WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Oct. 4, the National Corn Growers Association welcomed an announcement from President Trump directing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to follow the letter of the law and keep the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) whole. The RFS and corn farmers have repeatedly come under ...

Being a veteran of scholarship pageants since 1965, the 63rd Pennsylvania Dairy Princess Coronation was its usual spectator treat. What got me started in pageant-watching in the first place: I was dating a girl in 1965 who wanted to enter the Miss Pennsylvania Pageant, the next step to the Miss Amer...

CORTLAND NY — As the autumnal equinox is ushered in, so too is the annual conservation skills training regime for conservation professional partners. Whether environmental stewardship is agriculture, rural, municipal or urban related, the folks on the front line of service seek ongoing training to h...

FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, NJ – No one is more aware of the value of suburban real estate than Ryck Suydam. A 13th generation farmer of Dutch descent, he is president of the New Jersey Farm Bureau. Suydam’s family has been farming in the New Brunswick area since 1713. In setting up his multi-faceted retail ...

By the time a farmer begins to harvest corn silage, there’s already a significant investment in what’s coming in from the field. Expenses including seed, fertilizer, inoculant and plastic and the many hours spent planting, harvesting, packing and covering are either paid or will be paid shortly afte...

Recordkeeping enables seedstock beef producers evaluate which cows are most profitable for their operation and make important business decisions. It’s also critical for new USDA requirements. In April 2019 the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that they will require cattle and...

Years ago, a nine-year-old girl went on a family trip to Ireland. Little did she know the profound effect it would have on her life. “It was on that trip, in the heart of Ireland, that I first saw a cow being milked,” said Maryrose Livingston. “The only word I can use to describe how that made me fe...

This August, Cornell Cooperative Extension hosted its seventh annual Family Farm Day, an agritourism event consisting of a series of open houses at working farms within Schoharie, Otsego and Delaware counties. The farms provided a wide array of products and local foods for visitors to purchase and e...

BALLSTON SPA, NY – Dairy farming is the leading agricultural industry in Saratoga County. Saratoga County 4-H offers a variety of clubs, events, and programs that support youth who want to be involved in the dairy community. This year has been especially fruitful for Saratoga County 4-H youth; we ar...

Why not use those fallen fruits from your orchard crops to provide feed for pastured pigs? And why not let those pastured pigs do the labor of “harvesting” their own meal, direct from the orchard? Harry Hoch, of Hoch Orchard and Gardens in southeastern Minnesota has done just that. With 94 acres – 4...

A Little Falls, NY, dairy farm in is typical of many, with hard-working families passing the farm from one generation to the next. Monica Aney said her husband Donald has been operating the farm started by his grandfather and continued by his father for 50 years, and Monica joined him on the farm 30...

Next year is 2020 – and if you haven’t heard a pun about a “perfect vision” for the new year, we’re reiterating it here. At Lee Newspapers, we are making changes now to present a new vision for our loyal readers. Some of the biggest updates you may be seeing will be coming in the actual look of Coun...

Tucked away in Central New York, the fourth, fifth and sixth generations of a farming family are working to live up to their brood’s mission statement: “To live lives of significance that we can share with our family and friends. Our aim is to produce quality products using sustainable methods that ...

Given some acreage and a bit of time, nearly anyone can put weaned beef calves on good pasture and watch them grow. Sounds simple enough, but pasture management and grazing requires skill and attention to what’s happening in pastures – not just when pasture is growing, but throughout the season. Alt...

At the first Lamb Summit held recently in Fort Collins, CO, 200 sheep producers and industry leaders from across the nation gathered for a variety of educational sessions designed to showcase the latest in sheep production. Dr. Reid Redden, Texas A&M sheep and goat specialist, and Jake Thorne, Texas...