by Elizabeth A. Tomlin
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Awards from the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program (NYSIPM) were presented during Cornell’s 2019 Field Crops field day held at the Musgrave Research Farm in Aurora, NY. (more…)
by Enrico Villamaino
Reflecting the changes in farming practices from those firmly rooted in the 19th century to the cutting edge technology of 21st, Hastings Farm has served as the model of New England-style farming for over a century. (more…)
by Laura Rodley
When Laura Scott calls her Dexter cattle, they come running. On a beautiful June morning, they gamboled, ambled and ran down a slope to the fence to see what she had to offer them. A rare and hardy heritage breed that originated in Ireland in the 1800s, they are small and compact, about three to four feet high, the size of a small pony, and very inquisitive. They are a dual purpose breed, used for milking or beef. (more…)
by Sally Colby
Organic growers list weed management as their top production challenge, but having a plan and planning ahead can help. Sam Hitchcock Tilton, horticulture instructor of Lakeshore Technical College in Wisconsin, advises growers to look at the big picture and manage weeds at each stage of growth throughout the season. (more…)
by George Looby
For many of us, exposure to events in our childhoods have profound effects on the career paths we take as adults. For Marie-Laure Couet of Dudley, MA, it was a visit to a cheese facility in the Alps that set her on her path. At 8, her parents embarked on a tour of France that included hiking through the French Alps. On one of these excursions they found their way to a modest Alpine cottage where the occupants made goat milk cheese. This visit made a lasting impression on young Marie, one that stayed with her through her adolescence when her career goals began to take shape. She felt compelled to manufacture cheese. (more…)
by Tamara Scully
Foot rot is a serious concern for those raising sheep or goats, and eradicating it isn’t easy. Two specific organisms, a muddy and wet environment and high animal density combine to make the “recipe for foot rot,” Dr. Mike Neary, Extension ruminant specialist at Purdue University, said during an American Sheep Industry Association webinar. (more…)
by Rebecca Jackson
At age 26, Chris Smith feels very fortunate to have found his niche early in a profession he loves – working the family’s 1,100-acre operation, Charity Hill Farms, just north of Richmond, VA. A 2012 agricultural technology graduate of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Smith rises before dawn to meet the day’s tasks, especially in the summer, when daytime temperatures may reach the 90s, coupled with Virginia’s well-known, stifling humidity. Tasks may range from cutting hay and artificially inseminating heifers to marketing beef at a local farmers market. Days are never the same, which keeps things interesting, he noted. (more…)
by Stephen Wagner
State Representative Martin Causer is visibly upset, the result of Governor Tom Wolf vetoing the Cameron/McKean/Potter County Republican’s bill, House Bill 915. The chair of the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee sponsored the bill to exempt milk trucks from weather-related commercial travel bans. Passage of the bill would have ensured farmers could get their milk to market regardless of weather. Causer’s office says that if farmers cannot transport their milk, they have no choice but to dump it. (more…)
by Enrico Villamaino
Cindy Hamrick used to fly so much she practically needed a cape. Working for years in corporate technology and engineering, she calculated she was averaging over 150,000 air miles a year. Yet despite the success she met in this field, Hamrick wasn’t satisfied; she found herself wanting something deeper, something more. (more…)
by Sally Colby
Although every cow on the farm is special, certain groups of animals require extra care and attention at various times throughout the year.
Special cows, whether they’re transition cows or part of a group separated for pregnancy checks or hoof health, will have to be moved at least once. (more…)
by Laura Rodley
Shades of our American cowboy heritage were present recently when Tony the Longhorn steer was present at the Draft Animal Day in Woodstock, VT. From the size of his two-foot-long horns, and his 1,500-plus-pound bulk, it is easier to get an appreciation of the cowboys’ bravery, herding hundreds with bullwhips, faithful brave horses, little sleep and the promise of a fat paycheck. Unlike the cattle being driven to market for beef, this steer is 15 years old, and has been owned by Jim Palmer of Silver Ledge Farm in Gorham, Maine for most of those 15 years. (more…)
by Sally Colby
No two farm transfers are the same, but there are some basic considerations that apply to every situation. Dr. Alex White, Department of Dairy Science at Virginia Tech, shares some of the most important points for farm families to think about during transition planning. (more…)
