Country Folks, Crop Comments
Crop
Posted on April 29, 2026
The U.S. plants significantly less acreage of this summer annual than it did a century ago. Buckwheat was once a much more widespread crop before the late Industrial Revolution introduced new technologies. The center-point of such technologies were fertilizers based on chemical ingredients which inc...
Country Folks
by Sonja Heyck-Merlin 
Posted on 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 dairy farmers choose to feed more than this. This is a way to achieve excellent transfer of passive immunity (TPI), regardless of colostrum quality. ...
Country Folks
by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant 
Posted on 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 Veterinary Medicine, believes more farmers need to raise their own replacements and pay more attention to their herd’s health. “Heifer supplies are at their...
Country Folks
by Sally Colby 
Posted on 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 due to veterinary costs, milk replacer for lambs or kids that aren’t getting enough milk, culling of relatively young females, increased lamb or kid mo...
Country Folks
by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant 
Posted on April 22, 2026
What can we learn about high-yield wheat from the UK? Plenty, according to panelists at the recent Soybean & Small Grains Congress hosted by New York Corn & Soybean Growers Association. The panelists were Dwight Bartle from Brown City, MI; Allan Thompson from Caledon, ON, Canada; and Brandon Blain f...
Country Folks
by Andy Haman 
Posted on April 22, 2026
“We embrace our diversity; it makes us a stronger organization at every level.” This message anchored a Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Summit session this year, led by three different people in different facets of the industry. Presenter Kate Turcotte is an artisan cheesemaker of more than 20 y...
Country Folks
by Hannah Majewski 
Posted on April 22, 2026
Hannah Wieboldt of Orange County is doing her part to support Empire State dairy farmers as the 2026-27 NYS Dairy Ambassador. As an ambassador, Wieboldt will have the opportunity to be an “agvocate” for her local farmers and share their stories with the rest of the world. Wieboldt’s passion for dair...
Country Folks
by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant 
Posted on April 22, 2026
Using robots for milking focuses on reducing labor costs; however, it can also increase precision in herd management, according to Trevor DeVries, University of Guelph. He presented “Harnessing Individual Cow Traits & Responses in Automated Milking Systems” at the recent Herd Health & Nutrition Conf...
Country Folks
Crop
Posted on April 22, 2026
The dynamics of fertilizer economics is not boring. Four years ago, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine seriously impacted the world’s natural gas (methane) playing field. Russia controls most of Europe’s natural gas resources. In 2022, Russia shut off Ukraine’s natural gas supply, trying to fre...
Courtney Llewellyn 
June 1, 2026
In northwest Illinois, where fields flatten into horizon and seasons set the pace of life, Selmi’s Greenhouse & Family Farm stands as both a working f...
News
by Andy Haman 
June 1, 2026
Play is important for children of all ages, and children’s play areas can become an integral part of your agritourism operation – but these spaces mus...
News
by Sally Colby 
June 1, 2026
Jared Hughes’s entry into the plant and greenhouse business happened naturally. During college, he propagated succulents on his parents’ property and ...
News
by Enrico Villamaino 
June 1, 2026
At the most recent Cultivate Conference , growers packed together to soak up smart strategies on a deceptively simple subject: watering. In a session ...