One of the five labs that I work with provides small plastic-lined paper bags for their customers to put their soil samples in. The person submitting the soil for analysis fills out the field’s and farm’s specifics on one side of the bag.
(more…)by George Looby
On March 29, 2018 a group of officials and interested individuals gathered at the Collins Powder Hill Farm in Enfield, CT, to review the progress that had been made on a new energy installation on the farm. This project was the result of a study initiated by the Connecticut Resource Conservation and Development Organization (CTRC&D), a non-profit, non-governmental group dedicated to the conservation of energy on Connecticut farms.
(more…)Part 2: Focused stress reduction strategies
by Sally Colby
Farmers are professionals when it comes to getting things done under stress, but often at the expense of their health. Because stress can be a major contributing factor in many complicated health issues, it’s worth pursuing stress-reduction strategies to avoid serious issues.
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by Jane Primerano
A business plan, the “where do we want to go and where are we going to go,” is the essential beginning of any farm business according to Henry Grinbaum, vice president of Farm Credit East, who spoke recently at the Urban Ag Workshop at the Cook Campus of Rutgers University.
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by Tamara Scully
Transportation of livestock is a stressful event for the animals. Just ask Brianna the cow, a recent New Jersey escapee who either fell or jumped from a transport truck heading to the slaughterhouse. While events such as this aren’t common, the safety and well-being of cattle being transported – no matter the end destination – is an important concern for the livestock industry.
(more…)The Glassmaker of Donbridge
by R D Vincent, author of the Donbridge Series
My grandmother bustled about her kitchen cooking away for the annual New Year’s Eve party which was held at my parent’s house each year. Knocking on the pine door, which was halfway open, I noticed my grandmother was startled to see me. “Michael, you gave me a fright!” she said as she went back to her search. “I just can’t find that round glass cake plate I use to make my upside down peach cake. I know it’s here somewhere,” she said as she shoved and pulled more pots from the cabinets. “You know this reminds me of a story I almost forgot till just about this moment,” she said.
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by Sally Colby
Newborn calves begin life without a fully functional immune system – their only hope for immediate protection against disease is passive immunity acquired through maternal antibodies in colostrum.
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by Troy Bishopp
There’s nothing like a furlough to jump-start the satire for the New Year. As we welcome in 2019 the U.S. government and the USDA are shut down or have been. It’s starting to become a yearly habit. It got me to thinking, what if all the farmers in the USA decided to shut down, take an un-paid leave and not send any products to market? What would it look like? Is it even possible?
(more…)by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
Dairymen realize that cutting feed usually means milk production slacks off. That’s why Bill Weiss with Ohio State University’s Animal Sciences presented “Cutting Feed Costs Without Cutting Milk” as part of Hoard’s Dairyman’s webinar series recently, sponsored by Quality Liquid Feeds.
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by Sally Colby
Farmers have planned crops and ordered seed for 2019, but many haven’t considered a weed management program for those crops.
(more…)by Laura Rodley
The 2018 Equine Affaire highlighted many breeds available for attendees to view up close. Pamela Rickenbach, executive director of the 501(c)3 non-profit Blue Star Equiculture Draft Horse Sanctuary (BSE), was walking a 19.3 hand high, 2,900- to 3,000-pound Shire named Foxy for people to admire. He towered over other horses but was easily handled by Rickenbach, who happens to be 6’2”.
(more…)by George Looby
A considerable amount has been written about the production of methane gas by the cattle population and its impact on global warming. Another gas studied that is a natural part of a cow’s metabolism is ammonia.
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