There is a lot of talk these days about the electrification of vehicles, ethanol-based power and solar power – but until fairly recently, all three were considered unable to compete economically with oil-based technologies. That notion has been debunked, but it remains difficult to convince the gene...

April is tax time! Many of us are scrambling to get all our files and numbers in order to file our income taxes by April 15. For those who have an income-producing farm or barn, keeping barn records is an important part of doing business and part of the procedure of filing yearly taxes. But what if ...

There are many different ways to incorporate solar onto your farm, and Chris Lent, a sustainable agriculture specialist for the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), helped explain the options for farms in the Northeast during a recent seminar. Solar operations on farms usually range fr...

Peter Wohlleben, professional forester and science writer in Germany, explained how snow loads can seriously harm trees. From his book “ The Hidden Life of Trees ” – “The pressure from above is simply too great. Such breakdowns mostly happen in the months of March and April, when the snow is transfo...

We like to have a little fun at the Country Folks offices when certain holidays roll around. Check out our silly April Fool’s Day stories. AI technician shocked to see cows As the world becomes more and more digital, students are being influenced to earn degrees in fields that would seem to be benef...

When the dairy herd is sold and the buildings are empty, is there a use for them? Tim Terry, dairy farmstead strategic specialist with Cornell Pro-Dairy , says yes. On many farms, old barns can be repurposed for housing goats or sheep. Owners of old barns have several options, including salvaging an...

As I was writing this column, there were two days left of winter. It was a milder than usual cold weather season. I only used the snowblower once. A gift from my three sons 15 winters ago, it’s seen lots of use other years. In any case, the winter forages and grasses are kicking into gear. Up till 1...

Home of the iconic Corn Palace — a symbol of the region’s healthy agricultural climate since 1892 — Mitchell, SD, will be the host location on March 25 for the national kick-off of the 2024 Stand Up 4 Grain Safety Week . This year’s event, taking place from March 25 – 29, is a joint effort of the U....

Better management means better outcomes for dairy breeding outcomes. Julio Giordano, director of the Dairy Cattle Biology & Management Laboratory at Cornell University and an associate director of the Cornell Institute for Digital Agriculture, presented “Integrating Precision Technologies for Improv...