Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Seventy-eight people attended and participated in the Northeast Pasture Consortium (NEPC) Conference held at the Hager Hall Conference Center in Hagerstown, Maryland on May 2 and 3. It was the first time in our 21 years that we held our conference jointly with a co-sponsor. We teamed up with the Maryland Cattlemen's Association this year. We thank Dr. Scott Bario, Executive Vice President, Maryland Cattlemen's Board of Directors, and Dr. Les Vough, Professor Emeritus, University of Maryland, for all their efforts to promote and organize the Conference with us this year.

Our Conference theme was From Pasture to Table - Grass Fed Livestock Production of Meat and Milk and Its Preparation - Their Effects on Fatty Acid Composition and Human Health. We had human nutritionists and dieticians primarily from USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD give us the latest findings on pasture-fed and -finished ruminant derived fatty acids (FA's) content in meat and milk and their effect on human health. We also had food chemists from the Wyndmoor, PA Dairy and Functional Foods Research Unit of ARS tell us that pasture-fed dairy cow's milk has a unique fatty acid composition that is not easily replicated by confinement fed cow's milk. The dairy rations of the two do not have the same precursor fatty acids in the feedstuffs unless the total mixed rations given confinement dairy cows are especially formulated to increase oleic acid content. Omega-3 FA and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) are much higher in pasture produced milk. Both FA's have beneficial health properties. They also told us what effects milk processing has on those fatty acids.   Both meat and milk from pastured livestock have a more healthful fatty acid composition, and in the case of meat, it is leaner (less fat). We had three other researchers from around the Nation (MO, OK, & VT) talk about how to produce the best fatty acid composition in meat and milk while the livestock are on pasture. Most grain concentrates fed to pastured livestock reduce the amount of beneficial FA's, such as omega-3, and increase omega-6 in their meat and milk. Americans tend to consume too much omega-6 in their diet which leads to an unhealthy omega-6 to omega-3 ratio well above 4, considered to be the upper limit for best cardiovascular health. Interestingly enough, cooking meat does little to change the fatty acid composition of the raw meat. Fat actually becomes more concentrated as the meat loses moisture. The ARS food chemists have found little change in the milk fat composition when the milk is pasteurized. However, reducing the fat content in milk by skimming takes out the more healthy fats along with the less healthy ones.

We also had a session where an Extension Specialist and a Soil and Water Conservation District Grazing Specialist, respectively, told farmers how to plan a grazing management system using a new user-friendly computer program and ration rotational pasture forage using a fill-in-the-blank grazing chart during the grazing season. Preseason planning and then tracking pasture growth and availability during the pasture season keeps the needed amount of fresh grass before the livestock for the longest time. This is essential to maintain the favorable fatty acid composition in the meat and milk produced while the livestock are on pasture. With some extra planning and effort, the grazing season can often be extended.

A session on Mob Grazing was also presented. This grazing practice may actually be detrimental to producing beneficial FA's in meat and milk since livestock are usually stocked on very mature grass. As grass matures, it has less of the required precursor plant FA's. It is best suited for beef cow/calf operations. Milking herds and beef cattle, sheep, and goats being finished on pasture should be stocked on lush, green pastures. Mob grazing of milking herds is done on young, vegetative grass. It is actually a form of break grazing where the herd is confined to a small pasture area and then moved frequently as forage in the grazed area reaches 70% utilization.   This was discussed at a previous NEPC Conference. The same can be done when finishing livestock for slaughter, but it requires close management and additional labor. Forage intake cannot be restricted for very long due to the lack of enough grass for the animal to get a full bite each time without hurting milk production or weight gain.

Early Thursday evening after the afternoon conference program, Gary and Betty Burley, East Hill Farms, Warsaw, NY, hosted a raw milk cheese tasting party. They produce this cheese from their dairy cows' milk. 

