Dairy Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Fellow Rick Villnave uses cover crops and tile drainage to protect his soil from erosion and improve the soil’s health. As a fellow for the Dairy Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Fellowship (CAMF), Rick Villnave focuses on using cover crops to improve his farm’s soil health and productivity. Rick owns and operates a Villnave Family Farm in Cortland County, NY. His farm consists of field and vegetable crops, including oats, corn, hay, sweet corn, pumpkins, cabbage, and winter squash. The 250-acre farm has a unique history. Once part of a ski slope, Villnave Family Farm has
Read more »Dairy Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Fellow Tim Terry collaborates with dairy farmers to help design their farms for greater resilience and efficiency in the face of climate change. As an advisor in the Dairy Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Fellowship (CAMF), Tim Terry worked with dairy farmer Julia Olmstead as she reduced risk on her farm. As the Farmstead Strategic Planning Specialist with Cornell’s PRO-DAIRY, Tim combines his background in dairy management with his engineering expertise to help dairy farmers design sustainable and productive facilities. Tim decided to participate in Dairy CAMF as a professional development opportunity. His goal was to
Read more »Dairy Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Fellow Julia Olmstead shares the importance of sitting down and making adaptation and mitigation plans for your farm. During the Dairy Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Fellowship (CAMF), Julia Olmstead worked to improve her farm’s manure management and silage storage. Julia is a co-owner and operator of Mid-Knight Dairy, LLC, a 300-acre dairy farm in Jamestown, New York. Her dairy milks 140 Holstein cows and raises 130 heifers. Her focus is on milk production and quality. In recent years, Mid-Knight Diary has been utilizing technology such as robotics to achieve that goal. In addition to efficient
Read more »Over the winter to early spring of 2025, members of Cornell’s Climate Smart Farming team (Allison Chatrchyan, Yolanda Gonzalez, and Savanna Shelnutt) began working with the USDA Northeast Climate Hub (Kristin Benson) to run an Urban Climate Adaptation & Mitigation Program in New York City. The Urban Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program (Urban CAMP) is a peer-to-peer-based learning and training opportunity for urban farmers and technical service providers who are interested in climate change adaptation and mitigation. This program is for urban producers who are thinking about climate change, are interested in learning about climate impacts, and are motivated to
Read more »Interlace Commons’s mission is to promote the adoption of agroforestry land-use practices that address climate change and land degradation and move towards resilient, biodiverse landscapes that enhance livelihoods. Their mission is achieved through farmer-driven field projects, education, and research initiatives throughout the Northeastern United States. Interlace Commons will be holding free field day events in the Northeast this summer and fall. Visit the following link to learn more about field day events and register! https://www.eventbrite.com/o/interlace-commons-45910387743
PermalinkJoin Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Ag Climate Resiliency Program, Cornell Climate Smart Farming and Cornell Soil Health, and Harvest NY to learn all about the basics of climate resilience, adaptation planning and soil health. Whether you’re a seasoned farmer or just getting started, this event is perfect for anyone interested in learning about best practices for building climate resilience on urban farms. Look forward to seeing you there, light refreshments will be served. July 11th, 2024 Brooklyn Grange Navy Yard (4-6pm)- Register here July 12th, 2024 Governor’s Island Teaching Garden (3-5pm)- Register here Please Note: These are two separate events, please choose the date that works
Read more »The annual Cornell Research Field Day will be held August 1st at Musgrave Research Farm in Aurora N.Y from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. This event will include walking and hay wagon tours with multiple different tour stops and speakers. The program is free and open to the public. A light breakfast and lunch will also be provided. Tour Stops and Speaker List: Vipan Kumar: Herbicide programs for weed control in corn and soybean Mike Hunter & Lynn Sosnoskie: Weed seed movement and the importance of cleaning equipment Louis Longchamps: On-farm experimentation, robotic interseeding Ginny Moore and Erika Everest: Dry-bean
Read more »The NY Soil Health team will hold 11 soil health and climate resiliency field days across New York State during the months of June – September 2024. These field days are designed to help farmers by providing practical information and demonstrations. Field days cover a variety of different topics including vineyard soil health, soil biology, urban soil health, biochar, cover crops, orchard soil health, organic field crops, and pasture and silvopasture soil health. To register and learn more about NY Soil Health and Climate Resiliency Field Days visit 2024 Soil Health & Climate Resiliency Field Days
PermalinkNew York’s farmers are facing more extreme weather caused by climate change and they are learning to adapt, according to the agriculture chapter of the new statewide climate impacts assessment, led and written by two Cornell researchers. Read the full Cornell Chronicle article.
PermalinkThe Dairy Climate Adaptation Fellowship program will begin in Winter 2024 This cohort-based learning opportunity is for farmers and agricultural advisors in the Northeast who are interested in climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies and planning, as well as peer-to-peer networking and support. Dairy farmers and agricultural advisors who work with dairy farmers in New York, Vermont, and Maine are eligible to apply! Applications are due by 11:59 PM on December 10, 2023. Apply here. For more information and a description of the program, please visit our website. If you have questions related to this application, please do not hesitate
Read more »Farmers, gardeners, and researchers take note! On November 15th, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a new version of its Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM), updating this valuable tool for gardeners and researchers for the first time since 2012. Corenll’s Climate Smart Farming Program will link to this new map and use it in Climate Smart Farming Programming with ag producers. See the full article below: https://www.ars.usda.gov/news-events/news/research-news/2023/usda-unveils-updated-plant-hardiness-zone-map/ USDA’s Plant Hardiness Zone Map is the standard by which gardeners and growers can determine which plants are most likely to thrive at a location. The new map—jointly developed by USDA’s Agricultural
Read more »by Elizabeth Buck, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Cornell Vegetable Program As of last Thursday, U.S. Drought Monitor officially designated almost all of the Cornell Vegetable Program area as “abnormally dry”, which is their first stage of drought. It’s not hard to spot the corn rolling as you drive, particularly in the later plantings, and the ground cracks developing. Streams are running low and ponds are getting drawn down. The depletion of those surface water resources is quickly demanding a question be answered: How do I make the most impactful use of the water I do have? Watering Efficiency Look for and
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