Lee Publications

Eastern Connecticut’s hoof trimmer

Posted in New England Farm Weekly

by Lorraine Strenkowski

Richard Weingart grew up on a dairy farm in North Franklin, CT. In 1986, after his father’s decision to take advantage of the government’s buy-out program, Richard, 27 years old at the time, found himself a farmer without a farm. In keeping with his agricultural background, Weingart sought out and apprenticed with a hoof trimmer. You might think ‘horses’ but this trimmer was strictly dealing with cows. After two months of actively pursuing his goal, Weingart felt confident enough to continue on his own. Continue reading→

Flowing Spring Farm carves niche as quality Gelbvieh producer

Posted in Mid Atlantic

by Karl H. Kazaks
ATKINS, VA — Virginia does not have a Gelbvieh association breed sale. Larger breeders can have their own on-farm sales, like Knoll Crest or Little Windy Hills. Smaller breeders can submit cattle to test stations, sell off the farm, or consign to other sales.

Charlie Atkins of Flowing Spring Farm has raised Gelbvieh for over 25 years and has tried all of those methods. Lately, though, he’s decided to market his cattle through two main channels: selling off the farm and at Echo Ridge Angus’s annual fall sale (their Black Friday sale). Continue reading→

Equine enthusiast corrals Farm Bureau members for Right to Farm communities

by Pat Malin

LIVERPOOL, NY — Hans Mobius networked at the recent New York State Farm Bureau conference as if he were a fresh-faced rookie running for his first public office. Although he’s a battle-hardened political veteran, he still brings an eager approach to his campaign. Continue reading→

Herding helpers on the farm

Posted in Eastern Edition, Western Edition

by Sally Colby

Although many sheep farmers use herding dogs to work livestock, not all of them had sheep when they started.

Julie Williams, who lives in the Hudson Valley area, had herding dogs before she had sheep. Her first dog was a Kelpie named Lucy. “I trained her all the way through knowing how to do a shed,” said Williams, referring to the act of separating designated sheep from the flock. “I worked with Warren Mick, of Ultima, NY, and he’s really good at what he does. He had a Border Collie named Glen that I really liked, and I found out I could get a puppy sired by Glen — that’s how I got Dan.” Dan was Williams’ first Border Collie, and Joe, her second dog, is related to Dan. Williams started both Dan and Joe as young pups. Continue reading→