While many farmers are diligent in keeping up with proper maintenance of their farm equipment throughout their working season, care must be taken in equal measure during the colder off season. Dr. John Buchanan, associate professor and Extension specialist at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville...

Manure applicators face a variety of potential health issues from both direct and indirect exposure to livestock manure. There are risks all along the manure pathway, starting with animals in the barn and storage to manure transfer and field application. Livestock manure contains zoonotic, pathogeni...

STEUBEN, NY – Longtime Oneida County dairy farmer Benjamin Simons recently received some just reward for all his hard work off the farm as an agriculture advocate to anyone who will listen. Ben, along with his wife Robin and son Chris, operate an organic dairy, extensive firewood business and crop b...

What started as “just a draft piece of legislation” by an elusive New York State Watershed Health Coalition volunteer to amend the broad-based NYS Soil & Water Conservation District Law has turned into a full-fledged campaign to educate farmers, conservation district boards, county officials and, mo...

A lot has been reported on how to manage manure from beef and dairy cattle, but thanks to a slightly different digestive system and sometimes a different diet, handling horse manure has its own protocols. Addressing these in a recent webinar was Marcel Sachse, owner of Pinsch of Soil Farm in Langley...

The old adage “no hoof, no horse” is so true. We often take for granted the health of our horses’ feet until something happens. We’ve learned never to ignore when we suspect our horse is just a little bit “off,” as it’s often an indicator of something worse than she is immediately presenting. One da...

‪As most of you read this column, we’re a little less than three weeks from the point when days start getting longer. Most of the Northeast has only had occasional snow flurries, with the Buffalo area bounteously making up for the relative lack of the white stuff elsewhere. Farsighted winter-savvy d...

Time-lapse cameras can benefit dairy farmers whether the facility is old, new or refurbished. In many cases, footage from such cameras clearly shows where improvements can be made to increase efficiency and production, and to identify potential animal welfare issues. Brian Dougherty, field engineer,...

“In very simple terms, search engine optimization (SEO) is how you get found online – how you optimize your web presence, so that you get found by the customers looking for you,” explained Corey Daigle. Daigle is a Maine-based web designer and business strategist. Her business is the WanderWeb . She...

JOHNSONVILLE, NY – There’s nothing more inspiring than walking a farmer’s land and learning the intricate details at the intersection of soil biology, crop production and grazing management. It also helps if you have a seasoned facilitator trained in the art and science of regenerative practices lea...

Although the term “biodiversity” wasn’t originally used to describe long-standing cropping methodology in the “New World,” the practice called “Three Sisters” clearly earns that title. The Native American culture of “Three Sisters” greeted the earliest arriving European settlers. Here’s what these O...

Chase Pagel doesn’t just talk about safety, she lives it. As the safety coordinator for Pagel’s Family Business, part of which includes the largest privately owned dairy farm in Wisconsin, Pagel is responsible for both employee and visitor safety. She recently provided information on the top OSHA vi...

As part of the Broome County autumn municipal training, Bob Wright discussed the requirements and rules surrounding agricultural assessments in New York State. Wright is a real property analyst for Cattaraugus County Real Property Services. In 1971, New York enacted the New York Agricultural Distric...

In October, I had the pleasure of participating in the New York State Horse Council’s 53rd annual Fall Pleasure Ride. My Tennessee Walker gelding, Little Joe, stabled with his equine pals Suzie and Honey, owned by Susan and Jim Knauer, at the Madison County Fairgrounds in Brookfield, NY. Ninety peop...

Exactly 650 months ago I began work on my master’s degree in dairy cattle genetics at Louisiana State University. About a mile west of the main campus was that ag college’s milking parlor, surrounded by cropland and pastures. Bordering the western edge of these flat fields lay an earthen ridge, stre...