be the method to = find ketosis in free-stall cows with hard, dry manure. Following the fourth day after calving, fresh cows should be palpated every other day. The primary goal of this rectal ex= am is to determine uterus infection in toxic cows that have hypocalcaemia and don’t register a fever. If the manure is dry and the vaginal discharg= e is normal, a urine, milk, or blood test for ketosis should be performed and treatment for ketosis and hypocalcaemia started.

Daily milk production is monitored in the new pa= rlor at Miner Institute, so milk drops are easy to pick up in fresh cows. Weight loss is harder to determine, so the herdsperson will have to check the cow’s attitude daily in the fresh group.

Kent E Henderson, DVM

Northwest Veterinary As= sociates, Inc.

cowdoc@adelphia.net

HOW COLD DOES IT GET IN THERE, ANYWAY?

Steve Kramer is our “Gadget Guy”. The other day, he= hands me what looks to be a black magic marker and says, “It’s a submersible temperature recorder. How about throwing it into one of the cannulated cows?” “Sure thing,” I s= aid, “let’s see how frozen TMR and cold water effect rumen temperature.” Many a North Country farmer and ERN have wondered if the r= ate of fermentation is slowed by the effects of cold feed and water. My initial thought was to expect a modest drop in temperature (maybe 10-15 degrees) when the cow ate and drank with a quick (less than 60 minute) recovery of “normal” rumen temperature. Considering the = volume of hot fermenting ingesta already present, it w= ould take quite a bit of cold TMR or water to make a significant drop in rumen temp. Actually, I was more cu= rious to see if the “gadget” could withstand the hostile environment = of the rumen microflora.

With the “gadget” programmed to record temperature every 30 seconds,= we put it in a mesh laundry bag with two 1-1/4” nuts to act as sinkers a= nd submerged it in the middle of #190’s rumen. We did this over the weekend of Ja= nuary 22, typical North Country winter weekend= : Cold. After 4 days we retrieved the data logger. As usual, due to the = tidal currents of rumen contractions the laundry bag needed to be reeled in from = the front end of the cow, the reticulo-rumen, an important point to consider when making sense of our findings.

The chart shows the temperatu= re recordings over 48 hours of our trial.&nbs= p; The baseline rumen temperature of cow #190 runs about 103-104= °F. The arrows mark approximate milking times. Interesting to note ar= e the deep plunges in temperature down to 80= °F, which most likely correspond to water consumption. The shorter, broader temperature dips may be due to bouts of eating. The temperature of th= e TMR at feeding was about 28°F, while the water was around 40°F. Also of note is the time it takes = to return to “normal” rumen temperature of about 100°F at times more than a= full hour. What effect these tempe= rature reductions have on rumen fermentation I am not quite sure. Remember, the thermometer was in t= he reticulo-rumen, where water first enters the rumen and where feed that has already been fermented awaits passage to the lower gut. Whether other sites thro= ughout the rumen were similarly affected by the temperature flux we do not fully k= now. To determine this we will need to = secure our temperature probes in various places around the rumen allowing us to be= tter gauge the possible effects of temperature depression on fiber digestion.

We thought this was interesting data and may hint towards possible benefits of providing warmer water to cows during winter in order to minimize the possi= ble depression in fiber digestion, water consumption, and DMI resulting from co= ld shock of the rumen. By the wa= y, what are the dry cows drinking?

Kur= t Cotanch

cotanch@whminer.com

FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK: Analysis Of Seven Year Behavior Data Base At Miner Institute: What A= re We Learning?

During the past seven years, a variety of behavior studies have been conducted at = the Institute. The topics span a = wide range of treatments and include the influence of ration particle size or gr= ain processing on behavior, free-choice consumption of buffer, body size and so= cial dominance, parity and social dominance, lameness and behavior, and defensib= le resources. Some of these beha= vioral studies were components of larger nutritional studies and some were smaller, preliminary studies conducted by dairy science students while in residence = at the Institute. The projects continue each year, but no attempt has been made until now to organize a database so that useable information can be extracted from these studies.

