“When we talk about tough situations, the conversation about suicide and mental health is tough, but it’s even harder to have that conversation when you lose someone.” That’s how farmer Jeff “Ditz” Ditzenberger began his presentation during a recent Rural Mental Health Connections webinar, hosted by...

Potassium is the element which is responsible for making moisture metabolism in both animals and plants function properly. In hot weather, cattle and horses drink a lot of water, and for them sodium (Na), mostly in the form of regular salt, is more critical than potassium (K). Both Na and K are elec...

Those who attended Empire Farm Days in 2021 were either visiting Palladino Farms for the first time – or returning to a celebrated former home of New York’s premier agricultural show, once again hosting the three-day event. As it had been a few years since Empire Farm Days was last in Pompey, NY, th...

It’s been a very different year for us as far as our daily schedule, with various unexpected appointments and new activities, but recently, I had a rare morning free of obligations and decided to take advantage of it to do one of the things I love most – riding Morgan, my Morgan mare. It was a glori...

Cover crops can be a great way of facilitating the transition to no-till farming. At the Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership’s (ISAP) risk management webinar “Myth – Conservation Costs Too Much: Economics of Transitioning to a Soil Health System,” guest speaker Ryan Batts outlined how cover crops ha...

Nearly everyone who raises animals is familiar with the Five Freedoms that dictate how they should be raised: Freedom from hunger or thirst; freedom from discomfort or pain; freedom from pain, injury or disease; freedom to express normal behavior; and freedom from fear and distress. Although the Fiv...

How does one go about discussing manure? When you’re farming, it’s an absolute necessity to learn how to use and manage it to your advantage. Jacki Martinez-Perkins, MOFGA’s dairy and livestock specialist, begins with the differences between types of manure. For example, manure from carnivores and o...

On June 27, with the help of the landowner, I took four soil samples on a Mohawk Valley farm. The piece being sampled that I found most interesting had been planted to a mix of forage soybeans and brown mid-rib sorghum two weeks earlier. There appeared to be more soybean seeds that were just sprouti...

Empire Farm Days will be celebrating another wonderful year from Aug. 2 – 4, again at Palladino Farms in Pompey, NY. The annual celebration recognizes and honors all this agricultural in New York State, and this year, a new attraction will be sure to bring out both the bravado and the brawn in some ...

Nowadays many farmers are rolling down growing cover crops and plowing under sod as green manures for a corn crop. The traditional rotation practice adds nutrients and organic matter benefits to the next crop. It wouldn’t be a stretch to figure mowing or trampling down a pasture crop could help fert...

Women are important players in agriculture, and often perform tasks that require personal protective equipment (PPE). However, most PPE is sized for men, which means women are often forced to wear bulky, oversized clothing. Charlotte Halverson, RN, clinical director, AgriSafe Network, said eliminati...

Cover crops are crucial, and can be well worth the cost to a farmer concerned with conservation. As featured speaker in the Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership’s (ISAP) risk management webinar “Myth – Cover Crops Are Just Another Input: Agronomic Benefits of a Soil Health System,” Dr. Jerry Hatfield...

The small town of Grahamsville, NY, came together June 13 to celebrate the Tri-Valley FFA chapter as they hosted their 71st Annual Banquet and Awards Ceremony. Past, present and future generations of FFA members and supporters gathered at the Grahamsville Fairgrounds for the event. The Tri-Valley FF...

If you keep a couple of sows and sell meat from your farm or at a farmers market, does the health status of pigs in the Dominican Republic (DR) and Haiti matter? Veterinarian Dr. Jack Shere said anyone who has pigs should be concerned about pig health in other countries, especially those close to U....

In our nation’s West, lack of precipitation, combined with wildfires intensified by that moisture shortage, gets a lot of headline coverage. Much of that moisture misbehavior get blamed on a climatological phenomenon called La Niña. To date, most of that too hot/too dry aggravation hasn’t made it mu...