NEAFA Member Profile: Elanco

By Eric Jenks, Special to NEAFA

For November, NEAFA sat down with Richie Shepardson, the Northeast regional sales representative at Elanco for a NEAFA member profile. “Since the 1950’s, Elanco has been involved in Animal Health,” said Shepardson. “Elanco is based out of Greenfield, Indiana. They have an extremely broad portfolio, which is one of the great professional perks of working here. There’s a lot going on with technology and products for dairy farms, nutrition consultants, veterinarians, etc. There are a number of feed additives for production animals, and items categorized as ‘packaged goods’ which include vaccines, antibiotics, and other animal health products. We also have the EKS - Elanco Knowledge Systems. EKS is a data analytics space where there are currently a lot of conversations going on around how to continue to help dairies to model and reduce their carbon footprint, while continuing to pursue production efficiency and improved animal health.”

Shepardson grew up on a small farm in New Hampshire and was introduced to the dairy industry while attending the University of New Hampshire to major in biochemistry. “It became apparent to me that a career in biochemistry wasn’t something that I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” said Shepardson. “When a couple of friends were going to take a dairy course, it sounded interesting, so I signed up too. I immediately fell in love with it and started a minor in dairy management. After finishing my undergraduate at UNH, I started grad school at Penn State, eventually receiving my Masters in Animal Science, focused on dairy nutrition.”

 As the Northeast Regional Sales Representative, Shepardson is based out of Vermont, and covers New York, New England, and some of Pennsylvania. “Elanco is very much a global company,” said Shepardson. “My main focus in the Northeast is on the farm animal side of the business and is generally dairy related products. I have some conversations around poultry and swine, but dairy is my bread and butter.”

For Elanco and Shepardson, supporting agriculture in the Northeast is an integral part of doing business here. “You want to be supportive of the people that you’re working with,” said Shepardson. “Elanco wants to continue to be involved with agriculture in the Northeast, and believes that you should support the organizations that support nutritionists, dairy farmers, and other agribusiness. NEAFA and the events that they help put together are great opportunities to have discussions with others in the industry that may have different points of views on the best way to support and move agriculture forward. Their events are great learning opportunities.”

For Shepardson, the myriad of different agribusinesses in the Northeast is a boon for the area. “One great thing about working in agriculture in the Northeast is the wide diversity in the size and type of dairies and agribusinesses,” said Shepardson. “There are so many bright and progressive dairies, high quality feed companies and nutrition consultants here. I’m really excited to have great conversations with them at events, to talk about research, to hear what they’re up to. I think that Elanco in general is excited about new technology and research with existing productions and working on new products. We’re looking forward to continue to share information, to innovate, and to help dairies and other agribusinesses improve.”

For more information on Elanco, visit www.elanco.com

2024 NEAFA Scholarship for Future Agriculturalists Open for Applicants

In partnership with the Northeast Agribusiness & Feed Alliance (NEAFA), the NYS FFA Leadership Training Foundation, Inc. announces the opening of the 2024 NEAFA Scholarship for Future Agriculturalists.  Four, $1,000 scholarships will be available to current high school seniors from New York and New England states who wish to pursue post-secondary studies in the field of Agriculture.   To learn more about this scholarship offering along with the timeline for the application process you can visit the NY FFA Foundation link at  http://www.nyffafoundation.org/neafa-scholarship.html

About NEAFA
The mission of the Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance is to speak with a collective
voice and advocate for our members, animal agriculture and other stakeholders in New York
and the six New England states. The alliance's strategic objectives are advocacy,
collaboration, and education. https://www.northeastalliance.com/

The Alliance was formed in 2004 when two longstanding organizations, the New England
Grain and Feed Council and the Eastern Federation of Feed Merchants, merged to combine
their collective strengths.

About NY FFA Foundation

The mission of the NY FFA Leadership Training Foundation, Inc. is to coordinate sustainable long-term funding to
prepare FFA members for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education.
www.nyffafoundation.org

Governor Hochul Vetoes Two Water Regulation Bills

Provided by Julie Marlette, Hinman-Straub

Earlier this month, Governor Hochul vetoed two NEAFA opposed bills related to the oversight and application of certain pesticides to specified wetlands and reclassified some waterways and regulated them as streams. 

The first S.5957, Harckham/A.5949, Burdick (Veto 81 of the laws of 2023) would have prohibited the application of pesticides to certain local freshwater wetlands under the jurisdiction of local governments that have implemented a freshwater wetlands protection law. This proposal, also vetoed last year, would undermine the integrity of Department of Environmental Conservation’s pesticide management program, which is based on extensive scientific review and submission of supporting data. In addition, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) provides New York State with the ability to conduct its pesticide program through cooperative agreements with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Concerns have been raised that adoption of this legislation would undermine this arrangement and the State’s ability to continue to regulate pesticide use in this way. NEAFA sought a veto of this legislation.

In addition, the Governor again vetoed S.1725-A, Harckhsm/A.4601-A, (Veto 70 of the Laws of 2023) Glick which would have reclassified certain class “C” waterways as streams and subject them to the same rules and oversight.  This is the third time this bill has been vetoed. 

In both of these instances to Governor cited her administration’s commitment to clean water and state regulation of such – deeming these proposed changes costly and unnecessary.

At this time, the proposed ban on the use of treated seeds (neonics) has not been delivered to the Governor for action. 

Link to Veto Message 81 of the Laws of 2023

Link to Veto Message 70 of the Laws of 2023

Nationwide Milk Carton Shortage

By Jenny Mills, NEAFA President

Just before Halloween, my son brought home a letter from our school district, as many children did throughout the US. It informed us that milk served at lunch might change in the next several months due to an impending shortage of the paper half pint cartons used to package milk. The letter went on to describe that our school would provide milk in cups and other alternatives if the “milk carton shortage” were to come to fruition. Fortunately, milk in cartons has not disappeared in our local school yet, but the supply chain issues with paper cartons is expected to last through the beginning of 2024.