The Thursday evening Producer Showcase ran from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Dr. Scott Barao, who manages Hedgeapple Farm for the Jorgensen Family Foundation, Inc., presented a very informative program about "Producing and Marketing Grass-Fed and Finished Beef in a Profitable and Sustainable Way". He was very keen on making sure that their beef was of excellent quality and priced to return a profit. The second speaker of the evening was Mr. Mark Seibert, owner and operator of Clear Spring Creamery. It is a dairy farm that processes, packages, and sells dairy products from the milk produced on the farm. The title of his presentation was: "Clear Spring Creamery: A Grass-Based Dairy Where Grass and Milk Never Tasted Better".   It is a small farm with 40 milking cows. Mark takes a very unconventional way of caring for his milk cows such as outwintering the herd, keeping calves on their mother's milk longer than most dairy farmers do, and milking only once daily. They bottle their milk in plastic containers and also produce a drinkable yogurt, cheese, and smoothies. They sell their products at farmer's markets around Maryland.

A Conference Proceedings will be published later this year to make more people aware of the newer nutritional science as it relates to confinement or pasture-raised meat and milk.

Two sessions were devoted towards determining research, education, and outreach needs of pasture-based livestock farming. In the first session held on Thursday, March 2, from 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM, Executive Committee member, Ms. Susan Parry, USDA-NRCS State Grassland Conservationist for PA,

reviewed the 2016 Farmer Survey responses that they gave on pasture management issues where they expressed a need for further research or additional education and technical assistance to overcome shortcomings in managing their pastures and livestock. The top challenges that they faced were grouped into four categories:

Vegetation Management - Range of issues from consistent forage availability throughout the grazing season to forage balance, weed control, low forage yields, and weather influences,

Infrastructure - Fencing (#1) maintenance and costs, watering facilities,

Soil Fertility/Health - soil acidity, low organic matter, nutrient deficiencies, lack of soil life, and

Livestock Health - Parasites, fly control, and transitioning them to pasture from confinement;

When they were asked, "What can NEPC do?" the following responses were given:

1. Condense research and technical knowledge to make available to constituents (website, fact sheets, research summaries),
2. Facilitate linkages and communication regarding farmer mentoring, by way of website: grazingguide.net, and
3. Connect other sources of assistance such as grazing networks and agency support.

Research ideas from the survey were:

1. Grazing economics and farm transition from crop to pasture issues,
2. Livestock species selection for the NE - cost, health, pest resistance,
3. Small-scale farm logistics - infrastructure, pasture renovations, equipment issues,
4. Market research- develop online tools for buying/selling livestock/product, identify local/regional gaps in food supply for pasture-based products,
5. Using “regenerative grazing” and agroforestry techniques to reclaim lands,
6. Innovative grazing techniques: multi-species grazing, silvopasture, high-stock density grazing (mob grazing), and
7. Creating “common space” grazing lands…working together to get more bang for the buck!

At the second session held on March 3 that ran from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM, we reviewed the top five research and education priority needs established by the Northeast Pasture Consortium at our 2016 conference. They were:

1. Transfer of knowledge and information to increase adoption of research findings within the agriculture community (explore new methods),
2. Impacts of livestock grazing riparian areas on stream water quality versus streambank livestock exclusion,
3. Research problems with orchardgrass persistence,
4. Parasite issues for pastured small ruminants, especially given climate change and possibly a longer, warmer grazing season, and
5. Further research in meat and dairy products regarding nutrition.

Using flip charts to record additional research and education priority needs, the following needs were identified:

1. Methods for informing consumers; funding to support it and NEPC; Cooperative Extension may be a method for information/research and technology transfer and distribution;
2. Monetizing Soil Health: ecological resources, relative to nutrient levels in soil; ecosystem services?
3. YouTube outreach; website resources and links;
4. Knowledge needed to help farmers meet new Ag Practices/Regulations and funding to install required practices;
5. Genetic influences on product nutrient values, mineral and nutrient uptake; Breed selection recommendations for the NE states;
6. Consumer education materials from check-off organizations (Beef and sheep); collaborate with them to get resources out;
7. Educate regulators and legislators on farm practices' impact on environment (state and federal).

