Brassicas are an excellent commodity in food hubs, bringing top dollar at the market. Participants at the ‘Growing Better Brassicas’ workshop, hosted by Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture Program of Cornell in collaboration with Hudson Valley Farm Hub, Bejo Seeds, High Mowing Seeds and Johnny’...

Andrea Bjornestad, extension mental health specialist and assistant professor at South Dakota State University, references an article in the British paper ‘The Guardian’ that addressed mental health issues in farmers. “Recent depression rates in agricultural workers have varied from 7.4 percent to 2...

Hey Doc, that vaccine didn’t work! While working with our dairy clients to improve health and productivity of their herds, I’ll occasionally hear, “Hey Doc, that vaccine didn’t work.” We vaccinate cows and calves to prevent reproductive disease and loss, respiratory disease, mastitis, and scours, ju...

When employees are interviewed and hired, they want to know about pay and other compensation. Lisa Holden, Penn State Extension, says employers need to explain to employees that cash wages and total compensation are two different things. “Wages are more about the standard for your local area rather ...

SYRACUSE, NY — Of course you want more people to buy beef if you’re a cattleman; however, not every producer is an “agvocate,” according to Jean O’Toole, executive director of the New York Beef Council. O’Toole spoke at the recent New York Farm Show on the topic. She said how consumers read labels i...

Many farmers take pride in handling every aspect of the farm work themselves. The reality is, however, that there are situations in which hiring someone else to do the work can save time, labor, and stress. “Each crop has a short window in which it can be planted and harvested. Practices such as fer...

LIVERPOOL, NY — You may not hold a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine, but with a little know-how, you can treat some everyday cow illnesses on the farm, according to Greg Brickner, DVM. He presented a workshop at the 7th Annual Organic Dairy & Field Crop Conference recently. Before taking his current...

How one local farm is getting fresh food to offices and homes There may not be much green and growing at 9 Miles East Farm in Schuylerville, NY these wintery days, but that doesn’t mean they’re not busy producing local food. The 29-acre vegetable farm lies almost exactly 9 miles due east of Saratoga...

VERONA, NY — In its 80th screening, the Forgotten Farms documentary film was a sober look at reality for the mostly, local dairy audience watching it at VVS High School while the non-farming audience might have been surprised to learn the value of dairy farms to a region. “We made it to educate othe...

For years people have heard that Texas and Florida has had a problem with feral hogs. It is estimated that of the possibly 6 million of these hogs in the United States, Texas is dealing with at least 2.3 million of them and that Florida has close to a million. They are omnivorous, eating anything th...

Why do some calves fall ill, despite good management and others don’t? That was the question answered by Derek Foster, DVM, PhD, College of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University, in a presentation titled, “Vaccinations, Immune Function and Salmonella Vaccine Research.” “The immune s...

CORTLAND, NY — Established in 1946 to promote the conservation and wise use of Cortland County’s natural resources, the Cortland County Soil and Water Conservation District has been a steadfast champion for bringing landowners and farmers together to address opportunities that benefit the local area...

Sixteen New York State county dairy princesses vied for the 2018-2019 NYS title at the 55th annual coronation in Liverpool, NY. The young ladies were: Elizabeth Burrows, Allegany; Hailey Pipher, Chemung; Katarina Emerich, Clinton; Sonya Helms, Cortland; Brieannah Wheeler, Erie; Kathryn Bosley, Frank...

SYRACUSE, NY — Hemp is a fast-growing plant with many industrial uses — from cloth to fodder to fuel — and has been known as a “mop crop” to help clean up environmental damage to soil. Until recently, hemp has been imported, but researchers now want to develop a hemp growing industry in the U.S., in...

Horse owners are bedeviled by many ills, such as founder or laminitis. This condition has been recognized by owners and veterinarians for many years and attempts to successfully treat it have too often been met with disappointing results. The lack of successful treatment may be attributed in large m...