Country Folks, Dairy
Posted on June 17, 2026
“We want to identify what are the top management practices that explain the best milk quality in organic dairy farms,” said Carlos Nino de Guzman, a doctoral student at the University of Florida. This is Nino de Guzman’s goal as a researcher with a multi-university grant funded by the National Insti...
Country Folks, Dairy
by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant ommercial dairy herds are increasing both 
Posted on June 17, 2026
Commercial dairy herds are increasing both in profitable milk components and in overall yields. Does this mean cows should be challenged with more nutrient-rich diets to determine their productivity per unit of energy? Mike Van Amburgh with the Department of Animal Science at Cornell University expl...
Country Folks, Dairy
by Sally Colby 
Posted on June 17, 2026
Mary, Javier and Lorrie handle moving cows and milking at Cool Beans Dairy. Mary attaches milking units immediately after wiping udders dry while Javier waits a few extra minutes. Lorrie whistles to move cows but Javier uses a rattle paddle. Although the herd has outstanding genetics and performance...
Country Folks, Dairy
by Joseph Armstrong 
Posted on May 27, 2026
Giant farms dominate the dairy landscape. According to Jon Winsten with the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (NE-DBIC), the last 20 years have seen a 63% decrease in the number of farms, but overall milk production has risen by 28% – with massive farms driven to produce more and more milk ...
Country Folks, Dairy
by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant 
Posted on May 20, 2026
What you feed the herd affects both herd health and milk composition. Kevin Harvatine, Ph.D., professor of nutritional physiology and chair in Agricultural Sciences at Penn State, presented “Fatty Acids & Milk Components: Optimizing Milkfat Yield” as part of the recent Herd Health & Nutrition Confer...
Country Folks, Dairy
by Andy Haman 
Posted on May 20, 2026
Change is inevitable in agriculture, but your operation can find success on the other side. The secret? Intentional strategy – not reactive moments. This was the key takeaway from a roundtable presentation at the 2026 Northeast Dairy Innovation Summit, reflected in the personal experiences of three ...
Country Folks, Dairy
by Sally Colby 
Posted on December 24, 2025
The American Dairy Coalition , which focuses on federal dairy policy, met virtually this December to wrap up 2025 and look ahead to 2026. GT Thompson, chair of the House Ag Committee, opened the session. “It’s an exciting time for dairy,” said Thompson. “A lot of good things are happening. We will b...
Country Folks
by Sonja Heyck-Merlin 
June 17, 2026
“The famous quote about food hubs is when you’ve seen one food hub, you’ve seen one food hub. They’re like snowflakes,” said Katelyn Porter of the New...
Country Folks
by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant 
June 17, 2026
Southern rust seems like a problem that wouldn’t affect farmers in the Northeast; however, Camilo Parada-Rojas, field crop pathologist with Cornell Un...
Country Folks
by Enrico Villamaino 
June 17, 2026
Among Pennsylvania farmland, Shady Lane Curtains has built a business around a surprisingly simple idea: healthier livestock starts with better light,...
Country Folks, Crop Comments
Crop
June 17, 2026
According to John Idowu, Ph.D., plant science Extension agronomist at New Mexico State University, soil compaction can greatly challenge cropland perf...
