Sustainable Forage Production for Beef and Dairy Farms in the Southern Regions of NY

The sustainability of dairy operations in New York State depends greatly on their ability to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus leaching and runoff, reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses, and simultaneously reduce the cost of production and increase yield and milk sales. Production in the southern regions of New York is also impacted by pH and lime management. The South-Central and Southwest NY Dairy, Livestock, and Field Crops Teams are working with the Nutrient Management Spear Program (NMSP) on field-based studies on the value of manure, importance of lime management, and whole farm assessments. 

Roles and responsibilities 

The CCE intern will join in on-farm research, help develop extension materials, collect farm information, analyze data, run sustainability evaluation tools, and produce summary reports for the participating farmers, in collaboration with the campus and CCE teams. In addition to work on the sustainability project, the intern will have a chance to join various CCE team members to explore roles that CCE extension educators play in their communities and assist with, for example, weed identification and sampling, plant disease sampling, insect scouting/trapping, on-farm research, herd management, farm business management, and 4H. The intern will have the opportunity to write an agronomy factsheet, and participate in other extension events, ranging from attending zoom meetings, Twilight meetings and Tactical Agriculture Team (TAg) meetings for producers. The intern will also assist in social media-based extension activities (Facebook, YouTube, Google Maps, Twitter, etc.). This internship provides an outstanding opportunity to shadow leading extension professionals and faculty, staff and students as they interact with producers, agribusiness, other researchers and the general public

Qualifications and previous coursework

This opportunity is available to non-graduating students in Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

• A strong interest in production agriculture is essential.
• Coursework and/or practical experience in field crop production, soil science, nutrient management, integrated pest management, animal nutrition or farm business are preferred.
• A willingness to work hard, learn quickly, and professionally interact with farmers and other members of the agricultural community are essential for success in this position.
• Understanding of the process of production and marketing of locally grown commercial cut flowers, including species, pests, and pricing/marketing methods
• Practice in the collection and analysis of data
• Experience in communication with and to others (surveys and presentations)
• A valid driver's license is required as work will be conducted in both the Southwest and South-Central regions of NYS

Learning outcomes 

By working with producers as well as CCE staff and the campus team, the intern will learn about and gain skills in on-farm nutrient management research and farm evaluation. Specifically, the intern will be involved in project to evaluate the value/power of manure and the imortance of lime application. The intern will learn first-hand how to design and deliver educational programs that meet the needs of extension clientele pertaining to issues related to crop management and herd management.