January 9, 2025
SUNY Delhi

Come and join farmers from around the region for this premier agricultural event. Our top-notch speakers will be presenting timely information about Dairy, Livestock, and Horticulture production as well as Grazing Management with a focus on effective practices for farmers in the Catskill Region. Conference includes 16 workshops for all types of farms, a delicious local foods lunch, and opportunities to connect with like minded farmers from across our region.

Registration will begin at 9:30 am with Early Bird sessions at 10:00 am.  Dairy, Livestock, Grazing, Vegetables, and Flower tracts start at 11:00, 1:40 and 2:40. At noon in-person attendees will enjoy a delicious local food lunch.

Registration $20

Register on-line here: https://reg.cce.cornell.edu/CatskillAgConference2025_212

Attendees may choose to follow a single track or mix and match sessions that are of interest:

EARLY BIRD / LUNCH

10:00 am Growing Outdoor Mushrooms, Steve Gabriel, Wellspring Forest Farm

Come discover the opportunities for growing mushrooms in your woods, fields, and gardens. Steve will discuss outdoor production practices and considerations for growing them on logs, stumps, beds, and soil, as well as how to integrate them with other crops. He will focus mainly on log-based shiitake mushroom production as a viable commercial venture.

10:00 am Digital Agriculture, Louis Longchamps, Cornell University

During this presentation, Louis will dive into how technologies like farm drones and soil sensors can be integrated into your farm. Come explore how data, technology, and AI could help you move toward your long-term farm goals, without falling into the trap of chasing every new tech trend.

10:00 am Blueberry and Raspberry Production, Heather Kase, CCE ENYCP

Whether for sale or home use, berry production can be productive and rewarding. Heather will cover the basics of production including fertility, pruning, disease and weed management, as well as cultivar selection for both blueberries and raspberries. Management considerations to increase your scale of production will be covered as well.

Noon  The Ambidextrous Ag Economy: Leveraging Long-Term Investment with Agility, Douglas Gulotty, SUNY Delhi

The foundation of any agricultural economy is its rich natural resource base. Successful farms need to proactively seek opportunities available to them to achieve economic sustainability. Doug will discuss how local agencies can help multigenerational farms to leverage their long-term capital investment to propagate new markets and widen the scope of Delaware County agriculture.

DAIRY

11:00 am Why Do Cows Go Down, Daryl Nydam DVM, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine

Your cows are the most valuable assets on your farm! Dr. Nydam will share the importance of early intervention and steps to be taken immediately upon discovering a down cow which will give her the best chance of recovery. He will discuss how to properly interpret the results of cow side blood tests as a starting point for treatment. Last, he will delve into the underlying causes which lead to down cows and management strategies to prevent their occurrence.

1:40 pm Helping Your Fresh Cows to Hit the Ground Running, Dr. Larry Chase, Cornell University Emeritus

Dr. Larry Chase will discuss nutrition and herd management practices to prevent hypocalcemia (milk fever) and maximize peak milk production. Gain an understanding of proper mineral equilibrium and related diet adjustments to support the health of your transition cows and minimize mid lactation production and breeding issues. His presentation will include considerations for both tie-stall and free stall facilities.

2:00 pm Vaccination Protocols and Parasite Management, Allison Maslack DVM, SUNY Delhi

A vaccination regimen developed specifically for your herd is crucial! Dr. Maslack will discuss the protection provided by common 10-way vaccines, then delve into other vaccines to possibly consider for your herd. Come discover the difference between modified live and killed vaccines, and how and when to choose the one most appropriate for your unique situation. Last, she will discuss the importance of controlling parasites and the cost of ignoring them. Learn about the parasites typically found in New York and how to choose between the available pour-on and feed grade dewormers.

LIVESTOCK

11:00 am Grazing Management Part 1: Livestock Nutrient Needs and Behavior, Kathy Soder, USDA ARS Systems

How much do you know about nutrient needs of grazing ruminant livestock? Do you try to match pastures to the needs of different classes of livestock? In the first part of this two-part presentation, Kathy will discuss the nutrient requirements for different classes of ruminant livestock and how our pastures meet (or do not meet) those needs. Learn about the factors which influence grazing behaviors and how we can manage them better to improve the success of our overall grazing system.

