It’s a given that manure application has the potential to cause conflict with neighbors, but it can also cause conflicts between the farm’s nutrient management plan and its conservation plan. Doug Beegle, who conducted manure research at Penn State University, says nutrient management plans often re...

SYRACUSE, NY — A few years back, when Tom Cull first spotted “Cameron,” a young Holstein, he sensed he had found a diamond in the rough. A lifelong dairy farmer and breeder from Lomira, WI, Cull’s instincts proved right. The investment in Robrook Goldwyn Cameron has since paid dividends for Budjon F...

Two recent informational webinars highlighted exactly how much oilseed research has been happening in the Northeast. Vermont’s Bioenergy Initiative co-sponsored a Cornell Small Farms webinar featuring biofuel production at Roger Rainville’s Borderview Farm in Alburgh, VT. University of Vermont Agric...

Competing in market lamb and showmanship classes is hard work, but that work pays off. Proper fitting of a market lamb for the show ring involves a sound feed and exercise program as well as grooming preparation before the show. Start the season with a calendar — mark down the dates of every show yo...

Soil and water are among any farm’s most valuable resources, but the two don’t always make the ideal combination. Water in the form of runoff is a powerful force, and can remove significant amounts of soil from agricultural land. To solve the problem of runoff and to protect soil, water can be effec...

Are robotic milkers in your dairy’s future? What are your options for installing low-cost milking parlors on your farm? How can you economically transition from a tie stall to a free stall with a low-cost milking parlor? Can you make your dairy more profitable? These were questions that speakers, in...

“I love it out here. It is just perfect to me,” stated Gieselle as she was reflecting on the fullness of her summer experiences at Dreamroad dairy farm in Johnstown, NY. Giselle’s excitement for farm chores was not because she is a member of the Ferry family farm, she was a summer work-study student...

b y Steven E. Smith Loading the truck and heading to the market with full awareness of who will being buying your product. That is not the usual expectations of a crew as they head to what could be a day long farmer’s market subject to limited attendance if the weather doesn’t cooperate. But the nea...

The Penn State Mastits and Milk Quality Conference featured speakers and researchers from several universities, and emphasized the need for a multi-faceted approach to manage mastitis. Addressing mastitis means focusing on prevention, identifying the organism responsible, taking steps to stop infect...

John Kempf, founder and CEO of Advancing Eco Agriculture, presented an informational seminar focusing on methods of optimizing soil composition and nutrient application to achieve essential functional immunity and regeneration of plants. “Healthy plants resist insects and disease,” Kempf stated, poi...

Tractors, trucks, hay wagons and a vast variety of other toy farm equipment, including implements, bulldozers and bucket loaders covered the tables that 15 vendors had spread out, filling the gym at St. Johnsville’s high school on April 12. The Mohawk Valley FFA was holding their 13th annual Farm To...

Part 1: hoof anatomy and how lameness happens Dr. Ernest Hovingh, extension veterinarian, Penn State University, echoes what dairy farmers already know: that lameness in dairy cattle is an important problem in the industry. In addition to affecting reproduction, milk production and overall health, l...

“Here in Upstate New York, our agricultural industry is just hours from one of the largest appetites in the country. While Upstate economy is uneasy, it is the economic engine of agriculture that can be a difference maker,” stated the NY State Acting Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets Richard B...

HOLLAND PATENT, NY — Skyrocketing electricity bills, GMO crops, farm inspections, water drainage, crop insurance and a seemingly-endless winter were on the minds of a group of dairy farmers who gathered at Finndale Farms for the final winter Shop Meeting sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension (C...

The Penn State Mastitis and Milk Quality Conference, held March 25 and 26 at the Harrisburg/Hershey Holiday Inn, was part of a larger effort by a USDA-funded project through Michigan State University, to protect milk quality by lowering the use of antimicrobials, while at the same time also lowering...