Ten steps that will help your farm through financially difficult times

by Bill and Mary Weaver

In a rollicking, fast-paced presentation hosted by Ag Biz Masters, popular Ag Economist Dr. David Kohl revealed 10 important steps for survival in the face of an unexpected crop disaster or an economic downturn. [Read more…]

Employee retention and motivation

by Michael Wren

As small family farms become larger and more profitable they begin to hire more and more employees to help with the extra work. However, many farmers have never had multiple employees and find it hard to manage and retain them. Whether you employ five people or 500 people, managing them will be crucial to running your business. [Read more…]

KILE 2016 – Farm City Day

by Steve Wagner
In the week preceding Farm City Day, at the Keystone International Livestock Exposition (KILE), I received an email touting the benefits of technology in agriculture. “Farmers in third world countries can then become managers of their fields instead of working all day in the fields,” it proclaimed. “Right now, 30 percent of all agricultural surfaces are used for cows. [Read more…]

Milk Pickup

by Troy Bishopp

ORISKANY FALLS, NY — Pause for a moment today and remember the first time you encountered your soul mate. Was it at a church function, the grocery store, a party, or some other random meeting place? One of the more unique places has to be how Fred and Joyce Williams connected over fresh, frothy cans of milk at the ole, iconic Hinman Farm Products Plant in Deansboro, NY. To say milk brought love may be the next great marketing campaign. [Read more…]

Manure Management is a goal of SCD

by Jane Primerano

New Jersey is a small state with a lot of water. Lakes, rivers, streams, creeks, ponds and vernal pools, not to mention the surviving sections of two man-made canals ribbon the state.

Keeping that water clean and potable is a challenge in both urban and rural areas.

In the rural northwest and south of the state a major water-quality concern is non-point source pollution from farms. Often, the pollution comes from manure. [Read more…]

Young showman gains experience at Keystone

by Sally Colby

A young man patiently works a canvas hood over his sheep’s head, then makes sure all the straps and buckles on the canvas blanket that covers the animal’s body are untangled and properly fastened. The sheep stands patiently, and that’s because its owner has spent a lot of time training prior to show time. [Read more…]

From wool to wheel

by Samantha Graves

The story of Skip and Vicki Watt’s small farm outside of Greenville, NY is something of a love story. When the two fell in love just a decade ago and bought the property off of West Road, there was a small log cabin and nothing more. [Read more…]

Great Northern Farm kicks off BQA Month

by Troy Bishopp

LEBANON, NY — Autumn in New York ushers in brilliant leaf color, bushels of golden winter squash, corn chopping and coincidently, Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Training Month. The role for beef and dairy farmers in producing New York’s #1 protein by concentrating on animal husbandry and stewardship rarely changes with the seasons. [Read more…]

Country Folks

Highlighting Agriculture