Labor Roadshow V
AGENDA
NOV 22, 2021 | Noon to 2:00 PM EST
Worker's compensation: How does it work from employer and employee perspectives?
- Henry Talmadge, New York Farm Bureau Safety Group
- Jan Klodowski, Dairy Farmers of America
Employee handbooks: Getting your handbook in place and in compliance while making it a useful tool to communicate expectations to employees
- Richard Stup, Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development
NOV 23, 2021 | Noon to 2:00 PM EST
Labor cost trends, efficiency, and management strategies: How dairy farm labor costs and efficiencies are changing over time and management actions that producers can take to minimize impact of rising labor costs more effectively
- Jason Karszes, Cornell CALS PRO-DAIRY
- Greg McConnell, Farm Credit East
COVID issues for farm employers: Understanding the NY HERO Act and employer requirements and strategies to encourage or require vaccinations
- Michael Sciotti, Attorney, Barclay Damon LLP
DEC 2, 2021 | Noon to 2:00 PM EST
NY farm labor law compliance: A review of current New York regulations covering minimum wage, overtime, day-of-rest, and COVID sick leave pay
- Melissa Buckley, NYS Department of Labor
Preventing turnover: Real perspectives from active farm managers about what causes employees to leave and how to prevent it
- Bob Milligan, Cornell University Professor Emeritus and Dairy Strategies, LLC
- Panel of managers and employees including: Meghan Hauser, Table Rock Farm, Garrett Miller, Oakwood Dairy, and Bob Ceglowski, Rupert Veterinary Clinic
DEC 3, 2021 | Noon to 2:00 PM EST
Employee housing management: Producer strategies to manage employee housing, enhance housing culture, create new housing solutions, comply with H-2A requirements, and finance employee housing
- Panel of farm managers including: Bill and Corinne Banker, Blue Hill Farms, Jeremy Bergen, Bergen Farms, and Lisa Neal, Merrel Dairy
- Financiers: Mike Haycook, Farm Credit East, and an update from NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets
Employee wellness programs:Why are these programs emerging and how can producers make them positive for their farm and for the industry?
- Panel of farm managers and industry experts including Jaime Padilla, Fair Trade USA, David Darr, Dairy Farmers of America, and Nicole Ayache, National Milk Producers Federation-FARM (invited).
DEC 9, 2021 | Noon to 2:00 PM EST
NY farm unions and immigration enforcement: Review and update of employer responsibilities related to farm union organizing and negotiation
- John Wirenius, Chair of the NY Public Employment Relations Board
- Chris Schulte, Attorney, Smith, Gambrell Russell LLP
- Hosted by Alyssa Keally, Northeast Dairy Producers Association
Middle managers' role in creating a great place to work: How middle managers influence the engagement of frontline employees and help keep the business in compliance with workplace laws
- Chris Schulte, Attorney, Smith, Gambrell Russell LLP
- Panel of farm middle managers
DEC 10, 2021 | Noon to 2:00 PM EST
H-2A for beginners: An introduction to the federal temporary guest worker program for agriculture (H-2A), and the experiences of farm employers who recently started using the program
- Mark Martens, Agri Placements International Inc.
- Farm panel of success stories: Maureen Torrey, Torrey Farms, John Mueller, Willow Bend Farm, David Fisher, Mapleview Dairy
Understanding NY paid sick leave and paid family leave: Requirements and strategies for compliance and to make this a positive benefit for employees
- Richard Stup, Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development
Dairy
Business
Livestock
Forages
Grains
Announcements
NNYADP Biocontrol Research: Protocols Now Easier for Farmers and Applicators
Press Release: May 2, 2023Link: https://nnyagdev.org/index.php/2023/05/02/nnyadp-biocontrol-research-protocols-now-easier-for-farmers-applicator/
Photo, contacts: see below
NNYADP Biocontrol Research: Protocols Now Easier for Farmers and Applicators
Plattsburgh, New York. The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) has announced the development of new protocols that make the use of New York-native persistent biocontrol nematodes for crop pest management easier for farms and custom applicators. The research developed a protocol for the mass-rearing and delivery of the persistent biocontrol nematodes and extended their shelf-life in a holding solution prior to field application.
"This research has expanded the use of persistent biocontrol nematodes as a nature-based method that helps reduce populations of alfalfa snout beetle, corn rootworm, and berry weevils that have the potential for costly economic damage, and reached significant milestones in making the application of persistent biocontrol nematodes more convenient for farmers and applicators," said NNYADP Co-Chair and dairy farmer Joseph Giroux, Plattsburgh, New York.
The new protocols developed by entomologist Elson Shields and research support specialist Tony Testa include a new liquid-based formulation that requires less water and less sawdust and achieves optimal ventilation and oxygenation with heat and humidity control for the mass-rearing of the persistent biocontrol nematodes.
The rearing technique developed earlier by Shields and Testa allows the northern New York-native persistent biocontrol nematode strains to retain their genetic ability to persist in soil for multiple years.
The researchers successfully used the new formulation to rear persistent biocontrol nematodes for application to 3,350 acres in field trials on farms in Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties in the spring and fall of 2022.
Seven farms participated in the on-farm application trials. Two commercial applicators evaluated the new field delivery and application methods.
"As a result of this Northern New York Agricultural Development Program research over time, I started my own persistent biocontrol nematode rearing lab in 2016. As a result of the field trials in 2022, I have adopted the new rearing and delivery protocols, which are more convenient, less costly, and less labor-intensive," said Mary DeBeer of DeBeer Agri-Service, Moira, New York.
Ron DeBeer of DeBeer Seed and Spraying assisted the field applications for the NNYADP project in 2022.
"As part of the persistent biocontrol nematodes field research in 2022, we applied to some fields that had had period infestation by alfalfa snout beetle and are now in a corn rotation. The much-improved delivery method and extended holding capacity allowed us much more flexibility in applying around the local weather constraints," said Dean Wheeler of D&D Spray Service, Mannsville, New York.
Over time, northern New York farm fields treated with the persistent biocontrol nematodes for management of alfalfa snout beetle began to show their impact on corn rootworm populations.
Subsequent research supported by the NNYADP, other funders, and farmers themselves has extended the use or trials of the persistent biocontrol nematodes to multiple crops in states nationwide.
The "Developing a Farmer/Applicator-Friendly Persistent Biocontrol Nematodes Formulation for Field Application" is posted at www.nnyagdev.org.
Funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is supported by the New York State Legislature through the New York State Assembly and administered by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.
Photo attached or available: Dean Wheeler, right, and A.J. Goblewski of D&D Spray Service, Mannsville, NY, assisted NNYADP-funded research in 2022, evaluating the ease of new protocols for the delivery and application of persistent biocontrol nematodes. Photo: NNYADP
MEDIA CONTACTS:
. NNYADP Publicist Kara Lynn Dunn: 315-465-7578, karalynn@gisco.net