"GLCI Grazette"

NYS Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative

It's August already? How did that happen?
For whatever reason, summer always seems to go by quicker than any other season. Perhaps it is because we're all so busy this time of year, and that's because there is so much more to do! Whether it's farm work or county fairs or getting away for a short time, it all makes the time fly by. Before we know it, autumn will be here, and it will be time to think about the end of the grazing season. That said, there are things to be thinking about now that will help with planning for fall, winter, and next spring - check out the Pasture Management Tips below for more thoughts on thinking and planning.
(Please continue to send in notices of pasture walks and workshops by the end of each month - the Grazette is distributed monthly.)

For information on facilities or services, or to request sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids at meetings, please contact the individual listed for the event at least 10 days prior to the meeting date.

Upcoming Pasture Workshops and Related Events:

Empire Farm Days - August 5th to 7th - Rodman Lott & Son Farms, Route 414, Seneca Falls (Seneca County) - Over 600 exhibitors give you hands-on demos while field, government and research leaders show you where ag is going in '08 and what to do about it. Also, check out the Pro-Dairy program's Dairy Profit Seminars each day at 10:30 am in the Dairy Seminar Center - including "The Business of Grazing" on Thursday featuring Dave Forgey, Kathie Arnold, and other grazing dairy farmers and agency personnel - sponsored in part by GLCI. More information is available in the June issue of Northeast Dairy Business magazine or visit www.dairybusiness.com/efd.php.

Northeast Organic Farming Association's 34th Annual Summer Conference - August 8th to 10th - University of Massachusetts, Amherst - Keynote speakers Mark McAfee, founder of Organic Pastures Dairy in California, and Dr. Arden Anderson, holistic medical practitioner at the Crossroads Healing Arts Center in Indiana. Over 150 workshops on organic farming, gardening and landcare, homesteading, sustainability, nutrition, spirituality, food politics, activism, and more. Special workshops for children and teens. Saturday's schedule also includes a Grazing School organized by Mass Grass, featuring seven workshops and a pasture walk for both beginning and experienced graziers. For more information visit www.nofamass.org or contact Julie Rawson at 978-355-2853 or julie@nofamass.org.

Small Scale Dairies and Alternative Forages - Monday, August 18th - 10:00 am to 1:00 pm - Bostrom Farm, 95 Green River Road, Greenfield, MA - Kyle Bostrom grazes 12 cows on 20 acres and has been experimenting with growing small quantities of alternative forages - corn and Japanese millet, as well as winter rye. He is certified to sell raw milk, and also sells beef, vegetables and eggs from the farm. Karen Hoffman will also be speaking on feeding management. For more information and directions visit www.nofamass.org.

Organic Crops and Dairy Field Day - Thursday, August 21st - 10:00 am to 1:00 pm - Sto-Ridge Farm, 4955 Nelson Road, Cazenovia (Madison County). Join us as pioneer organic farmers Hank and John Stoker share their farm and crop experiences with very special guest, Jerry Brunetti. The Stokers produce grain crops for their dairy, while developing a whole farm system incorporating composting, alternative fuel, and intensive grazing. This rare opportunity to learn from Jerry Brunetti will be a highlight of the summer and not to be missed! This workshop is co-sponsored by the NY Organic Dairy Initiative and NOFA-NY. $5 NOFA members, $10 non-members.

Organic Dairy Field Day - Friday, August 22 - 9:00 am to 3:00 pm - Swendsen Family Farm, 721 Akron Road, Akron (Genesee County) - Both transitional and certified organic dairies are welcome to this field day with Jerry Brunetti and other guest speakers. In the morning Jerry will discuss soil health and quality forages. In the afternoon you will explore topics such as pasture management, herd health, soil, and quality milk in small groups for in-depth discussions. Co-sponsored by Organic Valley/CROPP Cooperative, Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative, the NY Organic Dairy Initiative, and NOFA-NY. Free, lunch provided.

Advance Notice:

Growing Health 2008 - Wednesday, September 3rd - 5:00 to 8:00 pm - Binghamton Regency Hotel, One Sarbro Square, Binghamton (Broome County) - Please join your neighbors and colleagues to learn more about the dynamic relationships between health, locally produced foods and community. Featuring Patrick Hooker, Commissioner of NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets, who will discuss the importance of connecting NYS agriculture, food security and health interests. Locally grown ffod and beverage buffet and info on local food sources and networks. Hosted by the Rural Health Network of South Central NY, in partnership with The Community Foundation for South Central NY and The Stewart W. and Wilma C. Hoyt Foundation. Co-sponsored in part by GLCI. For more information or to register on-line, visit www.RuralHealthNetwork.org.

PA Project Grass 7th Annual State-wide Grazing Conference and Farm Tours - October 22nd & 23rd - Pantall Hotel & Conference Center, Punxsutawney, PA - Featuring guest speakers Dr. Susan Duckett, Ben Cooper, Heather Glennon, Dr. Heather Karsten, Dave Evans, and Dennis Wolfe, PA Secretary of Agriculture. For more information, visit http://community-2.webtv.net/burkestwenty/PROJECTGRASS/index.html or contact Candace Burke at Burkes20@earthlink.net. Vendor opportunities also available.

Pasture Management Tips:

August is the time to begin to plan for the end of the grazing season, especially if you are hoping to do some pasture improvement. If you plan to seed some new ground to expand your system, getting the seeding in by the end of August is recommended to reduce competition from weeds and allow the plants to establish a good root system before winter.

If you're not planning a new seeding, but want to interseed some new plants into your pasture, August is also the time to do that. Be sure to graze the pastures a bit tighter than you normally would (think "overgrazing"), to reduce competition from the existing sward, and then a no-till seeding is the best strategy. Broadcasting seed is usually not as effective because there needs to be good seed to soil contact. Grass seed in particular is a challenge, because the seed is so light it doesn't drop down through the sward, or it blows away. If broadcasting is your only option, put the animals on the area and they will push some of the seed into the soil, especially the seed that wouldn't have made it there otherwise.

If you think you want to stockpile some pasture and extend the grazing season, August is the time to start setting aside paddocks or fields to accumulate dry matter. Keep in mind that many species will decline in quality over time, so this may not be an appropriate strategy for lactating dairy cows. However, beef cattle and sheep do quite well on stockpiled forage, and it can reduce the number of days you need to feed hay through the winter.

Last but not least, clipping the weeds that have grown up along your fencelines is something to do in August if you haven't already. By now, most weeds have reached maturity (and unfortunately, many have probably set seed), and they could be adding a load onto the fence. This will reduce the amount of charge on the fence, and reduce the effectiveness of the shock. It's also one less thing to worry about in the spring.

Resources:

Interested in direct marketing, but need inspiration, advice, or ideas? Even if you don't want to direct market, there's lots of interesting reading here - check out Shannon Hayes' website www.grassfedcooking.com - she's the well-known author of The Grassfed Gourmet and The Farmer and the Grill, and a frequent contributor to numerous magazines and news media. She also has a monthly e-newsletter that you can sign up for on the website, or simply read past articles from the newsletter at the site.

New Website Caters to Beginning Farmers - "What are my marketing options?" "How can I finance my farm start-up?" "What should I grow on my land?" If you have questions about starting a farm or are considering diversifying your farm enterprises, the new NY Beginning Farmers Resource Center at http://beginningfarmers.cce.cornell.edu can offer you information and inspiration to help you begin.

This interactive website offers a forum where new farmers can swap ideas and stories and ask specific questions. It also contains lessons that walk new farmers through the steps of starting a farm business, including setting goals, evaluating land, and learning about markets and regulations. Online worksheets embedded in the farm planning lessons allow new farmers to respond to questions and apply what they learn to their own situation, then download their completed worksheets for later use in a business plan if desired.

The Frequently Asked Questions section is a treasure trove of information on the farm-start-up process, with responses to the most commonly-asked questions like "Where can I find a grant to start my farm?" and "What regulations apply to me?"

Visitors can also peruse the events calendar, get connected with agencies that can provide personalized assistance, download the Guide to Farming in NY, and find production information on our sister site at the Cornell Small Farms Program. Visitors seeking advice and inspiration will find it in the Voice of Experience section, which contains articles by and about successful farmers in NY.

The site was developed by the NY Beginning Farmer Project, which is working to build the Grow Local movement to support the Buy Local movement. The NY BFP is funded by the NY Farm Viability Institute and Cornell Cooperative Extension and is a project of the Cornell Small Farms Program. Please visit the NY Beginning Farmer Resource Center online at http://beginningfarmers.cce.cornell.edu.

Reminders:
Glynwood Center's 6th Annual Harvest Awards - Deadline extended to Monday, August 4th -

The Harvest Awards honor individuals, organizations, and businesses across the United States that do an exceptional job of supporting sustainable agriculture and regional food systems. Do you know visionary farmers who not only raise amazing food but have also developed innovations in growing, marketing, and collaborating with their community in new and exciting ways? Are there inventive individuals, organizations or businesses in your community who are developing cutting-edge models to connect people and sustainable, regionally-produced food?

Please help us recognize outstanding work from around the country by nominating someone whose work you admire. This year’s categories include:
Farmer Award
Connecting Communities, Farmers, and Food Award
Wave of the Future Award
Good Food for Health Award

Please visit our website www.glynwood.org for nomination details and to make an electronic submission. To receive nomination forms via snail mail, please contact Kim Vargo at kvargo@glynwood.org or (845) 265-3338 ext. 131. Additional information about Glynwood Center and past Harvest Award winners can also be found on our website. Nominations must be postmarked or e-mailed no later than August 4, 2008.

Notes:

Want to submit an event? Interested in subscribing? Simply send an email to karen.hoffman2@ny.usda.gov with your event information, or with the subject line of "subscribe" to be added to the distribution list! If submitting an event listing, please submit it before the end of the month prior to the date scheduled, as this newsletter will only be generated at the beginning of the month. Not interested? If we've sent this to you, and you're not interested in receiving it again, also send an email to the above address with "unsubscribe" in the subject line.

Brought to you by the NYS Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative. The Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative is a grass-roots coalition of producers, agricultural industry, and conservation groups with an interest in the sound conservation of private grazing lands. The goal of this newsletter is to increase awareness of grazing events around New York and in neighboring states, as well as to provide information that is useful on the farm. For more information on GLCI, check out the national GLCI website at www.glci.org. Information on the NYS GLCI can be obtained from GLCI Coordinator Karen Hoffman at the email address above or GLCI Chair Troy Bishopp at FarmboyTB@aol.com.

"Promoting Clean, Green, and Profitable Agriculture"

*****************
Happy Independence Day! (a few days early).
Pastures have been challenging so far this year because of the weather - they either headed out early, didn't grow, or couldn't be clipped on time. The priority now is on harvesting hay or haylage when the forecast isn't calling for showers. Do you remember the old saying that corn should be knee-high by the Fourth of July? How about the one that refers to first-cut hay as "Patriotic Hay" because it isn't cut before Independence Day? This year, unfortunately, there's a lot of corn that is short, and a lot of first cut hay that will be fairly Patriotic. Hopefully the rest of the growing season will become more "normal" and graziers can get their pastures clipped and grazed at higher quality. Some decent quality crops will also be needed to balance out the winter forage needs.
(Please continue to send in notices of pasture walks and workshops by the end of
each month - the Grazette is distributed monthly.)

Upcoming Pasture Workshops and Related Events:

Pasture Walk and Composted Manure Demo - Thursday, July 10th - 1:00 to 4:00 pm - Southview Angus, Floyd Hoover Family, 1793 Ridge Road, Penn Yan (Yates County) - Floyd will show us his operation of 100% grass-fed beef, and explain how well composting fits with grazing. Jean Bonhotal from Cornell Waste Management Institute will provide information regarding manure composting. Refreshments will be provided by the family.