This fall, Chris Hill, a graduate student here at the Institute, entered all of = the data into a spreadsheet and we have just begun the process of searching thr= ough the data. Currently there are= over 131 cow entries with more being added all the time. We would like to determ= ine relationships among the important cow behaviors (such as eating, resting, rumination) and productivity and health.&n= bsp; Ultimately, we intend to use this database as a starting point for developing a cow behavior submodel for CPM-Dair= y to better predict the influence of behavioral respo= nses to the environment or management routines on productivity. Let’s take a look at what th= is data base tells about time budgets, or what a cow needs to do behaviorally = each twenty-four hours.

Variability in Time Budget Behavioral Benchmarks. We are developing a time-budget evaluator to predict losses in productivity when a cow’s behavioral n= eeds are not met. A key component = of this time budgeting approach is accurate, representative time budget benchm= arks to compare any herd against. = A key question is how much variability is there in the key behaviors that compris= e a cow’s time budget: eating, resting, and ruminating. There is over an hour difference in resting between primi- and multiparous cows. The range in individual resting time is from 7.0 to 17.5 hours/day! Both extremes likely represent sub= optimal conditions or an unhealthy cow. In fact, the 17.5 h/d value was for a cow diagnosed as lame. Eating time was similar for both y= ounger and older cows, and the range in observed eating time in the database was m= uch smaller than for resting or rumination.&nb= sp; Rumination activity appeared similar between parity groupings, but t= he range was substantial: 4.0 to 10.8 h/d, with the range being similar for primi- and multiparous animals. Only 4 h/d of rumina= tion was for a cow on a diet designed to induce rumen acidosis, and 10.8 h/d is = near the biological upper limit for rumination time per day. As we begin to develop decision to= ols, these types of data will help us to accurately model the true variation that exists in natural cow behaviors.

Time Budget Behaviors and Milk Production Level. This database was stratified into = two groups: Animals producing greater than 45 kg/d of milk and those producing = less than 45 kg/d. For the cows producing <45 kg/d, the average eating time was 5.1±1.2 h/d and average resting time was 10.6±2.4 h/d. In contrast, average eating time w= as 4.8±1.2 h/d and average resting time was 12.5±1.4 h/d. Notice that eating time really didn’t vary much with changes in milk yield. However, resting time was nearly t= wo hours per day greater for the higher producing cows compared with the lower producing cows. A preliminary analysis of the data base regressing resting time against milk yield indica= ted that every extra hour of resting was associated with an increase in milk yi= eld of approximately 1.5 kg/d of milk.

Up next. In next month’s article, I will summarize some key points from several of the major behavio= ral studies conducted at Miner Institute during the past several years.

Rick Grant<= /st1:PersonName><= /p>

grant@whminer.com<= /o:p>

WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THE FARM

No matter how often this happens, mentally and physically we are never adequat= ely prepared. We knew winter would eventually arrive, but in a nonchalant, anti-Darwinist fashion we were not fully mindful. Then, in late January, far up on the Arctic tundra a low pressure cell snuck in and sudde= nly winter was here in a rush; a breath-taking assault that sent us all reeling= .

All eyes, all thoughts turned to how effective our new, multi-million dollar ba= rn would perform. The pundits ha= d had their opinions about what would happen - some positive, others negative. With the mercury reading below zer= o the dairy barn staff would come in each morning fearful of what they’d find. The Maintenance crew wo= uld apprehensively scuttle over to check on equipment. All for naught! Apart from an on-going battle with= the curtains, their failing hoses and determination not to close completely, we have had nothing but the smallest of problems. Even milk production, holding stea= dy at 80 lbs, did not nose-dive as some people predicted it might. The hiccups arose in more mundane things: a scraper-wheel, with wind blowing directly onto it, stuck fast unt= il Jake and Henry convinced it to “loosen-up”; two water troughs – in the middle of the barn – had their inlet hoses freeze up, = but a blast of hot air soon had them pumping again. The biggest bugbear has been the outdoor-located system that supplies the flush in the parlor. Let’s think about this: outd= oors, with open holes in several places, freezing weather, liquid and manure R= 11; a predictable result. Once ag= ain, nothing that a little applied heat from salamanders (No! not the lizards, t= he heater) could not sort out.

