by Tamara Scully
All of the emphasis may have been on Empire Farm Days, but for 100 participants in the pre-event dairy tour, presented jointly by the Northwestern New York Dairy, Livestock and Field Crop Team, Cornell Pro-Dairy, and Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, there was an opportunity to get up close and personal with two area dairy farming families, Extension educators and industry representatives. [Read more…]
by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
CANANDAIGUA, NY — No huge herd? No problem. Zachary and Lindsey Weykman of Clifton Springs, NY showed five cows anyway at the Ontario County Fair, thanks to their 4-H project animals. Zachary, 14 and entering 9th grade and Lindsey, 17 and entering 12th grade, have been showing for four years and said that they enjoy the experience. [Read more…]
by Elizabeth A. Tomlin
On Feb. 4, 1735, Benjamin Franklin published the oft-quoted idiom, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Although originally intended to inspire care for fire prevention, the quote still stands firm in its advice for today’s issue with antimicrobial resistance. [Read more…]
by Sally Colby
If your horse is a pinto, paint or perhaps a cremello or bald face, chances are good that you’re concerned about sun damage.
Dr. Rose Nolen-Walston, DVM and board certified internal medicine specialist at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, says that while many of her colleagues see a range of fairly common sun-related issues in the field, her position at Penn Vet means that she sees the worst of the worst. [Read more…]
by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
SENECA FALLS, NY — An increasing number of corn and soybean growers are turning to no- or low-till systems that use cover crops. A presentation on the topic, “Fertilizer and Nutrient Management in Cover Crops and Reduced Tillage Systems Farmer Panel” allowed attendees of Empire Farm Days to learn more about the farming method from farmers themselves. [Read more…]
by Noah Berliner
Seth Jacobs’ 130-acre farm in Argyle, NY takes advantage of the watershed that offers a natural resilience to flooding. Seth has been certified organic throughout his farming career. He also runs a successful marketing and distributing direct to resale business, as well as a farmers market while employing five employees full-time. Among his most economically viable crops are tomatoes. [Read more…]
Western Bean Cutworm, an emerging pest of field and sweet corn in the Eastern U.S, prompted the farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program to fund field research in 2016. The results of those trials are now posted at www.nnyagdev.org as the work continues in cornfields this summer. [Read more…]
by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
SENECA FALLS, NY — The dairy barn at the Seneca County Fair felt a little lonesome to Jim Patsos, 71. Except only one year, the Waterloo, NY resident has shown cows every year since he was 11 years old. But this year, only one competitor arrived with dairy cows to exhibit and no beef cattle competed. Patsos enjoys the friendly competition and said he felt a little disappointment as to the meager turnout to the show barn. [Read more…]