Livestock

All livestock need food and water, and some require shelter.
Relevant Event
Resource List for Food Scraps Generators and Users
Nancy Glazier, Small Farms & Livestock Specialist
Northwest New York Dairy, Livestock & Field Crops

Food Scraps Post-Workshop Resources - Learn more about the Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycling Act.
What Do I need for a Cattle Handling System?
Nancy Glazier, Small Farms & Livestock Specialist
Northwest New York Dairy, Livestock & Field Crops
Handling cattle safely is a must for any livestock farm. Here are two resources to help design a handling system, plus one on the principles of low stress handling.
Farm Financial Management Practices for Unfavorable Economic Conditions
Sound financial planning and control improve owner's abilities to manage their businesses during unfavorable economic conditions. Consider the current environment affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the lack of rain in many areas. Budgeting is a valuable farm financial management practice for these situations. Visit (Brandie, please insert link here) to learn more about budgeting and its value in managing your farm business.
Dung Beetles in Pastures
Considerations for Slowing Feedlot Cattle Growth due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Markets are still unsteady for fed cattle. Questions have come in regarding how to slow growth. Here is the link to some guidance from University of Wisconsin/Iowa State Extension.
Reducing the Risk of Compaction When Grazing Cover Crops
Nancy Glazier, Small Farms & Livestock Specialist
Northwest New York Dairy, Livestock & Field Crops

The benefits of cover crops have been known for many
years; one is remediating compaction.
Pricing Corn Silage -- Fall 2019
John Hanchar, Farm Business Management Specialist
Northwest New York Dairy, Livestock & Field Crops
- Analysis suggests corn silage price depends on corn silage quantities, alfalfa hay price, the price received by farmers for milk, and corn grain price.
- Analysis for NY suggests that estimated corn silage price is most sensitive to corn silage quantities, alfalfa hay price and corn grain price.
- Price estimates combined with understanding of relevant supply and demand factors from an individual farm business owner's perspective can aid decision making regarding corn silage price. Given recently available alfalfa hay and corn grain prices (May through July, 2019, and August 27, 2019, respectively), price analysis for NY suggests an estimated corn silage price of about $45 per ton. The Fall 2018 estimate was about $41 per ton.
Resources for Making a Decision on the Dairy Margin Coverage Program
John Hanchar, Farm Business Management Specialist
Northwest New York Dairy, Livestock & Field Crops
Decision making for the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) Program benefits from the availability of two recent webinars.
Winter Feeding Beef Cows
Nancy Glazier, Small Farms & Livestock Specialist
Northwest New York Dairy, Livestock & Field Crops

Winter is a challenging time to feed the beef herd. Mud, cold and snow or rain can stress your cows and increase their nutritional needs. How do you know if you are meeting the needs of your herd?
Deer Farming
Nancy Glazier, Small Farms & Livestock Specialist
Northwest New York Dairy, Livestock & Field Crops

Cervid production is a $3 billion industry in the US. There are many opportunities for farms to raise deer, but proper care and health management is critical.
Financial Balancing Act Means Managing Risk is Essential
Joan Sinclair Petzen, Farm Business Management
Northwest New York Dairy, Livestock & Field Crops
The present long-term downturn in commodity prices brings with it increased financial pressure on farm operations. Alternatives for managing risk are continually evolving. For many in agriculture, and particularly dairy, self-insurance has been the go-to method of risk management. Two new tools, the USDA Market Facilitation Program (MFP) and Dairy Revenue Protection Insurance (DRP) are coming on line and a third, Rainfall Index - Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage (RI-PRF) merits serious consideration.
New Guidance for Mortality Disposal Issued
Libby Eiholzer, Bilingual Dairy
Northwest New York Dairy, Livestock & Field Crops
NYS Department of Ag and Markets has posted guidelines on disposal of livestock carcasses, in response to reports that some rendering companies have halted pickups from farms.
Upcoming Events
Growing Great People: Training Skills for Dairy Farmers
June 29, 2022
Clifton Springs, NY
Growing Great People: Training Skills for Dairy Farmers
June 30, 2022
Pavilion, NY
Calving Workshop: Ontario County
July 1, 2022
Stanley, NY
Announcements
State Agriculture Commissioner lifts ban on poultry shows, auctions in NYS
On June 3, New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball announced the end of the bans on live poultry shows, exhibitions, auctions, sales, meets, and swaps in New York State. The decision to lift the bans comes as cases decrease nationwide, including in New York state, which has not had a detection of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in nearly two months.
The NWNY Team Blog
Our goal for this blog is to share with farmers and allied industry professionals, technical and applicable resources regarding all aspects of dairy farming, livestock and small farms, field crops and soils, and topics related to farm business management and precision agriculture.The blog will feature Crop Alerts, Dairy Alerts, Bilingual (Spanish) Resources, Upcoming Events and more from our team members. This blog is free for everyone to use, explore and enjoy. When new material is published, subscribers will receive an email notification.
We hope you enjoy this new platform, and are looking forward to engaging with you in the future!