Highlighting Agriculture

Poultry panel discusses cooperation

Posted in Eastern Edition, Western Edition

CEW-MR-1-Poultry panel5by Tamara Scully

Cornell Cooperative Extension recently presented a poultry marketing meeting, which addressed whether pastured poultry producers may best be served through some form of cooperative system: for marketing; processing; purchasing inputs; or even frozen product storage space.

CCE of St. Lawrence County has obtained a grant, from the Northeast Center for Risk Management Education, to study the production of chicken in hoop houses, in an effort to scale-up poultry production in Northern New York State. Betsy Hodge, CCE Livestock Educator, is involved with the project, along with extension agent Brent Buchanan. Continue reading→

Sorting through the proposed FSMA rule for animal food

Posted in Eastern Edition, Mid Atlantic, New England Farm Weekly, Western Edition

by Sally Colby

Anyone involved with food production has likely heard about the proposed Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the most comprehensive makeover of the nation’s food safety laws. With numerous listening sessions in the books and the comment period for the livestock feed rule drawing to a close, numerous questions remain unanswered. Continue reading→

Your new account is just a phone call away

Posted in New England Farm Weekly

CN-MR-3-Your new 1by Laura Rodley

Are you a Massachusetts farmer that wants to sell your product to a school and don’t know how to do it? Are you a Massachusetts school food service provider and want to know how to connect to a local farmer to provide your wares? All it takes is a phone call to the Amherst-based Massachusetts Farm to School Project to connect you to each other.

For the past three weeks, Michael DeChiara, resident of Shutesbury, MA, has been immersing himself in his new role as the project’s new executive director, overseeing their vital connection as intermediary since Dec. 2. Continue reading→

Cattle Feeder’s Day

Posted in Mid Atlantic

CM-MR-3-Cattle Feeder's 1by Steve Wagner

There are many who attend the annual Cattle Feeder Days at Lancaster’s Farm and Home Center to hear retired Penn State economist Lou Moore’s fairly close to unerring predictions about what to expect in the coming year. When Cheryl Fairbairn, Penn State Extension Livestock Team, stepped to the microphone this year to say that Lou would not be in attendance, an audible groan from the audience aptly reflected the collective mood at Moore’s absence. Only on the previous night did he communicate that his wife and sons persuaded him not to make the two hour car trip alone, that his 80-plus years could prove to be a liability. But Fairbairn read what Moore would have told his audience had he been there in person: It’s going to be a good year overall. Continue reading→