At the American Forage & Grassland Council meeting earlier this year, a series of sessions focused on renewable energy and resources. One of the them was appropriately titled “Farming the Sun.” Led by Robert W. Hoffman of Roundstone Native Seed Company of Upton, KY, the session looked at “where agri...

Life is stressful, and it’s important to learn ways to manage it. However, it’s no secret that farming is a particularly stressful career, as a lot of factors are out of your control – such as weather. Carole Soule, from Soule Coaching and Miles Smith Farm , led a discussion at the New Hampshire Far...

It’s finally the time of year we’ve all been waiting for – preparing for summer, the kids out of school, work schedules loosening up a bit and being bombarded with ads for “getaways” and beautiful places to visit. But how can you just leave the horses and pets and go on vacation? Who will mind the f...

From his Connecticut residence on May 26, my son Peter forwarded me a 25-minute video. In it, John Oliver, a transplanted English comic, discusses U.S. corn, its production, politics and ecological and economic impact. Check out “Corn: John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight” here . Oliver begins on a light...

June Dairy Month is here again, an important reminder to consumers of the tremendous contributions that milk and dairy products offer. But challenges continue to come from plant-based would-be competitors and those with an anti-animal, vegan agenda. This year a new challenge was brought on by the ou...

The USDA offers a wide variety of loans and programs to help all types of farmers, but figuring out which options are best for you can be overwhelming. That’s where USDA staff members come in – to help you through the process and make sure you access the appropriate options. Andrea Bye, the beginner...

Exactly one year ago, as I was writing my column, Canadian wildfires were building up a full head of steam (or more accurately, smoke). The maximum impact would be felt in the northern tier of the U.S. during the second week of June 2023. During that period, Canadian firefighters scrambled to put ou...

In 2018, UK supermarket giant Tesco banned its dairy producers from individually housing dairy calves. According to Dr. Jennifer Van Os, assistant professor and Extension specialist of animal welfare at University of Wisconsin-Madison, this trend toward social housing may someday become the norm in ...

At CattleCon in Orlando earlier this year, the six beef checkoff committees – Consumer Trust, Domestic Marketing, International Marketing, Nutrition & Health, Safety & Product Innovation and Stakeholder Engagement – hosted meetings to provide a platform for producers to actively participate in setti...