An Opportunity to Advocate for Ag

By Charlie Elrod, Ph.D.

President, Natural Biologics, Inc. Vice-President NEAFA

How often have those of us in agriculture griped that the 99% of people who aren’t in ag don’t know what, how or why we do things?  How many of us take the opportunity to engage in conversations with our non-farming compatriots to inform and help dispel myths or misperceptions?  Volunteering at the Dairy Cow Birthing Center at the NYS Fair is one great way to move the needle and make a difference with the public right here at home.  

For the tenth year, the NY Animal Ag Coalition will be hosting the Dairy Cow Birthing Center at the NYS Fair from August 23rd to September 4th.  Over 300 dairy farmers and allied industry volunteers play a vital role interacting with members of the public as they watch cows in labor, give birth and calves receive their first bottle of colostrum.  What has become one of the top-ranking attractions at the state fair only happens with cows brought to the center by host farms, hundreds of volunteer hours to staff the center and financial support from the industry.  Over 200,000 visitors come through the birthing center each year, including “Super Fans” who have been there every single year.  At least 700 more will be watching online during the live births.

The farms which will loan expectant cows to the Birthing Center this year include:

Locust Hill Dairy

Stein Farms

Pine Hollow Dairy

Patterson Farms

Twin Birch Farm

Walnut Ridge Dairy

Dr. Carie Telgen, a veteran volunteer at the Birthing Center says "In 10 years of volunteering at the Dairy Cattle Birthing Center, I have countless memories with fair-goers of all ages, where spending 5 or 10 minutes in open, honest conversation, has positively changed their mind about the dairy industry and the products we produce. No doubt, they can be the most exhausting 2 days of my summer, but hands-down the most fulfilling!”

If you would like to sign up to volunteer at the Birthing Center, please follow this link and pick the days and times when you can help.

NEAFA Member Profile: Balchem

By Eric Jenks, Special to NEAFA

This month’s NEAFA member highlight is of Balchem’s Animal Nutrition and Health Division, based out of Montvale, NJ. “Balchem has three segments,” said Luke Lines, the Business Development Manager for the East. “Human Nutrition and Health, Specialty Products, and of course Animal Nutrition and Health. I cover everything East of the Mississippi and all of Canada. Balchem operates globally. We were based out of New Hampton, NY until last year, but we outgrew the facilities there. Last fall we moved to Montvale, NJ.

Balchem is a global leader in choline production, nutrient encapsulation, chelated minerals and functional ingredients. “Our chelation process works to fulfill the unique needs of various animal species including nutrition, gut health, and feed quality,” said Lines. “We also understand that due to animal diversity and the ever-shifting environment in which they’re raised, no animal or situation is the same. This is our area of expertise in animal nutrition and health. We produce all of these products in our facilities in the US and around the world. We sell to the animal health sector via distribution, and those products get distributed out to feed companies which then get sent to farms and nutritionists. We’re very involved in the ruminant side; mostly dairy, but also with beef cattle, goats and sheep. We also do some work with swine and poultry.” 

Lines comes from an agricultural background, growing up in New York and Ohio. “My father was the director at the Miner Institute in Chazy, New York,” said Lines. “When I was in 4th grade, we moved to Ohio when he became an ag econ professor. I went to Ohio State for undergrad and my masters degrees in dairy science. I’ve been with Balchem a little over 11 years. I started as sales specialist before becoming the business development manager for the Eastern US and Canada.”

For Lines, working in agriculture is a vocation. “My passion is feeding the world,” said Lines. “When I was in the peace corps in Tunisia, I learned how important food is for people. The production of food is a very important aspect of life, and we sometimes take it for granted in the US. Food production is what excites me. My specific passion is on the dairy side, because that’s my upbringing. My mom and dad both grew up on dairy farms. Ruminants can take products that humans can’t readily consume and turn them into products that we can enjoy, and I love that.”

When Lines started working in the Northeast, involvement with associations in the area was a must. “I’ve been involved with NEAFA prior to it's beginning in 2004, as a member of both the New England Grain and Feed Council and the Eastern Federation of Feed Merchant,” said Lines. “I started working for Elanco in Indiana, and then moved to Albany, NY for them. The first meetings that I had were at the Cornell Nutrition Conference, and everyone there told me that if I wanted to be successful in the Northeast, these were organizations I needed to be involved with. That stayed true when they combined in 2004, so I’ve been a member since then as well. NEAFA is just a great organization. Everybody that is involved is dedicated to making agriculture better. It’s also a great way to network, be involved, and to get to know what’s going on in the agricultural industry in the Northeast.”

For Lines, the future of agriculture is bright in the Northeast. “I’m excited about Northeast dairy,” said Lines. “I think we have a really bright future. I work all across the eastern half of the US and Canada. I’ve been on a lot of farms, and I think we have a really healthy industry up here in the Northeast, and the support system from associations and universities, etc., is fantastic. It’s a very health industry, and I love to see that manufacturing is taking off up here. I’m coming towards the end of my career, but I’m excited for the students that are coming out of universities. They have a lot to offer. I think for the young people coming out of school, it’s a really exciting time to get involved with the industry, and I’m looking forward to seeing them grow the industry.”

For more information on Balchem, visit: https://balchem.com/animal-nutrition-health/ 

President's Pen, July 2023

By Jenny Mills, NEAFA President

Summer is in full swing; it is gratifying to see the many advocacy efforts so many in agriculture make during this busy season. From dairy promotion efforts at local grocery stores to educating consumers at the county fair about how producers care for their cattle, the environment and nutritional benefits of animal protein, local education of consumers is important. As the summer closes out, I encourage you to consider volunteering at the Dairy Cow Birthing Center at the NYS Fair – spending a day or two with consumers at this venue educating on modern farming practices is invigorating!

To help develop the next generation of agriculture advocates, NEAFA hosts the Golf for Good Works event annually. This year, the golf event, held at Turning Stone Resort in Verona, NY will kick off with a reception on Monday August 21 with the golf event to follow on Tuesday August 22. Join us! We will have special guests representing youth who have been a part of Good Works sponsored programs plus collaborators from Cornell. Please get your team (or sign up individually and we will find you a team!) here:

Golf for Good Works 2023 — NEAFA— Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance (northeastalliance.com)

The Good Works fund is used to help support programs throughout the Northeast that link youth to agriculture and have an educational component to them. In addition, four $1000 scholarships are awarded annually in February to graduating high school seniors pursuing a career in agriculture. These scholarships are managed by the FFA but any Senior in high school in any Northeastern state can apply and applicants do not need to be FFA members.  Some of the groups that have received support from the Good Works program include: 

• 4-H Junior Dairy Leaders Program 

• 4-H Foundation

• FFA Foundation

• NY Animal Agriculture Coalition Birthing Center at the NYS Fair 

• NY Holstein Spring Dairy Carousel  judging contest

• New England Spring Show  judging contest

• New England Green Pastures Program  

• 4-H Dairy Judging Teams from several states

• Northeast Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge

• Cornell University Alliance for Science

• Vermont State Dairy 4-H

• Several Collegiate Dairy Judging Teams

• LEAD NY

• Maine 4-H Foundation

• Clinton County Farm Bureau – Day on the Farm 

• Cornell Dairy Fellows Program

• Oakfield Corners Dairy - Growing Through Showing Program

• Morrisville College Showmanship and Feeding Clinic

• Vermont Breakfast on the Farm

Since its inception, the Good Works program has awarded over $125,000 to these great youth organizations. The Good Works committee reviews requests quarterly – please let us know if you would like to serve on this committee!  The sole source of funding for Good Works is our annual golf tournament.We hope to see you August 21 and 22 at the Turning Stone to reconnect and raise funds for developing our future agriculture advocates! 

