Kimberley Morrill, Ph.D Canton, New York Regional Dairy Specialist Cornell Cooperative Extension

What education are you bringing with you to this position?
I have a bachelor's degree in dairy management and a master’s in animal nutrition, with a focus on transitional dairy cattle rations and colostrum absorption in the neonate. Both of those degrees are from The University of New Hampshire.

I also bring with me a Ph.D in animal physiology from Iowa State University, where I focused my studies on colostrum management, nutrient absorption in the neonatal calf and developing on-farm methods to determine if absorption of IgG had occurred within the first hours of life.

Please describe your agricultural background.
I grew up on my parents' registered Holstein farm in Penacook, New Hampshire. My brothers and I were all active in the local 4-H club and junior Holstein programs, participating in quiz-bowl, dairy judging and showmanship.

Growing up, my family didn’t take a family vacation to the beach or to Disneyland – Dad took us all to cattle shows, specifically the Red & White shows. I still own a few Red & White cattle that are housed at my parents' dairy and my son owns a few Brown Swiss.

What territory will you cover?
Four New York State counties: St. Lawrence, Franklin, Clinton and Essex.

What are your new responsibilities?
My responsibilities include working with university and agency staff to conduct on-farm research projects in my four county regions, as well as to participate in statewide collaborative research projects.

I also work with fellow extension educators to develop outreach programs for regional dairy farmers in the form of workshops and training sessions. Currently, I am working with a colleague on a hoof health/animal welfare workshop series that will run across five counties for four weeks. Additionally, I provide one-on-one consultation with producers and industry partners.

What previous positions have you held?
This is my first full-time position, outside of my family farm, that is not related to being a teaching assistant or research assistant for graduate school. I have had internships with Trans-World Genetics/Rinderzucht Schleslwig Holsteins (Neumunster, Germany) as well as with APC, Inc., in Ankeny, Iowa.

This summer, I completed my second term (6 years) as a director and my term (1 year) as president of The Red & White Dairy Cattle Association.

What excites you most about working in your new role?
Working with a variety of challenges and management strategies. My farms range from Amish farmers with 10 cows to progressive farmers with 3,000+ cows. Every day is different, and every farm is different. While many of the farms have the same goal – turn a profit and stay in business – how each farm gets there is very different. Tailoring management plans to meet specific goals keeps me excited!

How will you be of most help to producers in your region or area of expertise?
A lot of farmers are looking into different feeding systems for their calves, especially automatic and mob feeding systems. Having a strong background in calf nutrition and neonatal immunology, not only am I a great resource for the farmers, but I also have a strong passion for calves and have a great time working with the farmer to look into the different options available.

What goals would you like to accomplish while in this position?
To work with fellow extension educators to build more outreach programs for farmers that complement areas of need. I would like to develop an on-farm research program that will identify common management practices in Northern New York, as well as continue to investigate key calf management traits to improve calf health.

My No. 1 goal is to build strong relationships with farmers to make these programs successful. PD