A few years ago, a friend of mine who lives in a Mediterranean country was visiting upstate New York. As we rode around the countryside, he asked me why there was so much abandoned farmland. I told him small-dairy farmers once rented and worked those fields that we had just driven by (mostly three to five acres). (more…)
by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
After decades of dairying, Will Comley of Mexico, NY knows volumes about the industry. With the third straight year of low milk prices, he knew that his dairy, like many other family-owned dairies, was in trouble late last year. (more…)
by Sally Colby
Sometimes it’s hard to imagine how a major livestock event such as the All-American Dairy Show (AADS) runs smoothly from start to finish. Clearly, it’s the dedicated people behind the scenes who commit their experience, time and energy to ensure a rewarding experience for all. (more…)
HARRISBURG, PA – Cutting Edge T Delilah EX-94, shown by Kyle Barton of Copake, NY, was named Supreme Champion Cow to conclude the 2018 All-American Dairy Show on Sept. 20 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg. (more…)
HARRISBURG, PA – Brooke Carey’s Titusville, PA, four-year-old cow, Plum-Line Reginald Velovr, won the title of Supreme Champion Cow on Sept. 17 during the 2018 Premier National Junior Show in Harrisburg. The Holstein was awarded Senior Champion and Grand Champion Holstein before winning the overall title. (more…)
by Troy Bishopp
TOWANDA, PA — With the advent of the 2009 TMDL “pollution diet” regulations in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and the fever pitch of soil health initiatives, farmers and their respective agency and industry partners across the Upper Susquehanna River Watershed have been tinkering with getting the precious cover crops in, earlier and earlier. (more…)
2018 Wyoming County 4-H State Fair youth building results
WARSAW, NY — One hundred and eighty-five exhibits from Wyoming County 4-H’ers were on exhibit and judged at this year’s New York State Fair in Syracuse, Wednesday, Aug. 22 – Monday, Sept. 3. A breakdown of 128 blues, 39 reds, 5 whites, and 13 participation ribbons (including Cloverbud exhibits) were awarded to Wyoming County 4-H exhibits. (more…)
Preparing for winter
It’s barely autumn — but we’re thinking that there might be a long, hard winter coming. These past few weeks we’ve remarked that we’ve never seen so many squirrels and chipmunks in the yard — there have been several chipmunks in the chickens’ fenced in run stealing chicken feed each morning, squirrels chasing each other and falling out of trees, squirrels knocking over chipmunks on their way to the bird feeders,… and yesterday the mystery was solved as to what was happening to all the apples in my October apple tree when I saw a squirrel run up the tree, grab a big apple in its mouth and run back down the tree with it! (more…)
by Elizabeth A. Tomlin
In an effort to ensure consumer confidence in the beef industry and instill best management practices in producing healthy cattle, Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Oneida County recently offered a level 1, Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) training program, led by Marylynn Collins, Oneida County CCE Dairy & Livestock Educator. (more…)
by Troy Bishopp
ODESSA, NY — Naturalist Charles Darwin said, “In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed. (more…)
by Elizabeth A. Tomlin
Wyoming County was once known for its creameries and cheese processing facilities, said Gary Burley, showing a map indicating where those cheese producers were once established. (more…)
by Tamara Scully
Will and Kelly Smith of Deep Roots Valley Farm in Berks County, PA, recently hosted a Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) field day, focused on multispecies grazing techniques. With roughly four dozen attendees, the event highlighted the conservation strategies, grazing techniques and direct marketing strategies which have helped to make the farm successful. (more…)