The business meeting of the NEPC was abbreviated this year in order to present a very thorough conference program and prioritize the research and education needs going forward. It was presided over by Executive Director James Cropper. Dr. Margaret Smith addressed the conference attendees Thursday afternoon at the start of business meeting, 4:30 PM, via Skype. Dr. Smith's teaching schedule at Cornell University precluded her being at the Conference in person. She congratulated the Executive Committee for another fine conference program and roster of presenters. She went on to describe our Consortium as being a project of the Northeast Regional Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors (NERA). We are designated as a Multistate Research Coordinating Committee and Information Exchange Group. We are in our first year of another 5-year extension as an active project of NERA approved by the Directors last year. She is very proud of our accomplishments since she became our Administrative Advisor. We have been advancing the science of pasture-based livestock farming now for 21 years by collaborating with scientists at the member universities and USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Extension forage and livestock specialists, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service grazing lands specialists, pasture-based farmers, and agribusiness people involved in agronomic and animal husbandry issues or processing the products produced on pasture.

Mr. Cropper opened up the floor for nominations for two members-at-large to fill vacancies left by outgoing Executive Committee members, Public Sector - Dr. Les Vough and Private Sector, Ms. Diane Schivera. Mr. A. Fay Benson, Cornell University, was nominated to be public sector member-at-large. He accepted the nomination. Motion was made to close the nominations. The motion was seconded and accepted by an unanimous vote of the Consoritum membership. Mr. Angus Johnson reported that the Private Sector had not come up with a new private sector member-at-large when they met for lunch. He asked that we postpone any nomination at the conference and allow the private sector members to find a new member-at-large at a later date. In the interim, Ms. Schivera agreed to stay on the Executive Committee until that person was nominated and approved by the Executive Committee.

Mr. Cropper thanked Dr. Les Vough for his service on the Executive Committee as he had been a valuable member on the Committee for the past four years. Mr. Cropper was especially pleased with Dr. Vough suggesting that we hold our Conference with the Maryland Cattlemen's Association in 2017, arranging to have Dr. Barao work with us on the conference location and venue and handling the registration, and promoting the Conference by writing news articles and contacting other news media with information about our Conference. Mr. Cropper also thanked Ms. Diane Schivera for her very helpful 4 years as a member of the Executive Committee. She had represented the State of Maine and small ruminant producers. Her interest in parasite control in small ruminants led to our having research and education needs on that issue and reports from animal scientists at conference technical sessions during her tenure on the Committee. She was very instrumental in getting the Harraseeket Inn to host our 2016 Conference in Freeport, Maine and helping us with all the arrangements needed to have a very successful conference there.

With that Mr. Cropper asked that the business meeting be adjourned. A motion and second to adjourn was received and the business meeting adjourned at 5:00 PM.

Short-term Outcomes:

1. Seventy-eight people attended and participated in the NEPC Conference this year. Our Conference theme was From Pasture to Table - Grass Fed Livestock Production of Meat and Milk and Its Preparation - Their Effects on Fatty Acid Composition and Human Health. We had human nutritionists and dieticians primarily from USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD give us the latest findings on pasture-fed and -finished ruminant derived fatty acids (FA's) content in meat and milk and its effect on human health. We also had food chemists from the Wyndmoor, PA Dairy and Functional Foods Research Unit of ARS tell us that pasture-fed dairy cow's milk has a unique fatty acid composition that is not easily replicated by confinement fed cow's milk. The dairy rations of the two do not have the same precursor fatty acids in the feedstuffs unless the total mixed rations given confinement dairy cows are especially formulated to increase oleic acid content. Omega-3 FA and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) are much higher in pasture produced milk. They also told us what effects milk processing has on those fatty acids.   Both meat and milk from pastured livestock have a more healthful fatty acid composition, and in the case of meat, it is leaner (less fat). We had three other researchers from around the Nation (MO, OK, & VT) talk about how to produce the best fatty acid composition in meat and milk while the livestock are on pasture. Grain concentrates by-in-large fed to pastured livestock reduce the amount of beneficial FA's in their meat and milk. Interestingly enough, cooking meat does little to change the fatty acid composition of the raw meat. Fat actually becomes more concentrated as the meat loses moisture. We also had a session where an Extension Specialist and a Soil and Water Conservation District Grazing Specialist told farmers how to plan a grazing management system and budget pasture forage during the grazing season so that pasture could be before the livestock for the longest time to to maintain the favorable fatty acid composition. A session on Mob Grazing was also presented. This grazing practice may actually be detrimental to producing beneficial FA's as mature grass has less of the required precursor plant FA's. A Conference Proceedings will be published later this year to make more people aware of the newer nutritional science as it relates to confinement or pasture-raised meat and milk.
2. We received an Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) strengthening conference grant   in January of nearly $50,000 to help support our 2017 NEPC Conference. This was used to get quality speakers from around the Nation, publish the Proceedings, fund scholarships for beginning farmers and other costs associated with planning and holding the conference.
3. The Executive Committee of the Consortium held a Strategic Planning Workshop on March 1 in Hagerstown. We received a written report from the facilitator guiding us through the next steps to strengthen and enhance the Consortium so we remain focused and achieve the goals we have set for ourselves. Three work groups have been set up: 1) Strengthen Organization Structure, 2) Expand and Strengthen Communication & Public Relations, and 3) Funding Plan for the Future. See item 6, Outputs. 

