Nikki Boxler is a digital marketer, agvocate and farmer from Varysburg, NY. Her family’s farm has been around for 99 years. The farm is a split ownership between Nikki’s grandmother and her grandmother’s three sons, one of them being Nikki’s father. Nikki began working on the farm at a very young ag...

A joint county government initiative in New York recently hosted an online workshop for those looking to get their start in the beef farming business. The webinar, “Beef 101,” took place July 18, presented by Gabrielle Wormuth, the dairy and livestock Extension specialist for Jefferson and Lewis cou...

ILION, NY – Two years ago, farmer Marc Skottke purchased a 1952 Allis-Chalmers hay baler at an auction in Canajoharie, NY. “An elder gentlemen had passed away,” Skottke said, “and he had quite a collection of antique farm machinery. This baler was there and in very good shape, and I said, ‘When am I...

Due to social distancing, the 57th Tioga County Dairy Princess Coronation was held outdoors at a private location on June 20, where the 2020-21 Dairy Princess, Megan Henry, was crowned by outgoing Dairy Princess Arianna Aman. Megan Henry is the daughter of Brian and Lillian Henry, of Candor. She is ...

More than 500 New York Farm Bureau members participated in a survey in mid-June that asked how the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent shutdown of the New York economy affected both their bottom lines and their mental health. The survey found that 65% of the respondents’ farms and businesses wer...

At a time when many second and third generation dairy farm kids left the family business, Kris and Unc Brock jumped in with both feet. Kris was working at an optometrist’s office and Unc had a trucking business. The couple had been around cows as kids and thought a small dairy operation would make a...

The third of some quickly-arranged junior shows took place on Saturday, July 18 at Carl Hinkle’s New Penn Farm in Truxton, NY. Jeanetta and Kevin Laudermilk organized the site into beautiful condition and set up for the event. A total of 41 juniors and 51 head of cattle participated in showmanship,t...

AMES, NY – “The name of the farm describes us,” Scott Ryan said. “We’re ‘on our own.’” But running solo doesn’t mean hard work isn’t recognized. Honorone Farm, run by Scott, his wife Kathie and their son Justin, along with one full-time employee, was recently named one of three finalists for New Yor...

by Katie Navarra There are only nine stoplights in Lewis County, NY. There are also twice as many cows as people, according to Steve Ledoux. The rural area not far from the military base in Fort Drum relies on agriculture – specifically maple syrup, dairy and logging. Ledoux and his wife Michele are...

One more time, dairy farmers thought their pay price would really rebound when they were told the Class III price (used to make cheese) for June was going to be $21.04 per cwt. (hundred pounds). If all milk was priced correctly, then the $21.04 would be great news. However, even though the Class III...

Four residents of Columbia and Greene counties have been selected as recipients of the Paul and Maria Morra Scholarship Trust Awards presented by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene Counties. They will share the available $6,000 in awards. They were chosen on the merit of their appl...

CLINTON, NY – Local farmers markets are open around New York State, but they look and act a bit differently these days. New health-related signage, one-way arrows, masks, hand sanitizing and social distancing are a way of life this summer while buying from your favorite local vendor. In Clinton, mar...

After growing up on an organic grazing dairy farm in Vermont, Lewis Fox pursued a degree in animal science at Cornell University. He graduated in 2014, worked on a dairy farm in western New York and then moved to central New York to work at a goat and sheep dairy. “I always wanted to have my own bus...

On Saturday, June 20, youth exhibitors and their families gathered at Tullyfergus Farm in Lyons, NY, for the first of several shows organized recently, inspired and driven by Phil Paradis and Jeanne White of Simme Valley, Groton, NY. As trucks and trailers began to roll in on a beautiful sunny morni...

Early this month, the weather reporter on the Utica TV station announced that the official precipitation total for May was a little less than 0.5 inch. Normal rainfall for that location and period is about three inches. Throughout most of the Northeast this statistic is not unusual. Folks receiving ...