Zufall Dairy has been a 100 percent grassfed operation for three years. The cows are outside for more than half the year.

The field day will talk about the advantages of organic dairying, including less manure to handle, cleaner cows, and fewer foot problems. The herd rotates through most of the farm’s 540 acres every 30 days. Weeds that have not been grazed are clipped to prevent them from taking over.

Bob Zufall, a member of the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program farmer committee, will discuss his management strategies.

This field day is presented by the Cornell Small Dairy Program and the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York (NOFA-NY). Horizon Organic and the Grazing Land Conservation Initiative are providing refreshments. For directions and to pre-register for this event, call NOFA-NY at (585) 271-1979.

The Cornell researchers now suspect that many of the Klebsiella infections originate in a cow’s dry (non-milking) period.

“The findings of our research with four Northern New York dairy herds indicates particularly that the dry period may be a very important time of first infection. Klebsiella bacteria may enter the mammary gland at that time and grow there causing a persistent infection that later appears as clinical mastitis after a cow enters the milk production line,” says Dr. Gary J. Bennett, a veterinarian with Cornell University Quality Milk Promotion Services, Canton, NY.

The NNYADP research project has visually and genetically identified differences among Klebsiella bacteria found in cows with clinical mastitis cases versus the dairy environment. Samples were collected at four farms in the region.

“We observe many different strains of Klebsiella bacteria in a cow’s environment, but only a relatively small number of strains cause mastitis. The Klebsiella bacteria that cause clinical mastitis have vastly different characteristics compared to bacteria cultured from the farm environment. The bacteria that are ‘successful’ in causing intramammary infections form a sub-population of all Klebsiella bacteria,” says Dr. Ynte H. Schukken, a veterinarian, professor of herd health, and director of Cornell’s Quality Milk Production Services.

The Cornell research team is currently trying to identify the genes associated with infection susceptibility with an eye toward developing a vaccine.

In earlier research funded by the farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development small grants program, Bennett, Zadoks and Schukken analyzed milk, feed, water, manure and bedding samples from NNY dairy herds to identify and type hundreds of strains of Klebsiella.

That research also showed that stand, alley and barn hygiene is critical for controlling cow exposure to Klebsiella bacteria. Particular attention must be given to alleyway hygiene, an important and often overlooked component of Klebsiella mastitis control.

Dairyman Bernhard Gohlert of Hilltop Farms, Lowville, NY, says, “The number of Klebsiella mastitis cases here dramatically dropped once we applied the best practices suggested by the early research.”

Doug Shelmidine of Sheland Farms in Belleville, NY, says, “Klebsiella has become an issue for more and more Northern New York dairy farms. This regionally-based research has provided outcomes from several herds so each dairy can weigh the factors that influence the rate of infection and make changes for our own operations. The more we can learn about reducing exposure and increasing prevention measures, the better.”

Funding of the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program by the New York State Legislature made this mastitis and other research possible.

More information on the dairy industry in Northern New York is available from Cornell Cooperative Extension in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties and found online at www.nnyagdev.org.

Contacts:
Cornell University Quality Milk Promotion Services Researchers: Canton: Gary J. Bennett, 315-379-3930; Ithaca: Ynte H. Schukken, 607-255-8202

Farmers: Bernard Gohlert, Hilltop Farms, Lowville, Lewis County, 315-376-7674; Miner Institute Dairy Herd Manager Steve A. Couture, Chazy, Clinton County, 518-846-7121; Doug Shelmidine, Sheland Farms, Belleville, Jefferson County, 315-846-5640

(Watertown, NY) The Jefferson County Agricultural Development Corporation (JCADC) still has funding available for the formation of dairy profit teams for farms in Jefferson and Madison counties.  Thanks to the New York Farm Viability Institute, the Jefferson County Industrial Development Agency, and the Development Authority of the North Country, farms may apply to JCADC to participate.  Interested farms in Jefferson County may contact Jay Matteson at JCADC by calling (315) 782-1806 or Ron Kuck at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County at (315) 788-8450.  In Madison County, farms should contact Karen Baase with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County at (315) 684-3001 x 105.

Participating farms are eligible to receive cost share funds of up to $2,000 to help with startup of dairy profit teams and initiate benchmarking and short and long term goal setting. Funds will be awarded on a reimbursable basis.  Cost sharing will be awarded on a 75% grant funds to 25% farm funds ratio.  Farms will need to apply to participate in this program; a small subcommittee will be formed to select successful applications if necessary. The application for farms is available online http://www.comefarmwithus.com/DairyProfitTeamInitiative/FarmApplication.htm.

You may also request an application be sent in the mail. Successful farms selected for the program will be required to utilize a trained facilitator. The farm will select a team and submit the names of the people on the team to JCADC. The farm will be required to submit a minimum of 3 short term goals with benchmarking to serve as a starting point assessment. In order to receive reimbursement, the farm will be required to submit a written report documenting their progress towards achieving their goals and any success stories they can report.

Phase one of the Jefferson and Madison Counties Dairy Profit Team project saw ten farms participate. Most of the farms achieved significant results increasing farm efficiencies and profitability on the farm.  Overall, farms invested over $1 million in their operations as a result of the project.  For more information on dairy profit teams go to www.comefarmwithus.com/DairyProfitTeamInitiative