Down in the greenhouse we have modified the pen set-up to enable a wider diversi= ty of groups, ages, and sizes to be accommodated. Up at the calf-hutches we are deep-bedding calves, and even shutting their doors at night with a full bal= e of hay that is removed in the morning. The calves seem to be faring well under Beth Ann’s care, (who I sometimes think sees our protocols as being rather Faustian in their motive= s) apart from some alarmingly large coyote pad-prints around the area.

The old dairy barn is still in use, housing a contingent of breeding age heifers and challenging the assistant feeder, Travis, on an on-going basis as he wrestles with frozen floors, aging stalls, and feed bunks. Outside, Shawn Eichler courageously faces frigid weather on a daily basis as he ensures that CIDRs are inserted in heifers at the right time, remo= ved, and then breeding takes place. In the new barn, with all its new-fangled gadgets, bells, and whistles our int= ern, Rachel Oakes, continues to assist with herd health chores – made easi= er by the insulated building, but more demanding by her growing baby, while steadfastly refusing to accept the fact that profit generation is not alway= s an entirely human endeavor.

It’s been an interesting start to the New Year.= The inevitable declining enthusiasm of year-end has now swung the ot= her way in a slow, but definitely noticeable positive approach to this whole da= iry farming adventure.

Marco Turco

turco@whminer.com

MINER INSTITUTE WELCOMES ADVANCED DAIRY MANAGEMENT STUDENTS!

In th= e middle of January we welcomed our sixth class of Advanced Dairy Management students from the University of Vermont. These seven students will be with = us until the middle of May for this 15-credit program as a component of their bachelor’s degree. The = course is divided into 5 classes:

·      =    Forage Quality-Applied Dairy Nutrition

·      =    Field Crops Production

·      =    Dairy Management Practicum

·      =    Undergraduate Research Project

·      =    Agriculture Seminar

These five courses are taught by Miner Institute faculty and staff in collaborati= on with a variety of guest speakers from the dairy industry.

While they are with us, each student will complete a research project with assistance from our staff. =

BETTER BEEF WITH BEE= R

Beef cattlemen in Iowa= are feeding beer to their beef cattle.&nbs= p; The bovines love the stuff when it’s mixed with their normal ration and have shown a distinct preference for beer-spiked feed. The beer has outlived its shelf li= fe (beer has a shelf life?) and is supplied free by a local brewery. Beer contains amino acids, protein, vitamins, minerals—and, of course, lots of carbs= . The alcohol in the beer is broken = down in the rumen so the cows don’t get tipsy. (The same cannot be said for the employees on these ranches, who frequently sample the product to make sure it’s “safe”.) Beer for beefers isn’t new; itR= 17;s often used in ruminant diets in Japan and Canada. We assume, however, that Canadian = cattle only get fresh beer since it’s doubtful that any ever lasts long enou= gh in the Land of the Maple Leaf to outlive its shelf life.<= /p>

Closer to home, a Vermont farmer—most likely not a Methodist—has been feeding a liquid brewery waste to his dairy cows that “smells just like beer”. The cows readily drink it and his = only complaint is that they don’t seem to be gaining weight like they should. Maybe once they get a= belly full of beer they don’t have any room left for more mundane feedstuffs. Guess only the fi= rst part of the old Miller Lite slogan (“tast= es great, less filling”) applies here…

  &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;