Organic Dairy Transition - Thursday, July 10th - 10:00 am to 1:00 pm - Colrain Dairy Farm, 270 Greenfield Road, Colrain, MA - More details about the session, including directions to the farm, can be found at www.nofamass.org/programs/organicdairy/index.php. Sponsored by NOFA/Mass, USDA-NRCS, and the University of Massachusetts.

Grazing Basics Workshop - Tuesday, July 15th - 11:00 am to 3:30 pm - Cornell Cooperative Extension Ontario County, Auditorium, 480 North Main Street, Canandaigua - The Grazingland Technology Transfer Team will be providing information to help you get started grazing! Darrell Emmick on rotation basics, Rob DeClue on water, fence and lanes, and Karen Hoffman on feed and nutrition. Lunch provided - registration needed by July 8th - contact Nancy Anderson at 585-394-3977 x 427 - $10 per person.

Diverse Organic Livestock Production - Tuesday, July 22th - 4:00 to 7:00 pm - Kingbird Farm, 9398 West Creek Road, Berkshire, NY (Tioga County) - Kingbird Farm is a small, horse-powered farm where Karma, Michael, and Rosemary Glos raise a diverse array of certified organic, pasture-raised livestock including pigs, chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, and eggs. They also raise grassfed Highland/Angus cattle. Their farming methods are based on a belief in diversified, small family farms with a respect for the land and the animals they raise on it. They manage their land organically; increasing fertility with compost, controlled grazing, and natural minerals. Join the Glos family at their farm to learn how they manage their diverse organic livestock system. Sponsored by NOFA-NY - $5 for NOFA members, $10 non-members.

Raising and Marketing Grass-Fed Meat - Thursday, July 24th - 10:00 am to 1:00 pm - Wheel-View Farm, 212 Reynolds Road, Shelburne, MA - More details about the session, including directions to the farm, can be found at www.nofamass.org/programs/organicdairy/index.php. Sponsored by NOFA/Mass, USDA-NRCS, and the University of Massachusetts.

Organic Crops and Dairy Field Day - Tuesday, July 29th- 10:00 am to 1:00 pm - Bawden Family Farm, 119 Factory Road, Hammond, NY (St. Lawrence County) - Mark your calendar for this North Country field day about small grain production for an organic (and grazing) dairy farm. Brian and Elizabeth Bawden will share their experiences from years of grain production in challenging conditions. They will discuss combinations of grains and planting dates. They grow and process oats, peas, beans, spring wheat, Japanese millet, triticale and more for on-farm grain supply. Bring the family and enjoy the St. Lawrence River area after the field day! This workshop is co-sponsored bt the NY Organic Dairy Initiative and NOFA-NY. $5 NOFA members, $10 non-members.

Advance Notice:

Northeast Organic Farming Association's 34th Annual Summer Conference - August 8th to 10th - University of Massachusetts, Amherst - Keynote speakers Mark McAfee, founder of Organic Pastures Dairy in California, and Dr. Arden Anderson, holistic medical practitioner at the Crossroads Healing Arts Center in Indiana. Over 150 workshops on organic farming, gardening and landcare, homesteading, sustainability, nutrition, spirituality, food politics, activism, and more. Special workshops for children and teens. Saturday's schedule also includes a Grazing School organized by Mass Grass, featuring seven workshops and a pasture walk for both beginning and experienced graziers. For more information visit www.nofamass.org or contact Julie Rawson at 978-355-2853 or julie@nofamass.org.

Pasture Walks with Jerry Brunetti - Thursday and Friday, August 21st and 22nd - Sto-Ridge Farm in Cazenovia (Madison County) and Swendsen Family Farm in Akron (Genesee County), respectively - contact Fay Benson at 607-753-5213 or afb3@cornell.edu for more information. Co-sponsored by Organic Valley/CROPP Cooperative, Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative, the NY Organic Dairy Initiative, and NOFA-NY. Free.

Pasture Management Tips:

On a recent farm visit, the question of how often to clip pastures was raised by the farmer. He indicated that he wanted to maintain pasture quality, but to save on fuel costs, only wanted to clip when it was really needed. Of course, like most things, the answer was "it depends".

What does it depend on? First and foremost, it depends on how much forage is being rejected by the animals. That depends on how mature the forage is, how many times they have grazed the paddock since it was last clipped, and how much manure is building up in the paddock. If a significant amount of the forage is being rejected, this will decrease the intake of your livestock. Lactating dairy cows will tell you right away if they don't want to eat what's there or can't find what they need to eat - your milk tank shipment will drop. Other kinds and classes of livestock are more difficult to determine when the time is right for clipping. Of course, the decision to clip also may depend on your own personal tolerance for how the pastures look.

A management strategy that can help to reduce the need for clipping is smaller paddocks and more frequent moves. Just like people, when there is a limited quantity of food available, animals will graze more aggressively and will do a better job of harvesting - in other words, they are less selective about what they eat. Your paddocks are more likely to be grazed more evenly, and there will be less rejected forage - there will also be less waste due to trampling. Of course, this results in a need to move them more frequently, because they will run out of forage more quickly. The return on more management is less clipping, and less fuel and time spent doing so!

Resources:

SARE 20/20: Celebrating Our First 20 Years, Envisioning the Next - This special 20th anniversary publication chronicles 20 years of agricultural innovation - from SARE's beginning in 1988 to present-day stories of farmers, ranchers, researchers and educators working across America to develop and implement sustainable marketing and production practices. SARE 20/20 highlights cream-of-the-crop projects from more than 3,700 SARE funded granta, illustrationg how producers, researchers and educators are collaborating to advance sustainable innovations to the whole of American agriculture.

Download SARE 20/20 for free at www.sare.org/publications/highlights.htm. To order print copies, visit www.sare.org/WebStore, call 301-374-9696 or write to Sustainable Agriculture Publications, PO Box 753, Waldorf, MD 20604-0753 (please specify SARE 20/20 when ordering by mail) Allow 3-4 weeks for delivery. SARE 20/20 is also available in quantity to agricultural educators for workshops, conferences, and tours at no cost.

*******************
June 2008

There are a LOT of events listed for June. Usually some events from outside of New York are listed, but this month it seemed there wasn't enough room to include many of those without making the newsletter too much longer than it already is. The ones that are listed also seem to have something for everyone, so hopefully you will have time between putting up hay crops and any other activities to attend a pasture walk that is of interest to you.
(Please continue to send in notices of pasture walks and workshops by the end of
each month - the Grazette is distributed monthly.)

Upcoming Pasture Workshops and Related Events:

Equine & Livestock Pasture Walk - Monday, June 2nd - 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm - Loosestrife Farm, 30 Loostesrife Lane, Kerhonkson (Orange County). This pasture walk will present simple, easy-to-do land monitoring and pasture management methods that take dead-aim at discovering the root cause of problems and then help you to find good solutions for them. You will receive educational materials to aid you in fine-tuning pasture management, establishing grazing goals, creating and documenting plant and soil health conditions,identifying problems or concern areas, and monitoring changes in pasture productivity. Equine and Livestock Educator, Audrey Reith, will discuss soil fertility, identifying common grasses, weeds, and toxic plants. Class fees are $10 for current CCE enrollees and $15 for non-enrollees. Sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orange and Ulster Counties. For more information contact Audrey Reith at 845-344-1234 or ald5@cornell.edu.

Small Ruminant Management - Wednesday, June 4th - 10:00 am to 1:00 pm - Crystal Brook Farm, 192 Tuttle Road, Sterling, MA. More details about the session, including directions to the farm, can be found at www.nofamass.org/programs/organicdairy/index.php. Sponsored by NOFA/Mass, USDA-NRCS, and the University of Massachusetts.

Raising Calves with a Foster Group - Wednesday, June 11th - 11:00 am to 2:00 pm - Jim and Ann Phillips, 87 McLean Road, Cortland (Space Farm) - This organic dairy raises 40 calves with 10 foster mothers, and Dr. Darrell Emmick will talk about the importance of learned behavior in mother-calf systems, and how this can increase the grazing ability of the next generation. Karen Hoffman will also be present to discuss a study being done that is looking at the Phillips' feeding program of 1 pound of corn meal and 1 to 2 pounds of organic molasses. A light lunch will be served, and there is a $5 charge - please pre-register by contacting Sharon Van Deuson Cortland County CCE at 607-753-5078 so there is an accurate count for lunch. For more information contact Fay Benson at 607-753-5213 or afb3@cornell.edu.

Jefferson County Pasture Walks - Tuesday, June 17th - 10:00 am to 3:00 pm - Brian and Amy Zumbach Farm, 8358 County Route 154, Henderson and Clinton and Rebecca Horst Farm, 1891 Fone Road, Mannsville. A 2 for 1 demonstration day of rotational grazing focusing on forage fencing, feeding and philosophy. At Zumbach's, Brian and Amy will talk about their interest using different forages to supplement their grazing patterns. They will discuss their trial plot of strip grazing BMR sorghum-sudangrass with oats, teff and rye, and how the cows performed. Mike Hunter and Ron Kuck of Cornell University Cooperative Extension will discuss pasture tillage practices and feeding strategies, respectively. At noon the group will arrive at the Horst Farm for lunch provided with support from ANCA, and at 1:00 Bill Paddock from Oneida County SWCD will discuss renovating pastures. Clinton Horst will also discuss his grazing strategy, and his nutritionist will discuss some further ideas on supplemental feeding. There is no charge but pre-registration is appreciated by calling Ron Kuck at 315-788-8450 or email rak76@cornell.edu. Sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County, Graze New York, Oneida County SWCD, and Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA).

Multi-County Pasture Walk - Thursday, June 19th - 11:00 am to 1:30 pm - Pastureland Dairy, Peter Mapstone, 8062 #2 West Road, Manlius (Onondaga County) - The Mapstone's have been grazing since 1987 and have renovated and improved their pastures so they are now rotationally grazing 250 acres. Pete will talk about how grazing has saved him time and money, allowed him to increase herd size, and how grazing has helped make his herd healthier. He will also talk about what he feels are the important tools of the trade, what mixture of grasses he prefers, and what kind of cow works best for his operation. Sponsored by the Oneida and Onondaga County SWCD's - please register by June 17th by calling either Bill Paddock at 315-736-3316 (william-paddock@oneidaswcd.org) or Jean Burr at 315-677-3851 (jburr@OCSWCD.org). Additional sponsors include Graze-NY and NYS GLCI.

Sheep and Goat Farmer Education Day - Friday, June 20th - 10:00 am to 3:00 pm - Promisedland Farm (Catharina Kessler) and Stone & Thistle Farm (Tom and Denise Warren and family), East Meredith (Delaware County). tatiana Stanton of Cornell University will be the featured speaker for the day, and the program will begin at Promisedland Farm. The farm produces grass-finished beef, lamb, and wool products. Topics to be covered include grazing with multiple species, raising grass-fed meat and the health benefits of eating it. At noon, the group will move to Stone & Thistle farm where lunch will be served from Fable, the on-farm restaurant, and products from the farm will be served. The Warrens will give an overview of the farm history and marketing strategies, and tatiana Stanton will lead a hands-on marketing activity, give a pasture management overview for small ruminants, share production tips on animal health and speak about parasite management for goats. The cost is $10 - to register call Leslie Deysenroth at 607-865-7090 or email ldeysenroth@nycwatershed.org. Program offered with the support of the Watershed Agricultural Council and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Delaware County. For more information visit www.purecatskills.com.

