Twice-daily Kiddie Tractor Pulls will be new at the 2014 Empire Farm Days. (Photo courtesy Empire Farm Days).
NYS 4-H Foundation Hosting Kiddie Tractor Pulls New at 2014 Empire Farm Days
(Seneca Falls, NY – July 2014) The New York State 4-H Foundation is hosting twice-daily Kiddie Tractor Pulls at the August 5-7, 2014 Empire Farm Days. The friendly competition for prizes will run at 11am and 1pm each day. Pedal tractors and sleds will be provided; weight classes will be determined by participants.
Adults must sign permission slips for children to enter. There is a $5 entry fee that benefits New York State 4-H programs.
Empire Farm Days is held on 300 acres of the Rodman Lott and Son Farms in Seneca Falls. The event features exhibits, demonstrations, test driving opportunities and activities by more than 600 agricultural industry representatives. Educational opportunities include DairyProfit and Equine seminars; cattle and small livestock handling demonstrations, farm safety information and demos, and a new agricultural plastics recycling certification course in 2014. Learn more at www.empirefarmdays.com.
Interseeder at work at Reed Haven Farms in Adams Center as part of the on-farm trials evaluating the use of cover crop interseeding in cooler climates. (Photo by Matthew Ryan/Cornell University).
Cornell, Penn State, NNYADP Interseeding Research in Spotlight Daily
(Seneca Falls, NY – July 2014) Dr. Matthew Ryan with the Cornell University Sustainable Cropping Systems Lab will be sharing results from the Early Cover Crop Interseeding Project funded by the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program at the Aug. 5-7, 2014 Empire Farm Days.
Each day at 1:30pm at the 300-acre agricultural showcase event at Rodman Lott and Son Farms in Seneca Falls, NY, Ryan and a team of Penn State researchers will have a three-way interseeder on exhibit and will talk about how the equipment works and how the interseeding of cover crops at two farms in northern New York performed in tandem with corn crops.
The interseeder developed at Penn State bundles three operations into one implement, permitting farmers to simultaneously seed cover crops while also applying postemergence herbicide and sidedress nitrogen fertilizer to corn, the primary crop of interest.
Although planting winter cover crops, such as annual ryegrass, crimson clover, hairy vetch, and tillage radish can improve soil health, minimize soil runoff, and retain nitrogen for crop use, the use of cover crops is not yet widely adopted.
‘Farmers tell us they do not have time to plant a cover crop in the fall crop after corn is harvested. Researchers at Penn State developed the 3-way interseeder to overcome this problem,’ Ryan says.
The Cover Crops for Northern Climates and Interseeding Demonstration presentations will be made at 1:30pm in the Field Crops demonstration area at Empire Farm Days. Find more information at www.empirefarmdays.com and www.nnyagdev.org.
The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is a farmer-driven research and technical assistance program serving the farming industry in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties.
The interseeding project received supplemental funding from the NRCS CIG project titled ‘Maximizing conservation in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed with an innovative new 3-way interseeder for early establishment of cover crops in no-till corn and soybeans.
Agricultural Mediation, NYS Labor Laws, New Crop Insurance Options On Agenda
Farmers looking to keep up with the latest information will have opportunities to learn about new options for crop insurance coverage, how the New York State Agricultural Mediation Program helps farmers communicate more easily, and how they can comply with New York State agricultural labor laws at the Aug. 5-7, 2014 Empire Farm Days at Rodman Lott and Son Farms in Seneca Falls.
New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets representatives will present information on new crop insurance options daily at the event from 2:45pm to 3:00pm in the Special Events Center.
Just prior to the crop insurance programs each day will be a 15-minute presentation by the New York State Agricultural Mediation Program that helps farmers communicate with neighbors, other family members, business partners, debtors and creditors, and others.
The New York State Department of Labor representatives will be available every day all day at its exhibit space to answer questions and encourage one-on-one conversation about the Agriculture Labor Program to assist farmers in achieving and maintaining compliance with State labor laws. NYSDOL staff will provide information on such topics as farm worker housing and how to use forms developed specifically to assist agricultural employers in complying with New York’s Wage Theft Prevention Act.
Empire Farm Days covers 300 acres with exhibits by 600-plus agricultural industry representatives; test driving opportunities; DairyProfit and other educational seminars; farm safety and live animal demonstrations, agricultural plastics recycling; and more: www.empirefarmdays.com.