Country Folks
Posted on March 18, 2026
The 2025 Irrigation Show & Education Week brought together growers, consultants and tech tinkerers hungry for tools that can stretch every drop. In the middle of the bustle, Dr. Stacia L. Davis Conger, state irrigation specialist and associate professor of irrigation engineering at LSU’s AgCenter, d...
Country Folks
by Sally Colby 
Posted on March 18, 2026
In the past, income from the sale of wool from annual sheep shearing was sufficient to pay for the flock’s feed for the year. Today, that’s no longer the case for most who raise sheep. But Diana Dougherty and Gabriella Nanci bucked the trend and found ways to make a profit with wool. Dougherty raise...
Country Folks
by Deborah J. Sergeant 
Posted on March 18, 2026
Farmers rely on weather forecasts to know when to plant, spray and harvest. Forecasting can also help predict poor health in the herd. Jackson A. Seminara, Ph.D., presented “Forecasting Performance: How Clues from Blood, Milk & Sensors Can Predict Unfortunate Outcomes in Multiparous Cows” as part of...
Country Folks
by Sally Colby 
Posted on March 18, 2026
High-oleic soybeans were introduced commercially in 2012 but weren’t widely grown outside of Indiana and Ohio until recently. According to the United Soybean Board , there are some good reasons farmers should consider planting high-oleic (HO) soybeans, including no yield drag, solid domestic demand,...
Country Folks, Crop Comments
Crop Comments
Posted on March 18, 2026
In 1972, then-President Richard Nixon expressed great worry that most of America’s supply of imported oil could become quite vulnerable to a strangle-hold focused on the Strait of Hormuz. Such a constriction could be enacted by our adversaries in the Middle East. The Strait of Hormuz is approximatel...
Country Folks
by Erin Judd 
Posted on March 17, 2026
The Blue Ribbon Calf Sale, which takes place in West Springfield, MA, has always had a special place in my heart. Since 2018, when I started showing dairy cattle, I have attended every sale and clinic night. In 2022, I began volunteering at the sale, helping with preparations for sale day and going ...
Country Folks
by Sally Colby 
Posted on March 11, 2026
University of Wisconsin Biological Systems Engineer Dr. Joseph Sanford recently discussed the types and benefits of manure separation during the university’s Separator Week. Manure separation efficiency can be improved with storage, added treatments such as sand and/or solid removal, digestion and o...
Country Folks
by Andy Haman 
Posted on March 11, 2026
New York State Ag Commissioner Richard Ball gave the keynote address at the 2026 Ag Solutions & Networking Expo at SUNY Cobleskill Ag & Tech last week, echoing the strength of New York’s local and statewide agricultural opportunities, even as the country continues to face a “foggy D.C. policy on ag....
Country Folks
Posted on March 11, 2026
Are you ready for the 2026 grazing season to be a game changer? Are you getting all you can from your pastures and meeting your goals? Do you want to add more grazing days, profit and pleasure from your management? Curious about using a grazing chart and hearing from grazing practitioners? If you an...
Country Folks
by Sonja Heyck-Merlin 
April 22, 2026
According to Alyssa Dietrich Warner, it’s commonly recommended to feed a newborn calf a minimum of four liters of colostrum at the first feeding. Some...
Country Folks
by Ben Simons 
April 22, 2026
On March 28 and 29, Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School FFA Chapter celebrated a longstanding tradition with Oneida County’s official maple weekend cer...
Country Folks
by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant 
April 22, 2026
As a matter of economy, Francisco Leal Yepes, DVM, Ph.D., and assistant professor of ambulatory and production medicine in Cornell’s College of Veteri...
Country Folks
by Sally Colby 
April 22, 2026
Any time between giving birth through weaning or dry-off is the ideal time for ewes or does to develop mastitis. The cost of mastitis is significant d...
