D2-Lmcaster Farming, Saturday, January 21, 1995
DON VIANDS
Cornell University
It all started more than forty
years ago. My predecessors at
Cornell, Drs. Royce Murphy &
Carl Lowe, began working with
alfalfa germplasm that proved to
be ideally suited to the Northeast.
I continued to improve this
germplasm after arriving at Cor
nell in the late 1970’5. Oneida VR
was the first prominent commer
cial variety we released from this
germplasm in the 1980’s. It was
our first verticillium wilt resistant
variety, and still has the highest
resistance level to this devastating
alfalfa disease. Pinnacle, Medal
lion, and Guardsman are more
recent releases from this material
with additional genetic improve
ments in each variety.
At Cornell, we think it’s impor
tant to recognize that alfalfa grow
ing conditions are unique in the
Northeast, compared to other parts
of the country; especially the Mid
Cattle Feeder’s
Day Set
will again provide useful informa
tion for use in your beef feeding
operation. In addition, you will
also have the opportunity to visit
with commercial exhibitors, ag
businessmen, fellow cattle feed
ers, and friends.
The day’s educational program Lunch is available.
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
You are invited to attend the
Lancaster County Cattle Feeder’s
Day on Tuesday, January 31, from
8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m, at the Farm and
Home Center.
8:30 a.m. - Visit Agribusiness Exhibits. Coffee and donuts compli
ments of Keystone Farm Credit
9:30 a.m. • “1995 Cattle and Feed Outlook” H. Louis Moore, Penn
State Extension Economist
10:30 a.m. - “Ration Formulation for Incoming Cattle” Dr. Francis
Fluharty, Research Scientist, Ohio State University
11:15 a.m. - “Meat Industry Issues For Cattlemen” K.T. Miller, Mon
fort, Greeley, CO. Billy Lloyd, National Cattlemen’s Assn.,
Englewood, CO.
12:00 Noon Lunch - Tickets available at registration table until 11:30
a.m.
1:15 p.m. - “Beef Industry Long-Range Plan” Dave Ivan, Executive
Director, Pa. Beef Council
“Zero Tolerance - Insights and Obstacles” - Panel Dis
cussion, Dr. Bill Henning, Moderator, Penn State EMension
Meals Specialist. Panelists: K T. Miller, Monfort, Greeley,
CO.; Myron Stoltzfus, Stoltzfus Meats, Intercourse; Walter
‘Olster, Staff Officer, FSIS, USDA, Philadelphia; Billy
Lloyd, National Cattlemen’s Assn., Englewood, CO.
1:30 p.m. -
“Proper Handling of Cattle Vaccines”, Dr. Tom Drake,
2:30 p.m. -
Penn State Extension Veterinarian
3:00 p.m.- Questions/Answers/Adjournment
Mid East UDIA
Meetings Set
COLUMBUS, Ohio—Dairy
producers in Ohio, West Virginia,
Pennsylvania, and northern Ken
tucky will have the opportunity to
learn how their 15-cent promotion
investment is making a difference
for the dairy industry.
Mid East United Dairy Industry
Association (Mid East UDIA), the
advertising and promotion organi
zation for Federal Orders #33 and
• Thursday, March 9 Minster, OH at the Knights of Columbus Hall
• Friday, March 10 Smithville, OH at The Bam
• Tuesday, March 21 Somerset, PA at the Ramada Inn
• Wednesday, March 22 Meadville, PA at the Holiday Inn
• Wednesday, March 29 Lewisburg, WV at the Brier Inn
All meetings will begin with
registration at 9:30 a.m. The in
formation meeting will begin at
10 a.m. as Mid East UDIA man
agement shares how their team of
marketers, dietitians, home econo
mists and communicators work to
increase the demand (or dairy
products. Lunch will be served at
noon and is free to those in atten
dance.
Alfalfa Varieties From Ag Experiment Station
west. Shallower soils, yield and
stand life robbing diseases, and
weather patterns all make a differ
ence in what alfalfa varieties work
best over the life of the stand.
Our alfalfa plant breeding at
Cornell is built around selection of
superior parent plants for future
varieties. Our breeding nurseries
represent various soil types typical
of farms in our region. Healthy,
productive plants are observed at
each of three cuts in two produc
tion years before selection and
advancement. Other alfalfa pro
grams may advance material
faster, sometimes with much less
actual field screening. While this
may produce new varieties faster,
we feel our method produces vari
eties with pinpoint regional adap
tation. This breeding success can
be illustrated.