While there is no shortage of fluid milk in the country, Pactiv Evergreen of Lake Forest, Illinois, which bills itself as “the leading manufacturer of fresh food and beverage packaging in North America,” acknowledged in a statement on Nov. 3 that it “continues to face significantly higher than projected demand” for its milk cartons.

The shortage is affecting the company’s ability to “fully supply some school milk orders,” according to Matt Herrick, spokesperson for the International Dairy Foods Association.

Dairy processors, NYS Ag and Markets, NYS Education Department, and industry partners continue to communicate and work collaboratively towards solutions to ensure that milk can still be served in schools and institutions despite the paperboard packaging shortage. The American Dairy Association Northeast (ADANE) has shared some tips for how you can support your local schools during the shortage. 

Offer Assistance to Schools

This approach may work best in a school you have a relationship with, for example, the school your children attend or where a family member is an employee.

    Send your contact a brief email (suggested text below).

• “Hi, I’m Name (if applicable, give context: XXX’s mom). We know schools are under tremendous pressure to continue serving milk to their students.  How can I help you do that?”

• I’m available to help pour milk one day a week (insert preferred availability/frequency).

• I’d like to work with our dairy promotion team/4-H Club, FFA (or other) to coordinate volunteers.

• I have a lead on a place to obtain cup donations.

• I’m willing to coordinate a cup donation drive.

Volunteer to Serve Milk

Like many workplaces, school cafeterias are often short-handed. Offer to help set up a schedule of volunteers to pour milk for students.

• Ask if school clubs would be willing to sign up for shifts. Perhaps organize a friendly competition between groups to rally the most volunteers.

                             - Sports teams – football team vs. basketball team

                             - Choir vs. band students

• Ask if student volunteers could get extra credit or if this could count towards service hours for graduation.

Collect Cup Donations

Before starting to solicit donations, check with your school to be sure they will be accepted and what guidelines they may have (certain sizes, packaging, delivery instructions, etc.).

• Think about some of the vendors you work with. Sometimes it’s easier for companies to give products/supplies vs. money.

• Ask your county fair committee if they would be willing to provide cups or a monetary donation.

• Consider a community cup drive, where community members drop cups off in the school parking lot on a pre-determined date and time.

For more information, contact ADA North East Director of Consumer Confidence Beth Meyer at bmeyer@milk4u.org.

To view additional tips on the ADANE website, please visit Tips to Support Schools During Milk Carton Shortage | American Dairy Association North East.

Join Us for an Awesome Annual Meeting!

Charlie Elrod, Ph.D.

VP NEAFA

President & CEO Natural Biologics, Inc.

We hope you’ll join us for an action-packed annual meeting, February 6th and 7th at the Albany Marriot in Albany NY.  The conventions committee has been working diligently to put together an agenda that is relevant, informative and fun. The agenda fully supports our pillars of advocacy, collaboration and education.

The meeting will kick off on Tuesday morning with an in-person lobby day.  If our experience over the last year is any indicator, Hinman-Straub will do a fantastic job setting up meetings and providing talking points for both our upstate, ag-supporting legislators, and downstate legislators who need a more comprehensive ag perspective. This year we are working hard to focus on being more proactive on policy and funding which we support, rather than waiting until specific legislation or the budget comes out and then reacting to it.  We hope you’ll join us for this very important part of our advocacy efforts.

Following the morning’s lobbying, we’ll head over to the Marriot for a follow-up on last year’s transportation summit, with updates from some of the same speakers, and a few new perspectives.  The lineup should provide great insight into issues in our transportation sectors as well as opportunities to improve.  The panel will be moderated by Tonya Van Slyke from NEDPA and include: 

• Joe Painting – Vermont Rail System

• Keith Kimball – La Casa De Leche Company & Red Maples Dairy Farm  

• Kendra Hems – NYS Trucking Association

• Deputy Commissioner Jennifer Trodden – NYS Ag & Markets 

The afternoon’s program will wrap up with a presentation by Dr. Nichole Price from the Bigelow Institute in Maine, on some of their research into various marine sources of feed additives which may be useful in mitigating enteric methane from ruminants.  Following on that, Dr. Price will moderate an interactive discussion with participants on their perceptions and outlook for adoption of these types of solutions.  They held a similar session after the Cornell Nutrition Conference and it was a lively and interesting conversation.

Our reception will be held along with the current class of LEAD NY, providing a great opportunity to meet and get to know some of the future leaders within the ag sector of the Northeast.

Wednesday morning will kick off with the business meeting where we’ll get an update on the state of the Alliance from President Jenny Mills and vote on a new slate of directors for the Board.  NYS Department of Ag & Markets Commissioner Richard Ball will be on hand to provide some insight into priorities for the department and Mike North from Ever.Ag will join us to provide the perennially popular updates and outlook on national and global dairy markets.  The NEAFA-supported faculty members from Cornell, Drs. Kristin Reed and Joe McFadden will share their significant research progress on making the Northeast and national dairy industries more sustainable. 

Switching over to our Advocacy part of the program,  NEAFA Director and newly appointed Director of the VT Dairy Producers Association, Kevin Kouri will provide an update on legislative initiatives which are being prioritized in VT, while Julie Marlette from Hinman-Straub will provide insight into NY legislative priorities.  Broadening our view, Constance Cullman from AFIA will get us up to speed on national issues they are working on.

The annual awards luncheon will be MC’d by radio host and ag advocate Trent Loos. Loos will guide us through the Distinguished Service Award, recognition of new and retiring board members, and then regale us with stories of his efforts to help bridge the gap between rural and urban America.  We hope that you’ll come out to learn, network and share in the fellowship of members and guests who share NEAFA’s vision to support and grow a sustainable agribusiness industry in the Northeast.  Register now to attend or sponsor the NEAFA Annual Meeting!