Speaking of advocacy, our legislative session has wrapped up but there is still lots of activity in Albany and Montpelier. NEAFA is excited to partner with Vermont Dairy Producers Association to enhance lobbying efforts in Vermont. Thank you to Kevin Kouri for helping bridge the connection between NEAFA and VDPA by agreeing to serve on the VDPA board. In New York, several bills are still awaiting governor action, including the neonic bill. Check out the legislative update from Julie Marlette and Hinman Straub for the latest on key issues.

Advocacy work within NEAFA starts with our committees. We appreciate the many hours of volunteering by all our members on committees – our current committees are listed at Committees — NEAFA— Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance (northeastalliance.com). If you are interested in joining a committee or have questions, please reach out. Your voice matters!

As summer starts to wind down, we look forward to seeing you at the Golf for Good Works tournament in a few weeks! Thank you for all your support for NEAFA advocacy!

NEAFA Member Profile: FITC

NEAFA Member Profile: FITC

By Eric Jenks, Special to NEAFA

This month, NEAFA interviewed Chris Pierpont from Feed Ingredient Trading Corporation (FITC) for our member profile. Pierpont is a member of NEAFA’s Transportation Committee, and is a merchandiser for FITC. “I’ve been a Merchandiser for FITC for five and a half years now,” said Pierpont. “We service feed mills and farms throughout the country. As a merchandiser, I get my customers the best price possible by arbitrating products from areas that not only have the lowest prices available, but also are competitive in freight rates. Some examples of products that we trade are cotton seed and distillers grains, wheat midds (middlings), and soy hulls. Our cotton seed products generally go directly to farms, while the distillers grains, wheat midds, and soy hulls usually go to feed mills.”

Pierpont’s interest in agriculture stemmed from his father’s work as a salesman for Monsanto. “He sold BST (Bovine somatotropin) to dairy farmers for 40 years,” said Pierpont. “I went to Qunnipiac University, and received a Bachelors of Arts in Communications. I hit the ground running after graduation with Interstate Commodities, where I worked from 2009-2017. I needed a change at that point so that I could stay closer to my family, and FITC proved to be a perfect fit.”

For Pierpont, NEAFA membership has a lot of positives. “I always attend the NEAFA Annual Meeting, and the Golf for Good Works Tournament (GFGW),” said Pierpont. “It’s a great organization to be a part of. NEAFA has done so many wonderful things for the agricultural community. The annual meeting is a great place to see my customers and colleagues, and to get a chance to get to know the people that I do business with. My favorite presentation during the meeting is the markets update. Similarly, the GFGW Tournament is a great chance to spend time with people. You have this wonderful opportunity to spend time together, learn from each other, and get to know them better. You could spend days at Turning Stone Resort and Casino between the golf and everything else going on there. Beyond that, for FITC, it’s great to have the opportunity to contribute to something bigger than ourselves. It’s important to be a part of an organization that does something for everyone in agriculture throughout the northeast.”

For more information on FITC, visit https://www.feedcorp.com/ 

Supply Chain Carbon Programs Projected to Drive Investment for Adoption of GHG Reducing Practices in Livestock and Dairy

Supply Chain Carbon Programs Projected to Drive Investment for Adoption of GHG Reducing Practices in Livestock and Dairy

In the past decade, the international community has made tangible progress aligning on commitments to fight global warming. The most significant of these commitments, the 2015 Paris Agreement, set an ambition to limit the mean global rise in temperatures to 1.5 °C, which would require greenhouse gas emissions to decrease 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. (1) 

The food and agriculture sector, which produces 19-29% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, is a critical component of the GHG emissions puzzle. The industry contends with multiple competing demands: the need to feed a growing population that will consume 70% more food by 2050; the specter of significant climate related risks such as increasing flooding and drought; and public calls for GHG emission reductions. (2) 

Livestock, which comprises nearly two thirds of agricultural emissions, has become a key focus in the emissions conversation. (3)  Methane, which has 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide, has been a particular target of regulation. (4) The cattle and dairy industry, which has historically received public attention related to animal welfare and antibiotic use, is also now in the public eye because of its meaningful methane emissions. 

To get ahead of potential emissions related regulation, many major food companies have made public GHG commitments, ranging from ingredients suppliers such as Cargill, to Consumer Package Goods (CPG) companies such as Nestle to retailers such as Walmart. Many of the commitments made by these large CPG companies mirror the targets set by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi)(5), a voluntary initiative started by the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute, and World Wildlife Fund. While major corporations have started to make bold emissions claims, most companies are still in the process of charting their decarbonization roadmap. (6)

With these public commitments we are seeing the emergence of carbon markets. Within the markets described below, carbon is quantified and transacted on a per metric ton basis. One carbon credit is equivalent to one metric ton of greenhouse gases, on a carbon equivalent basis, removed from the atmosphere.

Today, three types of carbon markets exist: compliance markets, voluntary markets, and inset markets.

Compliance markets, the first established carbon markets, have some involvement in the beef and dairy sector; however, primarily in methane digestion. Commonly known as offsets, compliance markets serve industries where emission volumes are regulated, the most well-known being the Low Carbon Fuel Standard market driven by California’s cap and trade market.

Voluntary and inset markets both serve private actors that have made voluntary emissions targets. Today’s most well-known voluntary markets also trade like an offset market where credit buyers and credit generators need not have a commercial relationship. Meanwhile, in inset markets, corporations intentionally focus on reducing the emissions of their value chain through their suppliers and buyers. This activity within the food value chain is resulting in investment in GHG reduction projects in agriculture.

The primary differences between carbon offsets and carbon insets are straightforward:

Offsets are when one industry uses carbon reductions generated from another industry to “offset” their own emissions footprint. Whereas insetting projects are interventions within a company’s value chain designed to generate GHG emissions reductions.

Today, we’re already seeing many CPGs experiment with pilot programs to incentivize producers in their value chains to adopt GHG reducing practices and technologies. For example, in January 2023, Danone launched an initiative to work directly with 58,000 dairy farmers to adopt methane reducing practices and committed to report methane emissions in its financial disclosures.(7)  And in March 2023, Tyson launched its Climate Smart Beef program and launched its Brazen Beef brand, the first beef product to receive the USDA’s approval for a “climate friendly” claim. (8)

From the livestock producer perspective there are emerging opportunities to leverage the market through publicly available carbon programs, primarily focused on soil health practices today with new programs in animal health, manure management and feeding practices emerging and project collaboration facilitated through food and agriculture companies and processors.

