Around mid-April, a reader from western New York asked me a question about prussic acid. Before I discuss our conversation, I’ll share some background information. For a long time prior to this phone call, I thought that term had a German origin. With some online sleuthing, I learned that the term o...

Calving is covered in classrooms but there’s nothing like real-life initiation. Veterinarian Lisa Freeze thinks of calving as more of an art than a science. “You can read about in a textbook but it’s something you don’t really figure out on your own until you’re in the middle of things and getting e...

Swine success is never simple. Every season serves a new set of stressors. Fall feels friendly with crisp air and steady gains. Summer, however, sizzles with setbacks. Heat is the headline hazard. For pigs post-weaning, the comfort corridor sits between 65º and 75º F. In that thermoneutral zone, met...

Part 2: Preventing cyberthreats The internet was first hailed as a tool for open information and operability. No one suspected the potential for nefarious activity. Now everything is accessible, which allows bad actors to infiltrate farms and other businesses. Too often, dairy farms are cybercrime t...

High production dairy cows are metabolic athletes with unique nutritional challenges that producers must be aware of to maintain herd health, trace mineral balance and optimal milk production. There are currently 1.2 million dairy cows producing an average of 22,516 lbs. of milk per cow within Conne...

While helping develop a farmers market in Skowhegan, Maine, in 2007, Amber Lambke discovered a perplexing problem: many producers’ value-added products lacked flour to create their baked goods to meet the market requirement of locally sourced ingredients. Bakers were “wild cards,” she recalled, beca...

Crop diseases reduce yield, but with the right planning, farmers can lessen their effect and realize the full potential of their crops. Jordan Bassler, agronomy leader at Seed Consultants in Washington Courthouse, Ohio, presented at the recent A.N. Martin Open House. “Red crown rot is big in soybean...

The Granite State Association of FFA recently hosted its 96th annual State Convention. A total of 200 FFA members from nine New Hampshire schools traveled to the Mount Washington Hotel to celebrate their passion for agriculture. FFA is a program largely offered vocational schools in New Hampshire. S...

Hello, farm family! After a tumultuous winter, spring is finally here, even though the weather seems to be having a hard time getting the message. Farmers are not fooled by unseasonable chills, however. If you’re anything like the farmers I know, you’re already moving full speed ahead: filling up gr...