REDUCING FERTILIZER INPUTS

Fertilizer prices are high, but don’t be penny-wise and pound-foolish this spring. Cornell University<= /st1:PlaceType> has plenty of on-farm data showing that if soil test P is in the “Very high” category you don’t need to use any phosphorus fertilizer. (You still need a starter fertilizer in most cases, since you need to apply N.) However, the same trials show a po= sitive yield response from a low rate of starter P (20 lbs of P2O5/acre) when soil test P is “High” (rather than “Very high”) and no spring manure is applied= . Starter P is especially important = for these fields if you plant in early May, when soil temperatures are usually = very cool. Cornell research has sh= own a 9% increase in plant-available P as soils warm from May to June.=

Although the price of muriate of potash (0-0-60) is much higher than last year, don’t skimp on this essential nutrient for alfalfa. We continue to use m= ore potash on our alfalfa than is recommended by Cornell University<= /st1:PlaceType> soil analyses. However, our a= lfalfa K concentration continues to be in the normal range and average soil test K= is no higher now than it was ten years ago, suggesting that we’re not over-applying K. <= /span>

There’s the temptation to delay ordering fertilizer under the assumption that “Things can’t get any wors= e, can they?” Of course th= ey can, but they’re less likely to do so given the current high prices. Don̵= 7;t be in a hurry to order potash for summer topdressing of alfalfa or grass. In fact, with potash prices up 70%= in the past year, I wouldn’t even consider topdressing grasses with potassium (not enough bang for the buck), and alfalfa topdressing should be delayed until after first cut anyway. By now you should have placed your spring planting fertilizer order,= but I think it’s better to delay ordering 0-0-60 until closer to the time you’ll need it. Some in= the fertilizer industry are predicting fertilizer shortages: If farmers in this region are unable to buy fertilizer this year because of supply shortages, = it will be the first time in my 40 growing seasons here. I could be wrong about both price = and supply, in which case I’m sure some of you will remind me of my error= .
E.T.<= i><= /p>

LEAD NY

There’s an excellent professional development opportunity for agricultural industry professionals that show the potential to become leaders in their organizati= ons and communities. That opportu= nity is the Empire State Food and Agricultural Leadership Institute, or “LEAD NY” for = short.

LEAD NY is a 2-ye= ar leadership development program for adult professionals in New York’s agricultural and food systems industry. Meetings are monthly from October through April each year for a total of about 50 days of professional development work. (For more detailed information or an application, please visit w= ww.leadny.org. Training is concentrated in three general areas: Leadership skill development (public speaking, listen= ing, conflict resolution, etc.); Public policy process awareness (local, state, and federal government, and how to effectively influence it); Ind= ustry issues awareness (production through consumer issues & more!).=

Participants come from a wide variety of educational and professional backgrounds. This diversity is one of the highl= ights of the program, and leads to one of the greatest benefits of the program: Networking with people in related industries whom you may not have met and learned from otherwise. Unfortunately, one geographic area that has traditionally been under represented is Northern NY. Application deadline is March so= act soon.

For more information contact:

Larry Van De Valk

424 Kennedy Hall=

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY 14853

(607)-255-7907

ljv4@cornell.edu

SHOULD SOIL FERTILITY INFLUENCE CROPLAND VALUE?

In Iowa it sure doe= s. Based on recent sales of a total o= f 230 parcels of cropland, following is the average sales price per acre based on soil fertility:

High soil fertility        $2,883

Medium soil fertility   $2,116

Low soil fertility         $,1624

Compared to low fertility cropland, Io= wa farmers paid 30% more for medium fertility land and 78% (or over $1200 per acre) more for high fertility land. Should farmers in the Northeastern U.S. be willing to pay more for high fertility cropland? There are arguments on both side o= f this issue and perhaps we at the Institute are in a good position to comment on = this since we own some high fertility cropland and lease about 250 acres of most= ly low fertility cropland.

