Ag Water Test Sample Drop-Off Sites in WNY
If you are curious about the quality of your irrigation ponds, streams, wells, or other surface water source, water testing is an important tool to consider. Getting the right test and doing so in a timely manner has been a challenge. Water testing that provides meaningful results requires a quantified generic E. coli test or an Enumeration E. coli test. Some water testing labs only do a potable water test called a presence/absence test. The Enumeration test provides test results as in numbers of (bacterial) colony forming units (CFU or most probable number MPN). Having a number allows you to track the results with a comparable baseline. Each water source should be tested 3-4 times a season and do this each growing season.
Water testing drop-off/pick-up sites have been set up in a number of locations across the region by Lozier Environmental Consulting in Rochester. Water test sample bottles, forms, and information are available at each site. Additional sites are available:
- A new site has been added in the greater Lockport (Niagara County) area: Flint Brothers Hardware, 2769 Main St, Newfane, NY, 716-778-9654. Samples must be received at this location by Wednesday 9:00am.
- If you are in Ontario County, contact Nancy Anderson at the CCE Ontario County office in Canandaigua at 585-394-3977 x427. You can pick up the supplies (forms, bottles, instructions, and takes payment) at the CCE office. You will be required to take your sample(s) to a drop-off site in Canandaigua; the bottles will be picked up and delivered to Life Science Labs in Syracuse for analysis.
New Ag Climate Factsheet Released
The intersection of agricultural production and greenhouse gases is gathering increasing attention. This is an opportune time to consider how vegetable production interacts with carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions, and how using cover crops may alter this picture.
The factsheet,
Greenhouse Gases and Soil Organic Carbon in Vegetable Production and the Role of Cover Crops, written by Zach Spangler, Ag Climate Resiliency Specialist with CCE Harvest NY, and Elizabeth Buck, Fresh Market Vegetable Specialist, CCE Cornell Vegetable Program, discusses:
- Sequestration of atmospheric carbon in agricultural soils as soil organic carbon (SOC). Is vegetable production impacting SOC?
- Net greenhouse gas emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), and methane (CH4) from the soil.
- Impact of cover crops on soil organic carbon, nitrous oxide emissions, and other GHG emissions.