1 https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/chapter/spm/  

2 https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/climate-smart-agriculture  

3 https://ourworldindata.org/food-ghg-emissions  

4 https://www.edf.org/climate/methane-crucial-opportunity-climate-fight  

5 https://sciencebasedtargets.org/resources/files/SBTiFLAGGuidance.pdf  

6 https://agfundernews.com/list-of-agrifood-corporate-climate-commitments-accountable

7 https://www.reuters.com/business/sustainable-business/dairy-giant-danone-aims-cut-methane-emissions-by-30-by-2030-2023-01-17  

8 https://www.provisioneronline.com/articles/114418-tyson-foods-rolls-out-climate-smart-beef-program 

Media Contact: Corey Scott corey@athian.ai (651) 262-3545

Original PDF Here

Regular Session Comes to a Close

By Julie Marlette, Hinman Straub, Special for NEAFA

The New York State Legislature concluded their regularly scheduled 2023 session Saturday June 10th. The Senate finished its work in the early morning hours on Saturday and the Assembly adjourned about twelve hours later at 4:30 pm.  The legislative session ended a little more than a month after lawmakers completed work on a new state budget. 

Before members even had the opportunity to leave town, it was announced that the Assembly would return to conclude their work. That session will take place the 20th and 21st of June. 

Of critical interest to NEAFA, in the final days of session the legislature did approve legislation (S1856a, Hoylman-Sigal – A7640, Glick) that proposes a ban on the use of certain treated seeds, including those used for corn and soybeans. The Commissioner of Environmental Conservation, in consultation with the Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets, would have the authority to waive this ban annually, if it is determined that there will not be adequate seeds, there is an environmental emergency or loss of crops.  

NEAFA will be encouraging a veto of this legislation when it is delivered to the Governor for her consideration. If you would like to share your  concerns, please consider joining our colleagues at the Farm Bureau by sending her a letter using this link: https://www.nyfb.org/engagements.

While fewer bills passed both houses in 2023 than in recent years, largely due to the delay in enacting a new budget (839 in 2023, vs, 1010 in 2022) a huge number of bills were considered in just the last ten days.  

Some additional items of interest to NEAFA members include: 

Agrivoltaics in Farming (S820, May - A607, Barrett) 

This law directs the Department of Agriculture and Markets, in cooperation with NYSERDA, to produce and distribute guidance and educational materials for farmers on the use of agrivoltaics in farming.

Employee Freedom of Speech and Conscience (S4982 Ramos - A6604 Reyes)

This bill, if signed into law, would amend provisions prohibiting employers and employment agencies from discriminatory practices to establish employees’ right to refuse to attend employer-sponsored meetings, listen to speech, or view communications with the primary purpose of communicating the employer’s opinion concerning religious or political matters. “Political matters” would be defined as those “relating to elections for political office, political parties, legislation, regulation and the decision to join or support any political party or political, civic, community, fraternal or labor organization.” “Religious matters” would mean those “relating to religious affiliation and practice and the decision to join or support any religious organization or association.”  

Wetlands Management (S5957, Harckham – A5949, Burdick)

This bill would authorize certain local governments to adopt a local law or ordinance to prohibits the application of pesticides that the municipality regulates. 

Wage Payment Protections (S5572, Gounardes - A6796, Burgos) 

This bill, if signed into law, would amend the wage theft law in New York to increase the wage limits beyond which executive, administrative, or professional employees cannot seek help from the state in recovering owed compensation from $900 a week to $1,300 a week.

It is important to note that in addition to the bills detailed below that will make their way to the Governor for approval or veto, many additional items were debated and negotiated up to the last day of session. Some of those items include:

• Indoor/Outdoor Temperature – Legislation was pushed that would place requirements on managing the temperature and prevent heat and cold related illnesses for employees in certain industries including agriculture. Ultimately, neither house advanced this bill. 

• Extended Producer Responsibility (ERP) – Multiple bills were advanced that would enact some version of extended producer responsibility, passing costs on to producers who use packaging for their items. 

Vice President's Pen: Collaboration is Crucial

Dairy Month Celebration at King Brother's Dairy in Schuylerville, NY on June 20th, 2023.

Charlie Elrod, Ph.D.

President & CEO Natural Biologics, Inc.

Vice President, NEAFA

In recent months, the NEAFA newsletter has focused attention on activities surrounding agricultural advocacy as the various state and federal legislatures have been in session.  With that season coming to an end, NEAFA turns its attention to other opportunities for collaboration.  In late June, NEAFA co-sponsored a Dairy Month Celebration at King Brother’s Dairy in Schuylerville, NY, along with the Northeast Dairy Producers Association, NY Animal Ag Coalition, and NY Farm Bureau.  

The event was meant to showcase an incredible fifth generation dairy business, and to give these organizations an opportunity to informally meet with representatives from the NY State Senate and Assembly, Department of Ag & Markets, and the Governor’s Office.  Unfortunately, the legislature was still in session. New York Agriculture Commissioner Ball and some of his staff, along with a Food and Ag Policy Advisor from the Governor’s Office, were the only governmental representatives present.

What we heard from each organization and from the Commissioner, as well as in the many conversations to follow, is the need for more collaboration to support the dairy industry.  Each organization represents different constituencies with different priorities, yet there is a great deal of overlap between them.  

An overarching theme however, is the recognition that we all exist to support a vibrant dairy industry.  Everything, from providing exposure to animal agriculture in early childhood education, to advocating for FFA chapters in high schools and supporting the Dairy Fellows program at Cornell University, are seen as opportunities to build a stronger base for the peaceful co-existence of farms with the general populace. They are opportunities to grow the next generation of leadership for agriculture and agribusiness.  Any opportunity that we have to work with and support other organizations championing agriculture should be seized.  

Another arena of collaboration for NEAFA is a new, formalized relationship with the Vermont Dairy Producers Alliance.  Because our lobbyists, Hinman Straub, only work in NY, we wanted to be more active in our support of the VT dairy industry.  With monetary support from NEAFA, we are contributing to VDPA’s lobbying efforts with the Shouldice Group in Montpelier.  In addition, NEAFA’s board member Kevin Kouri will also serve on the board of VDPA.  In Vermont, there is a lot of urban pressure, and a growing proportion of the population that has no idea about what goes into dairy farming, and the benefits that those farms provide.  Only by actively participating in the legislative process there can we hope to forestall the erosion of dairy farmers’ right to farm.  We look forward to a fruitful collaboration with VDPA.  

In closing, I would encourage all of our members to seek opportunities to collaborate; both with other agricultural organizations or at large in your community.  Doing so in no way diminishes your efforts as a person or organization.  It only lends your skills, knowledge, and voice to a cause that seeks to build a stronger, more resilient agricultural community for the future.

A Note From NYAAC

From left to right: Jean Gallagher, Treasurer (Farm Credit East), Joel Riehlman, Chairman (Venture Farms), Steve Palladino, Vice Chairman (Walnut Ridge Dairy), Corinne Banker, Secretary (Blue Hill Farm)

By Eileen Jensen, Executive Director of NYAAC

The New York Animal Agriculture Coalition (NYAAC) is a collaborative group of advocates that builds trust between farmers and their community members. This non-for-profit organization showcases modern agricultural practices in an ever-changing industry by empowering and encouraging farmers to share their agricultural stories. To sustain the future of animal agriculture, NYAAC utilizes its diverse passions to amplify the voices of New York State farmers. With a dynamic staff, farmer directors, and industry professionals, this team effectively networks and builds relationships to raise funds and support for programs that align with the NYAAC mission. 