Our newer varieties, such as
Medallion, are holding up well in
yield trials, improving in perfor
mance as the stand ages! They
#36 and the Pennsylvania Dairy
Promotion Program, will host five
annual meetings in 1995. The
meetings will highlight programs
that ultimately increase dairy
product consumption.
Producers may choose the
meeting that is the most conve
nient. Listed below are the dates
and places of each meeting:
One additional annual meeting
will be held April 6 in conjunction
with the Spring Dairy Spectacular
Dairy Show in Columbus, Ohio.
Dairy producers in F.O. #33
and 36 and the Pennsylvania Dairy
Promotion Program will receive
invitations to the annual meetings.
Others interested in attending may
RSVP by calling Mid East ,UDIA
at 1 (800) 292-MILK.
Cornell University Drs.
Julie Hansen and Don
Viands, center, discuss alfal
fa breeding improvements
with Seedway Marketing
Director Gene Hohl.
have competed well in the seeding
year and the first full year of pro
duction, but have really shown
their disease resistance advantages
over other varieties in year three
and four by sustaining yield; less
adapted varieties have faded.
Changing our checks in New York
variety trials in ’94 from older
varieties Oneida & Saranac AR to
modern varieties Oneida VR and
Pinnacle resulted in a higher
“standard of comparison” for
other varieties to be measured
against. This resulted in many
varieties from outside our region
performing at a lower percent of
checks or below the checks.
There are other current issues
alfalfa growers need to know
about to make informed variety
selections. “Bells and whistles”
are being touted in new alfalfa
varieties that have little economic
impact, at least in our region:
the multi-leaf trait, aphanomyces
resistance, certain pest resistances.
The big five diseases of alfalfa
impact alfalfa performance the
most, and resistance of moderate
or higher levels to Verticillium,
• Agricultural • Commercial • Residential
Partial In-Ground Tank Featuring Commercial Chain Link Fence
(5’ High - SCS approved)
• Retaining Walls • Bunker Silos
• Manure Storage, Etc.
Fusarium, & Bacterial wilts along
with Anthracnose and Phytoph
thora Root Rot should receive pri
mary attention. We have done this
in developing Pinnacle, Medal
lion, and Guardsman and you can
see the results in the field as the
stands age.
Standability and forage quality
of these varieties is also excellent.
They are capable of producing for
age that Cornell ruminant nutri
tionists tell us is nearly ideal for
dairy feeding—up to 22% protein,
(more than 22% is no advantage,
actually taking extra energy away
from production to convert excess
protein for excretion), with ADF
and NDF fiber levels in the 30 &
40% range respectively. They also
yield more consistently than wide
ly promoted “high quality” vari
eties coming out today. It’s inter
esting that these “high quality”
alfalfa varieties tout lower fiber
content. We have seen reduced
standability in lower fiber vari
eties with as little as one half to
one percent less fiber. So, our
direction at Cornell is to maintain
standability while improving for
age quality with “quality” fiber
fractions instead of lowering total
fiber concentration of the plant.
Fiber is necessary and important
to animal health & productivity.
Dormancy and winterhardiness
are current questions. Cornell
developed varieties are dormancy
4 with exceptionally good stand
life. We find they have about the
best combination of early spring
and fall growth. This, along with
good regrowth after cutting, is
associated with Flemish germ
plasm crossed to other highly
adapted material.
Their adaptation is proven over
many years for all of Pennsylva
nia, New York, Maryland, New
Jersey and the eastern part of
Ohio.
We’re working on exciting
alfalfa projects for the future,
however Pinnacle, Medallion, and
Guardsman represent the leading
edge in commercial alfalfa vari
eties for the Northeast today.
Farmers Named
To National
Posts
ALBANY, N.Y. Six New
York farmers were named by
American Farm Bureau President
Dean Kleckner to national com
modity committees.
The purpose of these commit
tees is to advise the board of direc
tors of the 4.3 million member
American Farm Bureau Federa
tion concerning commodity issues
confronting the nation’s farm fam
ilies.
According to New York Farm
Bureau President John Lincoln,
“We are pleased that several New
York farmers have been named to
national leadership posts in Farm
Bureau. The committees on which
they serve play a vital role in
examining commodity-related
issues and providing counsel to
the American Farm Bureau's
board of directors.”
Agricultural Nursery & Green
house Committee: Charlie Scheer
(Ch.), Suffolk County; Dairy
Committee: Jon Greenwood (Ch.),
St. Lawrence County: Forestry
Committee;David Tetz, Schuyler
County; Horticulture Committee:
Chip Bailey, Wayne County; Feed
Grains: Don Waterman, Cayuga
County; Labor Committee: Rod
Dressel, Ulster County.