During this year’s Grains Week, a lot of attention was paid to the plants that go into making beer and brown liquors, but there are myriad market channels for grains. Discussing some of the ones tackled at her farm was Mary-Howell Martens of Lakeview Organic Grain, in Penn Yan, NY, where she and her...

It seems everyone is “bundling” these days, from insurance companies and internet providers to auctioneers and flea market pickers. Bundling is generally used to consolidate and lower prices. It’s also used to get what you want by taking a few lesser items you don’t necessarily prefer. Farmers know ...

Feeding nutritious forage is a vital part of promoting animal health and welfare. Dr. Amanda Grev, forage specialist with University of Maryland Extension, recommends forage sampling and testing to ensure forage is meeting animals’ nutritional needs. She presented “Forage Sampling and Forage Analysi...

Those who have added on-farm processing to the dairy farm enterprise are required to label products according to federal guidelines, and in most cases, state guidelines as well. Dr. Kerry Kaylegian, associate research professor, Penn State Food Science, discussed federal guidelines for farmers who a...

Madison Jaslar recently became the beneficiary of a program jointly sponsored by the Dairy Excellence Foundation, the Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania and the PA Dairymen’s Association. These organizations are placing college students pursuing careers in dairy production in on-farm summer...

Dr. Ray Kaplan, parasitologist and professor at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, has some stern words for cattlemen: “We need to start changing the ways we think about controlling worms. What we’re doing now is not only not working well, it’s heading us to potential disaster...

If you haven’t put much thought into what to do in case animal rights activists show up at your farm, it’s time to develop a plan. Activists are becoming more emboldened, and as new groups form, members are developing new tactics. Unfortunately, when activists reach their goal of making headline new...

A PennAg event held recently in Lebanon, PA, encompassed the Keystone Pork Expo, Poultry Progress Day and the Mid-Atlantic Manure Summit. USDA veterinarian Dr. Paul Pitcher presented information on the USDA’s role in addressing several swine diseases, including African swine fever (ASF). Pitcher sai...

Reducing methane emissions offers manifold benefits beyond environmental reasons. Dr. Chaouki Benchaar with Sherbrooke Research and Development Centre, Agricultura and Agri-Food in Sherbrook, Quebec, recently presented “Dietary Options to Reduce Enteric Methane Emissions from Dairy Cows” as a recent...