Nutritional Strategies in Pregnant Beef Discussion
Feeding a balanced diet to beef females in the last trimester of pregnancy through the breeding season is critical.
Preparing for Shearing Day
To help fiber farmers prepare for the upcoming shearing season, the Animal Fiber subgroup of the CCE Livestock Program Work Team hosted a “Preparing for Shearing Day” webinar on Tuesday, February 1st from 7:00 – 8:30 pm on Zoom.
Producing, Processing, and Packing Eggs for Sale
Keeping chickens, ducks, quail, and other poultry for egg production is a common practice on many small farms. As we move into longer days, egg production will be ramping up, providing ample opportunities to sell eggs.
Preparing Poultry for Winter
The leaves are rapidly falling, and the first frosts have bitten many areas across the state. While we may not have yet received our first flakes of snow, winter is going to be here before we know it, and we want to make sure our poultry are prepared. Join Michelle Proscia, Agricultural Educator of CCE-Sullivan, and Amy Barkley, Livestock and Beginning Farm Specialist with the SWNY Dairy, Livestock, and Field Crops Program, as they share advice for getting chickens, turkeys, guineas, and waterfowl ready for the long months ahead.
In Our Back Yard: NYS Animal Fiber & it’s Supply Chain
A presentation and moderated Q&A - Attendees will learn from a farmer, mill owner and weaver what’s possible to create locally sourced and processed textiles in our own backyard. Paula, MJ and Tegan take fiber from their own sheep and local farms to create yarn and woven products from this local and growing resource. Learn from their journey how they work with sheep to create the wool we want to wear, how we take that fiber through the milling and dyeing process, and how it’s woven into designs for the home and wearable fabric.
Farmer Paula Kucera owns White Farm Barn in New Paltz, NY. Paula raises a flock of Cormo sheep from which she creates and hand dyes beautiful roving and yarns for the hand spinner and knitter. https://www.whitebarnsheepandwool.com/gallery
Mary Jeanne Packer owns Battenkill Fibers Carding and Spinning Mill. Mary Jeanne founded Battenkill Fibers in 2009 to provide value-added, custom carding and spinning services for fiber farms and makers; and to manufacture yarn and fiber products for wholesale and retail markets. The mill produces 100-150 lbs. of artisan quality natural-colored and dyed semi-worsted yarn daily using refurbished traditional milling machinery. https://battenkillfibers.com/
Tegan Frisino is a weaver of Comfortcloth Weaving, LLC that specializes in heirloom quality, hand woven products for the home, as well as yardage for the fashion and accessories industries using locally sourced and processed fiber. https://comfortclothweaving.com/
Internal and External Parasites of Poultry
Join Dr. Jarra Jagne, poultry veterinarian and head of the Avian Health Program at Cornell's Animal Health Diagnostic Center in Ithaca, to learn about common internal and external parasites of poultry. Dr. Jagne speaks to the biology of these parasites and how to manage them for a healthy, successful flock.
Summer Troubles
Temperatures and the potential for high production and growth rates make summer a great time for poultry and their caretakers. However, it's not the time to let your management relax. Predator pressure along with the unique challenges of warm, humid weather can result in production losses and bird stress. Join CCE educators as they help navigate the potential pitfalls of summer to keep your flocks happy, healthy, and productive.
Composting Livestock Mortality & Butcher Waste
Learning to properly manage carcasses and slaughter waste is a critical skill for livestock producers and meat processors alike. In this webinar, CCE Educator Lynn Bliven covers the essentials to avoid environmental contamination and human safety hazards.
Poultry Enterprise Budgets and Business Plans
Want to turn your poultry producing hobby into a business? Looking to see how it may fit with other ventures you have on the farm? Join Michelle Proscia, Agriculture Educator from CCE Sullivan, as she shares how to get started in enterprise budgeting and business planning for your poultry enterprise.
Brooding and Rearing Basics: Introduction to Waterfowl
Waterfowl can be a fun addition to a farm or homestead. They have the capacity to provide eggs, meat, and pest removal services, including the consumption of slugs and other invertebrates. Geese can forage for grasses and other tender plants. These birds have the potential to fill key niches in some farming systems.
Amy Barkley, Livestock and Beginning Farm Specialist with the SWNY Dairy, Livestock, and Field Crops Program, will teach this brooding and rearing basics class for those who want to learn more about raising waterfowl. Topics include breed selection, managing brooders, nutrition basics, housing basics, and considerations for producing eggs and meat.
Watch the recording here
Brooding and Rearing Basics: Raising Chickens for Meat
Are you thinking of raising chickens for meat? Whether for your family's consumption or a new farming enterprise, Cornell Cooperative Extension has you covered. In this webinar we will discuss breeds, housing, and care for meat birds. The class presenter is Lynn Bliven, CCE Allegany Livestock Educator. Lynn has many years of poultry raising and processing experience.
Wool: From Fiber to Yarn
Virtual Field Trip by NY Agriculture in the Classroom. Visit Orchard View Farm and Battenkill Fibers Wool Mill! Two opportunities to join on April 22, 10 am and 12:30 pm. Pre-register at www.agclassroom.org/ny.
Developing Your Small Scale Swine Enterprise
Developing Your Small Scale Swine Enterprise is a free on-line webinar scheduled for Monday March 29, 2021 from 6- 8pm. Registration is required in order to access the link to the Zoom webinar. Visit this registration link to register by March 26th. Offered by the Livestock Program Work Team (LPWT) and Cornell Cooperative Extension, this webinar was designed for small-scale pig producers who are looking to expand their swine enterprise to become more efficient and sustainable in their production of pigs and the marketing of pork products. This webinar will introduce growers to the most common swine production systems, how to match your current resources to your goals, and we will review basic worksheets that can help farmers to plan for any growth or changes in the future. We will review farrow to finish, feeder to farrow, and feeder to finish operations. The goal of this course is to help you design a plan for the coming years to ensure that you are making the most of your current resources and abilities. For more information please contact Marylynn at mrm7@cornell.edu.
Poultry Brooding & Rearing Basics: Laying Hens
This webinar, Brooding and Rearing Basics: Backyard Laying Hens for Beginners, will review the realities and best practices of keeping a small flock on your farm, homestead, or backyard. Class instructor, CCE Ulster’s former Livestock Educator, Jason Detzel, has many years of chicken-raising experience with both laying hens and meat breeds of all kinds, and has insightful experiences to share.
Watch recording here
How to Better Communicate with Your Meat Processor
This webinar covers how to effectively work with your local meat processor, communicate cut instructions, and understand the difference between USDA and custom cutting.
Starting a Red Meat Slaughterhouse
Learn the primary considerations for opening a red meat slaughter and processing facility in NYS, from infrastructure to regulations and from labor to financing.
Creative Slaughterhouse Workarounds
In this interactive discussion, we aim to help you regain some sense of control over how, when and where you get your livestock processed, and how you sell meat to customers.
Sheep Farm Evolution 2 - Vermont Wool Project with Kimberly Hagen
A short presentation on the Vermont Wool Project exploring uses for commercial wool. Wool insulation and wool pellets for fertilizer are discussed. Scouring bottlenecks, trucking costs and future research on wool pellets as well as a Q & A section are included.