Northeast Dairy Challenge

By Carie Telgen, NEAFA Communications Committee

Over 80 students from 10 different universities around the Northeast convened in Harrisburg, PA recently as part of the Northeast Regional Dairy Challenge competition.  The mission of the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge is to “develop tomorrow’s dairy leaders and enhance progress of the dairy industry by providing education, communication and networking among students, producers and agribusiness and university personnel.”  Along with the help of multiple industry and university volunteers, students from each university were co-mingled into 18 different teams that then toured and evaluated 2 different dairy farms in the surrounding area.  Each team is given the farm financials, herd records and farm goals and are then expected to critically evaluate the operation for areas of opportunity.  After the visit, students can ask the farmer questions about what they saw and are then required to put together a 20-minute presentation back to the farm on their observations and recommendations.  A panel of 5 judges evaluate each team to decide which team was able to best articulate and evaluate the dairy with financially impactful, reasonable, and attainable action items.

“Dairy Challenge requires us to work through problems with a wholistic approach, as a team with students from other schools, on a farm we are not familiar with” says Lainey Koval a Cornell Senior and Dairy Challenge attendee.  Koval is a previous NEAFA Scholarship winner that hopes to find a job in agricultural finance after graduation, before eventually returning to her home farm.  Using observational and critical thinking skills, students perform a S.W.O.T. analysis, are encouraged to put partial budgets together for their recommendations and truly understand the financial implications of the recommendations they make.  “The hardest part is to prioritize the importance of our recommendations in relation to the impact for the dairy, in a short amount of time” says Koval.  

Team building is an important part of Dairy Challenge as each team is made up of students from multiple universities.  This year’s team building event required teams to build a tricycle that was then donated to a local charity.  The networking that students get during the Dairy Challenge event goes beyond working as teammates.  Following their presentations, students are encouraged to attend the job fair where multiple agribusinesses are present to discuss future externship and employment opportunities.  There is also the opportunity to tour another agribusiness in the area on the days the students are not presenting.  The Dairy Challenge program started in 2002 and continues to expose students to real life situations, preparing them for careers where critical thinking, problem solving, and teamwork are paramount to success. 

October Legislative Update

Packaging Hearing in Albany on October 24 - Lawmakers held a joint legislative hearing in Albany on the proposed Packaging and Recycling Infrastructure Act, which would change how the state manages solid waste.  The Senate and Assembly’s Environmental Conservation Committees heard testimony on a bill to require companies selling, offering for sale, or distributing packaging materials and products to register with a packaging reduction organization to develop a packaging reduction and recycling plan.

Proponents say that the state must divert waste – especially plastic - from landfills and incentivize manufacturers to reduce their packaging. New York Farm Bureau President David Fisher raised concerns about the impacts a “extended producer responsibility” program might have on New York farms: “We are highly concerned that the current proposals, if passed, will result in many more farms closing their operations across the state.” Read his testimony here.

Election Day is November 7 - Election Day is quickly approaching. Local elections will be held across the state on November 7, and voters will also consider two proposed amendments to the state constitution. The first proposal would raise the debt limit of small city school districts, and the second would extend for ten years the current debt limit for the construction of sewage treatment facilities.

Information on where and how to vote and local ballots is available from the NYS Board of Elections.

Challenging 2024–25 State Budget Expected – On September 20, State Budget Director Blake Washington issued the annual “call letter,” seeking budget requests from every state agency.  Agencies were requested to submit flat budgets with certain exceptions. State agencies had been permitted to request modest growth – up to 2% - in recent years. Governor Hochul will submit her proposed Executive Budget request in mid-January, and officials have announced a $9.1 billion deficit in 2024. 

Congressional District Plan Heads to State’s Highest Court – The NYS Court of Appeals – the state’s high court – is scheduled to hear an appeal of a lower court decision in July that ordered a state panel to redraw new congressional districts. The lower court decision has been paused pending appeal, and the Court of Appeals has scheduled a hearing on the matter for November 15.  Depending on the outcome of the appeal, newly approved district lines for New York’s 26 congressional districts will stand as written or sent back to the drawing board.

NEAFA News Member Highlight: Jefo Nutrition Inc

By Eric Jenks, Special to NEAFA

This month’s NEAFA Member highlight is of Jefo Nutrition Inc. “Jefo is a global leader in high-performance, non-medicated nutritional solutions for animals,” said Chris Gwyn, the Sales Director for Canada and Ruminant Business Development Manager for North America. “Founded in Canada in 1982, the company offers innovative, cost-effective, and efficient solutions in over 80 countries. With its commitment to Life, Made Easier, Jefo aims to improve animal health and increase human longevity by feeding growing populations with better sources of protein.”

Gwyn joined Jefo Nutrition Inc in 2005, and has worked in a variety of roles over the years for the company. “I grew up in Eastern Ontario in the city,” said Gwyn. “My father was a history professor with a passion for farming and my mother grew up on an English dairy farm. I grew up working on farms and dairy farms in particular right through university. There’s a certain warmth and relaxation that you get from being around livestock, so a farm is my happy place. When I graduated from the University of Guelph - with a degree in animal science and a focus in ruminant nutrition, I worked on a dairy farm in Cayuga County in Central New York.”

