by Katie Navarra
Tell your story. Build a community. Send traffic to your website. Social media of all types helps businesses spread the word about the products and services offered. Using social media sites to promote farm products, farmers markets and onsite events can be a cost effective way to increase sales.
Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are by far the most frequently social media sites mentioned, but Pinterest is becoming an equally important outlet. Continue reading
Category Archives: Eastern Edition
Late blight confirmed on tomato in New Jersey
Late blight was confirmed in a commercial tomato field in Mercer Co., NJ around the end of June.
Other reports on tomato in the Mid-Atlantic region this season include a commercial field in Montgomery Co., MD and a greenhouse in Morgan Co., WV (US-23). There have been no confirmed reports on potato. The recent and forecasted storms across the state have made conditions more favorable for late blight. A protectant spray program is recommended and it is important to be scouting your crop regularly looking for irregularly shaped water-soaked lesions that are initially pale green before turning brown. Under humid conditions, the lesions on the underside of the leaf will sporulate giving them a white fuzzy appearance. The lesions will tend to develop on the upper to middle part of the plant as opposed to early blight and Septoria leaf spot that start on the lower leaves and progress up the plant. Continue reading
Handling large bales safely
by Sally Colby
During baling season, time is at a premium and it’s easy for farmers to skip safety measures. But handling large round bales that weigh 700 to 800 pounds can be a dangerous and potentially deadly task.
Jim Carrabba, agricultural safety specialist with NYCAMH (New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health), has some tips for farmers who are working with large round bales.
Performing an operator’s check of all equipment prior to working with bales may prevent injury or even save a life. “We recommend a 360 degree walk around each machine before each use,” said Carrabba. “Check all the hydraulic hoses to make sure that they are not cracked, broken or worn. Look under the machine for puddles of fluid that would indicate a leak or a broken hose. Look for hydraulic fluid on the machine itself that might indicate a leak.” Carrabba explained an injury called high pressure injection injury, which is the result of a hydraulic hose that has a pinhole leak. “It can inject the fluid right into the person’s body. It’s a dangerous injury.” Continue reading
Letter to the Editor- Has Congress failed the dairy farmer once again?
Has Congress failed the dairy farmer once again?
Certainly Congress has the American Dairy Farmer in their crosshairs! (Or maybe in shackles!) It’s time that Congress pulls the trigger and does something realistic for the dairy farmers; and we don’t mean any fiscal handouts for the dairymen.
The passage of the Goodlatte-Scott Amendment in the House prevents the undesirable supply management part of the Dairy Security Act from being in the proposed House version of the Farm Bill. Continue reading