To have my very own calf and the places we will go

by Richard Smith, Saratoga County Extension Agent
To have my very own calf and the places we will go was the theme of this year’s Saratoga County 4-H Calf Scholarship winner’s essay. She is 11 year old Libby Swatling who packs a ton of enthusiasm in her small frame. Libby first became a dairy calf lover when she lived on a Saratoga County dairy farm. She was introduced to cows and calves and instantly fell in love with, as she puts it, “Brown Cow”, a Jersey in a herd of nearly all Holsteins. It is easy to understand Libby’s attraction to the unique animal in the group, but the bond grew as did Libby. She mentioned in her letter that she could still call to the now mature cow and the cow would respond to her even after she moved away from the farm. The old saying “you can take the person off the farm but can’t take the farm out of the person” is as true today as years ago.
This wonderful introduction to calves and cows is what fostered Libby to dream of owning her own calf someday. Thanks to this well established program within Saratoga County the dream was a possibility. Encouraged by several of the Dairy Club leaders and volunteers, Libby submitted an application essay.
It was extremely well written, heartwarming and clearly a winning essay if I ever saw one. She mentioned her early life and her relationship with “Brown Cow”. More importantly she stated her desire to learn all she can and excel in caring for her own calf. Libby participates in the Dairy Club meetings and activities. One in particular was the Capital District Regional Dairy Quiz Bowl where she and her fellow team members won the contest. They will attend the New York State Fair and do some contest demonstrations to fairgoers. Seth Wadsworth, Herd Manager of Eildon Tweed Farm, is the 4-H volunteer coach and has dedicated a great deal of time coaching this team. His wealth of knowledge and genuine nature of instruction is evidenced in the outstanding team that represents Saratoga County. [Read more…]

Ulster County 4-H Youth Program announces 2013 Master Showmanship winner

New Paltz, NY — Savannah Baker, 19, of High Falls, NY was awarded the 2013 4-H Master Showmanship title for this year’s Ulster County Fair on Sunday, Aug. 4.
Baker qualified for the contest by excelling in Senior Showmanship in the area of Dairy Cattle which enabled her to advance to the final competition which included showmanship for Horse, Dairy Cattle, Goats, Sheep, Poultry, Dogs, and Rabbits.
Savannah has been a member of Ulster County 4-H since the age of seven, making her an active member for 12 years. 2013 will be her final year in 4-H. Savannah is the daughter of Wade and Robin Baker.
“Being a part of 4-H is one of greatest things I’ve ever done. It has made me a better person and introduced me to new people and places. It’s such a great opportunity for youth,” Baker says. “Winning Master Showmanship means a great deal to me,” Baker added.
Savannah is a sophomore at SUNY Ulster majoring in Fine Arts with a focus on photography. She plans to major in photography at SUNY Purchase.
In her spare time, Savannah enjoys doing collage. She received an honorable mention for an altered collage book that she submitted to an exhibit at SUNY Ulster during her senior year at Rondout Valley High School. Baker was crowned the Dairy Princess of Ulster County in 2010. [Read more…]

Angus Glen Farm

by Katie Navarra
Introduced to agriculture at a young age, Brett Chedzoy of Watkins Glen, NY, spent much of his youth split between his grandparents’ farms in Kansas and Upstate New York.
In the mid-1980’s, Brett’s parents, Jim and Rose, purchased a small dairy farm from friends who wanted to retire. The cattle were sold and the farm was dormant for nearly two decades until Brett and his wife, Maria Jose, returned to the area in 2002.
The husband and wife team shared a goal of creating a viable business for the farm. Pasture fed beef seemed to be the most practical option given that they were owners of an Angus operation in the Sierra Mountains of Central Argentina on land close to Maria Jose’s family’s beef ranch.
In 2009 the farm in Watkins Glen was officially named Angus Glen Farms LLC. “The name seemed appropriate because we raise black angus cattle and the farm is adjacent to the Watkins Glen State Park the second most visited park in New York State,” he said, “and the original grand prix course (for car racing) also runs through the middle of the farm.” [Read more…]

Steady Lane Farm

by Laura Rodley
High on a slope in Ashfield, MA is a contented herd of grazing cattle guarded by an eight year old jenny who doesn’t like dogs. Even so, the jenny shares guardianship duties with a well-mannered one and a half year old black and white English Shepherd named Emma. Emma shares herding duties with her owner, Janet Clark. Janet and her husband Norbert Salz, best known as Nort, have raised predominantly organic, grass-fed beef on their 70 acre Steady Lane Farm since purchasing it in 2001.
Fed no hormones or animal byproducts, their beef cuts are leaner than conventional, containing more Omega-3 oils and beta carotene. They supply Ashfield’s Elmer’s Store restaurant with brisket. Customers include River Valley Market among many others. [Read more…]