According to Gwyn, Jefo Nutrition is focused on innovation. “We are innovators, go get it done company,” said Gwyn. “We have been on the forefront of nutritional strategy for 20 years. We do what we can to support the industry by working collaboratively with others. For our consumer business, we create nutritional solutions that aid the feed industries products with the end goal of sustainable milk, meat and eggs. For ruminants, we create vitamin strategies that focus on efficiency of the animal. A key technology in ruminant sector is designing and producing rumen bypass ingredients. We made a forty million US dollar investment on a ruminant bypass ingredients facility. Those ingredients can make for efficient digestion and absorption of nutrients, helping the animals’ metabolism work as effectively and efficiently as possible. Our Quebec facility, which is within five hours of the Northeastern Agricultural market, is the most modern plant in the world, and will quadruple our production ability.”

For Gwyn, being a member of NEAFA is a must for doing business in the Northeast. “It’s an important organization in supporting agriculture in the Northeast,” said Gwyn. “Being a member is something that we can do to help make sure that agriculture in the northeast, which has its own unique pressures, is supported. We have similar pressure in land use and production in Canada, and you need a strong lobby group to make sure that the needs of northeastern agriculture and the feed industry are looked after. I’ve been to NEAFA’s annual meetings and golf tournaments in the past. For me, it’s always nice to see of how companies that compete day to day can get together to network and support one another. We’re all here to promote agriculture, and to get a better understanding of the issues going on in the northeast or in agriculture in general.”

Looking to the future, Gwyn is excited for the next generation joining the industry. “There’s a high level of interest and engagement in young people in studying ag and getting into the industry,” said Gwyn. “It’s admirable that in the USA there are strong 4H and FFA programs where youth are actively involved with agriculture. There’s a high level of engagement, and it’s not just from rural areas. You have people like me from the city that have a passion for it. Agriculture is here to stay, people need to eat. There are a lot of youth that are coming up that will be strong leaders for the future. NEAFA and other organizations are great for their support and scholarships for practical agriculture is a big positive. Change is ever present. As an industry and as companies, we need to see what change is coming, and to make sure that we can have it fit within our business and ag to make it a positive outcome.”

To learn more about Jefo Nutrition Inc., click here.

President's Pen: October 2023

By Jenny Mills
NEAFA President

Fall is in full swing – harvest, cooler nights and shorter days.  We hope that you and your families and customers stay safe this busy season!   In August, we focused on the collaboration efforts that NEAFA is involved with, and education seems to be a great topic to explore this month as another great Cornell Nutrition Conference wraps up!

First, it was wonderful to see so many members in attendance at the Cornell Nutrition Conference in Syracuse, NY.  Thank you to the CNC program committee that we collaborate with for giving NEAFA time on the program for an update.  We also appreciate Papillon giving us a few minutes during their CNC breakfast presentation to promote the value of NEAFA membership.  We had great conversations around membership, current happenings in agriculture and the advocacy efforts being made throughout the Northeast on several topics.  As we quickly approach another cycle of state budgets and new legislative sessions, we need your input on priority issues, such as transportation and future regulation around environmental sustainability.  Please reach out to anyone on the NEAFA board with your ideas!   

Education is a key pillar to our NEAFA strategy.  Part of our mission in education is to support programs to develop agriculture’s next generation of leaders.  The Northeast Dairy Challenge is one program we sponsor through our Good Works fund.  Please check out the article written by Dr. Carie Telgen on this college event that took place this past month.  If you have programs that support the development and education of youth for consideration of Good Works funds, please reach out.

In addition to supporting youth, NEAFA is committed to continuing education efforts  for our members and industry partners.  Our education efforts for 2024 start with our upcoming Annual Meeting, to be held February 6-7, 2024 in Albany at the Marriott on Wolf Road, which will include lobby day activities at the Capitol, updates from our many collaborators and an agenda around the theme “Navigating the New Frontier.”  Trent Loos will be our keynote speaker and emcee. Plans are also being made for our annual Herd Health Conference that will be held in April 2024. 

Membership is key to our education efforts.  If you collaborate with partners in your day-to-day, please encourage them to become members of NEAFA – the first year is half off as a bonus!  Seeking different perspectives and experience within our industry will allow us to strengthen our efforts towards NEAFA’s mission of supporting and growing a sustainable agribusiness industry in the Northeast.  

As we finish harvest, I hope you, your families and clients have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

September Legislative Update

By Hinman Straub

As we enter fall, our advocacy around the proposed treated seed ban (neonics, or the “Birds and the Bees” bill as it is known) continues but at this time the bill has not been delivered to the Governor. The Governor’s office is hearing from advocates and opponents of the bill and considering all feedback. We will continue our advocacy on this critical issue, independently and with partners. We will keep you up to date as this issue develops. 

However, the Governor has taken action on a number of other bills of interest, which have been summarized below. 

Prohibits Requesting Employee Login and Personal Account Information (S2518a, Ramos - A836 Dinowitz) 

This law prohibits employers from requesting, requiring, or coercing employees or potential employees personal account and login information except for login information related to the employer’s internal computer or information systems. The employer cannot discipline, penalize or threaten an employee for refusal in providing such information and cannot refuse to hire any applicant for failing to disclose such information. Employers are permitted to view, access or utilize information regarding an employee or applicant available in the public domain.

Status: Chapter 367 of the Laws of 2023

Effective Date: This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law.

Agriculture Technology Challenge (S1723a, Skoufis – A1528a, Woerner)

This law establishes an agriculture technology competition for students and 4-H

program participants.

Status: Chapter 280 of the Laws of 2023

Effective Date: This act shall take effect immediately. 

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

This law prohibits employers and employment agencies from discriminatory practices by 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” are 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” means those “relating to religious affiliation and practice and the decision to join or support any religious organization or association.”  

Status: Chapter 354 of the Laws of 2023

Effective Date: This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however that the amendments to section 399-c of the vehicle and traffic law made by section two of this act shall expire and be deemed repealed one year after it shall have become a law, when upon such date the provisions of sections three, four, five, six, seven and eleven of this act shall take effect; and provided further that the amendments to paragraph 1 of subsection (a) of section 2336 of the insurance law made by section eleven of this act shall be subject to the expiration and reversion of such subsection when upon such date the provisions of section twelve of this act shall take effect.

