“Because utility scale solar is relatively new in Pennsylvania, most municipalities have no zoning ordinances dealing with solar,” stated Darrin Youker, director of state government affairs with Pennsylvania Farm Bureau (PFB), during a recent webinar. He also serves as the principal lobbyist for PFB...

This is a very good question and rather hard to clarify. The front legs of a horse are more designed to bear weight and the hind legs are more designed for pushing off. They are not comparable to each other. They both must bear weight on the landing but the fronts receive more load as they unfold an...

A new study in the Journal of Dairy Science tests the properties of cow milk protein against SARS-CoV-2 variants As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to claim lives around the world, dairy scientists may have a surprising role to play. In a new report published in the Journal of Dairy Science , scient...

Dr. David Kohl, professor emeritus, Virginia Tech, said we’re in a time of roller coaster economics, and encouraged business owners to maintain a management mindset. “Ag business owners will have to manage several major aspects of their business over the next three to four years,” said Kohl. “We hav...

Those who raise poultry, either as a small-scale farm enterprise or a large commercial operation, are likely aware of recent cases of avian influenza diagnosed in the U.S. AI is classified as either low pathogenic (LPAI) or highly pathogenic (HPAI). Cases of HPAI have been reported in commercial and...

Like other sectors of U.S. agriculture, those who raise pigs are seeking out ways to be both more productive and sustainable. Sara Crawford, Ph.D., vice president of sustainability at the National Pork Board, discussed what the industry is doing during the recent “Creating the path to more sustainab...

At a recent meeting of the Pennsylvania Forage and Grassland Council held in Lancaster, PA, Dr. Chris Teutsch, University of Kentucky Extension forage specialist, addressed the issue of rising fertilizer costs. Fertilizer prices over the last 18 months have nearly tripled, putting pressure on both l...

Estate planning is a concern of many farmers across the country. As agricultural landowners prepare for the next stage in their lives, many are taking advantage of 1031 exchanges. First introduced in the 1920s, 1031 exchanges are a feature of a tax-deferred swap program in which farmers and ranchers...

Even if crops and animals thrive, workers abound and the weather is ideal, a farm needs one more element to be successful: effective management of the farm’s finances. Maria Pippidis of University of Delaware Cooperative Extension and Jesse Ketterman of University of Maryland Extension recently pres...