With the mission of enhancing the public’s understanding and appreciation for animal agriculture by fostering a dialogue with consumers, engagement with farmers, and cooperation among members of the industry, NYAAC provides opportunities for farmers to be positive advocates in their communities. NYAAC is the host of the Dairy Cow Birthing Center each year at the NY State Fair, and we’re excited to celebrate 10 years of “uddermiracles” later this summer. The Birthing Center is a chance to showcase the positive aspects of the dairy industry which includes answering questions about animal nutrition, health, and dairy product benefits. The highlight of the experience is witnessing the miracle of life, 36 times throughout the duration of the State Fair. This experience doesn’t happen without farmers and volunteers working together and we look forward to some of you joining us in August. 

NYAAC works throughout the year to provide time and resources to farmers to help them share their story. As Dairy Month is upon us, we hope everyone takes this chance to celebrate the agriculture industry with their neighbors and community members. There are numerous ways that we encourage farmers to positively promote agriculture. A few ideas include:

• Write a letter to your local decision makers inviting them to your farm.

• Donate chocolate milk to local summer recreation programs. 

• Be present on social media. 

• Issue a farm newsletter for neighbors to provide farm info and make yourself accessible. 

• Provide farm t-shirts for employees so that they can show pride in their employment. 

• Post roadside signs with positive messages. 

For assistance to get started on being an advocate for agriculture or to learn more about NYAAC programming, please reach out to Eileen Jensen, Executive Director, at eileen@nyanimalag.org or 315-719-2795. 

President's Pen, May 2023

By Jenny Mills, NEAFA President

College graduations, crop planting and capitol happenings seem to be the theme in May – another month quickly passes with some long hours in the field as well as the halls of our state legislatures.

The state budget in New York was passed this past month.  There are many positive restorations and increases in funding to many programs critical to agriculture – thank you to each of you who lobbied, spoke with your legislators, and worked with allied groups to make sure programs such as PRO-Dairy, NY Farm Viability Institute, the Investment Tax Credit for Farmers and Cornell Farm Labor Specialist remain intact.  Major changes to minimum wage and fossil-fuel equipment used in new buildings were also included in the final budget.  Please read details in the Budget article written by Julie Marlette from Hinman Straub.

A small group from NEAFA and Hinman Straub spent May 16 visiting NY legislators and the Governor’s office.  We had a packed day, with appointments just about every half hour!   We met with several legislators from downstate, including the Senator’s office that sponsored the Neonic ban bill.  We worked to educate these legislators on the importance of technology and choice for our producers.  We also discussed and thanked the legislators for their support in conjunction with the Governor’s office leadership on Fairlife’s announcement of the $260M facility slated to be built in Webster, NY.  This plant is planned to be the largest of its kind in New York, with rough estimates of processing 50,000 cows’ worth of milk per day into a portfolio of value added products.  A welcomed positive message and economic development for our dairy industry!  Our lobby days, both virtual and in-person would not be possible without the organization of the staff at Hinman Straub.  I wanted to make a shout out to the team at Hinman, led by Julie Marlette, of not only leading successful lobbying efforts, but also for helping keep NEAFA aware of legislation working through committees.  Hinman’s relationships in Albany have helped us further our messages and support the agricultural agenda.  Thank you!

Looking forward, we are excited to see you at our Annual Golf for Good Works event to be held on Tuesday August 22, with a reception to be held Monday evening August 21 at the Turning Stone Resort in Verona, NY.  Great golf combined with a first-class networking event are in store again for this year.  Please note, due to the many conflicts that our June date posed with graduations, we pivoted this event to hopefully accommodate your schedule!  A big shout out to Sue Van Amburgh who works so much behind the scenes to make sure these events happen, as well as keeping our board organized.  We are already planning for our Annual Meeting in 2024 – stay tuned for dates and themes!

I look forward to seeing you soon – Happy Spring, enjoy and celebrate the many graduations, stay safe in the fields, and continue to advocate in our state capitols and with many industry happenings!

May NEAFA NY Legislative Advocacy Day

On Tuesday May 16th, NEAFA President Jenny Mills, Vice-President Charlie Elrod and Treasurer Barry Baetz traveled to Albany and engaged in a day of advocacy meetings.   The primary issue of focus was sharing information about the NEAFA’s opposition to the proposed ban on treated seeds (S.1856(Hoylman-Sigal)/A.3226 (Glick)). In addition the group thanked legislative leaders for the many restorations of funds and policies included in the recently enacted state budget, details about the recently announced fairlife milk processing plant in Monroe County and  concerns about the oversight of wetlands. 

This was also an opportunity to introduce some of the NEAFA leadership team to legislators from around the state. 

Conversations were productive but the possibility of a version of the neonic ban remains very real.  A further update will be included in the June newsletter. 

New York State Budget Summary

Courtesy NYS Senate Media Services

By Julie Marlette, Hinman Straub, Special for NEAFA

The New York State fiscal year 2024 State Budget totals $229 billion, $2 billion more than the Governor’s original proposal. Highlights of the 2024 final budget related to NEAFA include:

Minimum Wage Increase 

The final budget creates designated annual minimum wage increases beginning January 1, 2024 and concluding January 1, 2026. 

For the downstate region (New York City, Westchester, Nassau, and Suffolk County) the designated minimum wage is as follows:

• $16.00 on and after January 1, 2024.

• $16.50 on and after January 1, 2025.

• $17.00 on and after January 1, 2026.

For the rest of the state, the designated minimum wage is as follows:

• $15.00 on and after January 1, 2024.

• $15.50 on and after January 1, 2025.

• $16.00 on and after January 1, 2026.

Beginning January 1, 2027, the minimum wage is automatically increased each year to keep pace with inflation. After reaching the maximum designated rate ($17 per hour downstate and $16 per hour upstate) the minimum wage would increase consistent with the year-over-year Consumer Price Index-W for the Northeast Region. 

Exceptions

There is no automatic increase in the minimum wage for the following year if any of the following conditions are met, provided that such exception be limited to no more than two consecutive years:

• CPI-W or any successor index as calculated by the United States department of labor, is negative.

• The three-month moving average of the seasonally adjusted New York state unemployment rate as determined by the U-3 measure of labor underutilization for the most recent period ending the thirty-first of July as calculated by the United States department of labor rises by one-half percentage point or more relative to its low during the previous twelve months; or

• Seasonally adjusted, total non-farm employment for New York state in July, calculated by the United States department of labor, decreased from the seasonally adjusted, total non-farm employment for New York state in April, and seasonally adjusted, total non-farm employment for New York state in July, calculated by the United States department of labor, decreased from the seasonally adjusted, total non-farm employment for New York state in January.

The commissioner of the Department of Labor is required to publish the adjusted minimum wage rates no later than the first of October of each year to take effect on the following first day of January.

Farm Labor Specialist

The final budget appropriates $401,000 for the farm labor specialist program, an increase of $199,000 over the Executive proposal.

NY Farm Viability Institute

The final budget includes $1.9 million for this program an increase of $900,000 over the Executive proposal.  

Climate Adaptive Research Farms: Applied Infrastructure & Demonstration Projects

The final budget includes a new $5 million capital investment in this program, which was not included in the Executive proposal. This represents level funding.

PRO-DAIRY 

Core Program: The final budget includes $1,463,000 to support the Pro-Dairy core program, an increase of $250,000 over the Executive proposal.  

Agribusiness Child Development

The final budget includes $10,410,000 in funding for the child development program, an increase of $110,000 over the Executive Proposal. 