Outputs:

1. Two newsletters were published, one in September 2016 and another in January 2017, and distributed primarily as attachments to emails to all of the membership. These kept the members informed about the annual conference and new developments in how fatty acid composition in meat and milk produced from pasture-raised animals tends to be a more healthful source of meat and milk.
2. The proceedings of the 2017 annual conference and meeting is being written. Several of the presenters have submitted their papers. The rest of the papers should be finished in June.
3. The Power Point presentations, poster paper abstracts, and speaker biographical sketches are placed on the Consortium website, Northeast Grazing Guide, for post-meeting access.
4. Forty-four publications or website series were published in the past year. The website series were directed towards pasture-based farmers to give them suggestions on how to improve their pasture systems and give them calendar of pasture events around the Region. The rest of the publications were research papers or abstracts on pasture-related issues. See Publications document for the cited publications and educational websites.
5. We reprinted the University of Kentucky publication Producer’s Guide to Pasture-Based Beef Finishing to handout to the beef farmer participants at the 2017 NEPC Conference and to disseminate to our beef producer members across the Region.
6. As an outcome of our Strategic Planning Workshop, these draft documents have been produced:
   • NEPC Organizational Structure Draft 05/04/2017
   • NEPC Organizational Structure Timeline/Plan 05/23/2017
   • Minutes for “Funding Plan for the Future” workgroup Conference Call 05/18/2017
   • NEPC Strategic Action Steps - Working Group Tasks 04/18/2017

Activities:

1. The 2017 Annual Conference and Meeting of the Consortium was held on March 2-3 at Hager Hall in Hagerstown, MD. For the first time we held our conference jointly with a co-sponsor, the Maryland Cattlemen's Association on March 2 and 3 at Hagerstown, MD. It was the first time since our inception in 1996 to hold our conference in Maryland. Nine poster papers were presented. Sessions on research and education needs were held after the technical sessions were over at the end of each day. The first session held on March 2 reviewed the 2016 priority research needs that came from the 2016 Farmer Survey Results. Top challenges of the respondents were:

Vegetation Management- Everything from forage availability issues to forage balance and weather influences;

Infrastructure - Fencing (#1) maintenance - labor issues and costs, and adequate watering facilities;

Soil Fertility (acidic and/or unfertile soils)/Health (concern about soil bioactivity);

Livestock Health - Parasites, fly control, and transitioning them to pasture.

When asked, What can NEPC do? They responded:

Condense research and technical knowledge to make it available to constituents in a format that is easily understood and implemented (website, fact sheets, research summaries);

Facilitate linkages and communication regarding farmer mentoring, by way of website: www.grazingguide.net;

Connect other sources of assistance such as grazing networks and agency support.