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

This law amends 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.

Status: Chapter 433 of the Laws of 2023

Effective Date: This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law.

Protections Against Discrimination Based on Gender Identity or Expression(S7382, Hoylman-Sigal - A7355 Simone)

This law adds to the protected classes under New York’s Human Rights Law relating to interns, precluding all employers within the State from discriminating against an intern based on their “gender identity or expression.”

Status: Chapter 305 of the Laws of 2023

Effective Date: This act shall take effect immediately.

NEAFA Member Profile: Gold Star Feed and Grain

By Eric Jenks, Special to NEAFA

This month, NEAFA spoke with Jason Lent, the General Manager for Gold Star Feed and Grain (GSFG). “I’m based out of Strykersville, NY, and have been the General Manager for the past year,” said Lent. “I worked my way into agriculture. I went to school at the University of Cincinnati, where I studied marketing and management, and then received a MBA in finance. My first job after school was doing credit and then accounting for consumer goods at Sara Lee. I then worked for Land O’Lakes (LOL) in Minnesota. I worked on the dairy foods side for  five years, and then spent two years in California at their Tulare Processing Plant. It was out there that I got introduced to the parent company for GSFG, J.D. Heiskell and Company, during a joint venture between them and LOL on Golden State Feed and Grain. That’s really what got me interested in the agricultural side of the business. I really enjoyed my time with JDH on that project, but I had to get back to Minnesota, where I spent the next seven years in a variety of roles for LOL. When I decided that I needed a change, JDH was always the first place that I said I would call. I took a roll in Amarillo as the assistant general manager for 3 years, until the opportunity opened up at Gold Star, and I took on my current role.”

The focus at GSFG is on dairy cow feed according to Lent. “We’re 99% dairy cow feed,” said Lent. “We manufacture and deliver to dairy farms from Western NY to Central NY and a little bit in Pennsylvania. We’ve got four locations across Western and Central NY. We have feed mills in Strykersville, Springville, Adams Center, and Sangerfield, NY (including a grain elevator across the street). We have 125 Employees, and as the general manager I’m able to interact with all the people day in and out. I work with all aspects of the business, and the hardworking people we have are a big part of what we do. We’ve doubled in size in the last two years. It’s been a lot of change, and leading through that has been a lot of fun.”

Being new to the Northeast, Lent has just started to get to know NEAFA. “I went to golf for good works this year, and that was my first event with NEAFA,” said Lent. I just moved here a year ago, and now that my family is here, we’re getting entrenched in the culture of the area. We’re looking to get more involved in organizations that do more for agriculture and our community. The support that the organization gives to the industry in the North East is such a huge benefit to the area. Being a part of that is great, and obviously the networking opportunity is fantastic. The events that they host and the opportunity to get to visit with vendors and others across the industry is great.”

Looking forward, Lent is excited for the future of GSFG. “We’re going to continue to look for opportunities to grow,” said Lent. The main office is moving to East Aurora in October, we continue to invest in our feed mills and people, and it feels like the NY Market is setup well for the future. There’s investment going on in milk processing, and that should continue to increase demand. We’re looking forward to continuing to service this market and to grow with it.”

For more on Gold Star Feed and Grain, visit: https://www.goldstarfeed.com/

Celebrating Dairy Day at the NYS Fair

Charlie Elrod, Ph.D.

Vice-President NEAFA

As usual, Dairy Day at the Great New York State Fair was all dairy, all the time, kicking off with the Dairy Day Recognition and Awards ceremony on August 31.  In addition to the many awards for dairy products (197 entries across 26 categories), a few of New York dairy industry’s top dairy leaders were also honored.  

This column has often mentioned the need to keep our industry vibrant by making sure there is a robust pipeline of young people interested in pursuing careers in the dairy industry.  For the last 25 years, Debbie Grusenmeyer, Senior Extension Associate in the PRO-Dairy Program at Cornell, has been doing just that.  Debbie works tirelessly to coordinate with county and regional 4-H extension educators across the state to conduct the regional and state 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowls.  Debbie was instrumental in reformatting the quiz bowl to reflect more about modern dairy management and reduce the emphasis on arcane dairy trivia.  Debbie also coordinates youth cattle judging clinics and contests around the state in which over 300 students participate each year.  Her singular achievement has probably been the creation of the Junior Dairy Leader program in which 16 to 19 year olds spend a year learning about dairy careers, leadership and professional development opportunities in the dairy industry. We can certainly attribute a full generation of New York’s dairy leaders having been impacted by Debbie’s programs. In recognition of her work, Debbie was honored with the NY Dairy of Distinction Distinguished Person of the Year award.

Sunnyside Farms, operated by the Rejman family, was also honored with one of the PRO-Dairy Agriservice awards for 2023.  Neil and Greg Rejman received the award from Department of Ag & Markets Commissioner Richard Ball and PRO-Dairy Director, Tom Overton.  Sunnyside Farms was recognized for decades of collaboration with Cornell programs, from years-long research studies with the vet college and animal science department, as a case study subject for nutrient management and animal welfare programs with PRO-Dairy staff and as a host for countless farm tours with visitors from all corners of the globe.  The Rejmans themselves have been active leaders and advocates for the dairy industry in local, state, regional and national forums.

The second Agriservice award was presented to John Lehr of Farm Credit East.  John was honored for his activity in farm business management programs and applied research for dairy farms and especially for his development of the Dairy Advancement Program.  This program is run by NYS Department of Ag & Markets and Department of Environmental Conservation to ensure the long-term viability of NY’s dairy industry through adoption of sound, economically viable environmental stewardship practices.  The program’s continuing success can be attributed to the outstanding collaboration between state government, New York dairies, Cornell’s Pro-Dairy program and agriservice professionals who work on implementation of the recommended practices.  

