Start-up dairy farmer remains optimistic
by Sally Colby
In a time when dairy farming is tenuous at best, a relatively new dairy farmer in Stockton, NJ, is looking toward the future. (more…)
Jessica Hula-Fredericks receives 2019 Silver Cow Award
by Elizabeth A. Tomlin
Herkimer County’s Dairy Promotion Committee held their annual banquet at the Miners Table near Herkimer, with Holly Pullis of Roedale Dairy and Hollywood Enterprises, Richfield Springs, NY, acting as MC for the event. (more…)
Second Annual Turnout Grazier Meeting
by Katie Navarra
Rain and colder temperatures didn’t keep beef producers from attending the second annual Spring Turnout Grazier Meeting on May 1. Hosted by St. Croix Farm, a third-generation conserved farm in Schaghticoke, NY, new and experienced beef producers were eager to learn marketing and management tips for developing a sustainable beef business. The event is organized by Cornell Cooperative Extension’s (CCE) Capital Area Agriculture and Horticulture Program. (more…)
Grants can aid in produce operations
by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
Applying to grants early can make the difference between obtaining funding and not. Elizabeth Higgins, Extension specialist Ag Business Management, spoke about upcoming grants in a recent webinar hosted by Cornell. Higgins works for the Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture Program of Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Hudson Valley Research Lab in Highland, NY. (more…)
GMHA proud of lengthy history – and rides
by Laura Rodley
On a recent Saturday afternoon, Jenny Kimberly, a resident of Windsor, VT, drove her willing Morab (half-Morgan, half-Arabian) 11-year-old Lucas on a good ride. Kimberly’s significant other, Bruce Hickey, a retired farrier, likened Lucas’s power to that of a turbo engine. (more…)
ADA accessibility extends to farm websites
by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
The doorways at your farm market are wide enough. You have ramps at entrances and designated parking spaces and restroom stalls. You think you’re completely accessible. But you could find yourself sued for lack of accessibility if your website isn’t compatible with software that reads text for those who are visually impaired. (more…)
Telling your story at Bedford Farmers Market Vendors Workshop
by Laura Rodley
Food, and that elusive taste of home. Vendors and farmers at the New Bedford Farmers Market (NBFM) in New Bedford, MA, have been selling fresh high quality beef, fish and produce for people to make delicious meals in their own homes for decades. They also sell hand-crafted goods. (more…)
Billings Farm & Museum celebrates history
by Laura Rodley
The Billings Farm & Museum celebrates its 36th anniversary this year. It celebrated mothers on Mother’s Day by hosting their second annual Draft Animal Day at the farm in Woodstock, VT. By day’s end, 468 people had visited, more than double the usual spring traffic. (more…)
On the lookout – African swine fever
by George Looby
African Swine Fever (ASF) has yet to be found in the United States but it poses an ongoing threat to the swine industry of this country. If it were ever to become established here it would have the potential to devastate one of the major components of this country’s agricultural economy. At this point there is no effective treatment available and no vaccine available to control it. It is a viral disease that can be spread in many ways, which makes it difficult to control. Direct contact between infected and susceptible animals is the most obvious method of spread but there are other less obvious means of contagion. (more…)
The Joneses make it work, raising hogs outdoors
by Karl H. Kazaks
Mike and Suzanne Jones have been raising a family on a small outdoor livestock farm in north central North Carolina since 2004. (more…)
Pennsylvania shows big at 2019 Spring Dairy Carousel
by Elizabeth A. Tomlin
Folks came from far and wide to exhibit their dairy cattle in the prestigious 2019 Spring Dairy Carousel in Syracuse, NY. (more…)
Going mobile with pigs
by Tamara Scully
When pasturing pigs, there are always valid concerns about damage done to soil through their rooting behaviors. Frequently moving pigs to prevent them from damaging the soil structure once the vegetation is cleared is one of the key aspects of keeping pigs on pasture. Pigs love to graze, and utilizing their ability to do so, while enjoying a wide range of fodder, is a quick way to clear new ground for planting. (more…)
