Western Edition

Good agricultural practices affecting produce sales

by Elizabeth A. Tomlin

October 2015 will mark the first time an FDA court mandated rule will affect producers of fresh produce in the marketplace.

“This is coming!” said Produce Safety Alliance Program Director Elizabeth A. Bihn, Ph.D. “Don’t panic, but do something now so it doesn’t hit you like a freight train when it happens!”

Bihn was speaking at a 2015 ENYCHP Good Agricultural Practices Farm Food Safety Training Program, where producers and farmers’ market managers drove for hours in inclement weather to attend the 2-day workshop. [Read more…]

Dehulling ancient grains

by Katie Navarra

Though ancient grains have the potential of being a value-added crop for farms, the dehulling process continues to be a roadblock in the production of grains like einkorn, emmer and spelt.

The eOrganic webinar, Dehulling Ancient Grains, explained the methods used to dehull grains and the components needed in a dehulling system. Guest speakers representing with extensive experience growing and processing grains shared feedback on the economics of dehulling and the options available to both large and small-scale growers. [Read more…]

Get ready for credit – prepare for your first farm loan Part 1

by Sanne Kure-Jensen

How does a beginning farmer secure their first farm loan? A farmer may wish to purchase equipment using a loan instead of taking on expensive credit card debt for cash flow until harvest brings cash. Most lenders seek similar business information to analyze when considering beginning farmer credit worthiness.

Short-term loans are used to finance seeds, fertilizers and/or other annual inputs. This can include cash to help farmers pay their farm and/or personal bills between harvests. Short-term loans are under a year and are repaid after harvest. Intermediate-term loans help farmers purchase capital equipment like tillers, tractors, coolers and have repayment terms up to seven years. Long-term loans for farmland may extend to 30 years.

Gary Matteson of the Farm Credit Council and Benneth Phelps of the Carrot Project shared their recommendations on planning for obtaining credit in a workshop for beginning farmer educators at the Beginning Farmer Learning Network Conference in late 2014. [Read more…]

Grass-fed has only just begun

by Troy Bishopp

LATHAM, NY — “Grass-Fed has only just begun,” said yogurt craftsman, Tim Joseph, the passionate owner of Maple Hill Creamery in Stuyvesant, NY. A theme that would echo throughout the 7th annual Winter Green-up Grass-fed Grazing Conference at the Century House in Latham, NY.

The dynamic duo of Albany County Cooperative Extension Educator, Tom Gallagher and grass-fed aficionado Morgan Hartman continue to draw capacity crowds in an effort to inspire, educate and create a family of would-be profitable grass farmers throughout the Northeast. This year was no exception. [Read more…]

NY Holstein Association, Junior Holstein State Conventions showcase cream of the crop

by Pat Malin

UTICA, NY — Emily Mikel of Stafford, NY, has just 35 registered Holsteins on her family’s farm in Genesee County. Don’t let that small number fool you.

The exceptional herd helped the 16-year-old high school junior walk away with an armful of awards at the New York State Junior Holstein Association’s state convention at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center on Jan. 18.

The three-day junior convention was preceded by the All-Breeds State Convention, also held in Utica, Jan. 15-17. Events at the junior convention included the election of junior officers, selection of Distinguished Junior Members, plus a speech contest, and Dairy Bowl and Dairy Jeopardy quiz competitions. [Read more…]

Grazing dairy strategies

by Tamara Scully

There’s a lot of talk these days about different grazing systems. Mob grazing, management intensive grazing (MIG), ultra-high stock density (UHSD) grazing and tall grass grazing systems. Most concentrate on beef cattle production. But can these systems translate to dairy cows? In a system where dairy profitability and milk production is dependent upon excellent forage quality and dry matter intake, can these type of grazing strategies make sense?

Mena Hautau, field and forage crop educator with Berks County Extension, recently decided to take a look at what type of “mob grazing” was already happening on southeast Pennsylvania grazing dairies. A Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education grant allowed her to observe grazing systems on four dairies which have already incorporated some type of intensive, managed grazing system, and are grazing tall grass, using frequent rotations, and grazing in higher densities. They were also all certified organic, although this was not intentional, and all were being managed by dairymen with more than two decades of experience. The dairies are grazing-based dairies with little grain or total mixed rations being fed. [Read more…]

WNY Farm Show- February 5-7, 2015

Hamburg, NY-The Fairgrounds in Hamburg, NY will host the 5^th Annual WNY Farm Show. This three day event works to bring together some of the region’s best equipment providers and farm services with their customer base of agriculturalists, horticulturalists, and local farmers. The show will offer seminars, activities for the kids, and concessions as well. This show is free and open to the public. [Read more…]

Vilsack addresses farmers’ concerns in town hall meeting

by Sally Colby

Two of the top names in agriculture met for a standing room only town hall meeting during the recent annual convention of the American Farm Bureau. Farm Bureau President Stallman moderated while U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack addressed current topics and fielded audience questions.

Vilsack acknowledged the work that Farm Bureau has done with programs including the Farmer/Rancher Alliance, the Farmland movie, farm safety and and youth educational programs. “The My American Farm program is geared toward young children (K through 5th grade),” he said, “which gives kids an understanding of where food comes from and a higher appreciation for farmers.”

Regarding short and long term gains for United States agriculture, Vilsack said, “Every time we open an opportunity or enter into a free trade agreement, it’s good for agriculture. Exports represent about 30 percent of all the gross income received by the farm community.” [Read more…]

Country Folks

Highlighting Agriculture