This year’s Dairy Day awardees exemplify all three of NEAFA’s pillars of Advocacy, Collaboration and Education and really demonstrate how individuals truly can make a difference across an entire industry.  Our congratulations and thanks go out to this year’s award winners.

Member Profile: Arm & Hammer Animal Food Production

By Eric Jenks, Special to NEAFA

For the August member profile, NEAFA spoke with Andy Schwytzer, a strategic account manager for Arm & Hammer’s Animal and Food Production, which is a division of specialty products for Church & Dwight. “I’ve worked with Arm & Hammer for 6.5 years now,” said Schwytzer. “I’m mostly focused on dairy nutrition feed additives. Arm & Hammer has a long history with agriculture, and we’re committed to innovating and delivering industry leading advancements throughout the food chain. Part of that is through the acquisition of several different companies in the past 8 years to include pre and pro-biotics for our portfolio of products.” 

That long history includes some interesting stories according to Schwytzer’s colleague, Elliot Block. “I don’t “know” (the full story) but I can tell you the myth,” said Block. “It was bicarbonate that was sold into agriculture, and the story is that sometime in the early 1850’s, the company noticed a lot of sodium bicarbonate being sold to bakeries. The amounts were WAY more that the bakeries could use for their sales of baked goods. After investigating, they found out that dairy farmers were buying 50 lb bags from bakeries to feed to their cows. But it wasn’t until the 1960s that C&D actually formed an animal feed business group. Until then, there was a product manager in consumer goods that managed the cow business.”

For Schwytzer, animal husbandry and agriculture were a daily part of life growing up. “My dad is a veterinarian,” said Schwytzer. “I grew up working on dairy farms and went to Cornell for a degree in Animal Science. I did dairy nutrition for 5 years, and I’ve been in the industry my whole career after graduating in 2001. As a teenager, milking cows was a paycheck, but it soon turned into a love for animals. Today, what’s fulfilling for me on a macro level, is the contribution that Arm & Hammer, myself, and frankly all the other companies involved with NEAFA make to society. We’re committed to feeding the world. Personally, the ability to work with all of the professionals in this industry is a privilege.

Being a NEAFA member is an important part to working in the Northeast according to Schwytzer. “I’ve been a member for over a decade,” said Schwytzer. “The biggest things that it does for the industry, in my opinion, is its lobbying and policy work. For me personally, it’s been the business relationships that have developed into more personal relationships with the members involved at NEAFA. Customers of mine have become friends through the events that NEAFA hosts. I go to the Golf for Good Works every year. I go to the annual meetings. I find them informative and a good way to learn about policy. They help me learn and understand about what policies are pivotal to agriculture, and about how I can impact those policies on an individual basis.”

Looking toward the future, Schwytzer believes that ag in the Northeast will be in good hands. “What I’m most excited about are all the new people entering the industry,” said Schwytzer. “The skill level, dedication, and the business acumen are all things that they’re bringing with them that just blow me away. To know that an organization like NEAFA, through their scholarship program and the fellowship at Cornell, are helping to encourage and educate today’s youth for tomorrow, well I think those investments are really paying off.”

For more information on Arm & Hammer’s Animal Food Production division, click here.

New York Congressional Redistricting Update

Hinman Straub

Initially, the New York State Supreme Court (the State’s lowest court – not THE Supreme Court) denied an attempt by Congressional Democrats to require that new lines be drawn for New York State congressional districts. Congressional Democrats argued that the lines drawn by the special master – to replace those that were rejected by the court for being an unconstitutional gerrymander as well as an unconstitutional process for the drawing of the lines – were only meant to be used in the 2022 elections and that the Independent Redistricting Commission (“IRC”) should draw new lines – as required in the state Constitution. The Judge rejected that argument based on the lack of process for such a redrawing of the lines in the state constitution. In fact, the timelines under which the IRC is authorized to act are specifically outlined in the state constitution – this  current action of course falling well outside of the prescribed timelines within which the IRC is authorized to act. 

A majority of appellate judges (those in the Appellate Division – the Court in between the  State Supreme Court and the New York State Court of Appeals ), ignoring the actual language of the State Constitution, overturned this decision in a 3-2 vote and ordered the IRC to draw new congressional maps for 2024. The Congressional Republicans have appealed this decision. The New York State Court of Appeals (the State’s highest court) is set to hear arguments  on this case in November. It is hard to predict how they will decide. But, to casual observers of politics and the courts, based on the issues surrounding Hector LaSalle’s spiked confirmation and Judge Rowan Wilson’s ascension as Chief Judge – it appears as though Congress is likely to get new lines. Stayed tuned in November!

Summer Advocacy Continues

By Julie Marlette, Hinman Straub, Special for NEAFA

NEAFA leadership, in partnership with Hinman Straub, has  remained active in advocacy through the summer months. In addition to continued advocacy in opposition of enactment of the legislature’s proposed ban on neonic treated seeds (S.1856-A, Hoylman-Sigal / A.7640, Glick, NEAFA has also submitted a veto request to the Governor, seeking her disapproval of legislation that would authorize certain local governments to adopt local laws or ordinances prohibiting the application of pesticides to wetlands they regulate, except those being used for the control of invasive species (S.5957, Harckham/A.5949, Burdick). Identical wetlands legislation was  vetoed by this Governor last year. That veto message can be read here. 

NEAFA has continued to meet with the  Governor’s office on both of these bills, to share concerns, opposition and request that the bills be vetoed. NEAFA, alongside other advocates, also met with staff from  the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, one of two state agencies that will be instrumental in advising the Governor on her final action to voice concerns on these issues.  

NEAFA has shared  a formal written veto requests  which can be viewed by clicking here.