We were well aware that we were leasing low fertility land, but the soil map indicated that the soil types were of high production potential and had a h= igh pH (later confirmed by soil analysis).&nbs= p; Much of the land here at Miner Institute has been farmed for generations. William Miner fertilized fields heavily and since then both commercial fertilizer and reg= ular manure applications have increased soil test P levels on the Institute farm= to an average of about 20 lb/acre, which is considered “High” by Cornell University (and our CAFO plan).&nb= sp; Therefore, we needed a place to apply manure without running afoul of CAFO restrictions. The leased= land was almost entirely of low fertility—in some cases very low soil test= P and K.

It= 217;s taken us a few years to learn how to manage these very low fertility fields—and we’re still learning. Notill= corn has done very well, while alfalfa-grass seedings have been disappointing both for yield and alfalfa persistence in spite of manure and 0-0-60 applications. It t= akes a lot of manure to increase a Cornell University soil tes= t P level of 1 lb/acre! Also, our leased land is 3 to 5 miles from the farm thus putting practical restrictio= ns on manure application rates. However, even with these problems we think this land is more valuabl= e to the Institute farm operation than cropland that has high P levels simply because we can apply manure according to our wishes rather than the government’s.&n= bsp; However, if we were a cash crop operation with no livestock this low fertility land would have much more serious drawbacks than it does, and we wouldn’t be willing to pay as much for it.

E.T.<= i><= /p>

MORE ON THE WEATHER<= o:p>

One of the benefits of speaking at region= al meetings is getting to hear some interesting stuff from other speakers. While speaking at the Pennsylvania Agronomic Education Conference last month, I heard a Penn State climatologist discuss Northeastern U.S. weather past, present, and future= . Following are a few of his comment= s and opinions. (One of his comment= s was that the safest place to be during a tornado is Penn State’s Beaver Stadium since there are seldom any touchdowns there!)

Global warming?= Yes and no. In the past 100 years there’= s been no increase in summer temperatures and fall temperatures have increased only slightly. The December through March period, however, has been getting warmer. He thinks that a wet winter will s= et us up for a cool and dry April followed by wide temperature swings in May. (A British weather forecasting fir= m, which has been very accurate in recent years, predicts a cool and dry March= -May period in the Northeast.) Sum= mer should be cool, with normal precipitation.= We’ll see…

Another speaker discussed the effect of c= old, wet weather on corn emergence. The optimum temperature for corn seedling emergence is 80-85°F; remember, for all i= ts genetic improvements corn is still a tropical crop! Surprisingly, early maturity hybri= ds don’t have any more cold tolerance.&= nbsp; Cold injury can be rapid when dry seeds contact water that’s l= ess than 50°F, as cell membranes b= ecome brittle. One of the symptoms = of cold injury is a fused coleoptile (that’s= the first emerged leaf), something you’ve probably seen and dismissed as “just another one of those things”. For many years I’ve said that after May 1st if it’s dry enough to work fields, it’s time to plant. No change in that opin= ion.

= E.T.<= /p>

QUACKGRASS AS A PASTURE FORAGE

One of the several journals the Crops Dude receives is Crop Science. = Many of the articles are of limited interest or completely over his head, such as the exquisitely titled “Genetical and Mathematical Properties of Similarity and Dissimilarity Coefficients Applie= d in Plant Breeding and Seed Bank Management”. Huh? Others, however, are more practica= l in nature and almost coefficient-free, such as “Species Interactions wit= h Quackgrass and Their Effects on Forage Production”. In this tr= ial, quackgrass was planted with orch= ardgrass and/or white clover in an effort to determine if quack= grass would adversely compete with these species. The researchers found that both 2:= 1 and 1:2 mixtures of quackgrass and white clover yie= lded better than pure mixtures of either species. They concluded that quackgrass is a productive forage species that yields best when grown with a complemen= tary species (in this case white clover) instead of a species likely to compete = for the same resources (i.e., orchardgrass). <= /o:p>

The t= ake-home message is that if your pasture is “infested” (the C.D. prefers “blessed”) with quackgrass, donR= 17;t try to eliminate it- fat chance of that anyway, short of applying Roundup a= nd killing the whole shebang.

