Huge insects that don’t need to be eradicated, horses on the loose, people being framed and liking it.All this, along with outdoor theatre performances, pumpkins, apples, hot or cold cider, donuts and cider slushies can be found at Park Hill Orchard in Easthampton, MA. A three-foot-long insect sculp...

As the Gaver family is winding down from hosting a variety of fall activities on their Mount Airy, MD farm, they’re also planning for Christmas. Mike and Lisa Gaver operate the generational farm with the help of their son Greg, their daughter Laura House and Laura’s husband Brian. The farm was origi...

Winter is a great time of year to make plans for improving and expanding your agricultural business to generate more profit for the future. Many farms are having success with promoting their business through agritourism. The first step to that success is to determine what your options and opportunit...

ALBANY, NY — On October 22, 2016 people from all walks of life gathered together to learn about and discuss the now legalized cultivation of hemp in New York State. The informational meeting was sponsored by the New York Hemp Industries Association (NYHIA) in order for interested parties to learn mo...

Drought. Unseasonable heat. Unseasonable cold. Rapid temperature changes. These are some of the troubling weather patterns with which Western New York farmers have been forced to contend over the past couple years. Drought conditions in 2016 have made many plants and trees more vulnerable, which in ...

When Paul O’Connor purchased a piece of land in Sutton, MA, he didn’t have a plan for the thickly wooded plot other than to simply appreciate the quiet space. After considering some options, Paul and his wife Barbara agreed they had enjoyed visiting choose-and-cut Christmas tree farms, and discussed...

While spring and summer create an innumerable amount of tasks for growers, many are faced with the question, “What should I do this winter.” While it seems like a few months off and a vacation might be in order, this is actually the most important time of your entire year. Keeping a greenhouse runni...

In a rollicking, fast-paced presentation hosted by Ag Biz Masters, popular Ag Economist Dr. David Kohl revealed 10 important steps for survival in the face of an unexpected crop disaster or an economic downturn. Kohl’s first priority? Make a written list of your goals. “The first thing I want to kno...

Part of my day job as a Communications Director includes social media marketing. It is always my intention to make sure every post – or at least, a majority of posts – has an accompanying image posted with it. The necessity of images has been an internet rule-of-thumb for years now, but recently I w...

FANCY GAP, VA – Five years ago, Barry Iroler embarked on a post-retirement occupation, growing wholesale pumpkins, with no inkling that the operation would become a second career and a totally different type of business: a popular pick-your-own (PYO) pumpkin patch with a variety of family-oriented a...

It is often the unexpected, unpredictable things in life that make all the difference. Such was the case for Thomas Farms in Corinth, Maine. In 2000, Frank Thomas found himself in the hospital with a staph infection. It was harvest time, and 300 acres of chip potatoes sat in the field. The family hi...

You’ve made sure that your employees have carefully unloaded each shipment of holiday plants arriving from growers, checked them for viability and placed them in the most appropriate location according to species. Once a customer has carefully chosen a live plant for her own home or for a gift, how ...

A wide diversity of topics and presentations was in store for the Christmas tree and Christmas craft producers attending Goderie’s 9th annual Open House near Johnstown, NY, where 33 tree farms were represented. Christmas tree farmer Jim Rockis with Reliable Source in Morgantown, WV, who also serves ...

Name recognition is one of the key components of a successful branding program. You expect your customers to recall many things about their visit and anticipate they will naturally remember your name. Interestingly, however, many businesses take this element for granted promoting everything but thei...

As small family farms become larger and more profitable they begin to hire more and more employees to help with the extra work. However, many farmers have never had multiple employees and find it hard to manage and retain them. Whether you employ five people or 500 people, managing them will be cruc...