Investment Tax Credit for Farmers

The final budget makes the investment tax credit (ITC) fully refundable for eligible farmers through December 31, 2027 and assist farmers with investments in their agri-enterprises. 

Farm to School Initiatives

State Administered programs: The final budget includes $1,508,000 to the Department of Agriculture and Markets to support development of farm to school initiatives, an increase of $750,000 over the Executive proposal. 

Farm to School Flexibility: The final budget provides greater flexibility for local governments, including school district and BOCES procurement by allowing  purchases to be made from additional New York State producers. It also removes the limitations on the direct purchases of milk from licensed milk producers, regardless of the number of employees the processors employ. Districts and BOCES will also be allowed to purchase food products, grown, produced or harvested in New York, without a competitive process, so long as the amount is less than or equal to $250,000 and the purchases are reported.

Farm Fresh, Locally Grown Food:  The final budget appropriates $10 million to support an increase for reimbursement for school lunches from $0.06 per meal to $0.25 per meal for any school districts that purchases at least 30% of its food from New York farmers and growers. 

All Electric Buildings 

The final budget includes a provision that will require the building code to prohibit the installation of fossil-fuel equipment and building systems, in any new building not more than seven stories in height, except for a new commercial or industrial building greater than one hundred thousand square feet in conditioned floor area, on or after December thirty-first, two thousand twenty-five. The prohibition on the installation of fossil-fuel equipment and building systems extends to all new buildings after December thirty-first, two thousand twenty-eight.

Exemptions

The prohibition in new buildings allows exemptions for the generation of emergency back-up power and standby power systems, in a manufactured home, or in a building or part of a building that is used as a manufacturing facility, commercial food establishment, laboratory, car wash, laundromat, hospital, other medical facility, critical infrastructure, including but not limited to emergency management facilities, wastewater treatment facilities, and water treatment and pumping facilities, agricultural building, fuel cell system, or crematorium.

New buildings that fall under the exemption, except for agricultural buildings, need to limit the use of fossil fuel systems to the area of the building that is difficult or infeasible to electrify and need to be constructed in a manner that is electrification ready. Exemptions need to be periodically reviewed by the building code council.

The code shall also allow for exemption of a new building construction project that requires an application for new or expanded electric service when electric service cannot be reasonably provided by the grid as operated by the local electric corporation or municipality.

NEAFA Member Profile: Cargill

By Eric Jenks, Special to NEAFA

This month’s NEAFA member profile focuses on Cargill, an agricultural conglomerate based out of Wayzata, MN, with numerous farm and consumer based products and divisions. The company was founded in 1865, and is privately owned by the Cargill/MacMillan family. NEAFA spoke with Matt Sheffer, a sales manager that has been with company since 2014 to learn more about their operations in New York and the rest of the Northeast. “I work with consultants and nutritionists west of Interstate 87 to Buffalo, NY, along with the support and technical teams that are in the field,” said Sheffer. “My team is in the animal nutrition group, specifically the dairy group in New York. Cargill works in the retail space at a variety of levels. We do anything from bagged feed and things for backyard animals at a hobbyist level, to full commercial scale, where we work with dairy producers on nutrition and farm consulting.

For Sheffer, Cargill was a natural fit for his interests and family upbringing. “I’m originally from Corning, NY in the Finger Lakes,” said Sheffer. “Agriculture is in my family’s blood. I have family that have worked in agriculture their entire career, and I still have cousins that are running a dairy in Hoosick Falls. I received my Bachelor of Science from Oswego in finance and economics, and I started as an intern at Cargill in 2014. It was a perfect fit. In 2015, after I graduated, I was offered a full time position in Cargill Animal Nutrition’s rotational management division, and had the opportunity to learn about and work in agriculture across the country. After the program, I led dairy pricing and formulation for the US dairy business, staying connected to commodity trading and risk management.”

Cargill is a long time member of NEAFA. “We’ve always spoken and thought highly of NEAFA,” said Sheffer. “It’s great that as an organization, they’re action based. They’re focused on getting things done, and it’s great to see NEAFA’s focus on legislation, leadership, education, and the good works program. I loved the annual meeting this year and the collaboration with NEDPA. I thought it was an invaluable effort to bring industry personnel and dairy producers together at one event. Transportation is such a pressing topic for our industry right now, that it’s good to see it being addressed. Cargill is very committed to northeastern dairy and seeing it flourish. We are focused on continuing our commitments to the communities that our consultants are working with. The relationship our consultants have with our farmers is crucial, and we are focused on growing our on farm consulting and nutrition program so that we can bring the best of the best to our producers and help them thrive.”

For more information about Cargill and their animal nutrition group, click here.

NYS Budget Update

Photo courtesy of NYS Senate Media Services

By Julie Marette, Hinman Straub

The New York State Legislature has now adopted, and the Governor has signed four short term budget extenders, covering the three weeks that have passed since the April 1st budget deadline. The current extender will fund payroll and government operations through Monday April 24th. At that time an additional extender or a budget will need to be adopted to continue meeting state payroll and other obligations. 

Negotiations continue to be held up by several big-ticket items, including bail reform, housing and charter schools. Financial targets for spending beyond the Executive Budget have not been set. 

Legislators have now been released to return to their districts for the weekend. However, many legislators will also be participating in local observances of Eid al-Fitr - marking the end of Ramadan, which could make it difficult for the conferences to discuss proposals, should they materialize over the weekend. At this time, it is anticipated that another extender rather than a final budget will be considered Monday. 

Maine Dairy Seminar Recap

Submitted by Glenda Pereira, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Maine

The Maine Dairy Seminar and MDIA annual meeting was held on March 16th, 2023, in Waterville Maine at the Elks Lodge. With 127 attendees, there was a packed room where many vibrant discussions took place. This was also a great opportunity for the dairy industry to socialize and learn from invited speakers. 

Keynote Speaker Dr. Michael Hutjens, Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois was sponsored by the Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance and presented a talk titled “Strategies with the 2023 Feed Outlook”. Some of the highlights from Hutjens’s presentation included: forage quality as a tool, building on milk components, the use of feed additives, evaluating feed ingredient costs, and learning about using tools such as feed efficiency, milk profitability, kernel processing and fecal starch. 

Madlyn Daley from Dairy Management Inc presented a talk titled “Consumer trends”. Some of the presentation highlights included: economic uncertainty, shifting demographics, proactive health, responsible consumption and sustainability, and specific dairy trends. 

This conference also included virtual messages from Senators Susan Collins and Angus King, and Representative Chellie Pingree. Several farmer and industry leader awards were presented during the Maine Dairy Shrine Award presentation. 

• The 2023 Dairy Pioneer Award was presented to the family of Russell Libby of Mount Vernon, ME, in memory of a lifetime of outstanding leadership and service to the Maine Dairy Industry.

• The 2023 Maine Distinguished Dairy Cattle Breeder Award was presented to Elroy, Connie, Steve, and Eric Chartrand of Chartrand Farm of Norridgewock, ME, in recognition of excellence in the breeding of Holstein cattle and service to the industry.

• The 2023 Maine Dairy Leader Award was presented to Julie-Marie Bickford of Augusta, ME, in recognition of her outstanding leadership and commitment to building a sustainable and profitable Maine Dairy Industry.