E.T.<= i><= /p>

WHAT’S AN ORGANIC DAIRY COW?

Don’t laugh: This is serious stuff, especially if you’re a farmer producing organic milk. In the early days of organic milk, almost all the producers had small, pasture-based operations. But if you’ve checked the pr= ice of organic milk in the supermarket you know that the stuff costs up to twice a= s much as the regular stuff (I refuse to use the term “inorganic”.) The operators of large dairy farms didn't miss this fact and more and more of t= hem are entering the organic milk business. N= ot surprisingly, smaller producers aren’t very happy about this.

There’s a provision in the federal = code requiring cows producing organic milk to have “access to pasture”. One group of farmers wants strict adherence to this provision contending that one of the only ways they can survive is by producing organic milk. Another, including the operator of= the 5300-cow Aurora Organic Dairy in Colorado, contends that as long as the cows consume organic feedstuffs it doesn’= ;t make any difference whether they get them in a pasture or in a feedbunk. Apparently not wanting any part of this particular firestorm the USDA has passed the buck to the National Organic Standards Board for a “guidance document” on the part of the federal code referring to pasture.

This controversy isn’t new. Mark Retzloff= , President and “Chief Organic Officer” (!) of Aurora Organic Dai= ry, started the ball rolling ten years ago when as cofounder of Horizon Dairy he converted a large farm in Idaho into the nation’s first large-scale organic dairy operation. Now he’s planning a 4700-cow organic dairy in Texas. He claims that while his cows are always outside there’s not enough rain to support an intensive pasture program.

E.T.<= i><= /p>

TOP TEN LIST

This has nothing to do with Letterman, but is fr= om the editor of Doane’s Agricultural Report, a list of= the top 10 events for U.= S. agriculture in 2004.

10. Beef trade stalemate with Japan.<= o:p>

9.= High energy prices.

8. Greatly increased ethanol production.

7.= WTO ruling that some U.S= . cotton subsidies are illegal.

6. Record world grain production.

5.= Wide swings in soybean prices.

4. Greatly increase hog demand.

3.= Much higher net cash farm income.

2. Discovery of Asian soybean rust = in U.S.

1. Record U.S. crop yields.<= /span>

FARM INCOME IN NORTHERN N.Y.

Northern N.Y.<= /st1:place> agriculture is highly focused on the dairy industry. Data recently released by the NY Agricultural Statistics Service puts some meat on these bones. Cash receipts from farming, six Northern New York counties, 2003.

As the table shows, all except Essex County (with its relatively small agricultural industry) derive at least 75% of their farm income from livestock, almost a= ll of this from the sale of milk, dairy heifers, bull calves and cull cows.

WIMPS

While superior in almost all other ways (an opin= ion held by fully 50% of the Crop Dude’s household) when it comes to tolerating pain, compared to women men are wimps. I was reminded of this sad fact re= cently when in the throes of a nasty virus. While lying on the sofa moaning in agony—OK, discomfort—= and making very reasonable requests (Tea, Lipton with lemon, remember to squeeze the slice of lemon), The Bride commented wryly that I certainly don’t suffer in silence. That this = is a gender characteristic rather than any personal failing was confirmed a few = days later by a female staff member here. She caught a stomach bug and in spite of feeling absolutely rotten, worked off and on throughout the day. The next day her husband got what they assume was the same illness s= ince it had the same unpleasant symptoms, and immediately took to bed for the duration.

