HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-05-12Agricultural Advisory Committee
5/12/2021
Members Present: Evan Carpenter (Chair), Austin Beck , Marie McRae, Kim LaMotte, Steve
Foote, Brian Magee
Absent:
Liaison(s): Loren Sparling (Town Board), Alice Green (Planning Board), Craig Schutt
(Conservation Board)
Guest(s):
The meeting was called to order at 7:35 PM.
Review and approval of minutes dated April 14th, 2021
On motion made by M McRae, seconded by K LaMotte, minutes were unanimously approved as
written.
History House:
The History House is starting to plan the annual heritage fair. They are planning on
holding it in September. C Schutt told the board if anyone wants to be a part of it again to let
him know.
Dairy Days:
Dairy Days will take place the second Saturday of June and will look similar to last year,
but this year there will be a petting zoo at Dryden Agway instead of going back to Montgomery
Park.
Comprehensive Plan Update (Alice Green):
Questions/Comments:
C Schutt says he was very disappointed in the last Planning Board meeting. He says that
couldn’t even get in the chat and when agriculture came up, he felt completely blocked out
from making any comments. C Schutt felt that the presentation was way off kilter, and they
were not spreading correct information. A Green apologized and said there was never any
intent to leave anyone out.
A Beck- The anaerobic digesters are not beyond technology, it’s beyond affordably for
farms, especially around here. NYS is already so heavily regulated such as new labor laws, over
time laws, etc. You can get grants for anaerobic digesters, however the management is
completely different, and no one seems to understand that. Farms have a particular way of
doing things and having a digester changes the manure management and the costs. I think it’s a
great idea but trying to implement it on our farms these days is not feasible. Especially in a
state like NY where we struggle to maintain a competitive edge on the dairy industry. We have
small fields and land fragmentations so we’re not nearly as efficient as areas like Texas,
California, or Iowa. It’s hard to implement something this big on dairy farms. On larger farms
maybe, but not in a place like Dryden. As far as other things on the list like cover cropping, grass
water ways, buffer zones, etc, farms have already been doing those things for years. As far as
manure management, most large farms have gone to direct manure injections into the ground.
It doesn’t volatilize in the air like it used to do. There is a lot of things on this list that most
farms are already doing. Then there’s the digester side which looks great on paper but in
reality, is really hard to implement at this time, especially smaller farms. My biggest fear going
into this generation is the way NY is headed. They’ve already passed 60 hours labor laws so
after 60 hours it is now overtime pay and they want to drop it again to 40 hours. No dairy farm
operation can run on 40 hours. Adding another cost is a scary thought.
o S Foote- I want to give props to Beck Farms because they went from having about 1000
trucks a week to eliminating that completely with manure injections.
o A Beck- On Beck Farms, it goes from the lagoons to the trucks and directly into the soil.
It’s extremely efficient.
o B Magee - Farms would probably have to hire more people because no one wants to pay
overtime.
o M McRae- I wonder if it’s worth a community conversation about an anaerobic digester
as part of a community build. Multiple farms could use it.
o C Schutt- Some farms plant buffers along streams and after a few years it’s going to be a
whole forest down by streams and wetland.
o A Green asked who on the board uses conservative tillage or no till measures. A Beck
uses reduced tillage because they are injecting it right into the soil, so it doesn’t disrupt
soil structure. K LaMotte is using conventional tillage because they have small fields. E
Carpenter says that what you’re planting and where you’re planting is going to
determine on the way you till it.
o C Schutt- Cayuga County Soil and Water built a digestor to bring manure in there but he
doesn’t know how that turned out. He is going to get ahold of someone there to get
their input.
A Beck- Somehow dairy and the Ag industry has become the enemy and people think it is
the biggest contributor to greenhouse gases and carbon emissions. The latest research shows
that only 2-4% of greenhouse emissions come from agriculture. Since the 1950’s we’ve reduced
crop land by 90%, manure by 75% and water by 60%. 36% of carbon emissions is from
transportation alone. So why are we so worried about the Ag industry? There’s much bigger
sources but were just nitpicking agriculture. I believe it’s a lack of education.
A Green asked the board how, if in any way, could the town support farmers? A Beck thinks
the best way the town can support farmers is through education and being open to new ideas.
A Green wants to assure the committee that they will be partners in working on this process
with the town and anyone is welcome to send her any thoughts and recommendations. This
conversation will be ongoing.
On motion made by K LaMotte, seconded by B Beck, the meeting was adjourned at 8:45 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Emily Banwell