CANDOR, NY – “Green is a process, not a status. We need to think of ‘green’ as a verb, not an adjective.” – Daniel Goleman Michael Troyer and his family saw the green opportunity as a verb last year, high atop their sheep farm in Tioga County among the waving goldenrod and Lordstown and Mardin soils...

If there’s one more thing farmers could do during harvest season, they might like to talk with drivers of passenger vehicles to let them know what it’s like to drive large equipment on roadways. To emphasize the serious nature of what happens when passenger vehicles make contact with farm equipment,...

“Which is better? Winter wheat or cereal rye?” asked Kate Brown of Rutgers Cooperative Extension at a Northeast Cover Crops Council meeting. “I often see this come up in cover crop forums – people asking for the end-all-be-all answer – and I think there’s a lot at play.” Cereal rye and winter wheat ...

Solar development has been increasing in popularity in the U.S. recently, and there’s been a lot of discussion about incorporating more solar panels on agricultural land. This has caused a lot of tension, as farmers are concerned about a potential drop in the ag economy as well as the loss of prime ...

Recently we visited our friend Emily and Morgan, who is now 20 years old. Morgan was always a robust mare who was considered an “easy keeper,” and it was important to keep close watch on her diet to be sure she didn’t gain extra weight. However, Emily had noticed over the past couple of months that ...

Mandatory traceability has been a sore subject among cattle producers for a long time. Some believe the electronic identification device (EID) is too invasive and subject to data theft, but Sigrid Johannes, NCBA senior director, government affairs, assures producers the new rule requiring EIDs will ...

“We produce a seasonal dairy product, which is really something for a lot of customers to wrap their heads around. You can only get sheep milk at certain times of the year, just like strawberries or pumpkins,” said Carrie Wasser of Willow Pond Sheep Farm . From May to October, Carrie and her husband...

Despite training farmers and first responders about the risks of going into grain bins, serious incidents occur regularly. William Field, Extension safety leader with Purdue Cooperative Extension, believes changing the focus of safety training is part of the answer. “We aren’t addressing the core is...

It’s no question that silvopasture systems can be beneficial to the land, farmers and animals. But what do farmers need to know about building a silvopasture system? The Rodale Institute, a nonprofit organization that focuses on agricultural research and education, hosted a webinar to discuss the be...

Developed by researchers at the University of Missouri (UM), PaddockTrac is an ATV-mounted sensor that measures forage height. When it’s paired with the MU Grazing Wedge it estimates paddock biomass, pasture growth rates and average pasture cover. The sensor takes 50 readings of forage density per s...

Dr. Richard Blatchford, associate poultry specialist, Center for Animal Welfare, UC-Davis, believes it’s important for those who raise chickens to understand why birds do what they do. Blatchford studies chicken behavior and shares what he learns to help those who raise poultry. Chickens were domest...

Providing the best quality milk to customers is the dairy farmer’s goal. However, there’s a constant battle with bacteria, and it isn’t easy to win. Dr. Nicole Martin, assistant research professor in Dairy Foods Microbiology and associate director of the Milk Quality Improvement Program at Cornell U...

There are various ways to house calves on a farm, but not all options are ideal for their health and comfort. Courtney Halbach and Nigel Cook, hosts of the “ Dairyland Initiative Podcast ,” explained that building an efficient calf barn facility is essential for a dairy operation, but it’s often mor...

Most states have destination marketing organizations (DMOs) focused on promoting regional tourism opportunities. For example, New York State has 20 DMOs: Discover Albany , Visit Ithaca , Meet Me in Lake Placid and Dutchess Tourism , among others. Some DMOs are membership-only organizations while oth...

Character still speaks loudly – which is never more apparent than when applying for financing. If you can convince your loan officer that you have the experience, the drive and passion, the financial assets and the financial preparedness to make a business venture thrive, you will be uniquely equipp...