Lastly, there was a virtual presentation of the 2022 Maine Dairy Farm Family of the Year, which was awarded to Dean and Juanita Paine of Paine Dairy Farm in Madison, ME. 

Our sincere thanks go out to our sponsors and supporters for their participation and engagement.  We look forward to seeing everyone again next year!

Be sure to join us next year. 

Dr. Rick Grant Receives Distinguished Service Award

By Charlie Elrod, Ph.D.

President & CEO Natural Biologics and V.P. NEAFA

Rather than present this year’s Distinguished Service Award in absentia at NEAFA’s annual meeting, we elected to make the presentation at the recent Herd Health & Nutrition Conference when the recipient could be present.  It turned out to be a most fitting audience for the presentation as everyone in the room had benefitted directly from the work of this year’s recipient.  Indeed, at the announcement of Dr. Rick Grant as this year’s recipient, the room exploded in a standing ovation.

Rick grew up on a dairy farm near Potsdam, NY and went on to Cornell to earn his Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science.  Moving west, Rick earned a Ph.D. in ruminant nutrition from Purdue University and then further west to take up a faculty research and extension position at the University of Nebraska.  In 2003 Rick moved back closer to his roots when he was selected as President of the Miner Institute, succeeding Dr. Charlie Sniffen in that position.  He has won numerous awards for his contributions to the industry and is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Vermont, Cornell University and Plattsburgh State University.  Rick also chaired NEAFA’s education committee for several years and served a term as our President.

Over the last 20 years at Miner Institute, Rick has led a team of dedicated scientists and outreach specialists in fulfillment of Miner Institute’s Mission of Research, Education and Demonstration across their focus areas of dairy and equine management, crops and environmental conservation in Northern NY.  In his typical gracious way, Rick suggested that the award was not for his contributions, but rather those of the whole Miner Institute team.  

The breadth of Rick’s contributions are widely recognized.  The research from the Miner Institute in his 20 year tenure has made significant inroads into many important topics:

• Forage quality and digestibility, fiber analytics and metabolism

• Feeding behavior, stocking density, cow comfort and time-budgets of dairy cattle

• Dairy ration modelling and formulation

• Milk fatty acid synthesis and analysis

• Dairy innovation and sustainability

• Transition cow metabolism, inflammation, management and health

As several of the conference participants related to me after the award, it wasn’t just the depth and breadth of Rick’s work that was so admirable, but really it was his ability to translate that work into information and practices that they could adopt for the betterment of dairy cows, their managers and farm profitability.  Rick’s contributions have truly made the global dairy industry more efficient, profitable and sustainable. To view the latest farm report from the Miner Institute, click here.

Ongoing Advocacy

By Charlie Elrod, Ph.D.

President and CEO, Natural Biologics, Inc. and V.P. NEAFA

There are a lot of different forms that NEAFA’s advocacy efforts take.  You have heard a lot about the work with our lobbyists; Rick Zimmerman in years past and Hinman Straub starting this year.  Many of you have participated in our annual lobby days where we meet with legislators and their staffs to highlight issues of concern to agriculture.  Some of these are budgetary, such as advocating for funding for PRODairy, FarmNet or the Diagnostic Lab.  Others are more policy-oriented such as opposition to the banning of neonicotinoids as a seed treatment.

One advocacy effort which you may be less aware of is the practice of “signing-on” to letters which add our support, or opposition, to various topics.  Generally, this takes the form of a draft letter coming from another organization such as NY Farm Bureau, NEDPA, AFIA or others.  The issue could be local, such as the proposed neonic ban in NY, or national, such as improving port access for agricultural crops.  Our process has been to circulate the letter among the board members and get their vote on whether to add our endorsement to the effort.  Going forward, the communications committee suggested, and the board approved, that we publish on the NEAFA website all the letters which our board of directors has agreed to sign-on to.  In that way we hope to keep you better informed about our ongoing efforts to support better agricultural policy.

Below are some of the letters the board has agreed to endorse in the past few months:

• Along with 65 other ag organizations from across the U.S. we supported a letter to President Biden encouraging the US Trade Representative’s consultations with Mexico concerning its ban on imports of biotech corn.

• A memorandum of support to VT’s governor for funding for the Working Lands Enterprise Fund and grants to small and mid-sized ag producers which were included in the Governor’s budget, but were cut in the legislature.

• Along with 67 NY-based ag entities we opposed the Senate and Assembly bills which would ban the use of neonicotinoids as seed treatments in NY.

• With 23 national and regional ag groups we wrote to the U.S. Senate and House chairs of the Committees on Environment & Public Works and Transportation & Infrastructure in support of the Safer Highways and Increased Performance for Interstate Trucking (SHIP IT) Act.  

These are just a few of the state, regional and national issues which we have weighed in on your behalf.  If we continue to speak up, hopefully we can influence policy and funding in support of prudent legislation to support the industries which provide food, feed and fiber for our country and the world.

To view these letters, click here.

President's Pen, April 2023: Planting for Success

By Jenny Mills, NEAFA President

Spring has sprung in the Northeast – one week we were reaching for the t-shirts and shorts and the next week we were digging the winter jackets back out - a reminder of how diverse our weather and agricultural landscape is!  Spring’s cycle of planning and planting is not just seen in the many fields being worked, but also in our state capitols with legislative sessions in full swing as well as industry meetings and gatherings.  

It was wonderful to connect with many of you at the Herd Health and Nutrition Conference that was held April 3rd and 4th in Syracuse.  We held our NEAFA spring Board meeting just prior to the conference, and focused on advocacy updates with Hinman Straub, our lobby team in New York reviewing the current budget proposals.  There is a renewed effort in the legislature around the “birds and bees bill” that, if enacted, would ban the use of neonicotinoid class pesticides as seed treatments.  

This prohibition would significantly impact the ability of New York farmers to successfully raise sufficient crops, including corn for grain and silage, beans, wheat, barley, oats, pumpkins, and soybeans, which are valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars to NY farmers.  This bill came up last session as well.  Hinman Straub continues to monitor committee agendas and we have written a memo articulating why NEAFA is opposed to this bill, citing economic, environmental and production impacts.  

We are excited to continue advocacy efforts in Vermont by collaborating with the Vermont Dairy Producers Association.  NEAFA will work with VDPA to have representation in Montpelier, with the goal of having a consistent pro-ag message.  Thank you to our board members Charlie Elrod, Kevin Kouri, Mike Thresher and VDPA members Amanda St. Pierre and Bill Rowell for brainstorming what a successful relationship would look like moving forward so both organizations keep a clear identity while multiplying advocacy efforts.  

On the education front, kudos to the Cornell Pro Dairy team and our education committee, headed up by Dr. Kristan Reed, on planning and delivering a great Herd Health and Nutrition Conference.  It was wonderful to catch up with many of you, and we were able to welcome several new members at our table over the two days.  Relevant presentations around current nutrition research including particle size of corn silage on performance, heat stress with varying heat abatement strategies, impacts of crossbreeding on feed efficiency from pasture and confinement environments, as well as a great presentation on the dairy economic outlook and a fantastic producer panel around managing the herd utilizing wearable technology which gave the audience several ideas that can be implemented with producers.  Thank you to the many sponsors of the conference.  We look forward to your feedback to continue to improve the program and topics for next year!

