Country Folks, Crop Comments
Crop Comments
Posted on August 26, 2026
As crop growers enter late August, especially across the northern U.S., they become quite aware of night temperatures starting to drop. Such happening starts slowing the production of warm season crops (soybean, corn, sorghum, sudangrass, their hybrids and millets). As these warm season crops start ...
Country Folks
by Sally Colby 
Posted on August 19, 2026
Cows don’t ask for a lot. Ample high-quality fresh feed and water along with a comfortable resting place covers much of what they need. However, there’s new evidence that the fresh feed aspect, including particle length, is more complex. During a recent Balchem Real Science presentation, Dr. Rick Gr...
Country Folks
by Sonja Heyck-Merlin 
Posted on August 19, 2026
“One thing I’m not going to tell you today is that as a founder or as a producer that you need to start recording more videos and being on social media more. I recognize that everyone’s busy," said Mallory Seargeant, a marketing strategist and founder of Ramper Creative . Rather, Seargeant emphasize...
Country Folks
by Sally Colby 
Posted on August 19, 2026
Every farm has flies. The issue is what kind, how many, where and their impact on livestock. Veterinarian David Prentice recently presented information on fly control for farms for the Dairy Calf & Heifer Association . Prentice began with fly basics: Fly reproduction is consistent among species, but...
Country Folks
by Sally Colby 
Posted on August 19, 2026
Throughout their lives, farmers inhale a lot of dust. Field work, feed handling, working in enclosed spaces and other routine farm tasks result in dust inhalation. The type of dust, length of exposure and other factors determine the degree of risk. Tara Nordgren, Ph.D., associate professor, Universi...
Country Folks
by Joseph Armstrong 
Posted on August 19, 2026
Today it may seem like there’s a stark contrast between town and countryside; however, there has never been a hard line where civilization begins and wilderness ends. A subtle line always connects the largest city to the deepest forest. Agroforestry enters this conversation not as nostalgia or radic...
Country Folks, Crop Comments
Crop Comments B5 
Posted on August 19, 2026
Dietitians tell us that a person consuming an 8-oz. glass of cow’s milk is ingesting approximately 232 mg of phosphorus (P), a nutrient vital for bone health, energy metabolism and cellular function. Taking these numbers further, I calculate that approximately 1 lb. of elemental P departs the farm i...
Country Folks
by Joseph Armstrong 
Posted on August 12, 2026
We joke about the weather in New York always changing, but when you have a farm to run it’s not always a laughing matter. Sometimes our weather patterns can spell disaster. In a recent workshop on agricultural resilience in the Mohawk Valley, CCE Statewide Ag Climate Resiliency Specialist Kitty O’Ne...
Country Folks
by Sally Colby 
Posted on August 12, 2026
Rob Goodling, business consultant for Farm Credit East, recently provided information on what the dairy industry can expect as producers passed the halfway mark in 2026. Goodling’s information was based on the 2025 Northeast Dairy Farm Summary and 2026 Mid-year Outlook. Summary input is based primar...
Country Folks
by Deborah Jeanne Post 
September 2, 2026
Soybean growers eager to boost their profits should look at high oleic soybeans. A panel of experts discussed “The High Oleic Soybean Opportunity in N...
Agritourism/Agritainment, Country Folks
by Enrico Villamaino 
September 2, 2026
A farm bonfire has a certain magic. Hayrides roll in from the fields, boots crunch across the ground and a crackling blaze gives families a warm place...
Agritourism/Agritainment, Country Folks
by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant 
September 2, 2026
Hiring seasonal employees challenges many farm operators as many aspects of the hiring process and other human resources matters differ from that of n...
Country Folks
by Sonja Heyck-Merlin 
September 2, 2026
David Liu is a rising senior at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, NH, and he’s on a mission to share knowledge about the risks and threats of micropl...