Cow pie throwing contest at Eastern Rhode Island 4-H Fair

by Sanne Kure-Jensen
Glen Park in Portsmouth, RI hosted the Eastern RI 4-H Country Fair on the third weekend in July. Like so many 4-H Fairs, livestock and tractors were prominent. One fair contest featured livestock waste. Dried cow pies were used in a distance-throwing contest, instead of traditional balls or spears. Each contestant had two chances to throw a cow pie.
Mike Costa won the adult class in the Cow Pie Throwing Contest with his toss of 77’ 6”. Costa’s toss just barely beat the second place throw by Tyler Pimentel at 77’5”.
K. C. Bellavance’s 59’ cow pie throw won him first place in the children’s class, edging out Michael Aguiar’s second place toss.
Judging the contest was Amanda Leonardo from CAT Country radio’s morning show. The adult contest prize was $150. The children’s class prize was a $50 gift card to Barns & Noble. ‘A Traditional Sweep’ of Portsmouth, RI sponsored this event. [Read more…]

Early June downpours lead to variability in corn stands at Bow-Knott Dairy

by Karl H. Kazaks
BOONES MILL, VA — In early June, many parts of Virginia and the mid-Atlantic experienced days and days of continuous rain. Even when it wasn’t raining, it was mostly overcast, with little direct sun.
At Bow-Knott dairy, Dale Boitnott’s dairy in Franklin County, the wet spring has impacted his farm in a number of ways. Small grains he intended to chop he instead combined or wet-baled. Corn fields he planted directly before the early June downpours have shown patchy variability, with some areas showing little or no emergence.
Boitnott is not sure why the bare patches have little or no corn plants. It could soil type, soil compaction, the lack of a crucial nutrient (perhaps sulfur — he has submitted samples for tissue analysis), maybe even planting depth or some combination of many factors.
“There’s some limiting factor, some straw that broke the camel’s back,” Boitnott said.
Given that the lean spots tend to be in low areas, though, Boitnott suspects that the lack of plants is the result of failure to germinate due to an oversupply of moisture.
“There’s a breaking point to everything — no moisture, too much moisture,” he said. “They just basically rotted in the ground.”
The fields with bare spots are protected by diversion ditches, but Boitnott figures they may not have been big enough to handle all of the rain that came down in early June. [Read more…]

Locals attend Junior National Hereford Show

by Rebecca Long Chaney
KANSAS CITY, MO — The “Show Me” state welcomed 660 junior Hereford exhibitors from 40 states with 1,100 head of cattle to the Junior National Hereford Expo (JNHE). The annual event is held every year in a different state to showcase the nation’s top Hereford cattle and junior members compete in 23 skill-based contests.
According to Amy Cowan, Director of Hereford Youth Activities and the Hereford Youth Foundation of America (HYFA), the JNHE is the premier event each year that Hereford families look forward too. “Scholarship and education is the mission statement of the Foundation,” she said. “We have two components — we offer $50,000 in scholarships and we hope to grow the foundation. The short-term goal is raising one million to continue offering scholarships. The long-term goal is raising five million so we can use the interest for scholarships and other junior Hereford activities.”
East Coast youth made an impression at the national show. There were three junior exhibitors from Connecticut, one from Maine, 10 from Maryland, three from New Hampshire, eight from New Jersey, five from New York, 15 from Pennsylvania and four from Virginia. They exhibited nearly 100 Herefords, several winning top honors.
Doug Howe of Wagontown, PA, was happy there was a great delegation of Hereford youth representing the East and Northeast. Howe’s family operates Deanajak Farm and Howe is the chairman of the 2014 Junior National Hereford Expo to be held July 5-12 at the Farm Show Building in Harrisburg, PA. [Read more…]

Scouting to manage pests

by Tamara Scully
Pest management means scouting for pests. If you don’t know what is out there, or if they are out there en masse or just at a tolerable level, any control program is going to be more costly and less effective than a targeted approach. Whether a young farmer, just learning the ropes, or an experienced grower needing to intensify pest management strategies, scouting more effectively, and learning how to use the results, is good practice.
Doug O’Brien, an agricultural consultant and adjunct professor at Cabrillo College, in California, teaching organic farming, and Helen Attowe, a farmer, organic farm consultant and former horticultural extension agent, recently addressed a web-based audience, providing scouting information, tips, tools and procedures.
“It all sounds really easy, but it isn’t,” O’Brien said. [Read more…]

Country Folks

Highlighting Agriculture