2008 Small Ruminant Seminar - Saturday, June 21st - 9:00 am to 5:00 pm - Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County, 18 Seward Ave., 3rd floor, Middletown - Open to all regional sheep, goat and camelid owners and producers, this full day seminar will offer a range of speakers who will address a variety of subjects for new farmers as well as producers who have been around the flock and pasture for many years. Speakers include Dr. Mary Smith of Cornell discussing on-farm veterinary care, Dr. Mike Thonney of Cornell on feeding sheep and goats, and other on processing, marketing, and llama care and selection. Registration is due by June 13th and cost is $30 for current CCE enrollees and $35 for non-enrollees. Sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orange and Ulster County and Heritage Feed & Supply. For more information call 845-344-1234 or email cah94@cornell.edu.

Transition to Organic Dairy/NRCS Resources - Saturday, June 21st - 11:00 am to 2:00 pm - Robinson Farm, 42 Jackson Road, Hardwick, MA. More details about the session, including directions to the farm, can be found at www.nofamass.org/programs/organicdairy/index.php. Sponsored by NOFA/Mass, USDA-NRCS, and the University of Massachusetts.

Advance Notice:

Northeast Organic Farming Association's 34th Annual Summer Conference - August 8th to 10th - University of Massachusetts, Amherst - Keynote speakers Mark McAfee, founder of Organic Pastures Dairy in California, and Dr. Arden Anderson, holistic medical practitioner at the Crossroads Healing Arts Center in Indiana. Over 150 workshops on organic farming, gardening and landcare, homesteading, sustainability, nutrition, spirituality, food politics, activism, and more. Special workshops for children and teens. Saturday's schedule also includes a Grazing School organized by Mass Grass, featuring seven workshops and a pasture walk for both beginning and experienced graziers. For more information visit www.nofamass.org or contact Julie Rawson at 978-355-2853 or julie@nofamass.org.

Pasture Walks with Jerry Brunetti - Thursday and Friday, August 21st and 22nd - mark your calendar - various farms around NY - to be announced - contact Fay Benson at 607-753-5213 or afb3@cornell.edu for more information.

Pasture Management Tips:

It's been a dry spring in many places, which brings up several questions from farmers. The two most common are "should I keep grazing?" and "why did the orchardgrass put out a head so soon?".

The answer to the first one is that if the grass is still growing back after it is grazed, keep an eye on it to see when the leaf tips start to turn brown. That is an indication that the plant is starting to senesce, or die back, indicating it won't grow any taller. If you keep on a rotational schedule of grazing up to the point of senescence, the plants will continue to grow back in a staggered pattern, especially with a little bit of rain. If you don't keep grazing that regrowth, and let it sit and wait for some rain, there's a good chance that it will all grow so rapidly after rain that you will have too much grass ready all at once - just like early spring all over again! If it doesn't grow back after grazing, you need to pull animals off pasture or they will graze the plants down too low and likely kill them. So the key is to keep an eye on what the plants are doing after being grazed.

The answer to the second one is relatively easy - the goal of the plant is to get to the reproductive stage and set seed. With the dry weather and cooler temperatures this year, the plants put out the seed head earlier because it "figured" that it might not have another chance if conditions stayed the same. The good news is orchardgrass only heads out once, so now that it's over you should not have to deal with orchardgrass making a seed head the rest of the grazing season!

Call for Nominations:

Sixth Annual National Glynwood Harvest Awards - Nominate an individual or group doing outstanding and innovative work supporting regional agriculture and sustainable food systems in the United States. Visit www.glynwood.org for more information.

Notes:

Want to submit an event? Interested in subscribing? Simply send an email to karen.hoffman2@ny.usda.gov with your event information, or with the subject line of "subscribe" to be added to the distribution list! If submitting an event listing, please submit it before the end of the month prior to the date scheduled, as this newsletter will only be generated at the beginning of the month. Not interested? If we've sent this to you, and you're not interested in receiving it again, also send an email to the above address with "unsubscribe" in the subject line.

Brought to you by the NYS Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative. The Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative is a grass-roots coalition of producers, agricultural industry, and conservation groups with an interest in the sound conservation of private grazing lands. The goal of this newsletter is to increase awareness of grazing events around New York and in neighboring states, as well as to provide information that is useful on the farm. For more information on GLCI, check out the national GLCI website at www.glci.org. Information on the NYS GLCI can be obtained from GLCI Coordinator Karen Hoffman at the email address above or GLCI Chair Troy Bishopp at FarmboyTB@aol.com.

"Promoting Clean, Green, and Profitable Agriculture"

***********************
May 2008

The weather always seems to dominate this part of the newsletter, but it is a critical component of grazing at this time of year......It was a chilly start to May Day this morning, especially after the experience of higher than normal temperatures for a week or so in April. We can use the old saying of "if you don't like the weather, wait a minute". The good news is many animals have been turned out to pasture and begun the spring transition. Although we also had some dry weather, late April showers have helped to saturate the soil and kick-start the growth of pastures so those animals can stay out instead on staying on stored feeds. More rain is in the forecast as well. Take advantage of pasture walks that are happening, even if they are not listed here - you can find them in farm newspapers, Coperative Extension newsletters, or by searching the web!
(Please continue to send in notices of pasture walks and workshops by the end of
each month - the Grazette is distributed monthly.)

Upcoming Pasture Workshops and Related Events:

Spring Grazing Symposium - Saturday, May 3rd - 9:30 am to 12:00 noon - Human Services Complex, Montour Falls (Schuyler County) - Featured speakers include Dr. Darrell Emmick, USDA-NRCS NY Grassland Specialist and Rob DeClue, NYS Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative Conservation Planner. Darrell and Rob have almost 60 years of grazing experience between them - they will share grazing tips and pointers for all livestock grazing systems. Darrell will be discussing "Behavior Based Grazing - What we have learned over the last 25 years", and Rob will present "Multi-Species Grazing" covering various fencing products, materials, techniques, and pointers for grazing with different types of livestock, incuding poultry. John Wickham of Schuyler County SWCD will discuss grant and cost share programs available to graziers. Sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schuyler and Steuben Counties - there is no charge, but registration is appreciated by May 1st. To register or for more information, contact CCE-Schuyler at 607-535-7161.

Pasture-Based Livestock Seminar - Monday, May 5th - 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm - Wetzel Seminar Room - 404 Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca. Saving the planet, one bite at a time? The role of pasture-based livestock farming in supporting healthy people, ecosystems and communities. Upstate NY farmer and writer Shannon Hayes explores the world of sustainable family farming with a focus on pasture-based livestock farms and grass-fed meats. Her stories, photographs, cultural observations and food and farming facts shed light on why grassfed meats cost what they do, and their role in building sustainable local food systems, vibrant communities, a healthy planet and well-nourished families. Shannon will also be discussing her current research on what she calls "the radical homemaking movement" in the U.S., and how it supports environmental and community sustainability. Sponsored by: Cornell Small Farms Program, Cornell Small Farms Club, Department of Development Sociology, and the New World Agriculture & Ecology Group.

Transitioning a Dairy Herd from Winter to Summer Feed - Tuesday, May 6th - 10:00 am to 1:00 pm - Rocky Acres Farm. 690 Coy Hill Road, Warren, MA - More details about the session, including directions to the farm, can be found at www.nofamass.org/programs/organicdairy/index.php. Sponsored by NOFA/Mass, USDA-NRCS, and the University of Massachusetts.

2008 Economic Summit: Greener Pastures for Upstate New York - Friday, May 9th - 8:00 am to 2:30 pm - Bouck Hall Ballroom, Suffolk Circle, SUNY Cobleskill (Schoharie County) - Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Michael McNulty will host an upcoming economic summit to help upstate New York examine existing resources and develop effective, ecologically conscious, innovative ideas for economic growth. The Summit will explore the following priorities: Find ways to grow Upstate New York's niche farms into profitable businesses; Explore advances in alternative fuel research and discuss new agricultural technologies as efficient, plausible biofuel solutions; Discuss the best means of producing value-added products on farms instead of focusing exclusively on perishable goods, and find funding, promotional opportunities, and new distribution channels for goods, and; Examine the role of agri-tourism and how it will continue to change the future of farming. Please register online at: http://www.publicforuminstitute.org/activities/2008/ny/register.htm. The cost of the luncheon is $20 - contact Erin Wiley for more information at erin@pfidc.org or 202-374-0840.

Cayuga County Pasture Walk - Tuesday, May 20th - 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm - White Clover Farm, Anja Prelowski and Will Wasleff, Genoa. Discussion will focus on producing high quality pasture and how to use the information from a pasture forage analysis. Karen Hoffman, grazing nutritionist with USDA-NRCS, will be leading the discussion, and will also address ration balancing strategies for dairy that are economical while on pasture. For more information contact Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County at 315-255-1183.

Advance Notice:

Small Ruminant Management - Wednesday, June 4th - 10:00 am to 1:00 pm - Crystal Brook Farm, 192 Tuttle Road, Sterling, MA. More details about the session, including directions to the farm, can be found at www.nofamass.org/programs/organicdairy/index.php. Sponsored by NOFA/Mass, USDA-NRCS, and the University of Massachusetts.

Transition to Organic Dairy/NRCS Resources - Saturday, June 21st - 11:00 am to 2:00 pm - Robinson Farm, 42 Jackson Road, Hardwick, MA. More details about the session, including directions to the farm, can be found at www.nofamass.org/programs/organicdairy/index.php. Sponsored by NOFA/Mass, USDA-NRCS, and the University of Massachusetts.

Pasture Management Tips:

Go with the grass.....that's a simple way to remember a very simple management strategy for grazing - always put your animals where the grass is at the best stage for grazing it. Many people forget that there is no rule that says you must graze every paddock every rotation. Those who forget usually find that they are constantly "chasing down" grass that has grown so fast the animals can't keep up with it. If you keep an eye on paddocks grazed early in the rotation, and you see that they are recovering rapidly, you need to plan on grazing them sooner rather than later. If you have some paddocks that get ahead of you, mow them for a hay crop. If getting the hay off those acres is difficult, they can be clipped and once the forage has wilted a bit, turn some animals in to pick up the "hay" they wouldn't graze when it was on the plant.

The above is a repeat of last May's management tips, but is one that is worth repeating - make it your mantra!

Grazing Resources:

Do you wish you could use extra land for grazing, but it's owned by an absentee landowner? Absentee landowners are not usually actively involved in decision-making on the farm, and a majority of them have never been a farm operator. Thus they may not be aware of how to approach someone about using it for grazing, or available programs that can assist. The Center for Absentee Landowners works to inform and assist absentee landowners with understanding and implementing conservation programs on their land. The Center is designed to help landowners understand the different available programs, which agencies to contact and the tools needed to implement conservation. Visit the Center's website at http://www.absenteelandowners.org to view resources available to both the absetee landowner and farmers who would like to utilize the land.

Grazing Opportunities:

Dairy and Livestock Manager of Appleton Farms, Ipswich, MA - The Appleton Farms Dairy and Livestock Manager (DLM) is responsible for all aspects of the grass-based dairy and beef operation. The DLM oversees a staff of 3 and manages the budget, livestock, facilities, grazing infrastructure and is responsible for implementation of the plan for the Dairy and Livestock program. Appleton Farms is owned by a conservation organization and is open to the public. Interpretive and educational programs are held on the farm and utilize the dairy for some of their programs to help inform visitors about the farms history and agriculture. The farm also has a 500-share organic CSA program. For more information, including a full description of the position, contact Wayne Castonguay, General Manager at 978-356-5728 or wcastonguay@ttor.org.

