As much as 40% of food in the U.S. is reportedly going to waste. According to the USDA, an estimated 13.9 billion pounds of food and 17 billion pounds of milk are lost to waste annually. These sobering statistics served as the anchor points of “Development of Data-Informed Approaches to Reducing Foo...

Animal agriculture contributes to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. That is a fact. However, the contribution of livestock – all livestock animals, not just cows – contributes a mere 4% of the GHG emissions in the U.S. according to the EPA. Dr. Frank Mitloehner of the Department of Animal Science, Uni...

Effectively managing the farm family’s finances can make the difference between a farm succeeding or folding. MidAtlantic Women in Agriculture recently presented “Managing Farm Family Finances” with presenters Maria Pippidis and Jesse Ketterman, both Extension educators. Pippidis is with the Univers...

If you want to learn about the attributes of good grazing management, go on a pasture walk with a herd of farmers. But if you want to see real resiliency on the land, visit a grass farm when “Fred the Hurricane” blows into town and dumps seven inches of rain on the landscape. It’s an opportunity to ...

Savvy farmers in early civilizations managed cropland drainage for higher yields. Over the years, farmers experimented with a variety of drainage methods, including clay pipes that were widely used until the 1970s. But no matter what the year or design, the goal was the same: to keep excess water aw...

Paul Bleiberg, senior vice president for government affairs with NMPF, provided an overview of the new Pandemic Market Volatility Assistance Program during a recent call with the Center for Dairy Excellence. “The Pandemic Market Volatility Assistance Program (PMVAP) rolled out about a month ago and ...

GROTON, NY – If ever there was a time to improve a cow lane out to the pasture, it would be now. With recent rains improving forage quality and growth, dairy cows and livestock are poised to optimize performance. That’s if they can get to the pasture in an efficient and safe manner. In a recent past...

At harvest time, equipment operators have a responsibility to ensure safety for themselves and others who are using the roads. There’s a good chance many motorists who encounter tractors, trucks and harvest equipment don’t understand what it’s like behind the wheel of a tractor or other farm vehicle...

When COVID-19 shut down the world, many businesses selling directly to customers, including those in agriculture, pivoted to selling online, even those that had not done so before. Many businesses have continued online sales in addition to those at their reopened brick-and-mortar salespoints. To hel...

Farmers are tasked with ensuring the health and well-being of their animals, and that sometimes involves the use of antibiotics. But farmers are also aware of growing concerns around antibiotic use. Veterinarian Dr. Greg Habing, Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, wants dairy produ...

Just because a farm is small doesn’t mean it can’t produce champion beef cattle. Consider Ohisa Ridge Farm in Jordanville, NY. Owned by Stephen and Amy Hawkes, it covers about 20 acres and currently has just six head of cattle – but one of those cattle made it all the way to the “Sweet 16” of the Ne...

SYRACUSE, NY – Five judges had the difficult task of evaluating nearly five dozen entries in the 2021 New York Beef Producers’ Association Supreme Show, in which a Supreme Champion Beef Heifer and a Supreme Champion Cow/Calf pair were named. The program was open to all county fair and beef shows in ...

As a co-owner of a family farm operating in Illinois for nearly 150 years, Martha King is very aware of how profound technological advancements can change farm operations. “Obviously,” she said, “our farm has seen extraordinary changes over the past century and a half.” King, who also serves as the ...

All dairy farmers can agree that cow comfort comes first. If cows aren’t feeling their best, then the whole farm won’t be at its best. During the summer when temperatures rise into the 90s, the humidity skyrockets and animals feel sluggish, some run the risk of becoming severely ill. “Heat stress oc...

Nestled in the hills of Schoharie County, guarded by a herd of working dogs, lives the Davis family, who own and operate Empty Pockets Ranch. Growing rapidly, this farm has expanded from only 12 chickens to a herd of milking sheep to a fully operational and continuously evolving agritourism venue. O...