Highlighting Agriculture

Author Archives: Lee Publications

Mohawk River Watershed Coalition reports on watershed issues affecting 14 counties

Posted in Eastern Edition

CE-MR-3-Watershed Coalition1by Elizabeth A. Tomlin

All of Montgomery County, most of Schoharie County and parts of Albany, Delaware, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Otsego, Saratoga and Schenectady counties in New York State are affected by the Mohawk River Watershed. The Schoharie Reservoir, which is one of the reservoirs that supplies water to New York City, is also within this watershed.

Severe flooding throughout the watershed over the past few years has caused deep concern for the communities affected and, as a result, a group of concerned citizens joined together to form the Mohawk River Watershed Coalition (MRWC). Continue reading→

The Woodstock Fair

Posted in New England Farm Weekly

CN-MR-4-Woodstock4by George Looby, DVM

Each year, in the days and weeks leading up to Labor Day weekend, the town of Woodstock, CT springs to life in preparation for the annual Woodstock Agricultural Fair. The 2014 fair opened on Friday, Aug. 29 and closed on the evening of Monday, Sept. 1. The estimated attendance was 150,000.

The Woodstock Agricultural Fair is presented by the Woodstock Agricultural Society. It is a New England Country Fair in every sense of the word, featuring all levels of poultry and livestock competition, an excellent horse show, competition among both hobby and commercial fruit and vegetable growers and a host of other competitions. Continue reading→

The Big E celebrates Green Pastures

Posted in New England Farm Weekly

CN-MR-5-GreenPast6715by Lorraine Strenkowski

The New England Green Pastures Committee honored their 2014 Outstanding Dairy Farms at the Eastern States Exposition (The Big E) on Friday, Sept. 12. One farm from each New England state is chosen by committee and awarded each year for their pasture quality and forage management, production, herd/milk quality, financial stability and community involvement.

Each of the winners were asked to put together a 10 minute PowerPoint “tour” that introduced themselves, their farms and their farming techniques and specialties. Winners were also awarded an engraved silver pitcher and barn sign. Continue reading→

Markets for bioenergy crops

Posted in Eastern Edition, Mid Atlantic, New England Farm Weekly, Western Edition

CEWM-MR-1-Bioenergy2by Tamara Scully

With the increased focus, over the past several years, on growing crops for the bioenergy sector, producers who opted to pursue this market may now be seeing crops, such as perennial grasses or woody crops, reach full maturity. But they may have yet to develop a reliable, stable market for these crops. Perennial grasses and woody biomass crops such as shrub willow, poplar or eucalyptus take several years to establish, and may require specific equipment for harvesting, leaving a farmer with a negative return on their investment if he hasn’t developed a viable market. Continue reading→