****************

April 2008

According to one grazing "expert", the average first day of grazing in the spring is April 23rd, at least in more Southern parts of upstate NY. Of course, that varies from year to year and in other places, but it's still a good benchmark for planning and counting down in anticipation of turning animals out. Take a look at the Pasture Management Tips below for further discussion on the spring transition to pasture. Also, April offers some unique opportunities to learn about grazing and human health, consumer interests, and alternative production models. Here's wishing you Happy Grazing from NYS-GLCI!
(Please continue to send in notices of pasture walks and workshops by the end of
each month - the Grazette is distributed monthly.)

Upcoming Pasture Workshops and Related Events:

Beef Workshop - Thursday, April 10th - 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm - NYS Grange Building, Cortland, NY (Cortland County) - Topics include beef housing and facilities, prescribed grazing management, and Agricultural Environmental Management (AEM). Pre-registration is appreciated - contact Sharon Van Deuson at 607-753-5078 or shv7@cornell.edu. This workshop is presented by CCE of Cortland County, SCNY Area Ag Team, Graze NY, the NYS Dept. of Ag & Markets AEM Program and Cortland County SWCD.

Working Lands: An Agroforestry Sampler - Saturday, April 12th - 8:30 am to 6:30 pm - 135 Emerson Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (Tompkins County) - Learn how to combine trees and shrubs with crops and/or livestock to diversify products, markets and farm income; improve soil and water quality while reducing erosion and non-point source pollution and enhancing wildlife habitats; benefit from using multi-cropping, multi-story practices, including silvopasture, forest farming, riparian buffers, alley cropping, windbreaks, and other agroforestry practices. Registration $95; Student rate $75. Fee includes morning refreshment, lunch, conference packet and resource materials. For more information, including program and registration form, visit www.rpmecosystems.com, email info@rpmecosystems.com, or call 607-844-9590. Sponsored by RPM Ecosystems LLC, Cornell Agroforestry Resource Center, Cornell Agroforestry and Private Woodland Management Program Work Team, and the Cornell Ecoagriculture Working Group, University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry, Chemung Canal Trust Company, NY Forest Owners Association

Swine School at Stone Barns - Friday and Saturday, April 18th and 19th - 8:30 am to 5:30 pm and 8:30 am to12:40 pm, respectively - Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, 630 Bedford Road, Pocantico, NY (Westchester County) - Featuring: Paul Willis, an Iowa producer and pig specialist for Niman Ranch; Keith Thornton, British author of Outdoor Pig Production; Chuck Talbott, West Virginia producer and former animal science professor who has focused on silvo-pastoral opportunities with pigs; Tim Holmes, North Carolina Producer and certifier for The Animal Welfare Institute. Topics will include outdoor management techniques, swine behavior, meat quality, feeds and feeding, herd health, breeding and more! $60 per person, includes breakfast both days and lunch on Friday OR $45 per person to attend Friday only. Hosted by Stone Barns Center and The Animal Welfare Institute. To register visit www.stonebarnscenter.org or call 914-366-6200 x151. Student scholarships available - contact Bill Henning at bill@overthefencepost.com or 585-728-5783.

Linking Healthy Soil to Healthy Food and You: Workshop for Health Care Educators and Providers with Jerry Brunetti - Friday, April 18th - 8:30 am to 11:00 am - First Baptist Church, 17 South Street, Cuba, NY (Allegany County) - Degenerative diseases including arthritis, heart disease, Alzheimer's, diabetes, etc., are largely related to poor quality foods that lack nutrient density and contain toxins and empty calories. This is as much an agricultural crisis as a nutritional/medical crisis, which will require that the farms of the future become “farmacies”. In 1999, Jerry was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and given as little as six months to live without aggressive chemotherapy. He instead chose a holistic path of nutrition, detoxification and immune modulation and applied his vast experience with farming and animal nutrition to his own health. The links between healthy soil, truly nutritious food, and profitable, sustainable farming are clearly evident in his personal and professional experiences. Come and learn the connection between farming practices and human nutrition and health. There is no fee for the program but pre-registration is required by April 14th as space is limited. To register, please call Dorene at 585-268-7644 ext. 10. Sponsored by Cornell University Cooperative Extension of Allegany County, Healthy Heart Program, and NYS-GLCI.

2008 Grazing Conference - Impacts for Dairy Producers: Production and Profitability - Friday, April 18th - 9:30 am to 3:00 pm - Catholic Church, 50 South Street, Cuba, NY (Allegany County) - Speakers include Kerri Bartlett on the benefits of grazing beyond grass, John Stoltzfus on using small grains and brassicas to extend the grazing season, Kim Shaklee and Janice Brown on what's in your milk check, and Jerry Brunetti on back to the future with grass-based livestock and a look at how healthy forages result in healthy herds and farms. Registration is required by April 14th, and there is a conference fee of $15 (late or walk-in registration is $25). For more information, please call Lynn at 585-268-7644 ext. 18. Sponsored by Cornell University Cooperative Extension of Allegany County, Healthy Heart Program, and NYS-GLCI.

Food as Medicine and Local Economic Prosperity: Workshop for Consumers and Producers - Friday, April 18th - 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm - Catholic Church, 50 South Street, Cuba, NY (Allegany County) - Start off the evening sampling some of the locally produced foods available in our area. Farms from throughout Allegany and Cattaraugus Counties will prepare dishes using products from their farms. Taste the difference, try something new, meet our farm neighbors. At 7:30, Jerry Brunetti, founder of Agri-Dynamics, will give the keynote. As the health care crisis escalates, prevention and holistic resolution of family health problems is shifting to healthy dietary choices and moving away from drugs and hospitalization. Government subsidies for ethanol and feedlot commodities (corn and soy) have been contributing factors toward a centralized fast-food system not conducive to local economic prosperity. As an alternative, healthy local food choices mean healthier, economically vibrant communities. Registration is required by April 14th, and there is a conference fee of $10 (late registration or walk-in is $15). For more information, please call Lynn at 585-268-7644 ext. 18. Sponsored by Cornell University Cooperative Extension of Allegany County, Healthy Heart Program, and NYS-GLCI.

2008 Grazing Conference - Sustainable Farming Livestock Workshop with Jerry Brunetti - Saturday, April 19th - 9:00 am to 3:00 pm - Catholic Church, 50 South Street, Cuba, NY (Allegany County) - Come and learn from Jerry Brunetti about healthy herds through biodiversity, what your farm's yield limiting factors are, and consumer demand for wholesome products and how you can match your farm to these new interests. Registration is required by April 14th, and there is a conference fee of $15 (late or walk-in is $25). For more information, please call Lynn at 585-268-7644 ext. 18. Sponsored by Cornell University Cooperative Extension of Allegany County, Healthy Heart Program, and NYS-GLCI.

Oneida County Pasture Walk - Wednesday, April 30th - 11:00 am to 1:30 pm - Don and Samantha Wivell Farm, 2032 Brothertown Road, Deansboro, NY - Both experienced and beginning graziers are welcome to join the Oneida County grazing group at their first pasture walk of the season. We will look over the Wivell's paddocks and determine how soon, far away, or should we run home and turn the cows out! Don has a unique background in that he once worked for a major feed company and he has some ideas on how he is going to maintain high production with spiraling grain prices. We will also discuss reminders on transitioning cows back outside onto pasture, clipping of pastures and topics for our next meeting. The pasture walk is free and refreshments will be served. For more information and to register by April 25th contact Bill Paddock at 315-736-3316 ext. 3 or william-paddock@oneidaswcd.org. This event is sponsored by Oneida County SWCD, NYS GLCI and Oneida County Cooperative Extension.

Advance Notice:

Transitioning a Dairy Herd from Winter to Summer Feed - Tuesday, May 6th - 10:00 am to 1:00 pm - Rocky Acres Farm. 690 Coy Hill Road, Warren, MA - More details about the session, including directions to the farm, can be found at www.nofamass.org/programs/organicdairy/index.php. Sponsored by NOFA/Mass, USDA-NRCS, and the University of Massachusetts.

Pasture Management Tips:

It's almost transition time, that is, time to transition your animals on to pasture sometime in the next few weeks. Dairy farmers need to be especially careful about transitioning, or milk production may take a hit. Remember that switching from stored feeds to pasture is like changing silos - the rumen bugs need time to adjust to a higher quality feed. Even other kinds and classes of livestock need to make the shift, but you don't generally see the effect of no transition time causing lower production - they usually make up the difference in growth later in the season.

Best bets are to begin the transition when the grass is only 3 or 4 inches tall - unless the ground is so wet that they'll sink up to the hocks. Transitioning at the shorter height sets up your "grazing wedge" - in other words, it begins the process of getting the grass staged to be grazed at the right height throughout the grazing season. If you wait to turn out until it's 6 to 8 inches tall, you've set yourself up for a lot more clipping or haying, because the animals will never catch up with it. The shorter starting height also limits intake, and so helps the rumen bugs adjust over the first week or two on grass.

Grazing Resources:

The Northeast Grazing Guide, the official website of the Northeast Pasture Consortium, will soon have the presentations given at the Annual Meeting held in Binghamton available to view. If you want to see the research that is happening and some of the results, go to www.umaine.edu/grazingguide/. Likewise, presentations from Northeast Grasstravaganza will soon be available to view at www.cnyrcd.org. So, if you missed either event and were interested in any of the presentations, you can at least get a sense of what the various speakers discussed.

****************************
March 2008 - Part II

As it turns out, March is a busier month than realized, and a few events mistakenly were left off the list that was originally sent out. We would not want anybody to miss a workshop that is of interest, so are sending out an update with a couple more listings, and we apologize for the late notice on these events.
(Please continue to send in notices of pasture walks and workshops by the end of
each month - the Grazette is distributed monthly.)

Upcoming Pasture Workshops and Related Events:

Maximizing Milk on Homegrown Feeds - March 13th and 14th - 9:30 am to 4:00 pm - Newport, VT and Sheldon, VT, respectively. This traveling workshop is designed to meet the needs of dairy farmers wanting to maximize the use of their forages systems and/or learn about incorporating home grown grains to offset the costs of purchased feeds. The program will cover basic nutrition and how best to improve herd health and economics on the farm. In addition, you will learn tips and strategies that local dairy producers use for sustainable grain and dairy livestock improvement from a panel of producers. For more information, contact Heather Darby at 802-524-6501 or Lisa McCrory at 802-234-5524.

Maximizing Milk on Homegrown Feeds - March 18th and 19th - 9:30 am to 4:00 pm - Springfield, VT and Rutland, VT. Same description and contact info as listed above.

Processing-Marketing, Pasture Basics and Renovation Workshop - Wednesday, March 19th - 9:30 am to 2:30 pm - Brunswick Town Community Center, Troy, NY (Rensselaer County). Topics to be presented include marketing local meat, reclaiming idle land for pasture, and effective grazing planning and management. The program is FREE and includes lunch but pre-registration is required and attendance is limited. To register, please call the Rensselaer County Soil and Water Conservation District at (518) 271-1740. Hosted by Rensselaer County SWCD and Hudson Mohawk RC&D. Made possible with funding from the USDA NRCS Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative and the NY Farm Viability Institute.

Pasture Reminders:

Northeast Grasstravaganza 2008 - March 28th and 29th - Binghamton, NY. If you plan to attend this information-packed conference, you need to register soon! If you wait until the last minute, there is no guarantee of hotel rooms or meal availability. Register on-line at www.cnyrcd.org, or call Kim Totten at 607-334-3231 ext. 4.

The NY GLCI Steering Committee has MONEY to sponsor educational workshops, pasture walks, and other grazing-related events, and they want to partner with other like-minded people and organizations. If you have an upcoming event and would like to offset some of your costs for speakers, advertising, or refreshments, don't hesitate to make a request! Simply contact GLCI Coordinator Karen Hoffman at karen.hoffman2@ny.usda.gov or 607-334-4632 ext. 116 to find out how to apply.

