March 2026
Meet the new leader of the Field Crops Pathology Lab at Cornell University
Julie Berry
Camilo H. Parada Rojas has joined Cornell University as an assistant professor of field crops pathology with extension responsibilities. He grew up in Colombia and trained as a plant pathologist within the U.S. land-grant system, where he learned to approach disease management through research, extension, and direct engagement with growers.
Integration of forage crops for managing herbicide-resistant weed seedbanks in Northeastern cropping systems
Vipan Kumar and Mark Renz
Weed control is becoming increasingly challenging for field crop producers across the Northeastern United States, including New York (N.Y.). Several factors are driving this trend, including the introduction of new and invasive weed species, the growing prevalence of herbicide resistance, increasing cost of herbicide premixes, and unpredictable weather that often limits timely field operations. Together, these challenges are making traditional weed management programs less reliable and ineffective.
Making sense of your dairy’s greenhouse gas footprint
Karl Czymmek, Olivia Godber and Quirine Ketterings
Some dairy farm teams are working with their milk co-op, processor or advisor to develop a greenhouse gas (GHG) or “carbon” footprint. The footprint includes a GHG intensity score (emissions per unit of fat and crude protein-corrected milk) and an estimate of total GHG emissions (total emissions for the farm). What do these numbers mean and how can you make decisions based on the results of footprinting tools currently on the market?
Adaptive nutrient management makes sense!
Quirine Ketterings, Karll Czymmek and Kirsten Workman
Have you ever wondered if more fertilizer could have given you higher corn yields? Most dairy farmers would reply with a solid yes, as it is a given that corn needs nitrogen (N) to grow and yield can vary quite a bit from field to field and year to year.
Balancing potassium (K) management of alfalfa. When is too much indeed more than we need?
Quirine Ketterings, Joe Lawrence and Jerry Cherney
Alfalfa is an important crop for many dairy producers in the Northeastern United States. When managed properly, alfalfa can bring in large quantities of high-quality and high-protein homegrown forage without the need for extra nitrogen fertilizer.
Prediction of corn silage whole plant moisture in the field
Jerry Cherney, Joe Lawrence and Mike Davis
Nearly half of the corn acreage in New York state is harvested as corn silage. The correct crop moisture content is critical for nutritional value and proper ensiling. Visual estimation of plant moisture is problematic, based on visual assessment of stover, or on kernel milkline. Moisture content of stover changes very little until after the optimum harvest time for corn silage. Ear moisture is the primary driver of whole plant moisture content. The old rule of one-half milkline has been mostly replaced by two-thirds to three-quarters milkline, but milkline is still not necessarily well related to whole plant moisture.
Agronomic and economic considerations for home-grown grains
Joe Lawrence, Lainey Koval, Quirine Ketterings, Olivia Godber and Jason Karszes
Home-grown grains can be viewed as a strategy to control feed cost and inventory, buffer growing season variability through flexible forage or grain harvest, or benefit from economies of scale. While these are valid justifications, careful, farm-specific evaluation is needed to assess their true fit.