You’re probably wondering where this is heading: Well, while waiting patiently for= my tea (Lipton with lemon please) to take my mind off my misery I got to think= ing about crop plans for 2005…not at the Institute but in the region in general. This will be a very expensive year to grow corn. Nitrogen and fuel prices are extremely high and some dual-purpose co= rn hybrids are now well over $200 per unit.&n= bsp; Many farmers have a lot more corn silage than they’ll need bet= ween now and September with scant hopes of selling any, but still will plant jus= t as many acres to corn this spring simply because that’s what they normal= ly do. At th= is point, selling any 2005 excess as grain doesn’t look so hot. Fall 2005 corn grain prices may be= in the $2.00/bushel range and with average corn yields of = 120 bu/acre that’s only $240 per acre. Farmers might not even get that mu= ch since in this region there’s usually a buyer’s market for stand= ing corn. This may be a good year= to take a hard look at how many acres of corn silage you really need then plant no more than an extra 10% to account = for the potential of low crop yields. Try to remove your “oldest” corn fields first seeding th= em to alfalfa-grass or red clover-grass.

E.T.<= i><= /p>

FARM FACTS AND FIGURES

= üA Finnish study concluded that a diet containing plenty of dairy products, especially cheese, was associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer in post-menopausal women.

= üCorn pollen is relatively heavy (as pollen goes, of course) and doesn’t drift far. However, the pollen of some genetically modified bentgrass was= found to have mixed with non-GM grasses up to 13 miles away. This is much further than previously assumed.

= üIRS rules about preferential treatment for capital gains take up 25= 00 pages, or one-third of the U.S. entire tax code.

= üAccording to a recent University of Illinois study, if (or more lik= ely, when) Asian soybean rust arrives in the Midwest it could cost Illino= is growers alone from $58 million to more than $102 million in spraying costs = and yield losses.

= üOnly 3% of the earth’s water is fresh water, and only 1% is available for human consumption. Almost 70% of the fresh water is u= sed for agriculture.

= üIt takes 49 gallons of water to produce one eight-ounce glass of milk, when you include = the water consumed by the cow plus that required to grow the food she eats and = to process the milk.

= üA study reported in the = Journal of the American Medical Association found that elderly people who got supplemental vitamin D (lo= ts of that in milk) fell down 22% less than those who didn’t.

= üGlobal biotech acreage increased by 20% in 2004, totaling 200 milli= on acres. A first: Greater increase in usage among third world farmers than in= the developed world.

2004 SOYBEAN TRIAL RESULTS

If there’s such a thing as a bulletproof crop in the Champlain Valley it’s soybeans. (Of cour= se, we haven’t yet encountered a bullet the caliber of the Asian soybean rust...) In 2004, the soybean= s in the Cornell University plot area here at the Institute were planted very late: early June or fully two weeks later than ideal. However, yields still averaged 56 bushels/acre.= In the past, 20 years soybeans have yielded well in these plots almost regardless of weather—hot or cold,= wet or dry. At the same time corn yields in the Cornell plot area have ranged from terrible to terrific.=

Only two of the ten varieties matured prior to harvest on October 4—DeKalb DKB15-51 and Hyland Razor—and these also were the two highest yielding varieties. The others were cl= ose but not quite mature. (8.0 =3D full maturity)

RECENT ROUNDUP RESEARCH RESULTS

·      =    In Ontario research, glyphosate (Roundup) applied to lambsquarters at 50 and 75= % of the manufacturer’s recommended rate provided good weed control and ha= d no adverse effect on corn yield. However, applying glypho= sate at 12.5% or 25% of recommended rate resulted in lower corn yield, more lambsquarters seed production, and increased numbers = of lambsquarters seedlings the following spring. So it m= ay be OK to cheat a little on glyphosate rates, but don’t cheat a lot.

·      =    When applying glyphosate to control velvetleaf, “timing of application” takes on a new meaning. Nebraska weed scientists applied glyphosate before sunri= se and got only 54% control, while the same rate provided 100% control of velvetle= af when applied at midday. In another trial, glyphosate applied before sunrise, at midday, and at sunset resulted in 69%, 100%, and= 37% velveltleaf control. While few farmers in this = region are out there applying herbicides before daylight, more than a few spray un= til dark. If you’re applying glyphosate, get = the job done when there’s still plenty of daylight. In fact, given the results of this research, we’d recommend applying it as close to midd= ay as possible.

