The word “quirky” best describes the drought-vs.-flood seesaw weather and its ongoing impact on farming. Folks in production agriculture hoped that the climate-based logistical nightmares of growing season 2022 had toned down into something more normal. A little review of last year’s craziness – as ...

Providing high quality forage for beef cattle depends on several factors including land availability, feed storage (hay shed, silo) and access equipment or a custom operator. Dr. Tara Felix, Penn State beef specialist, hears producers say “I make my own hay so I don’t have feed costs.” She asks, “Ho...

Kevin Jablonski grew up on a dairy farm situated between the Adirondacks and the Green Mountains of Vermont. In the 1970s, he attended SUNY Cobleskill where he studied animal and dairy science. “I came home, worked on several farms and started milking my own cows in 1979,” said Jablonski. “I sold ou...

During a Maine Small Business Development Center webinar, Stefa Normantas shared tips for setting up a dynamic wholesale trade booth. Normastas is a strategic event manager and managing partner of the New England Made shows. New England Made’s juried shows present the finest New England-sourced gift...

Those who raise livestock know the importance of genetics. Research in sheep genetics is moving ahead rapidly, with more breeders willing to use available tools to improve their bottom line. At the American Sheep Industry conference earlier this year, Dr. Ron Lewis, professor of animal breeding and ...

There has been much discussion lately about the reporting of scope emissions, but the topic isn’t new. What is new is how it may affect the world of agriculture. The EPA created its Center for Corporate Climate Leadership back in 2012 to “establish norms of climate leadership by encouraging organiza...

With its passage of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, Congress authorized the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) to provide benefits to eligible livestock owners for livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality caused by eligible loss conditions. Here are a few things interested farmers shou...

One of the last portions of the recent 2023 Rhode Island Women in Agriculture Conference was a tractor demonstration led by Dan James of the Rhode Island Harvesting Company, which provide customers with tractors and attachments and the parts and service to keep them running smoothly. The tractor bei...

That’s the title of Josh Vollmar’s May 8 NPK Market Update online mini-lecture. Vollmar is director of Commodities and Risk for Anderson Fertilizers. In this verbal newsletter, Vollmar explained the status of the global fertilizer industry, placing emphasis on how much those commodity prices have ch...

Breeding dairy cattle to beef sires has become a fairly common practice on dairy farms for a variety of reasons, including better quality beef from animals that aren’t needed as dairy replacements. But what are the consequences for packers and consumers? Dale Woerner, endowed professor, Department o...

The International Dairy Federation has a goal of representing the global dairy sector and ensuring the best scientific expertise to support high quality milk. A recent virtual meeting, led by IDF Director-General Caroline Emond, looked at the world dairy situation with a focus on the United States. ...

Novice and experienced farmers are embarking on the timeless spring tradition of building fence for various livestock enterprises. If you want to have any longevity to a fence, start with the proper construction of the foundational end and corner assemblies. Follow Canadian contractor and television...

Rhyne Cureton is more than a successful public speaker and pork farmer. He is also a graduate of North Carolina A&T State University with a bachelor’s degree in ag education – professional services. His experiences in EATBETA International , interning on a variety of farms and serving on the NC Choi...

Cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (more commonly known as HPAI or bird flu) have become more prevalent since 2022 after going undetected in the U.S. for several years. In the past 18 months, the disease has killed tens of millions of birds at poultry farms in 47 states and has killed or sic...

The American Farm Bureau Federation says that “young” farmers and ranchers are those age 35 and under. Just because they have less years on this planet doesn’t mean they don’t have wisdom to share. At this year’s NAFDMA Convention in Austin, Texas, an under-35 panel from three different agritourism ...