You can help amplify opposition to these bills by sending a message to the Governor as well. The New York State Farm Bureau has made automated messages available here: 

Neonic Letter in Opposition

Wetland Letter in Opposition

Coast to Cows to Consumer Project

Dairy herd grazing on the Wolfe’s Neck Center farm. Wolfe’s Neck is an outreach dairy partner of the Coast to Cow to Consumer project (Photo by Wolfe’s Neck Center).

By Dr. Nichole Price, Senior Scientist, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences

The Coast Cow Consumer (C3) project investigates novel algae-based feed additives. We seek naturally produced compounds that reduce enteric methane emissions and enhance milk quality and production.   

Certain marine alga feed additives (for example, Asparagopsis spp.) have very limited availability on the market, and are not yet certified by FDA. However, alternative algae formulations may be just as effective at drastically reducing methane ‘burps’ and provide additional cow nutritional benefits. C3 focuses on algal strains that are far more scalable for mass production, use recycled natural resources, and are often already GRAS certified.

C3 is a partnership across research nonprofits (Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, William H. Miner Institute), academic institutes (Colby College, University of New Hampshire, University of Vermont, Clarkson University, Syracuse University) and outreach specialists (Cornell Cooperative Extension, and Wolfe’s Neck Center).  Collectively, we use laboratory assays, animal feeding trials, mathematical modeling exercises, socioeconomic impact analyses, life cycle assessment, techno economic analyses, and stakeholder engagement activities to develop pragmatic candidate products. Our solutions balance environmental, economic, and social considerations together with aquaculturists’ and dairy farmers’ interest and acceptance.

C3 program director Dr. Nichole Price will be presenting the latest research from the first two years of our five-year project at the 2024 NEAFA Annual Meeting, and we invite you to join us!

For more information, visit our website at coastcowconsumer.com

2023 Golf for Good Works a Resounding Success

By Charlie Elrod, Ph.D. Vice-President, NEAFA, President, Natural Biologics, Inc.

One could not have asked for more spectacular weather or a better crowd for the 2023 Golf for Good Works tournament on August 22nd at the Turning Stone golf course.  110 golfers signed up to participate and about half that number turned out for the reception on Monday evening.  The skies were clear, the temperatures in the mid-70s and winds were calm as we gathered to enjoy reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones.

The next morning was blissfully cool as the group started gathering around 6:30 for sign-in, breakfast, coffee, more fellowship and putting practice.  John Clark, chair of the Good Works committee, welcomed everyone and provided a recap of how the funds raised in this event go to support the next generation of dairy leaders.  FFA scholarships and support for the Northeast Collegiate Dairy Challenge are just two of the efforts supported by NEAFA through the Golf for Good Works.  John then introduced Ella Underberg, the President of the New York State Chapter of FFA.  Ella welcomed everyone and thanked the golfers for their support of FFA. Todd Lighthall, Executive Director of the NY FFA chapter also welcomed the group and thanked them for their support.  He also put in a plug for the NYS FFA Golf Tournament to be held October 7th.  

After brief instructions from the golf superintendent the teams took off for their appointed starting hole on the course.  In the end about 100 golfers played with the team of Tom Buck, Mark Absalom, Michael O’Neill and Luke Lines taking first place with a score of 61, or 11 under par, followed closely (actually with the same score, but decided using the USGA tie-breaking method) by the team of Mark Anderson, Zach Anderson, John Myers and Brad Saunders.  Third place, and only trailing by one point, was the team of Chris Pierpont, Shane Laurie, Kyle Laurie and Paul Pratico.  NEAFA’s Treasurer, excelling as he does in all things, got the high score with his team.  

After about 5 hours of play the teams began to trickle back in for the awards lunch.  The excitement was evident as everyone recounted the highs and lows of their day, but universally the fantastic course and perfect weather were the hallmarks of a great day of golf.  Visit the photo gallery to see pictures of the day on the NEAFA website.

While it was a great day for golf, more importantly, it was a great day of fundraising for an important cause.  The first accounting for the day suggests that over $8000 was raised to support programs for youth in dairy.  The hole-in-one competition netted about $1200 for the Northeast Dairy Challenge. Thank you to the many NEAFA member companies who contributed so generously to the tournament.  

For results from the tournament, click here.

President's Pen: August 2023

By Jenny Mills, NEAFA President

It is time for the changing of the seasons again – cooler nights, State Fair, kids returning to school – signs of the harvest to come!  Last month, we focused on the advocacy efforts that NEAFA is involved with and with another great turnout for the annual Golf for Good Works tournament, collaboration seems to be a great topic to explore this month!

Collaboration can be defined in many ways, but visually the diversity of members, friends, agricultural partners and non-agricultural partners that were in the Turning Stone ballroom on August 22 demonstrated collaborating to support youth education through many agricultural organizations.  The partnerships, sponsorships and participation by so many from diverse backgrounds was amazing.  Great weather, great golf and conversation – all positives from your collaboration.  Thank you again for all your support!  See the recap of the Golf for Good Works event in this newsletter!

NEAFA has viewed collaboration as a key pillar in education and advocacy.  A few highlights from these pillars include:

• Education – the investment that NEAFA put into the two faculty positions within the Department of Animal Science at Cornell continues to pay dividends for our members.  Dr. Charlie Elrod and I were fortunate to get some time with Dr. Kristan Reed and Dr. Joe McFadden in July to review updates with their research programs.  Their focus on environmental modeling and mitigation of greenhouse gas production will continue to help our producers and industry solve challenges and potential future regulations around sustainability.  Stay tuned for updates from both Dr. Reed and Dr. McFadden at our Annual meeting, taking place February 6-7, 2024 in Albany.

