Manure safety might seem like a boring, overdone topic, but that isn’t the case when farmers continue to die in manure-related accidents. In many cases, death is due to hydrogen sulfide (H2S) buildup in and around manure storage, spreaders and other handling equipment. Walter Grose has been working ...

Are white mold and other soilborne diseases affecting your soybeans? Camilo Parada-Rojas, Ph.D., field crop pathologist with Cornell University, presented “Soybean Soilborne Disease Management and Research Priorities for Field Crops Pathology in New York” at the recent Soybeans & Small Grains Congre...

At a meeting of the Northeast Cover Crops Council, John Tooker, a Penn State entomologist, showed a photograph of a hay mower in southern Pennsylvania teeming with slugs – tens of thousands of slugs, maybe hundreds of thousands. A photograph of a corn planter taken in Illinois showed similar quantit...

Growing the size of the dairy herd means looking at what to do with the additional manure. These considerations can affect both the farm and the environment. Jason Karszes, Lainey Koval and Kirsten Workman, all with Cornell PRO-DAIRY, discussed “Acres, Cows & Nutrients: Financial & Environmental Con...

Like any farmer, soybean growers want to raise more to get ahead. Horst Bohner, soybean specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs, said it’s possible to increase yields based upon past innovations, as no-till systems and Roundup Ready seeds fueled growth at a time whe...

In March 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (part of the World Health Organization) pronounced judgment against the herbicide ingredient glyphosate. IARC said that glyphosate “probably causes cancer in humans.” Most of the pillars in the ag chemical community opposed that declarat...

Water is often referred to as the most important nutrient. Providing beef cattle with clear and odorless water is a good first step in meeting nutritional requirements, but looks can be deceiving. In a recent presentation, Cheryl Waldner, DVM, Beef Cattle Council, Western College of Veterinary Medic...

Maine has emerged as a national leader in researching and responding to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination in agricultural land. While PFAS contamination has impacted dozens of Maine farms, even causing some to permanently cease operations, Duncan Pfaehler, a senior planner wit...

Getting ready for the planting season can feel like going to war against weeds, pests and crop diseases. To help farmers gear up for battle, Matt Pinckney, Syngenta retail representative, presented “Maximizing Corn & Soybean Yields” at the recent A.N. Martin Open House. Based in Clyde, NY, A.N. Mart...

There’s a lot to learn from looking at what comes out of the back end of poultry after digestion is complete. University of Maryland Eastern Shore Poultry Specialist Jennifer Timmons, Ph.D., shared insight to guide poultry owners on what to look for in droppings to maintain good flock health. Chicke...

Farmers are much more likely to be found in the field than in the halls of Congress. That’s why industry advocates are vital to influencing legislation, raising awareness of ag concerns to lawmakers and helping farmers better understand how new legislation can affect their operations. At the recent ...

Hello, farm family! Have you ever walked by a weedy bench and thought, “I’ll just pull a few weeds,” only to realize you then worked for over an hour? Me too. The positive side of that is that I got lots of weeds pulled rather than just a few. The drawback is I now have less time to do the other thi...

According to the American Meteorological Society’s Glossary, “Spring snow, also called corn snow or granular snow, is a coarse granular, wet snow, resembling finely chopped melted ice.” Wet snow falling on tall, sturdy trees can break branches; the problem is even worse on immature trees. With lanky...

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) isn’t the primary news story today, but the virus is here to stay. Veterinarian Eric Gingerich, technical services specialist, Diamond V/Cargill, promotes biosecurity, but he’s hoping for vaccine approval. Gingerich recently provided an HPAI review and an upd...

A panel of both new and wizened farmers kicked off the recent New York Corn & Soybean Growers Association 2026 Winter Expo, discussing soil health to farm survival strategies. David Whitaker and Corey Hillebo with the “Farm4Profit” podcast based in Slater, Iowa, formed the panel with Tom Corcoran, k...