SKANEATELES, NY — President Barack Obama arrived in the Syracuse area and spoke about a new agenda for higher education which is more affordable, encourages and embraces innovation and becomes a good investment because it pays off over time. At the same time, just south of Orangeman country adjacent...

HUBBARDSVILLE, NY — When asked about Congress’s handling — or lack thereof, of the Farm Bill, New York State Farm Bureau director Darrell Griff let out a deep sigh. “How can you get politics figured out?” Griff replied during a visit to neighboring Endless Trails Farm in August. Griff was visiting E...

More than 250 people came together to see firsthand the importance of soil health at three events in Cayuga County, NY, on Aug. 21-22. The events were a collaboration between the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) the New York Soil and Water Conservation Committee, the Cayuga County Soil ...

Folks from as far away as New York City had an opportunity to visit working farms, see the diversity of Schoharie farms and their products and view the remarkable recovery progress from the 2011 flooding, during the inaugural Schoharie County Family Farm Day that took place on Saturday, Aug. 17. Twe...

Baleage is fermented hay. In damp regions with less chance of speedy drying and high quality hay production, baleage is a good alternative. Most farmers can get one to two additional cuts off the same fields each season. Farmers making baleage typically cut and gather baleage 12 to 24 hours after cu...

A dairy farm that’s milking 1,550 cows in a four times a day system while maintaining a 30,000 pound herd average and a SCC of 150,000 is doing a lot of things right, starting with forage management. That’s the case at Mercer Vu Farms, Inc., in Mercersburg, PA, where the Hissong family recently host...

You’re probably looking at my title and thinking that I spelled in error, the act of slumber after a heavy lunch. In my defense, naptime is usually when I think about how to react to all the purple knapweed growing on my farm this year. Just as I enjoyed an intense drool, dreaming of endless pristin...

While the unseasonably cool weather took center stage at this year’s Ag Progress Days Wednesday Aug. 14, the Government and Industry Day luncheon was warm and friendly where approximately 300 members of Pennsylvania’s Ag community gathered at midday for an update on the latest in agriculture. Barbar...

BOONVILLE, NY — Stephanie Finn of Finndale Farms, Holland Patent, showed 15 goats in the 4-H division at the Oneida County Boonville Fair and seemed to have all the bases covered when it came to garnering awards. Her 7-year-old LaMancha doe, “Chance,” won eight ribbons alone, including best in breed...

“Learning to do, doing to learn, earning to live and living to serve” is the motto of the FFA and NYS FFA District 5 President Kait Isaac, of St. Johnsville, NY, took that motto to heart when she volunteered to serve in Haiti on a team with eight other FFA members from around the United States. “I f...

Recently Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett and First Lady Susan Corbett hosted a breakfast for officers and advisors of the FFA and 4-H at the Governor’s Mansion. Though overcast outside, a homey yet sumptuous meal was served indoors at a long table on highly polished hardwood floors and lit in chan...

When the 2013 National Angus Conference and Tour descends on Albany, NY, this Aug. 28-30, it will be a proud moment for Phil Trowbridge of Ghent, NY. As the current President and Chairman of the Board for the American Angus Association and owner of the Trowbridge Angus Farms in Ghent, NY, he has the...

A love for Jersey cattle brought NY State Jersey Cattle Club members to Johnstown, NY, on July 27 to attend the club’s summer picnic at Dreamroad Jerseys owned by Phillips and Susan Ferry and family. The NY Jersey Cattle Club gathers for a State Picnic at different breeder farms. Members enjoy discu...

by Richard Smith, Saratoga County Extension Agent To have my very own calf and the places we will go was the theme of this year’s Saratoga County 4-H Calf Scholarship winner’s essay. She is 11 year old Libby Swatling who packs a ton of enthusiasm in her small frame. Libby first became a dairy calf l...

New Paltz, NY — Savannah Baker, 19, of High Falls, NY was awarded the 2013 4-H Master Showmanship title for this year’s Ulster County Fair on Sunday, Aug. 4. Baker qualified for the contest by excelling in Senior Showmanship in the area of Dairy Cattle which enabled her to advance to the final compe...