- Corn Silage Harvest Outlook
- Rainfall Survey
- Sign Up for CDEP & Dairy Academy
- DPM Trends
- Anaerobice Digester Symposium
- Save the Date!
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Corn for Silage Progress and Harvest Outlook
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Growing
degree day accumulation continued to be below average in August and
early September, further slowing the progress of the corn crop in much
of the state. Updated 2017 GDD data shows that over the last 50 days we
are 130-190 GDD’s behind the average, meaning we need to make up those
days in the remainder of the season. Given low daily GDD accumulation in
late October and early November, and average accumulation in September
and October, it will take approximately three to four weeks to make up
the deficiency. This means that corn silking around August 10 would have
a projected harvest date around the second week of November. Read the
full Harvest Outlook on the PRO-DAIRY website.
Keys for success presented in the August 2 PRO-DAIRY Webinar Managing Forage Quality: A Challenging Growing Season include:
- Separating fields by those likely to fully mature for silage and those likely to be harvested at an immature stage.
- Identifying separate storage areas to store mature (dairy quality silage) and immature (non-lactating quality silage).
- When identifying temporary storage sites consider site drainage, runoff risk, and CAFO guidelines.
- As always, follow all other best management practices for silage harvest and storage. See: Setting the Stage for Success, Corn Silage Harvest.
PRO-DAIRY e-Alert: Fall Harvest
PRO-DAIRY issued a Fall Harvest e-Alert that included articles:
- Silage Leachate: Collection systems may need more focus this year; and
- 2017 Update: Bunker Silo Safety Reminder from the OSHA Work Group.
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SURVEY: Impacts and Farmer Responses to 2017 Heavy Rainfalls
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March
through July of 2017 was a period of above average rainfall in much of
New York. Rainfall often came as heavy downpour events, leading to
agricultural damage and disease. The purpose of this survey
is to gather information on regional impacts and how farmers coped with
this situation, so that farmers and those institutions and industries
that support farmers will be better prepared in the future.
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Management Education Opportunities
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Two unique programs for progressive dairy executives will launch this December and we invite you to apply!
Designed for young executives and agriservice personnel, the Academy for Dairy Executives
features sessions to enhance understanding of the fast-changing dairy
industry and develop leadership and management skills. Application
deadline is October 20, 2017.
The Cornell Dairy Executive Program
is designed for individuals who have five or more years of dairy experience
in a decision making position. Program content focuses on business
planning, financial management, human resource management and risk
management. Application deadline is October 15, 2017.
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| Diversity and Inclusion are part of Cornell University's heritage. We are a recognized employer and educator valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities. |
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Dairy Profit Monitor Trends
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PRO-DAIRY has released Dairy Profit Monitor (DPM) trend graphs
to help farms to benchmark changes in their key production and
financial measures over time. The graphs include 37 farms that entered
at least 9 months of data from July 2016 through June 2017.
- Pounds
of components per cow per day continue to show seasonally lower summer
milk production, paired with lower dry matter intakes. Higher component
farms are continually above the 6.5 pound threshold, with some close to 7
pounds.
- The
range of net milk price is consistent, however, some premium structures
changes among milk buyers has led to a wider range of net milk price
beginning in the early 2017.
- Last
year many farms saw positive impacts on feed conversion and income over
feed costs from 2015 corn silage quality. As farms have finished
feeding that crop, 2016’s forages are likely the cause of the feed
conversion dip seen over the last 12 months, with many farms affected by
the drought.
- Feed
costs per hundredweight have stayed relatively consistent, however,
feed cost per pound of dry matter has declined. The reduction in milk
per cow per day has led to a stable feed cost per hundredweight, while
price drops and ration changes have caused the cost per pound of feed to
decrease. As a result, income over feed costs on a fixed milk price
basis remain at a slightly higher level.
While
looking through these graphs, the same farm may not always be on the
top or bottom for each month. When benchmarking your farm, it’s
important to note how you change compared to the average over the 12
months, rather than where you rank. During the course of the year, 104
farms participated in at least one month of data entry in the DPM
program. For more information or to enroll, email Ashley Howlett at
agh92@cornell.edu.
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Anaerobic Digesters l Renewable Bio-Gas Symposium
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Explore
opportunities and barriers to the utilization of renewable bio-gas in
New York State, with particular emphasis on digester technology and its
use in the State’s agricultural sector. The Symposium
will be held 9 AM to 4 PM, October 23 at the National Grid Auditorium, Syracuse. It will be led by National Grid and the Advanced Energy Center at Stony
Brook and hosted by the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environment and
Energy Systems (SyracuseCoE), as well as Cornell CALS PRO-DAIRY, Stony
Brook University, Syracuse University, National Grid and Sustainable
Dairy Technologies. Registration cost is $35.00. Additional information
is available in a printable flyer.
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Presented by the Northeast Regional Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge
Join us October 27 at Sunnyside Dairy where professional recruiter Dan Simmons
will coach you in ways to attract talent to your farm. Help us plan for
the event by registering and completing a brief, confidential survey about hiring on dairy farms.
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