by Tamara Scully
Soil health happens in a cumulative manner, year after year, when attention is paid to sequestering carbon. Carbon helps to add stability to soil aggregates, and to enhance soil water retention and soil nutrient retention, and is part of a healthy ecosystem for soil microbiota.
(more…)by Tamara Scully
Heather Darby, agronomist with the University of Vermont, and Sarah Flack, grass-based livestock consultant, have been conducting research into the challenges and successes of 100 percent grass-based organic dairy farmers. Their ongoing research began in 2016, when the total number of 100 percent grass-fed dairy farms in the U.S. was estimated to be around 150. Today, that number has substantially increased, with over 400 dairy farms opting to feed no grain, and to rely on pasture forages – legumes, forbs and grass – to provide the nutrition a milking herd requires.
(more…)by Tamara Scully
Researchers at the University of New Hampshire have been exploring the use of kelp supplementation in milking cows. A survey conducted in the Northeast showed that 59 percentage of organic dairy producers are using kelp, either supplementing the ration with two to four ounces, or sometimes making it available free choice. In the Midwest, 83 percent of Minnesota organic dairy farmers, and 49 percent of Wisconsin’s organic dairy producers are using kelp.
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by Sally Colby
When Lely introduced the first robotic milking system in Holland in 1992, the focus was on proving the technology had potential for long-term solutions. As more farmers adopted the technology, the focus switched to refining the design and increasing reliability. Today, the main focus is on the cow.
(more…)by Sally Colby
The demand for animal protein products derived from animals raised without antibiotics is on the rise in the United States, but there are concerns about the potential impact on animal welfare.
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by Enrico Villamaino
For the second time in as many years, President Donald J. Trump addressed the annual gathering of the nation’s largest farm group, the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF). This year, the event took place in New Orleans, LA, from Jan. 11 – 16.
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by Courtney Llewellyn
County fair queens are a familiar sight, moving with their courts through crowds of fair-goers, smiling, waving and representing their realms. Dairy princesses do the same, representing milk producers in their areas. But what about those who want to share their love of agriculture as a whole?
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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.
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