In case anyone forgets the relationship between energy costs and the costs of commercial fertilizer ingredients, here’s a refresher: The process starts when natural gas (methane) is blended with water. Once the two combine, they’re subjected to high temperature and extreme pressure. The resulting ch...

Work on the family farm takes everyone pitching in and doing their part, including four-legged friends, prompting Farm Bureau to launch the Farm Dog of the Year contest four years ago – now a popular feature of the American Farm Bureau Federation Convention. The winner of the 2022 Farm Bureau Farm D...

The news story came over the barn radio: “Cream cheese is in short supply.” For purveyors of cheesecakes and schmeared bagels, this is an unfolding tragedy that cuts into the enjoyment of a favorite dairy product. What gives? Isn’t there plenty of milk to make the luscious spread? Turns out, there’s...

The annual meeting of the American Farm Bureau Women (AFBW) organization was held at the annual American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) convention on Jan. 8 in Atlanta. The AFBW’s Leadership program provides women with development opportunities to “sharpen their skills and strengthen their ability to...

Dr. Mark Stephenson, director of dairy policy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said dairy producers have experienced a string of unusual years, but looking back and making comparisons can help producers anticipate the year ahead. Stephenson said domestic demand has been good, with an increase...

On Dec. 14, 2021, Ben Adler, Yahoo News’ senior climate editor, wrote an article titled “Why climate change is likely to cause more devastating tornadoes.” He wrote about all the EF-4 scale twisters that began in northwest Tennessee three days earlier, moving across western Kentucky, resulting in mu...

Every farmer’s calendar is full of notes and must-dos, and one of the events many farmers pencil in for January is the three-day Keystone Farm Show at the York Fairgrounds in York, PA. The Keystone Show is the first farm show of the year, and it’s where farmers go to see everything ag, from the late...

CAZENOVIA, NY – Most people see dirt. The farmer sees a living soil of potential. Over 150 years ago, 18-year-old Kendall Cody saw great possibilities of starting a farm in Madison County on the rich Honeoye soils in the town of Fenner within the Chittenango Creek watershed. Kendall’s true grit, har...

The January 2022 newsletter that I received from Mercer Milling Company opened with the quote “The (mineral) market is seeing some stability, seeming to be quiet. Per the ‘new normal’ we seem to be getting used to, freight and logistics are the troubling factors; finding trucks and logistics for del...

Webster’s New World Dictionary defines the word stymie as follows: noun – “(golf) the condition that exists on a putting green when an opponent’s ball lies in a direct line between the player’s ball and the hole; any situation in which one is obstructed or frustrated; verb – to be an obstacle to; pr...

In reviewing the ways in which 2021 affected cattle producers, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane said the focus was increasing profitability throughout the supply chain. As he reflected on the first year of the Biden Administration, Lane sai...

Neighborliness seems an integral aspect of the rural life of yesteryear. In current times, the busy pace of life may make it difficult for you to get to know your neighbors. While your grandparents may have farmed alongside a farming neighbor, it’s more likely that your neighbors do not farm. They h...

Veterinarians and producers have kept a close eye on African swine fever (AFS) for the past several years, but it’s getting closer to the U.S. A collaborative effort by Cornell University’s Extension work team, New York Pork Producers and New York State Ag & Markets produced an update on AFS. Dr. Ei...

Backgrounding, which occurs between weaning and finishing, can be an important aspect of the cattle production process. Although cattle are managed in groups for backgrounding, there’s no single recipe for success. While backgrounding provides timing flexibility for cattle going to market, this peri...

“From Our Farm to Your Family” is the motto of the Albano Family Farm. The Albano family’s goal is “to make clean farm-raised meat accessible to our customers.” Wanting to be a part of something new, something grand and a new start to be independent and free, Silverio Albano could think of no other ...