The Herd Health and Nutrition Conference was also a very fitting place to present our final Distinguished Service Award to Dr. Rick Grant.  As a past President of NEAFA and Chair of the Education committee, Rick’s impact on our Northeast agricultural industry has been huge.  Please check out the article by Dr. Charlie Elrod on this special presentation by clicking here. 

Looking ahead, we are excited to see you at our Annual Golf for Good Works event to be held on Tuesday August 22, with a reception to be held Monday evening August 21 at the Turning Stone Resort in Verona, NY.  Great golf combined with a first class networking event are in store again for this year.  Please note, due to the many conflicts that our June date posed with graduations, we pivoted this event to hopefully accommodate your schedule!

I look forward to seeing you soon – Happy Spring, stay safe as we plant and plan for a successful harvest all over the Northeast – in the fields, state capitols and with many industry happenings!

2023 US Dairy Situation & Outlook: Chris Wolf at NEAFA Annual Meeting

By Eric Jenks, Special to NEAFA

Chris Wolf, the E.V. Baker Professor of Agricultural Economics at the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University spoke at the recent 2023 NEAFA Annual Meeting, held at the Albany Marriott in Albany, NY on February 8th, 2023. Wolf gave NEAFA members and attendees an update on the current 2023 United States (US) dairy situation and outlook for the upcoming year.

As many of NEAFA members are well aware, dairy prices have been volatile over the past several years. According to Wolf, the 2022 class III price averaged $20.96/cwt. “Butter supplies have been tight,” said Wolf. “With milk production going into butter, we’ve seen prices come down some small amount. The NY Mailbox price averaged approximately $25, with higher milk prices than what we’ve seen in the past. Prices nationally hit an all time high in May 2022 of $27.30.”

Overall, the milk production in the US saw a small increase year over year for 2022. “There was a .2% increase overall this year,” said Wolf. “Production dipped in the first half of the year… but as restrictions from base programs relaxed, higher prices built some momentum in the second half of the year. New York milk production saw an increase of .8%. Nationally, 40,000 milk cows were added this past year.”

When comparing US milk prices to both the European Union and New Zealand, the US is significantly higher for the past several years, though as of November 2022, prices in the EU edged out the US. “Europe’s milk production has been stagnant, and their costs have increased at the farm level,” said Wolf. “It’s fairly typical to see the lower prices from New Zealand. The products that they’re producing are mostly for export. About 90% of their milk is leaving, generally as whole and skim milk powder, which doesn’t receive the prices of other products.

At an export level, the US is competitive and growing. “There was 25% more value exported in 2022 vs 2021, which was a driving factor for the high farm milk prices,” said Wolf. “Looking forward at demand, it really comes down to consumer income and spending, both in the US and internationally. Nationally, US consumer income and spending is the focus; are we going to have a recession, how deep could it be, and what will it do to demand. Internationally, it’s largely about China, though we hope exports to Mexico, South Korea, Japan, etc., keep doing well as well.”

Wolf shifted his talk at this point to deal with the economy. “Interest rates, the federal funds rate, increased seven times in 2022,” said Wolf. “New loans have significantly higher rates now, so anyone that is looking for an operating loan, housing, land, etc., and hasn’t already locked in a rate can expect to pay more. Looking at unemployment, it’s a little misleading to say that we’re at the lowest level in 50 years. The US is currently at 60.2% employed, which is lower than before the pandemic. However, unemployment only counts those that are looking for employment. There was a large number of people that left the workforce due to Covid-19, and decided not to come back. We’re still facing inflation rates that are higher than desired. We’re quite a ways away from 2.5%. Any forecast that says interest rates drop by the end of 2023 are unrealistic currently. Wage growth however, continues to be strong”

Looking towards crops and weather implications, 2023 is likely to be the third consecutive year that we have a La Nina weather pattern. “This is the colder counterpart of El Nino, affects crops and pasture around the globe. In California for example, snow pack has lowered the drought conditions that we’ve seen there. We’re expecting to see dry to almost drought conditions in Brazil, Argentina, Texas/Central Plains, Africa, and New Zealand. We’re expecting a colder and stormier Northern US as well, with more Atlantic hurricanes. Australia and Southeastern Asia will likely have more precipitation than normal.” Because of this, Wolf predicts that New Zealand milk production will be “flat to slightly lower, due to La Nina and high input costs. The drought seen in the EU in 2022 forecasts a drop below 20 million head in 2023. This will lead to a continued decrease in milk production and deliveries for factory use, despite higher farm gate milk prices. In the US, milk production for 2023 is expected to increase by 0.3 billion pounds, with higher than expected cow numbers, and slightly faster growth of yield per cow.” According to Wolf, expect US dairy policy to be driven by the Farm Bill, federal milk marketing orders, as well as environmental concerns, labor, energy, and trade.

Panel Discussion Dives into Social Media at NEAFA Annual Meeting

By Eric Jenks, Special to NEAFA

The producer panel during the February 8th NEAFA Annual Meeting focused on using social media to promote agribusiness and farms. Eileen Jensen, from the NY Animal Agriculture Coalition moderated the discussion. Panelists included Carrie Edsall of Black Willow Farm, Johanna Bossard of Barbland and White Eagle Dairy and an agricultural teacher at Hamilton Central School, Paul Fouts of Fouts Farm, and Keith Franklin of Miller Farm.

Each panelist utilizes social media and the different platforms in a number of ways so that they can best tell the story of their respective businesses. “I’m very much a fly by the seat of my pants person,” said Edsall. “Instagram has been an easier platform for that for me. From moving sheep, gathering turkeys, etc., I gather video and photos as I go. I look at Facebook as more of an advertisement. That’s where I post really good pictures, push that we’re lambing, have new products, pastured poultry for the season, things like that. The ability to connect in two different ways, is great to have.

For Bossard, social media use is more about planning out her posts. “It’s the teacher aspect in me,” said Bossard. “I use scheduling apps to my advantage; the meta business suite is my friend. I don’t have the time to do posts in the moment, but I do know what I want to highlight and when it should go out. Someone is doing something at every moment of the day, and that’s not going to always be me. I’m not in the tractor, I’m not milking cows, or spreading manure. I have to rely on employees to get me footage. I do a lot of stuff at night time and on weekends, making posts and reels for the week. Most of the employees know to send me photos or video, even when spreading manure. The thing is, most people don’t know what we’re doing on the farm. Whether it’s changing a tire, welding a gate, or spreading manure, the general consumer wants to know that, and it’s good to get that footage from the people doing it.”

The panel also spoke on the challenges, positives, and negatives that come from using social media regularly. “It can be challenging coming up with new creative content,” said Franklin. “My role on the farm changed, for example. When I was around the cows, it seemed that they presented a lot of opportunities for photos. But being buried in an engine and fixing something, well that doesn’t seem as intriguing to me.”

Making sure that you use the right medium for each social media platform can be a challenge as well. “I try to use reels a lot in instagram; video or picture put to fun music,” said Bossard. “Videos on Facebook don’t do as well.”

As anyone that has spent a modicum of time in the comments section of a post will well know, posts can also have a negative interaction. “I’ve been fortunate not to have that many,” said Edsall. “When it happens it can be really frustrating. I try not to get defensive, because you really have to educate the general public about agricultural practices. They don’t know what they don’t know. We all have to share what we’re doing when we raise and consume meats and animal products. I do my best to turn the conversation to be educational and not take it personal.”

