by Laura Rodley
Katelyn Poitras has been working with Jerseys since 2008, when she was four years old. Now a junior at Tantasqua Regional High School in Fiskdale, MA, and currently 17, she claimed the title of Massachusetts State Jersey Princess on March 6. (more…)
by Sally Colby
Dr. Jesse Goff began a presentation about subclinical hypocalcemia (SCH), the milk fever a dairy farmer might miss, with a take-home message: it’s controllable. Goff, senior researcher and professor emeritus at Iowa State University Veterinary College, said as many as 50% of older cows in the national herd are affected by SCH. (more…)
by Troy Bishopp
Carbon dioxide and carbon seem to be frequent headliners these days. Whether it comes in the form of a carbon cowboy, carbon footprints, carbon sequestration, carbon capture or carbon credits, many want to store it away as humus on agricultural lands to save the planet. (more…)
by Tamara Scully
Silage, when properly managed, provides farmers with a means of preserving the harvest – retaining the dry matter and the nutrients – to feed their livestock. But silage spoils. And every step along the way is another chance for spoilage organisms to cause degradation of the feedstock and cause problems for the animals. (more…)
by Edith Tucker
BATH, NH – Deb Robie finds continuing to raise animals on her two-plus-acre lot on an unpaved back road makes all the difference in maintaining her interest and enjoyment in life. (more…)
by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
Want greater soybean and wheat yields? Dr. Shawn Conley, University of Wisconsin-Madison soybean and wheat specialist, presented “Getting Your Best Soybean and Wheat Yield” as part of the New York Soybean & Small Grains Congress hosted by Cornell Cooperative Extension Northwest New York Dairy, Livestock and Field Crop Program. Team leader Mike Stanyard, Cornell Extension specialist, emceed. (more…)
by Troy Bishopp, Madison County SWCD Grazing Specialist
Grazing Holistic Management Educator Ian Mitchell-Innes said, “In the Northeast you have one of the greatest attributes in grazing – snow. This blanket basically gives you a clean slate to start your grazing anew every year.” Will you use this to your advantage? (more…)
by Edith Tucker
STRATFORD, NH – Heidi and Scott Mason of Northwinds Farm sold all 113 of their herd of Registered Jersey cows last month to Josh Poulin of Newport, VT. Poulin had his newly-purchased cows picked up on Jan. 28 to be hauled to his farm in the Northeast Kingdom. He in turn sold some to a New York State dairy farm. (more…)
by Sonja Heyck-Merlin
In 1995, Fred and Karen Cookson purchased 200-acre Shaw Road Farm in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, as a retirement project. In 2013, a fire destroyed their house and 150-by-55-foot renovated dairy barn where they raised a small number of beef cattle. Both buildings were on the National Register of Historic Places. Fred and Karen briefly searched for a different farm after the fire but realized there were no comparable properties as ideal for raising and pasturing beeves. (more…)
by Courtney Llewellyn
The top three industries that see worker fatalities are construction, transportation and then agriculture. But why is farming so dangerous? Machinery with aggressive parts, isolated workplaces, working alone, unpredictable animals, use of toxic chemicals and adverse weather are all reasons. (more…)
by Sally Colby
When dairy cows leave the herd, they’re often referred to as cull cows. Culling is typically done to reduce the herd size or eliminate animals that are weak or sick. Aerica Bjurstrom, University of Wisconsin dairy Extension specialist, would like dairy producers to think of cull cows as market animals – and more importantly, as beef. (more…)
by Stephen Wagner
Dr. Scott Barao is executive director of the Maryland Beef Council and spoke at the Penn State Extension 2021 Lancaster Cattle Feeders Day virtual seminar, addressing challenges and opportunities. “What I’ve noticed because of the disruptions in the supply chain, which you’re well aware of, is that there’s been a renewed voice of those who think ‘local’ as the savior of the beef business. They like to claim that our food supply chain has become too centralized and that we need more niche opportunities, more small packers, more local food, and that may or may not be the case. At the same time, I’ve also heard many folks who are interested in trying to build a local meat business, specifically a local beef business, to try to address the new demand that was created.” (more…)