OUT THERE

·      =    America’s veterinarians= to fund Noah’s Ark for victims. The American Veterinary Medical Association is sending sheep, rabbits, goats and other farm animals to victims of the tsunami in = South-East Asia. The AVMA, the world’s oldest and largest veterinary medical association is pledging $500,000 in matching funds to Heifer International. AVMA is urging its members, partners and the general public = to visit its website (www.avma.org) for information on how to make a tax-free donation. Heifer International curren= tly supports projects in over 50 countries, including the USA to = improve nutrition and income.

(PR Newswire, January 2005)

·      =    New Ag secretary says little on issues of milk subsidies for farmer= s. In his first press conference since becoming agriculture secretary Mr. M. Johanns declined to answer questions about dairy policy, sticking instead to the administration’s support for federal subsidies. Northeast lawmakers a= re pushing for a new program similar to the Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact. Food companies are solidly against that idea, as are lawmakers from the Wes= t. The MILC program may be popular with farm groups but is currently under clo= se scrutiny because of the cost to the federal government at a time of crippli= ng budget deficits. The White House has signaled that farm programs will face = cuts in the Bill that the President sends to Congress in early February.

(Knight Ridder/Tribu= ne Business News, January 2005)

·      =    Cows get whiff of vindication in Smog Study. Cows may not be quite = the pollution-making machines they are purported to be; at least when it comes = to smog forming gases according to a University of California, Davis study. Moreover, it’s not c= ow manure that gives off so much of unwanted gases, rather it’s cow burps. How much gas comes out of a cow is one of the most avant-gard= e questions in the field of air-quality today.

(Sa= cramento Bee, January 2005)

·      =    Japan wants more BSE inform= ation from the U.S. <= /b>USDA has sent delegati= ons to Tokyo in an effort to convince Japan that the U.S. can determine the origin= of cattle without birth records. Japanese officials were not completely satisfied with the presentation, and have asked for more technical informat= ion. Japan has required tha= t the U.S. be= able to prove that cattle slaughtered for export would be 20 months old or younger before it eases a ban on imports.

(FWN Select, January 2005)=

·      =    South America: Brazils cows beef u= p. Deft management of cat= tle breeding technologies has helped Brazil lead the global cattle business and made the South American country home to the largest cattle her= d on the planet and the world’s biggest exporter of beef. The science behi= nd breeding – embryo transfers, in vitro fertilization and insemination is not new, but Brazil has the capacity to use the latest breeding techniques to reduce the amount= of time it takes cattle to reach market weight.

(Mi= ami Herald, January 2005).

VALENTINE’S DAY QUOTES

v&nb= sp;     That married couples can live together day after day is a miracle t= he Vatican= has overlooked. Bill Cosby

v      True love comes quietl= y, without banners or flashing lights. If you hear bells, get your ears checke= d. Erich Segal

v      The male is a domestic animal which, if treated = with firmness and kindness, can be trained to do most things. Jilly Cooper=

v      It was a perfect marriage. She didn't want to an= d he couldn't. Spike Milligan=

v      Marriage—as its veterans know well—is the continuous process of getting used to things you hadn't expected. Tom Mullen

v&nb= sp;     Try praising your wife, even if it does frighten her at first. B= illy Sunday

v      The way to fight your = wife is with your hat. Grab it and run. = Anonymous

v      I was nervous and ting= ly all over. I was either in love or I had smallpox. Woody Allen

CALENDAR EVENTS

http://www.whminer.com/calend= ar.html

&nb= sp;

CLOSING COMMENT

Money isn’t everything, but it sure keeps = the kids in touch.