2. On March 1, the 12-member Executive Committee held a strategic planning session that was led by an outside professional facilitator. This was a full day of intensive discussions about the direction our Consortium should take and the best way to achieve our goals.
3. The Northeast Grazing Guide website for the Consortium is at: http://grazingguide.net/. Dr. Sarah Goslee of the Agricultural Research Service Research Unit at University Park, PA is our web master. It is updated as new material arrives. For the first time, two YouTube videos were posted to the site this year.
4. We initiated a scholarship program this year to encourage beginning and veteran pasture-based farmers to attend the 2017 Northeast Pasture Consortium Conference using AFRI grant money. A one page flyer was produced and disseminated to promote the scholarship program.
5. Jim Cropper, Executive Director, participated with the Chesapeake Bay Agricultural Work Group and the Agricultural Modeling Subcommittee (AMS) via teleconferencing and email during 2016-2017. He continued to provide input on pasture nutrient management issues to support realistic modeling of nitrogen and phosphorus runoff to the Bay from the pasture landuse. Worked with the AMS on Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation, Version 2 modeling of erosion on pasture to get realistic values from naturalized pastures. It took two years to accomplish this, but the sheet and rill erosion rates are now much lower and reflect values found in rainfall simulator and natural rainfall research trials on pastures. Pastures are generally near complete canopy cover and normally have good to excellent rainfall infiltration rates to reduce soil loss to a very small rate, less than 100 pounds per acre annually.
6. Teleconferences are held monthly by the Executive Committee to plan the next annual conference and meeting and address other issues that come up during the year.
7. Continuing education credit (CEU) requests were sent to the American Society of Agronomy (ASA) and the American Forage & Grassland Council (AFGC) for certified crop advisors and certified forage and grassland professionals, respectively, for the 2015 Annual Northeast Pasture Consortium Conference and Meeting. 11.5 CEU's were approved prior to the conference for both certified crop advisors and forage & grassland professionals, that attended the conference. The completed sign-in sheets were sent to ASA and AFGC after the Conference.
8. Revised and updated research need priorities at the 2017 Northeast Pasture Consortium Annual Conference and Meeting.
9. NEPC submitted a strengthening conference grant application to the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program to hold a special conference in 2017 with the theme, From Pasture to Table - Grass Fed Livestock Production of Meat and Milk and Its Preparation - Their Effects on Fatty Acid Composition and Human Health.

Milestones:

1. Chesapeake Bay Program assistance on Watershed Model 6.0 agricultural modeling and database input for beta 4 testing was completed in June, 2017 after being delayed to get better input data and modeling techniques in place.
2. The ARS - Penn State riparian management project is a 4-year project. This is Year 2. The team has done 150 riparian surveys in Conservation Reserve Easement Program (CREP) sites in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed (MD, PA, & VA) with the Production And Conservation Trade-offs (PACT) tool to test its assumptions and review its output for acceptability of its proposed guidance in managing riparian pastures for continued use as pasture in many cases while protecting riparian ecosystem services, such as water quality.
3. We placed Overview of Orchardgrass Research Findings-02/24/2017 YouTube video produced by Virginia Tech on our Northeast Grazing Guide website. We had featured doctoral candidate Gordon Jones at our 2015 and 2016 conferences. He was investigating why orchardgrass was prematurely dying-out in hay stands. We were concerned as some farmers were reporting a similar situation in pastures containing an orchardgrass component in their plant community. This video was the culmination of his very thorough research work. It appears climate change is moving the adaptation range of orchardgrass north of VA. It is does not survive close cutting with a disc mower when soil temperatures rise into the 90's F. Even with higher cutting heights at some warmer research sites, orchardgrass stands thin considerably. Billbugs also seem to be affecting orchardgrass more as the climate warms, but are secondary to cutting orchardgrass when the weather is hot or will be hotter shortly as regrowth commences. Pastures grazed too close to the soil surface may impact orchardgrass similarly. A higher residual forage mass may be needed to avoid or minimize orchardgrass mortality

Alvez, J.P. Can Cows Shoot? On-line at: https://blog.uvm.edu/pasture-vtpasture/2017/05/23/can-cows-shoot/

Alvez, J.P. Have you seen a cow working overtime? On-line at: https://blog.uvm.edu/pasture-vtpasture/2017/05/23/have-you-seen-a-cow-working-overtime/

Bainbridge, M.L., L.M. Cersosimo, A.D.G. Wright, J. Kraft. 2016. Content and Composition of Branched-Chain Fatty Acids in Bovine Milk Are Affected by Lactation Stage and Breed of Dairy Cow. PLoS ONE 11(3): e0150386. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0150386.

