A nondescript, well-used tank in the farm office might be holding one of the most valuable aspects of the dairy herd: frozen semen. If semen isn’t handled and stored properly from the time it arrives on the farm to being deposited in a cow, the time invested in selecting the right bulls for a herd m...

Figure skater Peggy Fleming once said, “Skating was the vessel into which I could pour my heart and soul.” For “skater mom” and Franklin County Soil & Water Conservation District Manager Chastity Miller, this quote mirrors her ice time with her daughter Anna and her professional life, pouring her en...

“The must-pass bills for 2023 are the debt ceiling (in June or July), appropriations/budget (which they keep kicking the can down the road), the National Defense Authorization and FAA Reauthorization (which will be easy) and the Farm Bill.” So explained Sam Kieffer, American Farm Bureau Federation v...

If you think that Irish dairy grazing is all about idyllic cows on lush green pastures, you’re only partially correct. Dr. Laura Boyle, of Teagasc, a research, advisory and training organization based in Ireland and operated by the Agriculture & Food Development Authority, addressed the welfare of d...

Some aspects of holistic healthcare for humans have become mainstream. Colden, NY-based veterinarian Cynthia Lankenau would like to see the same happen with veterinary care. A graduate of Cornell University, Lankenau is trained in acupuncture, Western herbs, Chinese herbs, chiropractics and homeopat...

Episode 49 of the Farm Commons podcast is titled “Legally sound internships on your farm.” “I’ve been at Farm Commons for a little over four years now, and over that time we’ve gotten the questions over and over again in various forms, but what the questions boil down to are: Can I have interns? And...

My first contact with the term “flash-to-bang” was in a military context. But the phrase also relates to a well-accepted method for estimating the distance of an approaching thunderstorm. The “flash-to-bang” (FTB) measures the time from when you see lightning to the time you hear the associated thun...

Finances, markets, weather, pests and diseases – farmers worry about all this and more. For some people, these stressors contribute to their risk of death by suicide. To discuss how farmers can better understand how to help others and themselves, Jennifer Schwytzer, personal consultant for New York ...

Shay Foulk refers to farming as a “naturally unsafe occupation” but said there is no good reason to die farming. Foulk is an Army veteran transitioning back into agriculture with a family seed business in Illinois. He also works as an ag and safety consultant across the nation, sharing his passion f...

Local beef and pork farmers have to contend with a lot of obstacles, not the least of which is the perception that their products are less affordable than supermarket meats. Matt LeRoux, an associate with Cornell University Extension, has researched both how perceptions of price and marketing strate...

Tar spot is making in-roads in the Northeast. Gary Bergstrom, plant pathologist with Cornell University, presented “Let’s Talk about Field Crop Diseases” as part of the Southwest New York Crop Webinar recently. A newcomer to the Northeast, tar spot is a fungal disease. “It’s not new in the world, bu...

With corn farmers experiencing increased expenses across the board, they have to find ways to best keep corn fertility efficiency high while striving to maintain manageable costs. According to Janice Degni, the South Central New York Dairy & Field Crops Team team leader and field crops specialist, l...

Marestail has become more problematic in New York’s northern areas than elsewhere in the state, but it’s making inroads statewide, according to Mike Hunter, regional field crops specialist for CCE’s North Country Regional Ag Team. He presented “Effective Programs for Controlling Marestail in Soybean...

The land rent for leased land is paid up. Now we know how many acres of owned and leased land we are using and what we need for seeds, fertilizer, lime, chemicals and fuel for the coming year. All equipment has been serviced over winter with wear parts, the parts that touch the soil, before they are...

Every year, the National Conservation Foundation (NCF) hosts its Envirothon program to educate students about the environment and conservation of natural resources through hands-on outdoor experiences, academic study and collaborative competitions. More than 25,000 students participate annually, hai...