Whether you put a teaspoon of clover honey in your tea, stir some in your oatmeal cookie recipe or enjoy a good mead, you’re supporting local beekeeping family businesses that pollinate plants and nourish a nation. In a bit of good news, Mother Nature’s worker bees have claimed the number one spot a...

I saw a Pinterest post recently (which I modified slightly) that says “Old roads, old tractors, old folks and old ways still have a lot to offer in this sped-up world we live in.” Because we need some joy during this Christmas season pandemic, I’ll share a tractor story as old as time. It’s a pretty...

Those who wish to purchase food grown locally are most familiar with produce. Fruit and vegetables sold by the roadside are a hallmark of locally grown food. Produce is the low-hanging fruit of local food consumption. Even so, luring customers away from supermarket purchases of imported or well-trav...

If you would like to add making maple syrup as part of your agricultural business, it’s vital to assess the health of your forest. New York State Extension Forester Peter Smallidge presented “Evaluating the Potential of a Site for the Commercial Production of Maple Sap” as a recent webinar hosted by...

Dr. Chris Wolf recently explained just how dairy farmers actually get paid. The mysteries behind the milk check were found to be threefold: the Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) uniform (or blend) price, regional order differences and farm level concerns such as components and milk hauling costs. ...

Richard “Rick” Ebert has been reelected to another two-year term as Pennsylvania Farm Bureau president by voting delegates at the organization’s 70th Annual Meeting. This year’s event was held virtually. “I am humbled by the faith and trust that members of this organization have placed in me to serv...

Many farms wouldn’t have an adequate labor force without the presence of H-2A workers. L.G. D’Arrigo, co-leader of the immigration practice at Harris Beach in Albany, NY, said there isn’t a reliable supply of labor in the U.S., and part of that is because the American government is concerned about w...

HUBBARDSVILLE, NY – A family farm goes up for auction, a heroine emerges, conflict ensues, 10,000 friends come to her aid, and together they save the farm from the auctioneer’s gavel. One might guess this dramatic plot is the makings of a Hallmark movie. For Nicole Head, Madison County’s Dairy Princ...

“All cities, suburbs and rural towns have Norway rats and house mice,” said Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann, coordinator of community integrated pest management for Cornell, who recently presented a talk on rodent management as part of a webinar on IPM. In rural settings, many enticements attract rodents, in...

Take steps to keep your family and animals safe As we approach the winter season, it’s more important than ever to be aware of fire safety to prevent fires at home and on farms. The number of structural fires can increase during colder months, as items like space heaters and candles are used more fr...

There’s plenty of concern by the nation’s large and small turkey operations that sales may exhibit a tryptophan-induced pace as we near the holidays. The pandemic and travel restrictions will definitely change Thanksgiving celebrations, experts say. This Thanksgiving comes at an already tenuous time...

HAMILTON, NY – “A farmer’s productive capacity is directly related to the health of his or her soil,” said Howard Buffet. Farmers across the Empire State are planting this healthy sentiment with acres of cover crops and nutrient management strategies. Folks aren’t treating their soil like “dirt” any...

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Steuben County participated in the second annual FLXGives 24-hour giving day on Nov. 13 with the hopes of raising a little bit of money for a new bathroom facility for the 4-H youth at the Steuben County Fairgrounds. They never expected to not only hit their ambitiou...

“You don’t know what you don’t know,” declared Nate Chittenden. That sentiment is what drives the Chittenden family’s community outreach at Dutch Hollow Farm in Schodack Landing, NY. Those efforts were recently recognized by the American Dairy Association North East (ADANE) with its Dairying for Tom...

The historic Asgaard Farm is located in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains, in the town of Au Sable Forks, NY. From the 1930s through the 1970s, the farm was owned by renowned artist Rockwell Kent, who managed it as a Jersey dairy. After Kent’s death, the farm fell into disrepair until it was pur...