Bainbridge, M.L., L.M. Cersosimo, A.D.G. Wright, and J. Kraft. 2016. Rumen bacterial communities shift across a lactation in Holstein, Jersey and Holstein x Jersey dairy cows and correlate to rumen function, bacterial fatty acid composition and production parameters. FEMS Microbiology Ecology. doi:10.1093/femsec/fiw059.

Bishopp, Troy. 2016-2017. The Grass Whisperer Website. At: http://www.thegrasswhisperer.com/. Most recent articles appear on page 1. At the bottom of the screen (be sure to scroll down to the very bottom), click on page number or next arrow to see other articles on pasture management thoughts Troy has and events Troy has attended. Always entertaining and educational.

Brink, G.E. and W.K. Coblentz. 2017. Nitrogen source and application effects on pasture productivity, legume persistence, and forage nutritive value. Abstract. American Forage and Grassland Conference Proceedings. At: http://www.afgc.org/proceedings/2017/

Cersosimo, L.M., M.L. Bainbridge, J. Kraft, and A.D.G. Wright. 2016. Influence of periparturient and postpartum diets on rumen methanogen communities in three breeds of primiparous dairy cows. BMC Microbiology. 16:78.

Cersosimo, L.M., M.L. Bainbridge, A.D.G. Wright, and J. Kraft. 2016. Breed and Lactation Stage Alter the Rumen Protozoal Fatty Acid Profiles and Community Structures in Primiparous Dairy Cattle. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. DOI:10.1021/acs.jafc.5b05310.

Cersosimo, L.M., R. Tacoma, S. Greenwood, K. Juntwait, A.F. Brito, J. Kraft. 2016. Rumen protozoal community structures are not altered in lactating dairy cows offered alternative forage crops during short-term grazing experiments. J. Anim. Sci. 94: supplement5: 805.

Cersosimo, L.M., R. Tacoma, S. Greenwood, K. Juntwait, A.F. Brito, J. Kraft. 2016. Characterization of rumen bacterial and protozoal fatty acid compositions from lactating Jersey cows offered alternative forage crops. J. Anim. Sci. 94: supplement5: 639.

Cersosimo, L.M., R. Tacoma, S. Greenwood, K. Juntwait, A.F. Brito, J. Kraft. 2016. Alternative forage crops modify the composition and content of bovine milk fatty acids. J. Anim. Sci. 94: supplement5: 687.

Chail, A., J.F. Legako, L.R. Pitcher, T.C. Griggs, R.E. Ward, S. Martini, and J.W. MacAdam. 2016. Legume finishing provides beef with positive human dietary fatty acid ratios and consumer preference comparable with grain-finished beef. J. Anim. Sci. 94:2184–2197.

Colby, J., K. Hagen, J.P. Alvez, C. Herrick. 2016-2017. Vermont Pasture Network Calendar. On-line. Monthly.

Cole, N.A., S. Radcliff, T. J. DeVries, C.A. Rotz, D. G. Ely and F. Cardoso. 2016. Production, Management, and Environment Symposium: Environmental footprint of livestock production – Greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. J. Anim. Sci. 94:8:3137-3138

Dillard, S.L., A.I. Roca-Fernández, M.D. Rubano, and K.J. Soder.   Potential of forage Brassicas for use in pasture-based livestock systems. Abstract. American Forage and Grassland Conference Proceedings. At: http://www.afgc.org/proceedings/2017/

Duncan, E.W., Kleinman, P.J., Beegle, D.B., Rotz, C.A. 2017. Coupling dairy manure storage with injection to improve nitrogen management: whole-farm simulation using the integrated farm system model. Agricultural and Environmental Letters. doi:10.2134/ael2016.12.0048.