• Advocacy – NEAFA’s collaboration with Vermont Dairy Producers Alliance (VDPA) has resulted in a collaborative investment to have Shouldice and Associates represent our legislative priorities in Vermont.  NEAFA is excited to invest in a collective voice with VDPA with the goal of multiplying efforts from both organizations.  As a result of this collaboration, NEAFA will have a seat on the VDPA board.  Kevin Kouri will serve on the board of VDPA and help shape the future of this important collaboration in Vermont.  We look forward to an update on this new collaboration at our Annual meeting as well.

• Advocacy – NEAFA is proud to continue to work with several industry groups to collaborate on legislative priorities and promotion of agriculture through several annual events.  Again, the goal of collaborating with groups such as Northeast Dairy Producers’ Association, New York Farm Bureau, Vermont Dairy Producers Alliance, GROW-NY, Council of Agricultural Organizations (CAO) is to identify common priorities (realizing not all priorities are in common with all groups).  This fall, we look forward to collaborating with these groups to help craft legislative priorities around transportation that were brainstormed this past year.  More to come, but we welcome your input to these priorities as we work with Hinman Straub to shape what NEAFA focuses and collaborates with other agricultural organizations on next legislative session!

Lastly, collaboration isn’t possible without a strong membership – the heart and soul of NEAFA.  At our last strategy session, we had healthy discussion around NEAFA’s mission and if we are “inclusive” versus “exclusive” to our membership.  As we tackle the consolidation of some parts of our agriculture industry in the Northeast, we are happy that we have taken the “inclusive” approach and reached out to get more diversity on our board and members from the ag finance, insurance, transportation, equipment suppliers to broaden our voice.  At one of our first board meetings this year, we discussed what we want members and the industry to think of when they heard our name – NEAFA.  New board member Jen Conard from NBT Bank said “to be the Chamber of Commerce for Agriculture.”   I think that is fitting as we all collaborate to advocate and educate for agriculture throughout the Northeast.  If you collaborate with partners in your day to day, please encourage them to become members of NEAFA – the first year is half off as a bonus!  

Stay tuned for more information on our Annual Meeting, to be held February 6-7, 2024 in Albany at the Marriott on Wolf Road, which will include lobby day activities at the Capitol, updates from our many collaborations and an agenda around the theme “Navigating the New Frontier.”  

Have a safe and enjoyable end to summer!

An Update from AFIA

Louise Calderwood Director of Regulatory and Legislative Affairs | American Feed Industry Association

With the advent of summer, legislative issues are slowing down but the American Feed Industry Association still has several topics we are tracking closely.

Food Safety:  Traceability, kill steps and mycotoxins.

We are hearing from state regulators that some animal feed and pet food manufacturers still do not have a way to trace their products in the event of a recall despite the Food Safety Modernization Act requirements which have been in place for years. The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) is considering development of a model regulation which could then be adopted by states to require lot numbers on animal food labels. We feel there is more progress to be made through education rather than moving to a regulatory approach, but it is discouraging that twenty years after the bioterrorism act requirements for trace forward/trace back, some firms are still unable to comply with a fundamental principle for a food safety system.

Similarly, we have been told that some animal food and animal food ingredient manufacturers are experiencing increased attention being paid to mycotoxins during state and federal FSMA inspections. The most recent report on mycotoxins in animal food was published by the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine in 2016. The FDA has expressed an interest in developing multi-analyte testing systems to support rapid testing of several mycotoxins from a single sample of ingredients or feed. It might be a good time to review your procedures for controlling the presence of mycotoxins in ingredients and feed.

Animal Food Additives

In 2020, the AFIA alerted the CVM to 25-year-old policy guidance that has prevented animal food manufacturers from clearly identifying on their product labels the non-nutritive benefits (e.g., reduced food safety pathogens or emissions) their animal food ingredients can produce in animals, unless they are reviewed through the agency’s cumbersome drug approval process.  

This request spurred action, leading the CVM to hold a listening session and comment period for stakeholders in late 2022. Many organizations including the Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance joined the AFIA in calling for the agency to regulate these products as feeds, not drugs, given they act primarily in animals’ gut microbiomes and are already safely used on farms in other countries. 

By 2023, the CVM began working with Congress to modernize its policy to keep pace with scientific innovation and proposed statutory changes to the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act that would establish a new regulatory category – zootechnical animal food substances – to review these novel ingredients. The agency said it needed the legal authority of congressional approval to make this change, so the AFIA took its advocacy efforts to Capitol Hill. Once again, NEAFA joined us in sending a clear message to legislators about the need for this change. Thank you!

Now, Congress is considering a legislative solution – the Innovative Feed Enhancement and Economic Development (Innovative FEED) Act – to bring about the necessary changes to put U.S. agriculture on par with its international counterparts and move the United States closer to achieving its public health and environmental challenges.   The Act recently passed the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee on another piece of legislation with a strong showing of bipartisan support. We now wait for the full Senate to act and conference the differences with the House version. 

Neonic Advocacy Continues

By Julie Marlette, Hinman Straub, Special for NEAFA

Since the end of session in June, NEAFA leadership, in partnership with Hinman Straub has continued to advocate in opposition of enactment of the legislature’s proposed ban on neonic treated seeds. NEAFA is meeting regularly with industry partners including the New York State Fam Bureau and the Northeast Dairy Producers Association to coordinate efforts and share information. 

NEAFA has already met with the Governor’s office once since the end of session to reiterate  the concerns and opposition, and will be having a second meeting with them shortly, to drill down further on the issues with the proposal. NEAFA will be joining a number of coalition partners in the coming weeks to meet with staff from  the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, one of two stat agencies that will be instrumental in advising the Governor on her final action.  

Finally, NEAFA has also shared  a formal written veto request  which can be viewed by clicking here.

You can help amplify this message by sending a message to the governor as well. The New York State Farm Bureau has made an automated  message available here: 

Neonic Letter in Opposition