**************************
March 2008

This issue is being sent out a day early so there is more time for you to look over all the events that are happening in early March, and register for those if you are interested in attending. There are a lot more this month overall! Also, we wanted to remind you that the Early Bird registration deadline for Northeast Grasstravaganza is March 1st (tomorrow), so be sure to mail your registration or visit www.cnyrcd.org to register on-line and take advantage of the discount. Finally, Happy Leap Day!
( Please note the change in email address that this newsletter is being sent from, and make any changes necessary in your email settings or address book.)
(Please continue to send in notices of pasture walks and workshops by the end of
each month - the Grazette is distributed monthly.)

Upcoming Pasture Workshops and Related Events:

Organic Dairy Herd Health Meetings (various locations) - Monday, March 3rd to Friday, March 7th - 10:00 am to 3:00 pm - These meetings will be held in Troy, PA, Richfield Springs, NY, La Fargeville, NY, Machias, NY and Dryden, NY. Morning session is classroom-style with Dr. Guy Jodarski, DVM from Wisconsin and afternoon session is a barn meeting. Friday's session will not have a barn meeting, but will feature Dr. Linda Tikofsky, DVM from Cornell's Quality Milk Production Services and Keith Waldron from Cornell's Integrated Pest Management Program. Sponsored by Organic Valley - CROPP Cooperative. To register call 888-809-9297 ext. 3495, or for more information contact Peter Miller at 612-801-3506.

Northwestern Pennsylvania Grazing Conference - Tuesday, March 4th - 8:00 am to 4:00 pm - Tri County Church of God, DuBois, PA. Featuring Ralph Quillin of Kentucky Graziers on developing the grazing mindset and livestock watering, Michael Wright of Big Horn Meats on nomadic grazing to restore and preserve farmland, Troy Bishopp of Bishopp Family Farm on contract grazing on abandoned land, Dr. Darrell Emmick of USDA-NRCS in NY on behavior-based grazing management, and John Tyson of PSU Cooperative Extension on beedded pack barns, among others. Presented by USDA-NRCS-PA, Penn State Cooperative Extension, Headwaters RC&D Council and Jefferson Conservation District. For more information contact Headwaters RC&D at 814-375-1372.

Tour of Bedded Pack Management System - Water Quality Benefits of Winter Housing - Friday, March 7th - 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm - Lazy Crazy Acres Farm, Arkville, NY (Ulster County) - The tour will focus on the farm's winter housing of dairy cows in a bedded pack barn, where farm owner (and grazier) Jake Fairbairn is in his second winter season managing this system. Fairbairn will share his experience with this innovative Best Management Practice and the success he's encountered in herd health, milk production, and winter housing efficiency. This BMP serves as a manure storage structure, barnyard water management system, feeding area, and housing for the herd, and was constructed with funding from USDA's Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) Program and the Watershed Agricultural Council (WAC). Additional speakers who were involved in the project will also contribute to the discussion. To register for the tour, contact Kim Holden at 607-865-7090 or kmh19@cornell.edu.

Grass-Finished Meats Seminar 2008 - Saturday, March 8th - 9:00 am to 4:15 pm - Bloomsburg Fire Hall, Bloomsburg, PA. Featuring guest speakers Allen Williams of Tallgrass Beef Company on economic benchmarking for grass-finished beef and Dr. Ann Wells of Springpond Holistic Animal Health on using a holistic approach to animal health care. For more information, contact either David Hartman at 570-784-6660 ext 12 or dwh2@psu.edu or Kris Ribble at 570-784-4401 ext 111 or kris.ribble@pa.usda.gov.

Third Annual NH Grazing Conference - Grass-Fed From Pasture to Plate - Saturday, March 8th - 8:00 am to 4:00 pm - Common Man Inn, Plymouth, NH. Featuring Jim Gerrish, Jim and Adele Hayes, Sarah Flack, Ridge Shinn, Matt and Beth LeClair, and Ed Jackson. For more information visit http://www.extension.unh.edu/ or contact Mary West at 603-225-5505.

Oneida County Grazing Workshop - Monday, March 10th - 11:00 am to 3:00 pm - Oneida County Cooperative Extension, Oriskany. The Oneida County graziers group will be holding their first meeting of the year, and featuring Dr. Darrell Emmick on pasture management and improvement, Karen Hoffman on grazing dairy nutrition, and Patrina Ashley, DVM on the NYS Cattle Health Assurance Program (NYSCHAP). The meeting is open to anyone who wants to learn more about rotational grazing, especially as grain, fuel, and other input costs increase while pasture remains a low-cost alternative. There is no fee for the meeting and snacks will be provided. Please register by March 7th by calling Bill Paddock of Oneida County SWCD at 315-736-3316 ext. 3 or william-paddock@oneidaswcd.org. Sponsored by Oneida County SWCD, Oneida County Cooperative Extension, NYS-GLCI, and ANCA.

Economics and Health Benefits to Grazing Dairy Replacements - Friday, March 14th - 10:00 am to 2:00 pm - Lansing Fire Hall, Route 34B, Lansing (Tompkins County). Results of a two-year SARE study involving 100 bred dairy replacements and their post-calving health indices will be presented by Fay Benson, and John Conway will review grazing heifer measurements he gathered from a Tioga County dairy farm using managed grazing and compare them to predictions from the Cornell CPM Dairy Model. To register, contact Sharon Van Deuson at 607-753-5078 or shv7@cornell.edu.

Cornell Soils Workshop: Soil Health & Dynamic Nitrogen Modeling - Tuesday, March 18th - 10:00 am to 4:00 pm - Conference Room 102, Mann Library, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. Morning session on advanced soil health management and the new Cornell Soil Health Test. Afternoon session will discuss a web-based tool for adjusting N recommendations for corn using weather data and modeling. Free catered lunch. For more information contact Larissa Smith at lls14@cornell.edu, 607-255-2177 or Bob Schindelbeck at rrs3@cornell.edu or 607-227-6055.

Southwestern NY Pasture Expo - Friday, March 21st - 10:30 am to 3:00 pm - Randolph Fire Hall, Randolph, NY (Cattaraugus County). Speakers will include farmers Ron Stutzman and John Stoltzfus concentrating on "on-farm research" with soil biology, alternative forages, and low cost energy sources. Practical water systems that have been installed will also be discussed by Rob DeClue of Chenango County SWCD and GLCI. For more information contact Lisa Kempisty at 716-664-9502 ext. 203 or ljk4@cornell.edu. Sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua Counties, Seneca Trail RC&D, County SWCD's, USDA-NRCS, NYS GLCI and local agribusinesses.

4th Annual Northeast PA Grazing Conference - Today's Grass-Based Agriculture: Grazing Systems, Healthy Soils & Healthy Livestock - Wednesday, March 26th - 8:30 am to 3:45 pm - Harford Volunteer Fire Company, Harford, PA. Presentations by Dr. Hubert Karreman, VMD, author of "Treating Dairy Cows Naturally", Dr. Jerry Cherney of Cornell University on biomass energy, and many others. Registration of $20 due by March 17th, and includes lunch and materials. For more information, contact Kris Ribble at 570-784-4401 ext. 111 or kris.ribble@pa.usda.gov.

Northeast Pasture Consortium Annual Meeting - March 27th and 28th - Holiday Inn Arena, Binghamton, NY. Featuring research updates from Northeastern Universities, USDA-ARS laboratories, and others. Identification of future research and outreach priorities by farmers. Additional information available at www.umaine.edu/grazingguide.

Northeast Grasstravaganza 2008 - March 28th and 29th - Holiday Inn Arena, Binghamton, NY - Register now for this grazing conference featuring a variety of workshops with practical farmer ideas and perspectives. Dan Barber, chef and co-owner of Blue Hill Restaurant in NY City and at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, NY will now be speaking on Saturday after lunch on his preference for using local foods (originally scheduled for Friday morning). Sessions on grass-fed and organic milk nutrient characteristics compared to conventional, marketing from the farm and farmer's markets, low or no-grain dairy, raising pigs on pasture, and preventing predation of small ruminants. Hosted by Central NY RC&D with cooperation from NY farmers, NYS GLCI, USDA-NRCS, Cornell Small Farms Program, Cornell University Cooperative Extension, County SWCD's, Rural Health Network of South Central NY, and Watershed Agricultural Council. To receive a registration form in the regular mail, email kimberly.totten@ny.usda.gov or call (607) 334-3231 ext. 4. For the agenda, sponsors, and on-line registration, visit the website at www.cnyrcd.org - early bird discount registration ends March 1st!

Advance Notice:

Spring weather - April - not sure what day or time - locations will vary across the Northeast. Featuring warmer weather, the return of robins, crocuses, and daffodils. Grass will begin to grow once soil temperatures warm as well, and then cattle, sheep, goats, and numerous other ruminants will appear to begin grazing. For more information, keep an eye on the weather forecast and out the barn door......

Pasture Management Tips:

More fence building and planning ideas, especially for those who are not currently grazing their animals but intend to this spring, or anticipate expanding the current grazing acreage, some planning now may save money later.

Once you have mapped out where your fences will be built using an aerial photo, walk those fencelines to be sure the site is prepared for contractors. Of course, you may have to wait for some snow to melt, or somehow find a way to get across the snow (snowshoes, x-country skis, etc.). Assess the future fenceline for old fences, shrubs, trees, limbs, and stone piles or stone walls. Once you have identified any places where these may exist, seriously consider removing them before the contractor shows up. If you don't, the contractor will do it for you, which will cost both time and money. If you can't remove them, you may need to revise your plans for where the fenceline will go. Be sure to check with the person who helped you plan the system, especially if there is cost-sharing involved in the project. In this case, it is better to ask permission than to beg forgiveness and risk losing the financial assistance because the change doesn't comply with the plan.

A final tip - if you're building high tensile electric fence, the straighter you can make it, the better. This saves on length of wire, number of posts you need to pound or drill, and increases the integrity of the fence if challenged by livestock or other forces.

Grazing Resources:

USDA-Agricultural Research Service has a facility located at University Park, PA known as the Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Research Unit. In the past 10 years, the researchers there have conducted numerous research projects that are critical to the future of pasture-based dairy and livestock farms around the Northeast. Everything from plants to animals to bioenergy and farm systems modeling of environmental impacts of grazing, economics, and nutrient management, they have addressed in some way, shape or form. It has an even longer history than the past 10 years, having been a part of the Penn State campus since the late 1930's and affectionately known as "The Pasture Lab". To read more about their program and research results, visit www.ars.usda.gov/naa/pswmru. The facility has been identified for closure in the Federal budget.

NEWSFLASH!

The planning committee for Northeast Grasstravaganza 2008 is pleased to announce that on-line registration is now available!
Visit www.cnyrcd.org before March 1st to register at the early bird rate.
( Please note the change in email address that this newsletter is being sent from, and make any changes necessary in your email settings or address book.)

Who Should Attend?

If these names are familiar to you - you should attend! - Dan Barber, Janet McNally, Shannon Hayes, Kathy Voth, Darrell Emmick, David Smith, Kevin Fulton, and Kim Seeley.

If these names are NOT familiar to you - you should attend and hear them for the first time! - Mary McFadden, Ray Denniston, Tricia and Matt Park, Adam Perrin, Russ and Lorenne Nans, Diane Van Hekken, Anja Preylowski, Jake Fairbairn, Pete and Lynette Swendsen, Tiffany Lyman, and many, many more of grazing's best-kept secrets!

If you enjoy local foods, want to learn more about marketing, wonder why your animals behave the way they do, want to meet other grazier's, or want information from a grazing-based tradeshow - YOU SHOULD ATTEND!

View the full agenda at the same website www.cnyrcd.org. For more information or to have a brochure mailed to you, contact Kim Totten at 607-334-3231 ext. 4 or kimberly.totten@ny.usda.gov.