Galvão, J.G.B., A.F. Brito, A.H.N. Rangel, J.B.A. Silva. 2016. Seasonal effects on milk yield and somatic cell score in organic dairy farms from the Northeast United States.   J. Anim. Sci. 94: supplement5: 587-588.

Garza, J.J., S.P. Greiner , S.A. Bowdridge. 2017. S erum-mediated H. contortus larval aggregation differs by larval stage and is enhanced by complement. Parasit. Immunol. 39:e12409

Griggs, T.C., M.L. Satterfield, J.M.A. Koos, Z.B. Freedman, and C.N. Kelly. 2017. Growth rates of cool-season mixed pastures defoliated at a range of leaf area indices. Abstract. American Forage and Grassland Conference Proceedings. At: http://www.afgc.org/proceedings/2017/

Hafla, A.N., Soder, K.J., Brito, A., Kersbergen, R., Benson, F., Darby, H., Rubano, M.D. 2016. Feeding strategy and pasture quality relative to nutrient requirements of dairy cows in the northeastern U.S. Professional Animal Scientist. 32:523-530.

Hoffman, K. 2016-2017. NYGC Grazette Newsletter. NY Grazinglands Coalition. Published monthly on-line at: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/ny/technical/landuse/pasture/?cid= nrcseprd366641.

Jacobs, J.R., K.N. Sommers, A.M. Zajac, D.R. Notter, S.A. Bowdridge. 2016. Early IL-4 gene expression in abomasum is a critical difference in resistance to H. contortus. Parasit. Immunol. 38:333-339.

Juntwait, K.A., A.F. Brito, K.S. O’Connor, R.G. Smith, K.M. Aragona, C.P. Ghedini and A.B.D. Pereira. 2016. Performance and ruminal metabolism in lactating dairy cows offered summer available annual forage crops during a short-term grazing experiment. J. Anim. Sci. 94: supplement5: 295-296.

Juntwait, K.A., A.F. Brito, K.S. O’Connor, R.G. Smith, K.M. Aragona, C.P. Ghedini, A.B.D. Pereira. 2016. Performance and rumimal metabolism are not changed in lactating dairy cows offered spring available annual forage crops during a short-term grazing experiment. J. Anim. Sci. 94: supplement5: 294-295.

Pereira, A.B.D., A.F. Brito, T.L. Resende, D.H. Woitschach, R.B. Reis, K.J. Soder. 2016. Feeding ground flaxseed to lactating dairy cows decreases the ruminal proportion of Archaea, but does not change the major species of cellulolytic bacteria. J. Anim. Sci. 94: supplement5: 797-798.

Rayburn, E. 2017. Soil sampling within historic landscape management units to improve cost effective nutrient management. Abstract. American Forage and Grassland Conference Proceedings. At: http://www.afgc.org/proceedings/2017/

Reis, S.F., A.F. Brito, C.P. Ghedini, D.C. Moura, A.S. Oliveira. 2016. Effects of Ascophyllum nodosum meal and monensin on performance and iodine metabolism in lactating dairy cows. J. Anim. Sci. 94: supplement5: 656.

Roca-Fernández, A.I., S.L. Dillard, M.D. Rubano, and K.J. Soder. 2017. Effect of feeding legumes containing condensed tannins with orchardgrass on ruminal fermentation and methane production in continuous culture. Abstract. American Forage and Grassland Conference Proceedings. At: http://www.afgc.org/proceedings/2017/

Rotz, C.A. and S. Asem-Hiablie. 2017. The role of forage systems in environmentally sustainable beef. Abstract.   American Forage and Grassland Conference Proceedings. At: http://www.afgc.org/proceedings/2017/

Sanderson, M.A., Stout, R.C., Brink, G.E. 2016. Productivity, botanical composition, and nutritive value of commercial pasture mixtures. Agronomy Journal. 108(1):93-100.