“I use a banned words list,” said Bossard. “You can block phrase or moderate comments based off of those words. With those safeguards set, they filter out 90% or so of the bad stuff. You have to ask yourself, do I want to deal with this, and is this a discussion with someone in the moveable middle. If not, banning is very easy.”

Conversations however, with those that are open to them, can be rewarding. “Quite a few times I’ve thought I don’t want to do this, it’s not worth it,” said Fouts. “But then I quite often get people that say that I’m one of the only things that they look at on Facebook, and that they use me as a resource to show people what agriculture is really like. There was one time that a person that my wife knows, they live in Los Angeles, and they shared an animal activist video, and I explained what they were actually seeing versus what they were being told by the video. It took several hours of back and forth before we reached an understanding. But I got through to them, and I changed their opinion on agriculture. That was when I decided I wanted to be able to get information out there that I wanted people to have access to. Social media is an easy way to have a connection with people.”

Those connections on social media can go far beyond someone’s friend’s list as well. “I think one of the first times that I felt that my little voice could reach a lot of people was during a corn harvest,” said Franklin. “I had a GoPro camera mounted on the combine to give multiple different video angles. Well I got done editing and posted it, and it got 10,000 views overnight! Throughout the day you’re getting dinged from people watching. It gave me the idea of the power of what you can do with just a little bit of tech.”

Bossard added that it is also a great way to educate the next generation. “The youth are always watching,” said Bossard. “They’ll come to me and say ‘I saw xyz thing, what’s going on here?’ If it spurs a conversation with someone not in agriculture, if it helps me connect with them and makes me more relatable to them, then it’s worth it. It’s not just kids too, it’s the same with other people in my life. I see a lot of other teachers in my life, and they’ll say “we had no idea you milked the cows this way, or that there was so much science that goes into feeding them.” If we all did that a little bit more, it wouldn’t be so overwhelming for advocating for agriculture on social media. You might not think you posting would make a difference, but I guarantees it does to someone; and that’s a win.”

For some, getting started posting to social media can be intimidating. “We’re all doing the same things,” said Bossard. “You can start by following others, and seeing what they’re doing. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Figure out a way to use a topic to highlight your farm. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask younger people in your life for help. Don’t know what kids want to see? Ask them. They’ll show you how to do reels. They’re an awesome generation. Let’s bring them in to the ag industry and have them teach us things when we need help too.”

Franklin adds, “Just do your thing. I was pretty computer illiterate when I started, but it’s not hard. We’re not going to be out there dancing on tiktok, but you can do other things. The people that you’ll reach are different from the people I reach, but you can look at how it spiderwebs out. If we all put out positive messages about agriculture, it’s harder for negative messages to get a foothold.”

Fouts agreed. “You don’t have to know what you’re doing,” said Fouts. “Starting out it boggled my mind that my routine is strange and interesting to so many people, but I know that I’ve reached a lot of different people and showed them what agriculture is all about. Just do it, be yourself, and be respectful.”

2023 NEAFA Scholarship Winners Announced

Pictured Here: Grayson Erion, Lauren King, Mary Padavan, and Holly Niefergold.

NEAFA is proud to announce the winners of the 2022 Scholarship for Future Agriculturalists. NEAFA awards four $1000 scholarships to eligible high school seniors planning to pursue a field of study that will lead to a career in agriculture, with a specific emphasis on animal science, agronomy, agriculture education or agribusiness. The 2023 Winners include Lauren King, of Schuylerville, NY, Holly Niefergold from Lawtons, NY, and Mary Padavan from Seaford, NY, and Grayson Erion from Byron, NY.  NEAFA wishes them well as they start the next step in their educational goals.

Lauren King– Schuylerville, NY

“I am a Senior at Schuylerville High School, and the daughter of Jeff and Becky King,” said King. “I am a part of Kings-Ransom Farm and King Brothers Dairy where I enjoy working with our cattle, working in our farm store, and helping with ice cream production. I am a member of the FFA, currently serving as the chapter Vice President, as well as being elected the Saratoga County Dairy Ambassador. I play basketball, volleyball, and lacrosse, while also participating in the Tri-County Jr. Holstein Club, Cornell Junior Dairy Leaders, and New York State Junior Holstein Executive Committee. I love the farm and especially showing my Holstein cattle. I’ve been showing at the Saratoga County Fair, Tri-County Jr. Holstein Show, and various other shows such as the New York State Spring Carousel, New York State Show, and World Dairy Expo for the last several years. I will also be furthering my studies at Cornell University majoring in Animal Science and plan to continue advocating for the agriculture industry.”

Holly Niefergold– Lawtons, NY

”I am the 18 year old daughter of David and Emily Niefergold,” said Niefergold. “I am a third generation dairy farmer, and I am a senior at North Collins Jr./Sr. High School. Being valedictorian of my class kept me busy with my studies, but I found time for extracurricular activities as well. I am active in FFA, 4-H, Junior Dairy Leaders, Senior High Band, Jazz Band, Dairy Ambassador Promotion, National Honor Society and I work multiple jobs. I work on my family’s and neighbors dairy and crop farms, the Erie County Agricultural Society. I have an internship with Northeast AgriSoultions Force and Milk for Health. I have a passion for agriculture and have become a great advocate through all of my experiences. Serving as Erie County Dairy Princess, New York State Alternate Dairy Princess, and Springville FFA Vice-President I have gained an incredible amount of communication and leadership skills. I want to continue advocating for the agricultural industry and further develop my skills. I plan on attending SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill to pursue a degree in Agriculture Business Management.”

Mary Padavan– Seaford, NY

My name is Mary Padavan. I am a Senior at Seaford High School located in Nassau County on Long Island. I have been riding horses for 10 years. I have been attending the Horse Science and Management class through BOCES at LIU Post for the past two years. I am the Treasurer of our Future Farmers of America (FFA) club. I am a member of the National Technical Honor Society (NTHS), National Honor Society (NHS), 4-H, Girl Scouts and the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls. I volunteer at the New York Equestrian Center where I also take riding lessons, work, and participate in horse shows. When I am not at the barn, I enjoy taking care of our family pet bunny and guniea pig.

Grayson Erion– Byron, NY

Grayson has been involved in agriculture since she was 10 years old. The purchase of a flock of chickens when she was four years old began her family’s small farm. Her family added two lamancha dairy goats to the farm when she was 10 years old, and the herd currently consists of eleven Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats. Since the original purchase of the dairy goats, Grayson has learned more about the animals every day, and today manages the small herd almost entirely on her own. From daily care to barn management and breeding lineups, Grayson has been managing the herd for almost two years. She also works on a jersey dairy, where she discovered her love of cattle and the dairy industry as a whole. Working on this dairy, she learned to bottle feed calves, operate a milking machine, pull a calf, and other skills that have helped to make her who she is. Grayson also learned to show dairy cattle, and now shows dairy cattle along with her dairy goats. She participates in 4-H and shows her livestock at the Orleans County 4-H fair. She is also involved in student council, served as the Vice-President of her FFA chapter, and is in the National Honor Society. Grayson is a high-honor roll student and is graduating a year early with plans to attend SUNY Cobleskill to major in Animal Science, with plans to become an agriculture teacher.

For more information on the NEAFA Scholarship for Future Agriculturalists, visit http://www.nyffafoundation.org/neafa-scholarship.html