This piece of blatant promotion is brought to you by one of the GOLD RIBBON sponsors of Grasstravaganza....the NYS Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative and it's wonderful Steering Committee!

**********************
February 2008

It's good to see the number of pasture workshops and conferences that are happening this month and next. Let's hope that lots of people can take advantage of them without this "real winter" causing too many travel and farm chore problems on the days these events are scheduled. As we look towards spring green-up (approximately 75 to 85 days from now!), this is the time to think through what we might change in our pasture management this year - conferences and workshops are great places to get new ideas from other farmers and educators.
( Please note the change in email address that this newsletter is being sent from, and make any changes necessary in your email settings or address book.)
(Please continue to send in notices of pasture walks and workshops by the end of
each month - the Grazette is distributed monthly.)

Upcoming Pasture Workshops and Related Events:

Family Farming Conference 2008 - Saturday, February 2nd - 8:30 am to 3:00 pm - Jordan Hall at NYS Experiment Station in Geneva (Seneca County). Small farms can be viable in ways you probably never imagined. Some of this year's topics include: a routine 5-month vacation while dairy farming; gardening the kids look forward to; 6,000 pounds of milk/acre with no grain; raw milk sales with many hassles removed; the last mastitis case was 16 years ago; and many, many more family farming topics. Sponsored by Finger Lakes Graziers, Produce Growers of the Finger Lakes, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Seneca & Yates Counties, the Animal Welfare Institute and the Cornell Small Farms Program. Cost is $20/person or $40/person after January 28th payable at the door. For more information call Cornell Cooperative Extension of Seneca County at 315-539-9251 or view the agenda at www.smallfarms.cornell.edu/pages/events/index.cfm.

More Than the Luck of the Bite - Tuesday and Wednesday, February 12th and 13th (2 locations) - 10:00 am to 3:00 pm - Madrid Community Center (Tues - St. Lawrence County) and Emergency Facility in Malone (Wed - Franklin County). Grazing animal behavior with Dr. Darrell Emmick, USDA-NRCS, on what is known about some of the adaptations, foraging strategies, and mechanisms used by grazing animals to make foraging decisions. Grazing infrastructure with Rob DeClue, Chenango County SWCD, on fencing and watering to improve pasture management and productivity. Light lunch provided. For more information, contact ANCA office at 518-891-6200. Pre-registration due by February 6th. Sponsored by Adirondack North Country Association, GLCI, local SWCD's, and USDA-NRCS.

NY Certified Organic Meeting - Tuesday, February 19th - 10 am to 1 pm - 5 sites - Geneva, St. Lawrence, Oriskany, and 2 sites in North Dakota. Presentations include John Stolfutzs about grazing brassicas on his organic dairy until December, Jan van der Heide of Bejo Seeds about the growing requirements of brassicas, Bob LeFrancois of Lamb & Webster about machinery available to weed field crops, and two speakers from North Dakota on organic no-till corn and organic farms in ND. For more information contact A. Fay Benson at 607-753-5213 or afb3@cornell.edu.

New York Farm Show - February 21st, 22nd, and 23rd - NYS Fairgrounds, Syracuse. Packed with exhibitors and information on anything and everything agricultural, there are also seminars geared towards profitable beef production throughout each day in the Dairy Building. Each afternoon at 3:00 there will be a seminar on managed rotational grazing, presented by either Dr. Darrell Emmick, NRCS State Grazing Specialist or Karen Hoffman, NRCS Animal Scientist (depending on which day you visit). Visit www.newyorkfarmshow.com and click on the "Boost Beef Profits" link for the full schedule.

Advance Notice:

Northwestern Pennsylvania Grazing Conference - Tuesday, March 4th - 8:00 am to 4:00 pm - Tri County Church of God, DuBois, PA. Featuring Ralph Quillin of Kentucky Graziers, Michael Wright of Big Horn Meats, Troy Bishopp of Bishopp Family Farm, and many others. For more information contact Headwaters RC&D at 814-375-1372.

Grass-Finished Meats Seminar 2008 - Saturday, March 8th - 9:00 am to 4:15 pm - Bloomsburg Fire Hall, Bloomsburg, PA. Featuring guest speakers Allen Williams of Tallgrass Beef Company on economic benchmarking for grass-finished beef and Dr. Ann Wells of Springpond Holistic Animal Health on using a holistic approach to animal health care. For more information, contact either David Hartman at 570-784-6660 ext 12 or dwh2@psu.edu or Kris Ribble at 570-784-4401 ext 111 or kris.ribble@pa.usda.gov.

4th Annual Northeast PA Grazing Conference - Today's Grass-Based Agriculture: Grazing Systems, Healthy Soils & Healthy Livestock - Wednesday, March 26th - 8:30 am to 3:45 pm - Harford Volunteer Fire Company, Harford, PA. Presentations by Dr. Hubert Karreman, VMD, author of "Treating Dairy Cows Naturally", Dr. Jerry Cherney of Cornell University on biomass energy, and many others. For more information, contact Kris Ribble at 570-784-4401 ext. 111 or kris.ribble@pa.usda.gov.

Northeast Pasture Consortium Annual Meeting - March 27th and 28th - Holiday Inn Arena, Binghamton, NY. Featuring research updates from Northeastern Universities, USDA-ARS laboratories, and others. Identification of future research and outreach priorities by farmers. Additional information available at www.umaine.edu/grazingguide.

Northeast Grasstravaganza 2008 - March 28th and 29th - Holiday Inn Arena, Binghamton, NY - Save the dates for this grazing conference featuring a variety of workshops with practical farmer ideas and perspectives. Sessions on pasture lambing, multi-species grazing, working with meat processors, low cost grazing dairy start-ups, contract grazing of dairy heifers, and more. Hosted by Central NY RC&D with cooperation from NY farmers, NYS GLCI, USDA-NRCS, Cornell Small Farms Program, Cornell University Cooperative Extension, County SWCD's, Rural Health Network of South Central NY, and Watershed Agricultural Council. To receive a registration form in the regular mail, email kimberly.totten@ny.usda.gov or call (607) 334-3231 ext. 4. For a preview of the agenda, visit the website at www.cnyrcd.org - additional information and on-line registration will be available SOON!

Pasture Management Tips:

Even though it's only February, there are some pasture management items you can begin to plan for. If you are not currently grazing your animals but intend to this spring, or if you anticipate expanding your current grazing acreage, some planning now may save you some money later.

Using an aerial photo (available from NRCS or county SWCD's) and a pencil to plan out fencelines, as well as potential changes in the future, can help you to be more prepared to discuss options with either a grazing planner or a fencing contractor. Once you have a plan, and are ready to discuss it with a contractor, be sure to contact more than one. This is for two reasons - 1) many of them are busy, so the more you contact the more likey you are to find one who is available when you want the work done. Also, contact them sooner rather than later, for the same scheduling reason; 2) as with all contracted items, a little competition can make a big difference in the final price tag. Your local NRCS or SWCD office likely has a list of fencing contractors who work in your area - find them in the phone book under US Government or the name of the county you farm in. Touching base with these offices is a good idea anyway, as there may be cost-sharing opportunities through USDA or state programs that they can tell you about.

Grazing Resources:

Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund - Available to any farm, not just grazier's, this organization supports the farmer's right to sell grass-based meats, raw dairy, fresh produce, and other nutritious products directly to consumers. It is member-based, and provides legal representation, educational services, and political action services. More information is available at www.farmtoconsumer.org or by calling 703-208-FARM (3276).

Notes:

Want to submit an event? Interested in subscribing? Simply send an email to karen.hoffman2@ny.usda.gov with your event information, or with the subject line of "subscribe" to be added to the distribution list! If submitting an event listing, please submit it before the end of the month prior to the date scheduled, as this newsletter will only be generated at the beginning of the month. Not interested? If we've sent this to you, and you're not interested in receiving it again, also send an email to the above address with "unsubscribe" in the subject line.

Brought to you by the NYS Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative. The Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative is a grass-roots coalition of producers, agricultural industry, and conservation groups with an interest in the sound conservation of private grazing lands. The goal of this newsletter is to increase awareness of grazing events around New York and in neighboring states, as well as to provide information that is useful on the farm. For more information on GLCI, check out the national GLCI website at www.glci.org. Information on the NYS GLCI can be obtained from GLCI Coordinator Karen Hoffman at the email address above or GLCI Chair Troy Bishopp at FarmboyTB@aol.com.

"Promoting Clean, Green, and Profitable Agriculture"
*********************************************************************

January 2008

Happy New Year!
On behalf of all of us who work with the NY Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative, including members of the Steering Committee and those who provide grazing assistance across the state through GLCI funding, we wish you a happy, prosperous, and productive 2008.
Remember, we are passionate about "promoting clean, green, and profitable agriculture", because "conservation never tasted so good",
and will continue to do this important work throughout the coming year!
(Please continue to send in notices of pasture walks and workshops by the end of
each month - the Grazette will continue to be distributed throughout the year.)

Upcoming Pasture Workshops and Related Events:

Long Island Ag Forum - Equine Management Seminar - Thursday, January 10th - 2:00 to 5:00 pm - Suffolk Community College, Eastern Campus, Riverhead (Suffolk County). Featuring Dr. Darrell Emmick of USDA-NRCS on equine pasture management and Rob DeClue of Chenango County SWCD on infrastructure considerations for the equine: fencing, water, and laneways. This seminar is part of the Long Island Ag Forum with concurrent sessions on a variety of agricultural topics. For more information, contact Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County at 631-727-7850 or lml10@cornell.edu.

12th Annual Vermont Grazing Conference - "From Fallow Fields to Farm Fresh Foods" - Saturday, January 19th - 8:00 am to 4:45 pm - Vermont Technical College, Randolph, VT - Featuring a keynote from Greg Judy of Missouri, "The Wonderful Grass Machine: Using Livestock to Restore Fallow Land", and numerous workshops for dairy, grass-fed, poultry, soils and forages, consumer connections, and more. For more information visit www.uvm.edu/~pasture.

2008 NY Cattle Feeders Conference & Winter Management Meeting - Friday and Saturday, January 25th and 26th - Holiday Inn, Carrier Circle, Syracuse. The first day will focus on utilizing idled grasslands, as it is estimated that there are 3 million acres of idled farmland in New York. A significant proportion of this land is owned by non-farmers. Many of these landowners are, however, interested in having the land used for agricultural purposes. Often, they will allow use of this land by farmers for minimal to no cost. Since land cost and the production of feed is one of the highest expenses of the livestock enterprise, access to land at a low cost provides a competitive advantage to livestock owners in New York. Saturday's sessions will focus on health issues for the cow calf herd. According to Standardized Performance Analysis (SPA), health costs in the most profitable herds are second to feed costs. How are profitable herds spending their health dollars? For more information on specific topics, visit http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/beef/events.html and to register or additional information, contact Mike Baker at 607-255-5923 or mjb28@cornell.edu.

NOFA-NY Organic Farming and Gardening Conference - Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, January 25th to 27th - Saratoga Hotel and Conference Center, Saratoga Springs, NY - Featuring Dr. Terry Wollen, DVM from Heifer International, Dr. Ann Wells, DVM from Springpond Holistic Animal Health in Arkansas, and a number of New York's finest graziers of various types and combinations of livestock with practical information to share! For more information visit www.nofany.org.

Advance Notice:

Grass-Finished Meats Seminar 2008 - Saturday, March 8th - 9:00 am to 4:15 pm - Bloomsburg Fire Hall, Bloomsburg, PA - Featuring guest speakers Allen Williams of Tallgrass Beef Company on economic benchmarking for grass-finished beef and Dr. Ann Wells of Springpond Holistic Animal Health on using a holistic approach to animal health care. For more information, contact either David Hartman at 570-784-6660 ext 12 or dwh2@psu.edu or Kris Ribble at 570-784-4401 ext 111 or kris.ribble@pa.usda.gov.

