by Troy Bishopp
MORRISVILLE, NY — Aldo Leopold once said, “When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.” This sentiment was an overarching theme at the three-day Grasstravaganza 2014 event that brought 150 farmers, ag educators and conservation professionals together to peer deeply into soil health, pasture productivity and creating wealth by nurturing the land. Continue reading
by Elizabeth A. Tomlin
Cover crops should be a part of every vegetable farmer’s toolbox. That’s the message that Thomas Björkman, Associate Professor of Vegetable Crop Physiology with Cornell University explained to attendees of a vegetable grower’s meeting and workshop that took place near Fort Plain, NY.
Since vegetable production compromises soil health, which directly affects productivity, building and maintaining soil is a priority for vegetable producers.
“One management goal that is central for many vegetable farmers is maintaining good tilth, which is accomplished in part by always feeding soil microorganism with fresh organic matter,” Björkman explained. “Cover crops can provide that organic matter between vegetables.” Continue reading
by Elizabeth A. Tomlin
Despite thunderstorms with continuous lightning and torrential downpours, nearly 40 people traveled to Bob and Andy Crowe’s Inverness Farm near Ames, NY, to take part in a Malting Barley Field Day and Workshop presented by Cornell University and CCE of Central New York.
The workshop featured speakers Plant Pathologist Dr. Gary Bergstrom, Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology of Cornell University; Research Support Specialist David Benscher, Small Grains Breeding & Genetics Project of Cornell University and Central NY CCE Regional Field Crop Specialist Kevin Ganoe. Continue reading
by Tamara Scully
Neil Conklin, President of Farm Foundation, NFP, introduced a new movement in today’s agriculture, one which is inclusive of all types of production systems, philosophies, farm sizes, and crops. It’s a movement with one key component — soil.
This movement is called the Soil Renaissance, and it is coming soon to a farm near you. According to Conklin, the movement began to take root after Klaas Martens, a New York state organic farmer, and Bill Buckner, formerly CEO of Bayer CropScience LP and now the President and CEO of the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, had a discussion about their passion for soil health. No matter that they had disparate backgrounds. They agreed that soil health is key to a sustainable agriculture, one which can feed the world as the population rapidly grows, climate changes cause havoc, the agricultural landbase decreases, and decimated soils can no longer support food production. Continue reading