Santana, R.A.V., A.F. Brito, D.C. Moura, C.P. Ghedini, J.G.B. Galvão, F.A. Barbosa, A.S. Oliveira, A.B.D. Pereira, S.F. Reis, I.A. Souza, K.A. Juntwait. 2016. Okara meal can completely replace soybean meal in diets of early to mid-lactation dairy cows. J. Anim. Sci. 94: supplement5: 683-683.

Shepherd, E.A., J.J. Garza, S.P Greiner, S.A. Bowdridge. 2017. Effects of ovine peripheral blood mononuclear cells on Haemonchus contortus larval death in vitro. Parasit. Immunol. 39:e12424

Soder, K.J., Hafla, A. 2016. How well does pasture meet the nutrient needs of dairy cows? Extension Fact Sheets. P. 1.

Soder, K.J., Heins, B. 2016. Sprouted barley for dairy cows: Is it worth it? Extension Fact Sheets. P. 1.

Soder, K.J., Heins, B., Paulson, J., Chester-Jones, H., Hafla, A., Rubano, M. 2017. Evaluation of fodder production systems for grazing dairy farms. Abstract. American Forage and Grassland. Paper No.1 At: http://www.afgc.org/proceedings/2017/

Stanton, T. 2016. BFTstudy_NYdemofarms_2014-2016. Power Point presentation. Cornell University. At: http://web.uri.edu/sheepngoat/orei-resources/ Northeast Small Ruminant Parasite Control University of Rhode Island.

Toledo, D.N., Sanderson, M.A., Goslee, S.C., Herrick, J.E., Fults, G. 2016. An integrated grazingland assessment approach for range and pasturelands. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. 71(6):450-459.

Tracy, B.F., K. Albrecht, J. Flores, M. Hall, A. Islam, G. Jones, W. Lamp, J.W. MacAdam, H. Skinner, C. Teutsch. 2016. Evaluation of Alfalfa–Tall Fescue Mixtures across Multiple Environments. Crop Science. 56: 4: 2026-2034.

Tunick, M.H., Ren, D.X., Van Hekken, D.L., Bonnaillie, L., Kwoczak, R., Tomasula, P.M. 2016. Impact of processing on the digestibility of milk. Meeting Abstract. 2016 Northeast Pasture Consortium Annual Meeting. Book of Abstracts.

Tunick, M.H., Ren, D.X., Van Hekken, D.L., Bonnaillie, L., Paul, M., Kwoczak, R., Tomasula, P.M. 2016. Effect of heat and homogenization on in vitro digestion of milk. Journal of Dairy Science. 99(6):4124-4139. DOI: 10.3168/jds.2015-10474.

Tunick, M.H., Van Hekken, D.L., Tomasula, P.M. 2016. Bioactive compounds in dairy products and their relation to neurodegenerative disease. Meeting Abstract. American Chemical Society National Meeting and Exposition 251:AGFD23.

UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture

Veltman, K., Jones, C., Izaurralde, R., Reddy, A., Gaillard, R., Duval, B., Cela, S., Ketterings, Q.M., Rotz, C.A., Salas, W., Vadas, P.A., Jolliet, O. 2017. Comparison of process-based models to quantify nutrient flows and greenhouse gas emissions of milk production. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 237:31-44. 2017.

Villalba, J.J., C. Spackman, B.M. Goff, J.L. Klotz, T. Griggs, and J.W. MacAdam. 2016. Interaction between a tannin-containing legume and endophyte-infected tall fescue seed on lambs’ feeding behavior and physiology. J. Anim. Sci. 94:845–857.

Waldrip, H., Casey, K., Todd, R.W., Parker, D.B., Rotz, C.A., Cole, N.A. 2017. How well do we understand nitrous oxide emissions from open-lot cattle systems? Waste to Worth Conference. Pg. 74413. Available at: https://articles.extension.org/pages/74413/how-well-do-we-understand-nitrous-oxide-emissions-from-open-lot-cattle-systems.