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…)
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…)
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…)
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…)
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 If the farm has an outdated plan, now is a good time to review and revise.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…)
by Enrico Villamaino
A newly published academic paper has outlined the potential dangers of using endectocides (veterinary parasiticides) in cattle. (more…)
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…)
by Sally Colby
Kendra Lamb grew up on a dairy farm in eastern New York, helping with her family’s 70-cow herd in a tie stall barn. After several moves, completing a degree in animal science at Cornell and a stint with a pharmaceutical company, Kendra is working with dairy cattle again. This time, her work is on a larger scale and she’s in a different role. (more…)
by Katie Navarra
The National FFA recently sponsored a series of webinars that offered tips for building an elevator pitch that gets remembered. The biggest mistake most people make when advocating for themselves, their organization or their community is this: They don’t know how to communicate who they are or what they want. That means they are forgettable. (more…)
by Tamara Scully
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, dairy farmers are facing the hardship and heartbreak of seeing their milk dumped into manure pits and onto fields as processors are caught with excess supplies. Food service demand for fluid milk and milk products has plummeted amid mass closures of schools, restaurants and corporate cafeterias. The International Dairy Foods Association and the National Milk Producers Federation estimate that supply currently outpaces demand by about 10%. (more…)
by Courtney Llewellyn
The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and Farm Service Agency (FSA) hosted a short webinar on May 14 for farmers, ranchers and other producers interested in applying for direct payments through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). (more…)
by Sally Colby
As if farmers don’t have enough stress, numerous current events in world and in the ag community have led to additional stress and insecurity about the future. Ted Matthews, psychologist and director of Minnesota Rural Mental Health, said when he worked for FEMA, he never received any calls from farmers. He learned the reason is that farmers simply don’t call psychologists. (more…)
