August 10, 2007
Contact: Dr. Jerry Cherney, 607-255-0945
Dr.
Jerry H. Cherney is seen here with a pellet stove burning grass at the
Big Red Barn building at Cornell University. Cherney is New York State�s
Forage Specialist and a leading researcher in grass bioenergy
production. Photo: Cornell University
Cornell Researcher Familiar to Northern NY Farmers Earns Award for
Forage Production, Grass Bioenergy Work
As New York State�s Forage Specialist, Dr. Jerry H. Cherney�s on-farm
field trials frequently bring him to Northern New York farms to conduct
research aimed at increasing dairy and livestock farm profitability
while protecting the region�s rich environmental resources. His studies
focus on forage production and quality, grass and manure management, and
the use of grasses to produce energy. At Penn State in June 2007,
Cherney, who is the E.V. Baker Professor of Agriculture at Cornell
University, was awarded the Extension Industry Award for �the tremendous
impact his extension and applied research program have had on the
improvement of forage management and utilization on dairy farms in the
Northeast, as well as his foresight and pioneering work on the use of
perennial grasses for biomass for bioenergy.�
The Joint Conference of the Northeastern Branch of the American Society
of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) and Soil
Science Society of America (SSSA) presented the award to Cherney.
Cherney is currently working on cooperative projects with Cornell animal
scientists to optimize the utilization of perennial grasses and corn by
dairy cows. He says, �Maximizing forage quality will minimize the need
for high priced grains.�
In cooperation with Dr. Quirine M. Ketterings, a Cornell associate
professor of crop and soil science, Cherney is developing a grass
biomass management system to utilize dairy manure in the production of
grass biomass, simultaneously addressing excess manure problems and
energy deficit problems.
Cherney says, �Forage crop production is the centerpiece of dairy and
livestock production and one of the best means for responsible
stewardship of our land resources. Management of forages for maximum
economic returns, while minimizing soil erosion and nitrate losses with
environmentally safe management practices is the long-term goal.
Research with field experiments in Northern New York develops methods
for measuring and improving forage quality, production and animal
performance on the region�s dairy and livestock farms.�
About his work with bioenergy crops, Cherney says, �It takes 70 million
years to produce fossil fuel. It takes 70 days to grow a crop of grass
pellet fuel. Grass pellets have great potential as a low-tech,
small-scale, environmentally-friendly, renewable energy system that can
be locally produced, locally processed and locally consumed. Grass
bioenergy is one of the ways that rural communities can move towards
energy security.�
Cherney provides information on his research and results through the
farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program that
has funded his work on regional farms and agricultural research
stations. His website at
www.forages.org provides a Forage Species Selector with suggestions
for growing forages in New York State taking into consideration the
available soil type and intended forage use. He has recently added
information sheets on managing grass crops for biofuel production at his
website at
www.GrassBioenergy.org.
Prior to joining the Cornell faculty in August 1990, Cherney was an
associate professor of agronomy at Purdue University for eight years. He
has served as president of the Northeastern American Society of Agronomy
and a director of the Crop Science Society of America. He is a technical
editor for the Forage and Grazinglands Journal.
Cherney was awarded a Northeastern Branch ASA & SSSA Research Award in
2003. To learn more about Cherney�s work in Northern New York, go online
to www.nnyagdev.org,
www.forages.org, or
www.GrassBioenergy.org.
