Federal Grant Allows Local Advancements in Farming Technology

UNADILLA – Historical Delaware County is well-known for farming and crop abundance, and modern-day  technology brings mechanical advancements to enhance local farmer’s abilities to grow and harvest  their crops. These advancements include implementation of designed cow manure storage, as well as  the implementation of prescribed manure injection on cropland during the growing season. Both, of  which allow for more effective manure nutrient recycling and reduced risk of nutrient loss to the  environment. 

On Friday, August 29, the local Delaware County community, and further regions  witnessed a pivotal event in the county’s agriculture advancement at Joleanna Holstein farm (Derek,  Erin, Luke and Janette Johnson, and family), Unadilla, New York. The farm hosted the first Delaware  County Manure Injection Field Day, and the 2025 growing season had seen Delaware County’s first-ever  disc coulter manure injection using precision ag technology on agricultural cropland. This achievement  was made possible through a $3 million, 3-year federal Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) project  awarded by the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Services to the Delaware County Soil and Water  Conservation District (DCSWCD); Sustainable Chesapeake cosponsored the event as well. The project is  coordinated and implemented by DCSWCD with help of partnering agencies that was made possible  through Cornell Cooperative Extension of Delaware County (CCEDC), Watershed Agriculture Council  (WAC), PRO Dairy, Cornell University Nutrient Management Spear Program, USDA Natural resource  Conservation Service (NRCS) and Farm Service Agency (FSA).  

The event consisted of informational presentations in the morning, lunch hosted by Brad  Taggart (with the addition of locally loved, home-grown Johnson’s sweet corn), and live manure  injection demonstrations, as well as manure spill response demonstration to close the day. Introductory  statements and gratitude were opened by Paul Cerosaletti (CCEDC and CIG Project Coordinator), with  further statements from Graydon Dutcher (DCSWCD interim Executive Director), Gideon Frisbee (NYS  Department of Ag and Markets Environmental Analyst), and Tony Capraro (USDA NRCS NY Assistant  State Conservationist). Presentations on the value of manure injection were made by Kirsten Workman  (PRO Dairy nutrient management specialist) and Dr. Quirine Ketterings (Director, Cornell University  Nutrient Management Spear Program), as well as a panel of local Delaware County farmers and  agriculture businessmen. The panel included farmers, Derek Johnson, and Mark Kenyon of Marick  Farms, Jim and Matt Gray of NelJean Farms (who provided their personal manure injection unit for  demonstration), Frank Albano of Albano’s Precision Application (APA), and Kirsten Workman of PRO  Dairy. The afternoon session included the live manure injection demonstration into both sod and corn  stubble, featuring both APA, and Gray’s manure injectors. The last demonstration of the day was the  manure spill response display. Thank you to Pro Dairy, the Onondaga County Soil and Water  Conservation District Manure Spill Response team, and the Watershed Agriculture Council for  coordination of a safe, effective, and informative demonstration of techniques that farmers and agency  professionals can use in real-life scenarios on the farm. Approximately 102 people attended the Manure  Injection Field Day, including agency representatives, farmers, local community members, and even U.S. 

19th district congressman, Josh Riley. Riley had even proudly taken his picture in one of the manure  injector units with APA operator, John Albano. 

Disc coulter manure injection technology includes a tool bar of multiple disc coulters attached to  a liquid manure tanker. The tool bar includes multiple hose attachments leading to a rolling vertical, 20- inch disc coulters that create an incision 3-6 inches below the ground surface into which manure is  injected from tubes that hover a couple inches above the incision. With a tractor pulling at a relatively  slow speed (approximately of 3-6 miles per hour), the typical rate of application is anywhere from 4000  to 14,000 gallons per acre or more, depending on the crop. Precision ag-technology helps to maintain  the desired rate across the field as well as create digital as-applied manure maps and records. Injection  of manure keeps the manure below the soil surface with very minimal disruption, resulting in manure  nutrients being more available to crops, increasing crop yields, and reducing nutrient runoff risks.  Additionally, injection greatly reduces odor and is appreciated by neighbors, which has alone, raised  popularity of this technique. For the manure spill demonstration, a ditch and culvert mechanism was  pre-built for a tanker to "spill” a small volume of manure into. Staff then demonstrated various spill  containment techniques. Cleanup of the spill was demonstrated using special pumps and a large vacuum  truck; water from a firetruck (Unadilla Fire Department) was used to demonstrate dilution techniques.  

The day was a success, leaving attendees in awe of the available technology that modern day  agriculture brings, now making its way to Delaware County. The $3 million federal Conservation  Innovation Grant project will allow for local Delaware County farmers to have this technology at their  fingertips for at least 3 years, through Albano’s Precision Application, located in Stamford, New York. In  the future concern of local farming, as well as environmental conservation efforts, additional grant  funding will be sought in hopes of continuing the project for years to come after 2027.