1:40 pm What Influences the Beef Eating Experience?, Adam Murray, Cornell Pro Livestock

The experience of eating beef can be separated into two outcomes: like and dislike… However, what appears to drive consumer acceptability of beef is the result of a complex mixture of sensory inputs including tastes, textures, aromas, and visual cues. During this session, Dr. Murray will discuss how consumers prioritize beef tenderness, flavor, and juiciness. Learn about how both pre-harvest and post-harvest conditions can help to ensure a positive beef eating experience!

2:40 pm Hay Harvest Planning, Building an Inventory that Matches Feeds to Needs, Dr. Tom Tylutki, Agricultural Modeling and Training

Optimizing the match between beef cattle feeds and needs begins at harvest. Dr. Tylutki will discuss the complex interplay between the inventories, both current and projected, of your beef herds, and the quality and quantity of forage necessary for pasture supplementation and winter feeding. Such planning will help to shape your harvest schedule to provide the correct amounts of specific quality forages which properly match the dietary needs of the various classes of cattle in residence on your farm(s).

GRAZING

11:00 am Pasture Ecology, Dr. Edward B Rayburn, West Virginia University

In this presentation, Dr. Rayburn will provide an overview of pasture ecology. He then will discuss some management practices which are necessary to achieve the optimal utilization of the acres grazed on your farm. Come see how the optimization process works to protect your unique soil, water, and atmospheric resources! Improvements to animal and financial health will be touched on during this session as well.

1:40 pm Grazing Management Part 2: Pasture Management, Kathy Soder, USDA ARS

Do you manage pastures to meet the needs of your specific ruminant livestock (particularly if you are grassfed), or just turn them out on whatever pasture is available and hope they eat it (and grow)? In the second part of this series, Kathy will discuss matching forage quality to the needs of grazing livestock needs. She will also delve into improving forage yield and quality, managing pastures in response to changing weather patterns, and reducing weed pressure.

2:40 pm Getting Started with Silvopasture, Kathryn Brignac, CCE Ulster County

Silvopasture is the planned integration of livestock with trees. When done properly, it can address many of the resource concerns you may have with your farm. Kathyn will discuss the benefits of silvopasture and strategies for a successful transition to it, as well as the resources and funding sources which are available. Learn how silvopasture can provide shade and fodder for livestock as well as increase the amount of grazeable land on your farm. Discover how it can also generate new income streams while supporting the health and climate resilience of your land!

HORTICULTURE

11:00 am Indoor Mushroom Growing, Steve Gabriel, Wellspring Forest Farm

Growing indoors involves creating conditions conducive to mushroom growth, while keeping pests and disease out. In this session, Steve will discuss how balancing temperature, moisture, air, and light can yield amazing mushrooms! Indoor mushroom production is feasible within a wide range micro-environments ranging from a repurposed fridge to a dedicated growing space. The considerations for building size, construction materials, and climate control are going to be addressed during this presentation.

1:40 pm Grow Your Own Nitrogen, Steve Reiners, Cornell Vegetable Program

Using manures and compost to meet your farm’s nitrogen can lead to problems. Soil phosphorus (P) can build to levels which are well above the levels needed for crop production and can increase the potential for nutrient runoff into waterways. In this presentation, Steve will highlight how working legume cover crops into your rotation can provide the necessary nitrogen without adding P. Last, the use of organic fertilizers that add only nitrogen will be discussed.

2:40 pm The Data-Driven Farmers Market, Luca Rigotti, Cornell University, & Becca Rimmel, Bottom Land Farm, Berkshire, NY

Grocery stores have used scanner data to analyze marketing techniques for decades. Farmer-friendly point of sale software, such as Square give farmers market vendors similar potential to track their sales. Come learn from research conducted with NY farms in a multi-year study! Becca will share how such data has benefited her farm’s sales. This workshop will provide attendees with specific takeaways and tips to modify their own production and sales methods.

Thanks to The Watershed Agricultural Council, and NYC DEP for their Generous Support