Northeast Pasture Consortium Annual Meeting - March 27th and 28th - Holiday Inn Arena, Binghamton, NY. Featuring research updates from Northeastern Universities, USDA-ARS laboratories, and others. Identification of future research and outreach priorities by farmers. Additional information will be available soon at www.umaine.edu/grazingguide.

Northeast Grasstravaganza 2008 - March 28th and 29th - Holiday Inn Arena, Binghamton, NY - Save the dates for this grazing conference featuring a variety of workshops on marketing grass-based products to chefs, schools, at farmer's markets, and direct from the farm with well-known speakers such as Dan Barber, executive chef and co-owner of Blue Hill Restaurant, Shannon Hayes of Sapbush Hollow Farm and author of The Grassfed Gourmet, and Ray Denniston of the Johnson City School District and member of both the NYS Farm to School Program and the NYS Food Policy Council. Hosted by Central NY RC&D with cooperation from NY farmers, NYS GLCI, USDA-NRCS, Cornell Small Farms Program, Cornell University Cooperative Extension, County SWCD's, and Rural Health Network of South Central NY. To receive a registration form in the regular mail, email kimberly.totten@ny.usda.gov or call (607) 334-3231 ext. 4. For a preview of the agenda, visit the website at www.cnyrcd.org.

Pasture Opportunities:

Call for papers - Farming With Grass Conference - The Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) will convene a conference to address the factors driving change in mixed agricultural systems. To be held October 20th to 22nd, 2008 in Oklahoma City, OK, the overall goal of the conference is to address the changing economic, societal, and environmental background facing grassland agriculture today and in the future, including climate variability and change, energy costs and sources, market prices for commodity crops, demographics, the emerging bioenergy industry, and evolving markets for local foods. Additionally, the goal is to identify scientific knowledge, technological capacity, and policy instruments needed to enhance the capacity of individual land owners, rural communities, researchers, and policy makers to evaluate alternative scenarios in terms of production, economic, social, and environmental criteria. The deadline for abstracts is February 6th, and more information is available at http://www.swcs.org/index.cfm?nodeID=12758.

Grazing Resources:

Equestrian Land Conservation Resource and Hudson Mohawk Resource Conservation & Development Council Team Up to Promote Good Land Stewardship for Horse Farms - these two organizations are offering "Keeping It Green: Pasture and Environmental Farm Management for the Horse Owner" at ELCR’s web site, www.elcr.org

The collaboration between ELCR and the HMRC&D is intended to raise awareness and improve knowledge amongst horse owners across the nation about how to improve pastures and minimize their horse’s impact on the environment. With open space disappearing at the rate of 250 acres per hour (USDA figures), it is important for horse people to recognize the crisis of loss of land for horses and the importance of caring for the land we have.

Degraded pastures and improper manure management can have a serious, detrimental impact on the environment. We hope horse owners find this video useful for the management of their properties and pastures. This video is offered in 8 segments with titles such as "Water Quality and Manure Management," "Rotational Grazing – Weed & Forage Control," and "Drainage Improvements in High Traffic Areas." Funding for the segments was provided by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative. For more information visit and to view the segments, please visit www.elcr.org.

P.S.:

"Conservation never tasted so good" - a quote by GLCI Chairman Troy Bishopp, a.k.a. The Grass Whisperer.

Notes:

Want to submit an event? Interested in subscribing? Simply send an email to karen.sullivan@ny.usda.gov with your event information, or with the subject line of "subscribe" to be added to the distribution list! If submitting an event listing, please submit it before the end of the month prior to the date scheduled, as this newsletter will only be generated at the beginning of the month. Not interested? If we've sent this to you, and you're not interested in receiving it again, also send an email to the above address with "unsubscribe" in the subject line.

Brought to you by the NYS Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative. The Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative is a grass-roots coalition of producers, agricultural industry, and conservation groups with an interest in the sound conservation of private grazing lands. The goal of this newsletter is to increase awareness of grazing events around New York and in neighboring states, as well as to provide information that is useful on the farm. For more information on GLCI, check out the national GLCI website at www.glci.org. Information on the NYS GLCI can be obtained from GLCI Coordinator Karen Hoffman Sullivan at the email address above or GLCI Chair Troy Bishopp at FarmboyTB@aol.com.

"Promoting Clean, Green, and Profitable Agriculture"

*************************
December 2007

Happy Holidays!
It seems winter is just about ready to settle in to our lives for the next few months, as weather reports are now consistently predicting cold temperatures. Snow has even been fairly significant in places, mostly near the Great Lakes and far northern areas. Although winter is the time for meetings and conferences, there are not many this month due to the holiday time of year. However, be sure to look in the "Advance Notices", as there are some conferences in 2008 that you may not want to miss!

(Please continue to send in notices of pasture walks and workshops by the end of each month - the Grazette will continue to be distributed throughout the year.)

Upcoming Pasture Workshops and Related Events:
What's New in Organic Dairy and Field Crop Research - Thursday, December 13th - 10:30 am to 2:30 pm - Demand for organic products is on the rise. Researchers from institutions across New York are taking organic field studies to new levels. Join researchers from Cornell University and Alfred State College to hear the latest reports from a video conference location in your area. This meeting is a collaboration of the NY Farm Viability Institute, NY Certified Organic and Cornell’s Organic Program Work Team. The organic research reports will be held in conjunction with the NYCertified Organic (NYCO) meeting taking place at Jordan Hall on the Cornell University campus that day. NYCO is a group of organic farmers who have been holding organic crop meetings in Geneva once a month over the winter for the past 10 years. For the past 4 years they have opened up the topics to include organic dairy production.

Topics include: Organic Dairy market: Fay Benson will give an update on recent developments in the organic dairy market including efforts by the Organic Dairy Initiative to strengthen New York’s position in the organic market. Nitrogen and Field Corn: Quirine Kettering will give a summary of her work on availability of Nitrogen from natural sources for field corn, which includes a new organic N test for corn. Corn Variety Testing: Margaret Smith will give an overview of the results of 4 years of corn variety testing on organic farms. IPM Report: Don Rutz from the New York State IPM Program will report on work they have been doing on fly management including: Fly traps, Beauveria fungal pathogen, parasitoid releases, and dung beetles . We will also have the new soybean pest ID pamphlet developed by IPM. Alfred State Research Grants: Matt Harbur of Alfred State will talk about research grants that Alfred is working on. Small Grains: Janice Degni will go over results from small grain comparison plots done on an organic farm this summer. Udder Health: Linda Tikofsky from Cornell's Quality Milk Production Services will give an update on her study of udder health as farms transition to organic production. Cropping Systems: Chuck Mohler and Brian Caldwell will discuss the results from an organic cropping systems study they have been working on for the past three years. They have seen a dramatic rise in soil health measurements, particularly Soil Aggregate Stability. They will ask for input from the group on soil health measurements and what farmers are seeing as they observe their soils under organic management.

Lunch will be provided at all locations. After lunch the audience will have the opportunity to generate questions for a panel discussion. To find and register for the site closest to you, see the list below. For more information, contact Fay Benson at 607-753 5213 or afb3@cornell.edu. These meetings are sponsored by the NY Organic Dairy Initiative which receives funding exclusively from the NY Farm Viability Institute and is supported by the Small Farms Program at Cornell.

INTERACTIVE VIDEO CONNECTION SITES
Room 109 Rice Hall on Cornell Campus: 607-753-5078
Jordan Hall, Geneva Experiment Station: No reservation needed (dish to pass)
Allegany County CCE offices in Belmont: 888-256-2762, Ext 10.
Oneida County CCE, Oriskany: 315-736-3394 x129.
Livingston County CCE in Mt Morris: 585-394-3977
Jefferson County CCE,Watertown: 315-788-8450 Ext. 241

VIEW ONLY SITES
Tompkins County CCE, Ithaca: 607-753-5078
Franklin County CCE, N. Country Comm. College, Malone either: 518-483-7403
or 518-561-7450

Advance Notice:
12th Annual Vermont Grazing Conference - "From Fallow Fields to Farm Fresh Foods" - Saturday, January 19th - 8:00 am to 4:45 pm - Vermont Technical College, Randolph, VT - Featuring a keynote from Greg Judy of Missouri, "The Wonderful Grass Machine: Using Livestock to Restore Fallow Land", and numerous workshops for dairy, grass-fed, poultry, soils and forages, consumer connections, and more. For more information visit www.uvm.edu/~pasture.

NOFA-NY Organic Farming and Gardening Conference - January 25th to 27th, 2008 - Saratoga Hotel and Conference Center, Saratoga Springs, NY - Featuring Dr. Terry Wollen, DVM from Heifer International, Dr. Ann Wells, DVM from Springpond Holistic Animal Health in Arkansas, and a number of New York's finest graziers of various types and combinations of livestock with practical information to share! For more information visit www.nofany.org.

Northeast Pasture Consortium Annual Meeting - March 27th and 28th, 2008 - Holiday Inn Arena, Binghamton, NY. Featuring research updates from Northeastern Universities, USDA-ARS laboratories, and others. Identification of future research and outreach priorities by farmers. Additional information will be available soon at www.umaine.edu/grazingguide.

Northeast Grasstravaganza 2008 - March 28th and 29th, 2008 - Holiday Inn Arena, Binghamton, NY - Save the dates for this HUGE grazing conference featuring an Animal Behavior Symposium with leading researchers Dr. Darrell Emmick, Kathy Voth, and Utah State graduate student Tiffany Lyman from Dr. Fred Provenza's group. Also, farmers who are using behavior based grazing management will share their experiences. Hosted by Central NY RC&D with cooperation from NY farmers, NYS GLCI, USDA-NRCS, Cornell Small Farms Program, Cornell University Cooperative Extension, County SWCD's, and Rural Health Network of South Central NY. To receive a registration form in the regular mail, email kimberly.totten@ny.usda.gov or call (607) 334-3231 ext. 4. For a preview of the agenda, visit the website at www.cnyrcd.org.

Pasture Opportunities:
Northeast Organic Farming Association, Massachusetts Chapter
Organic Dairy Technical Advisor

NOFA/Mass is looking to hire a person whoe primary responsibility will be to provide direct technical assistance to farmers wanting to transition to organic, grass-based or raw milk production. Other duties of the position include working with NOFA/Mass Organic Dairy Coordinator to: continue to locate farmers interested or able to convert to organic or raw milk production; assist farmers with questions and problems regarding transitioning, organic practices, or raw milk licensing; continue to research barriers against transitioning to organic milk and obtaining raw milk licenses and help find solutions; gather information provided by transitioning farmers about the transition process and make available through the website and directly to farmers; other collaborative and educational duties of importance to the organic dairy industry in Massachusetts.
For more information and a job description, contact NOFA/Mass Organic Dairy Coordinator, Kate Rossiter at krossiter@nofamass.org or (413) 498-2721.

Grazing Resources:
If you're looking for pasture research results, check out the Northeast Grazing Guide at www.umaine.edu/grazingguide
- this site was developed as part of the Northeast Pasture Research and Extension Consortium, which brings together farmers and research and outreach personnel from Maine to West Virginia. These folks work together across the region to establish research priorities and advocate for pasture based agricultural systems. At the site, you can link to all the Universities in the Northeast, read articles by various grazing experts, as well as link to numerous other agencies and organizations with an interest in pasture. Check it out!

