On a sunny day in late May, longtime Ohio crop farmer Jay Butterfield was going about his regular farm duties, including working in one of the farm’s grain bins. When Butterfield found that the auger in the bin was clogged, he used a plastic rod to dislodge it. Butterfield was successful in his effo...

Brian Moyer, a certified Master Grazer through the Pennsylvania Association of Sustainable Agriculture’s (PASA) Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship program, farms in Towanda, PA. When he moved to the land almost 20 years ago, it had been in hay and row crops, with poor soil health. Moyer adapted no-till ro...

Love ag research? The 2018 Farm Bill offers a new opportunity for qualifying farmers to partner with NRCS to get part of $25 million in grant money to use on-farm conservation measure and study their effectiveness. Kari Cohen, projects branch chief with USDA NRCS in Washington D.C., presented a webi...

Students: Pre-Registration open for New York State FFA Welding Contest SENECA FALLS, NY — Students in grades 9-12 have until July 23 to pre-register for the 2019 New York State FFA Welding Competition that will be held at the 2019 Empire Farm Days. The students will demonstrate their welding knowled...

The number of farmers markets operating nationwide has grown exponentially since 1994, when the Agricultural Marketing Service counted 1,755 farmers markets, to 2018 when the count was 8,687. However, market growth has all but stagnated since 2016. Farmers markets are hard work for farmers, and ofte...

NEW YORK – In a 4-1 decision, a state appeals court has ruled that farmworkers have the right to organize and collectively bargain. On May 23, a New York Appellate Division panel ruled that excluding farm workers from organizing and collectively bargaining is “unconstitutional as a matter of law.” F...

Parasite control based on fecal egg counts is recommended for livestock as resistance to anthelmintics continues to be problematic. Basing treatment on the results of fecal testing can be costly in large herds. Whether done by a veterinarian or sent to a laboratory for evaluation there is a fee for ...

Cows are our friends, and Rick Osofsky wants everyone to realize it. As co-owner and operator of Ronnybrook Farm in Ancramdale, NY, he is a third generation farmer, and his family has been tending dairy cows since 1930s. “Cows are amazing creatures, when you stop and think about it. They’re the most...

The fleece sheared off your sheep has to go through a lot of processing before it becomes a pair of socks, a baby blanket, a coat or a carpet. But getting that wool from sheep to sale isn’t a one-size-fits-all proposition. Understanding the various wool marketing channels, how to access them and wha...

Otsego County’s Dairy Promotion held their annual banquet and Dairy Princess presentations on May 5. A highlight of this meeting was the first presentation of the ‘Young Agvocate Award’ in memory of Jennifer Huntington, owner of Cooperstown Holstein Corp, who passed away in December. Speakers paid t...

In a time when dairy farming is tenuous at best, a relatively new dairy farmer in Stockton, NJ, is looking toward the future. Heidi Kovacs grew up on a generational dairy farm, but the farm was sold and the family moved off it in the late 1980s. Her father started raising beef cattle, and Kovacs hel...

Herkimer County’s Dairy Promotion Committee held their annual banquet at the Miners Table near Herkimer, with Holly Pullis of Roedale Dairy and Hollywood Enterprises, Richfield Springs, NY, acting as MC for the event. Dairy Princess Connie Louise Frasier, who had taken on a second year of duties for...

Rain and colder temperatures didn’t keep beef producers from attending the second annual Spring Turnout Grazier Meeting on May 1. Hosted by St. Croix Farm, a third-generation conserved farm in Schaghticoke, NY, new and experienced beef producers were eager to learn marketing and management tips for ...

Applying to grants early can make the difference between obtaining funding and not. Elizabeth Higgins, Extension specialist Ag Business Management, spoke about upcoming grants in a recent webinar hosted by Cornell. Higgins works for the Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture Program of Cornell Coo...

The National Pork Producers Council’s board of directors has announced its decision to cancel the 2019 World Pork Expo in Iowa out of an abundance of caution as African swine fever (ASF) continues to spread in China and other parts of Asia. The World Pork Expo, held each June at the Iowa State Fairg...