Highlighting Agriculture

Category Archives: Mid Atlantic

Summer forage tour showcases a variety of warm-season grazing options

Posted in Mid Atlantic

CM-MR-3-FieldDayby Karl H. Kazaks

RAPHINE, VA — Richard Clemmer and his wife Becky recently hosted more than 60 people on their farm in far-northern Rockbridge County for a dinner and evening farm tour. On display were a variety of summer forage options they have planted for their 200-cow beef cattle operation.

Attendees came from across the Shenandoah Valley, central Virginia, southwestern Virginia and West Virginia.

“I want to learn some new ideas,” said Kent Shipe of Mathias, WV, explaining his decision to attend the event. “I’m particularly interested in crabgrass.” Continue reading→

Youth demonstrate their skills at the Southern Maryland Invitational Livestock Expo

Posted in Mid Atlantic

SONY DSCby Hope Holland

The Southern Maryland Invitational Livestock Expo (SMILE) is the fruition of the collaborative efforts of volunteers from the five-county region of Southern Maryland, University of Maryland Extension staff, the St. Mary’s County Fair Board and The Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission of the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland. Participation in the Southern Maryland Invitational Livestock Expo is open to youth 8 to 21 years of age from the entire region of Southern Maryland, including Anne Arundel, Prince Georges, and Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties, and other counties by invitation. The 2014 show was held on June 21 in Leonardtown, MD. Continue reading→

Junior hereford exhibitors head East

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

CEW-MR-1-JrHerefordby Rebecca Long Chaney

HARRISBURG, PA — More than 600 junior exhibitors from 34 states across the country spent a week here for the VitaFerm Junior National Hereford Expo (JNHE).

“I honestly think it’s the best junior national I’ve been too,” said Andy Billing of Greendale, NJ, co-chair New Jersey. representative on the six-state joint host JNHE planning committee. “The Farm Show Complex was a great facility to host the event. It’s the first time for all the cattle to be in one barn. The complex is air conditioned and there was plenty of trailer parking.” Continue reading→

Houcks looking to upgrade their Culpeper dairy with automatic milkers

Posted in Mid Atlantic

CM-MR-2-Houckby Karl H. Kazaks

CULPEPER, VA — “We need to upgrade,” said Joe Houck, explaining his family’s plan to build a new dairy parlor with robotic milkers. “Our current parlor was modern decades ago.”

Construction hasn’t begun yet, but within a year Houck and his son Craig, who farms full-time with his father, expect work to be underway on a new parlor and tank room, and an extension of the freestall barn.

At present, the dairy milks 140 Holsteins 2x. The Houcks intend to internally build their herd to 180 cows by the time they move to the new parlor, to be better sized for three automatic milkers. Continue reading→