Looking for a farmer-friendly gift? How about a gift subscription to Graze Magazine? Published in Wisconsin, but covering topics of interest for graziers across the country, Graze is published 10 times per year. The magazine's focus is "by graziers, for graziers", with most of the articles written by farmer columnists. U.S. subscription rates are $30 for one year and $54 for two years - for more information visit www.grazeonline.com or email Editor/Publisher Joel McNair at graze@ticon.net.

Notes:
Want to submit an event? Interested in subscribing? Simply send an email to karen.sullivan@ny.usda.gov with your event information, or with the subject line of "subscribe" to be added to the distribution list! If submitting an event listing, please submit it before the end of the month prior to the date scheduled, as this newsletter will only be generated at the beginning of the month. Not interested? If we've sent this to you, and you're not interested in receiving it again, also send an email to the above address with "unsubscribe" in the subject line.

Brought to you by the NYS Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative. The Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative is a grass-roots coalition of producers, agricultural industry, and conservation groups with an interest in the sound conservation of private grazing lands. The goal of this newsletter is to increase awareness of grazing events around New York and in neighboring states, as well as to provide information that is useful on the farm. For more information on GLCI, check out the national GLCI website at www.glci.org. Information on the NYS GLCI can be obtained from GLCI Coordinator Karen Hoffman Sullivan at the email address above or GLCI Chair Troy Bishopp at FarmboyTB@aol.com.

"Promoting Clean, Green, and Profitable Agriculture"

**************************************************************

November 2007

November is typically a "light" month for pasture walks and workshops, and this year is no exception. It seems to be a month for both farmers and agency staff to recover from a busy summer and fall, prepare for the upcoming holidays, and make plans for the winter conference season . There are some farms who still have their animals on grass, thanks to the rain and warm temperatures we had in October. Just a reminder - if you have a significantly longer than normal grazing season, please let us know - there may be something to learn from it!

(Please continue to send in notices of pasture walks and workshops by the end of
each month - the Grazette will continue to be distributed throughout the year.)

Upcoming Pasture Workshops and Events:

Delaware County Pasture Walk - Friday, November 2nd - 1:00 to 3:00 pm - Jake Fairbairn Farm, 57 Rider Hollow, Arkville. Dairyman Jake Fairbairn will host this pasture walk, where Karen Hoffman Sullivan of USDA-NRCS will discuss how to transition lactating cows off pasture to a TMR fed in the barn. Sullivan will cover the nutritional requirements of a lactating cow and the nutritional value of feeds used to formulate a diet. A question and answer period will follow. Refreshments and a light snack will be provided. The pasture walk is open to the public and is sponsored by the Watershed Agricultural Council. If you are planning to attend, please call Kim Holden or Erin Shea at 607-865-7090 by Thursday, November 1st.

Advance Notice:

NOFA-NY Organic Farming and Gardening Conference - January 25th to 27th, 2008 - Saratoga Hotel and Conference Center, Saratoga Springs, NY - Featuring Dr. Terry Wollen, DVM from Heifer International, Dr. Ann Wells, DVM from Springpond Holistic Animal Health in Arkansas, and a number of New York's finest graziers of various types and combinations of livestock with practical information to share! For more information visit www.nofany.org.

Northeast Pasture Consortium Annual Meeting - March 27th and 28th, 2008 - Holiday Inn Arena, Binghamton, NY. Featuring research updates from Northeastern Universities, USDA-ARS laboratories, and others. Identification of future research and outreach priorities by farmers. Additional information will be available soon.

Northeast Grasstravaganza 2008 - March 28th and 29th, 2008 - Holiday Inn Arena, Binghamton, NY - Save the dates for this HUGE grazing conference featuring Janet McNally of Tamarack Lamb and Wool Company in Minnesota and monthly contributor to GRAZE magazine. Hosted by Central NY RC&D with cooperation from NY farmers, NYS GLCI, USDA-NRCS, Cornell Small Farms Program, Cornell University Cooperative Extension, County SWCD's, and Rural Health Network of South Central NY.

Pasture Opportunities:

Postdoctoral Position - Pasture Based Dairy Project
W.K. Kellogg Biological Station (KBS), Michigan State University

The newly established Pasture Based Dairy Project at KBS has an opening for a postdoctoral associate beginning Fall 2007. The position is located in SW Michigan at Michigan State University’s Kellogg Biological Station (www.kbs.msu.edu), Michigan’s largest agricultural experiment station and host of the NSF LTER site in field crop agriculture and a newly-funded DOE funded Great Lakes Bioenergy Center. Position responsibilities include coordinating the design and implementation of the pastures that will be used for this facility to support research and outreach that integrated animal production, ecology and food systems. Depending on interests and expertise, there will be opportunities to initiate research in any of the four focal research areas to be established at this facility ( www.kbs.msu.edu/farm/dairy/pastureresearch.php). The postdoc also will participate in planning and delivering outreach activities associated with this project, including the use of novel technologies for milking (robotic milking). This is a hands-on research position that includes outreach. Experience in working with pasture-based dairy systems and engaging with outreach activities required, as is a PhD in animal science, agronomy, or sustainable agriculture or related field. Applications should be submitted as a single pdf file and include a statement of interest, cv, and names and contact information for 3 professional references. For further information contact Dr. Katherine L Gross (kgross@kbs.msu.edu). Application review will begin 1 November 2007; apply to pasture@kbs.msu.edu.

For more information about the Pasture-based Dairy Project, see MSU receives $3.5 million Kellogg grant to develop pasture-based animal program at
http://newsroom.msu.edu/site/indexer/3175/content.htm

Grazing Resources:

This isn't just for graziers, but is a great tool for any dairy farm whether grazing, large, small, organic, or any combination of the above. In the long term, however, it may help to obtain better financial benchmarks for grazing farms if you participate. What is it? The Cornell Dairy Profit Monitor, available at www.dairyprofit.cornell.edu. The advantage of the program is that it allows you to enter financial information on a monthly basis, rather than at the end of the year. It can help you track the financial impact of decisions or changes you make in your business, on a monthly basis. You can also see how your business compares to farms of similar sizes or management system. And, this bears repeating, it can help obtain better financial information on grazing farms,especially if you use the information at year end to fill out the Cornell Dairy Farm Business Summary. We frequently hear that there's not enough good information available - so here's your chance to help improve the situation!

"Promoting Clean, Green, and Profitable Agriculture"

******************************
October 2007

Now that fall has officially arrived, the fall harvest is in full swing in many locations. This year we have had unseasonably warm temperatures, as well as dry weather in many parts of the Northeast. This can be good or bad news for pastures - the warm temperatures will help to maintain some growth, providing there is some moisture. It will be interesting to see how long into the fall grazing will continue - if you have either a short or a longer than normal grazing season, please let us know - there may be something to learn from it!

(Please continue to send in notices of pasture walks and workshops by the end of
each month - the Grazette will continue to be distributed throughout the year.)

Upcoming Pasture Workshops and Events:

Grazing Workshop and Pasture Walk for Dairy and Livestock - Tuesday, October 9th - 12:00 noon to 3:30 pm - Sheffer's Grassland Dairy, 74 Sheffer Road, Hoosick Falls (Rensselaer County). Dr. Darrell Emmick from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service will be giving a presentation on "Behavior Based Grazing Management: Factors that Influence Dry Matter Intake." The presentation will be followed by a pasture walk led by farm owners Wally Sheffer and his son Eric. Eric, a Cornell University student, gained additional grazing experience while studying in New Zealand last year. Barbeque lunch will be provided. Co-sponsored by the Hudson Mohawk RC&D Council, Rensselaer County Soil and Water Conservation District, and USDA-NRCS. The workshop is free but please pre-register by calling the District at 518-271-1740. Made possible with funding from the NYS Grazing Land Conservation Initiative.

Northeast Small Farm and Rural Living Expo - Saturday and Sunday, October 13th and 14th - Ulster County Fair Grounds, New Paltz. Adult admission is $5 per day, children 5-14 is $2 per day, and children under 5 are free. The expo will feature over 50 educational workshops including an array of hands-on demonstrations, a variety of children's learning activities, and a large exhibit hall with businesses and agencies who work with farms and rural communities to answer a wide range of questions. In addition to lectures, there will be farm animals, antique farm equipment exhibits, blacksmith demonstrations, carriage rides, gardening workshops, and more. For more information visit www.smallfarmexpo.org.

Grazing Workshop for Horse Owners - Thursday, October 25th - 6:00 to 9:00 pm - Red Hook Firehouse, 42 Firehouse Lane, Red Hook (Dutchess County). Dr. Darrell Emmick from the USDA-NRCS will be speaking on "Getting the Most Out of Your Pastures for Your Horse" and will inlude information on pasture management, rotational grazing, weed control, and what to plant in the pasture. Rob DeClue, from the Chenango County SWCD, will demonstrate the proper way to set up and test an electric fence ground return system. Co-sponsored by Hudson Mohawk RC&D Council, Columbia County SWCD, USDA-NRCS, and Mac's Farm & Garden World, Agway. Made possible with funding from the NYS GLCI. The program is free and includes light refreshments and door prizes. For more information, call the Red Hook Agway at 845-758-3601.

6th Annual Pennsylvania Project Grass Statewide Conference - "Gambling on Grazing" - Wednesday and Thursday, October 24th and 25th - Holiday Inn Meadowlands, Washington, PA. Featuring keynote speaker Ralph Quillen of Kentucky Grazier's Supply on his grass-fed beef operation, as well as break-out sessions for dairy, beef, sheep, and horse farmers and a farm tour. For more information, contact John Hewitt, Washington County Conservation District, 724-222-3060 ext. 103 or john-hewitt@excite.com.

Gourmet Beef on Grass - Saturday, October 27th - 8:30 am to 6 pm - Century House, Latham (Albany County) - All you need to know about raising top-quality grass fed beef is the focus of this day-long meeting. Beginning with a three-hour classroom session from the top people in the field - Jim Gerrish on the right pastures, Gearld Fry on the right animals, and Jerry Brunetti on healthy farming - and then six hours of practical experience at Harrier Fields Farm at nearby Schodack Landing for work in the chute and close examination of what "works" in the pasture. Registration is $99 and includes a "country-style" lunch of natural beef and pork. Sponsored by the North American Devon Association, but the meeting is not specific to Devon cattle, and funded in part by NYS GLCI. Attendance is limited - contact Allison White at 1-800-477-7579 or email allison@bakewellrepro.com .

Advance Notice:

Northeast Grasstravaganza 2008 - March 28th and 29th, 2008 - Holiday Inn Arena, Binghamton, NY - Save the dates for this HUGE grazing conference featuring a symposium on grazing behavior research and practical application with Kathy Voth, Darrell Emmick, and NY farmers who have learned how to use grazing behavior to their advantage! Also a keynote by Dan Barber, chef and co-owner of Blue Hill Restaurant who has written for the New York Times about the importance of local food. Hosted by Central NY RC&D with cooperation from NY farmers, NYS GLCI, USDA-NRCS, Cornell Small Farms Program, Cornell University Cooperative Extension, County SWCD's, and Rural Health Network of South Central NY.

Pasture Management Tips:

Last month's tips discussed the changes in sugar content of pasture plants as the daylength shortens. Now is the time to really begin looking towards transitioning animals back on to stored forages, and taking an inventory of how much pasture you have left, because cold weather and frost will stop growth altogether. The big unknown is always "when"! Remember that after a killing frost, you will have a limited amount of forage left to graze, so knowing how much is out there will help you determine when animals need to be fed those stored feeds. It may be wise to begin introducing stored forages now, so you don't have to suddenly make a big switch. Of course, due to dry conditions some f

"GLCI Grazette"

NYS Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative

******************* June 2008

*********************** May 2008

April 2008

**************************** March 2008 - Part II

************************** March 2008