MEET THE STAFF

Board of Directors
 2016 Monthly Meetings

Board of Directors meetings are held at 10:00 a.m. on the fourth Wednesday of every month, except in November and December, due to holidays.  Most meetings take place at the District office, unless otherwise announced for an off-site location.

January 27                            July 27
February 24                          August 24
March 29                               September 28
April 27                                   October 26
May 25                                   November 16
June 22                                  December 21

2016 Holiday Schedule
Office will be closed in observance of these days.

Friday January 1                 New Year
Monday January 18            Martin Luther King
Monday February 15           Presidents' Day
Monday May 30              Memorial Day
Monday July 4                Independence Day
Monday September 5      Labor Day
Monday October 10            Columbus Day
Friday November 11           Veterans Day
Thursday November 24      Thanksgiving
Friday November 25           Floating holiday
Monday December 26         Christmas  
Our mission is to promote excellence in the wise use of our rural/urban natural resources by:
  • Reducing erosion and nutrient runoff from agricultural and non-agricultural nonpoint sources by the use of Best Management Practices.
  • Providing information and education to the public on sound natural resource conservation principles and practices.
  • Promoting the improvement, protection, restoration, and maintenance of surface and ground water quality.
Our vision is to live in a society
in which future generations will
have natural resources necessary
to sustain and enrich their quality of life.

SAVE THE DATE
Saturday, September 24th

WHY DO DAIRY FARMS BUILD SATELLITE MANURE STORAGE STRUCTURES?

Manure storage is an important environmental protection practice and more dairy farms across NYS are installing or adding to their storage capacity.  Manure storage allows for improved application timing so that nutrients can be better recycled for crop use.  Farms that are regulated or that receive state or federal cost sharing must design and build manure storage in accordance with strict USDA-NRCS standards.  New regulatory requirements are bringing additional limitations that affect when manure may be applied making adequate manure storage capacity a necessity, and this will also drive an increase in construction of manure storages.  Many farms have built manure storage structures near the barns where the animals are housed for ease in loading. Manure needs to be applied at an agronomic rate to crop land, according to crop need, and this means manure must be transported to most fields operated by the dairy, some near, some far.  Further, traditional bedding sources like straw or sawdust have become very expensive or difficult to find, so many farms provide mattresses or have turned to bedding with sand or recycled manure solids for cows in freestall housing.  This results in manure with a liquid consistency, and often containing 90-95% water.  This watery material is bulky and presents challenges to move around at the optimum spreading time to land that grows crops for the cows.  For these reasons, it often does not make sense to enlarge or add a second manure storage structure at the home location, but to create storage near other blocks of land where manure will be land applied anyway.  These structures are referred to as satellite storage.  A satellite storage allows farms to pump or transport manure during less busy times and in ways that reduce traffic intensity and odor prevalence.  This is a benefit for the environment, neighbors, and the farm.   This system also allows farms to focus on manure application when the land is ready, as the time-consuming aspect of hauling was taken care of before the growing season starts.  This means more timely manure application and also better results for the farm and the environment, because risks of nutrient loss are lower when timing is better.         

Written by Karl Czymmek and Peter Wright
PRO-DAIRY Program
Cornell University

FOR SALE

The Onondaga County Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) is accepting bids for a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Bids should be enclosed in a properly titled envelope and sent to the Onondaga County SWCD office by 12:00 noon Friday, October 21, 2016.
Cash or certified checks will be the only form of payment accepted.
  • Vehicle sold as is.
  • Onondaga County SWCD has the right to reject any and all bids.
  • Interested parties can test drive in the parking lot of our office.
  • Service records are available.

Snow & Ice Control Workshop
Friday, October 7, 2016, 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM

Click below to learn more:
https://reg.cce.cornell.edu/2016SnowandIce_231
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Check out the Onondaga County Water Authority website for more water saving tips.
http://www.ocwa.org/about/watersense-fix-a-leak/

In Case of Emergency

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If you are trying to reach the District office after hours due to a FARM emergency, you can call Mark Burger, Executive Director, on his cell phone (315)415-5057.

Thank you. 
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT MANURE SPILLS & OTHER EMERGENCIES
Click on the link below:
Play recording
(1 hour play time)
FARM OF THE YEAR AWARD
2015:  Lawrence Doody & Sons, LLC
2014:  Barbland Dairy, LLC
2013:  Tre-G Farms, LLC
2012:  Burgett Farm
2011:  Reeves Farms
2010:  Greenfield Farms, LLC
MUNICIPAL PARTNER AWARD
2015:  Onondaga County Dept. Transportation
SPECIAL OFFER - READ MORE!
NYSERDA offers energy audits to help eligible farms and on-farm producers identify ways to save energy and money on utility bills.
Visit nyserda.ny.gov/agriculture to download an application or apply online.
Call 1-800-732-1399 to learn more, request an application, or for assistance with determining the audit level.
Click here for details.