Junior shows scheduled for June and July
by Courtney Llewellyn (more…)
Growing healthy soil takes planning
by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
Want healthy soil? Plan for it is Sarah Hirsh’s advice. As an Extension agent with University of Maryland, she presented “Growing Healthy Soil” as a webinar through MidAtlantic Women in Agriculture. (more…)
Spring grazier meeting
by Katie Navarra
Social distancing and a virtual meeting platform didn’t keep Capital Region farmers from attending the annual Spring Turnout Grazier Meeting in late May. The two-hour meeting offered tips for strategizing about spending money, considerations for feeding minerals to livestock and calculating costs for fencing and forage. The annual event is organized by Cornell Cooperative Extension’s (CCE) Capital Area Agriculture and Horticulture Program. (more…)
Grassfed cows, organic milk and fatty acids
by Tamara Scully
Changing cow diets changes the amount of fatty acids in their milk. Fatty acids found in cow milk, which are thought to play an important role in human health, include linoleic and alpha-linoleic (ALA) – or omega 6 and omega 3 – as well as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). All cow milk, no matter what the animals are fed, contains these and many other fatty acids. But the amounts and proportions of these fatty acids can differ based on cow diet. (more…)
Updates on and information for the livestock markets
by Karl H. Kazaks
Virgina Tech has been hosting a series of livestock update webinars to keep producers appraised of information and strategies relevant to current market conditions. (more…)
Coming together to create some cheese
by Enrico Villamaino
A confederation of cultivating clans has created a lucrative creamery. The joint venture of three family farms in western New York, Eden Valley Creamery has been operating in South Dayton for nearly a year since first opening in July 2019. (more…)
Measuring soil health vital for yield
by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
If you don’t know your soil, you won’t know how to amend it – or what to expect for yield. That’s why Sieg Snapp, professor of Soils and Cropping System Ecology at Michigan State University, presented “Measuring Soil Health.” (more…)
Why heifer maturity matters – the Peter Pan problem
by Katie Navarra
Immature heifers leave a long shadow over a herd that cannot be remedied. Early calving may get milk faster, but over time total volume is comprised. During the Dairy Calf & Heifer Association (DCHA) Virtual Conference in April, Gavin Staley, technical services specialist, Diamond V, shared his evaluation of DairyComp305 production records, which sheds insight into the significant impact of heifer immaturity on whole herd production. (more…)
How many agriculturists does it take to change a lightbulb?
by Katie Navarra
Today, maybe more than ever before in our country’s recent history, our supply chain is being tested. Agriculture advocates need to think about all the perspectives that need to be considered to ensure a bright future for American agriculture and all the people it represents. (more…)
Planning for the unexpected
by Sally Colby
If there’s no contingency plan for your farm, it isn’t too late to develop one. If the farm has an outdated plan, now is a good time to review and revise. (more…)
Dosing less can benefit dung beetles
by Enrico Villamaino
A newly published academic paper has outlined the potential dangers of using endectocides (veterinary parasiticides) in cattle. (more…)
Develop a marketing strategy to target the right customers
by Catie Joyce-Bulay
“I like to think of it as ‘the smell of the flower will draw in the bee,’” said Matt LeRoux, describing the importance of creating an identity for your farm business. “We’re not going to survive, especially small farms, if we don’t have an identity. This identity will draw in your target customer.” (more…)
