Water is often referred to as the most important nutrient. Providing beef cattle with clear and odorless water is a good first step in meeting nutritional requirements, but looks can be deceiving. In a recent presentation, Cheryl Waldner, DVM, Beef Cattle Council, Western College of Veterinary Medic...

Maine has emerged as a national leader in researching and responding to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination in agricultural land. While PFAS contamination has impacted dozens of Maine farms, even causing some to permanently cease operations, Duncan Pfaehler, a senior planner wit...

Getting ready for the planting season can feel like going to war against weeds, pests and crop diseases. To help farmers gear up for battle, Matt Pinckney, Syngenta retail representative, presented “Maximizing Corn & Soybean Yields” at the recent A.N. Martin Open House. Based in Clyde, NY, A.N. Mart...

There’s a lot to learn from looking at what comes out of the back end of poultry after digestion is complete. University of Maryland Eastern Shore Poultry Specialist Jennifer Timmons, Ph.D., shared insight to guide poultry owners on what to look for in droppings to maintain good flock health. Chicke...

Farmers are much more likely to be found in the field than in the halls of Congress. That’s why industry advocates are vital to influencing legislation, raising awareness of ag concerns to lawmakers and helping farmers better understand how new legislation can affect their operations. At the recent ...

Hello, farm family! Have you ever walked by a weedy bench and thought, “I’ll just pull a few weeds,” only to realize you then worked for over an hour? Me too. The positive side of that is that I got lots of weeds pulled rather than just a few. The drawback is I now have less time to do the other thi...

According to the American Meteorological Society’s Glossary, “Spring snow, also called corn snow or granular snow, is a coarse granular, wet snow, resembling finely chopped melted ice.” Wet snow falling on tall, sturdy trees can break branches; the problem is even worse on immature trees. With lanky...

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) isn’t the primary news story today, but the virus is here to stay. Veterinarian Eric Gingerich, technical services specialist, Diamond V/Cargill, promotes biosecurity, but he’s hoping for vaccine approval. Gingerich recently provided an HPAI review and an upd...

A panel of both new and wizened farmers kicked off the recent New York Corn & Soybean Growers Association 2026 Winter Expo, discussing soil health to farm survival strategies. David Whitaker and Corey Hillebo with the “Farm4Profit” podcast based in Slater, Iowa, formed the panel with Tom Corcoran, k...

Can AI help your farm’s workforce development? Wolfgang Heuweiser, DVM, Ph.D., professor and director of Quality Milk Production Services in the Department of Population Medicine & Diagnostic Sciences in Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine, presented on the topic as part of Cornell’s “Boots in ...

In a presentation hosted by Bal Chem, Andrew Rose of the nonprofit organization Bioeconomy Information Sharing & Analysis Center (BIO-ISAC), discussed a critical and timely question: Could your operation survive a cyberattack? Rose refers to himself as an “accidental expert” in cybersecurity. He was...

What can you expect in the market for 2026? Mike Meisenzahl, representing Clover Ag Risk Management in Honeoye Falls, NY, presented a snapshot of the ag markets and recent farm-related legislation at the New York Corn & Soybean Growers Association Winter Expo. “Every analyst is probably saying that ...

There are five days left of winter as I’m writing this column. Winter has been colder than normal for most of the Northeast, a fact reflected in our electric bill and fuel oil consumption. Utica’s official snowfall has been about a third higher than normal, a claim which our village of Hartwick (35 ...

The first few weeks of a heifer’s life matter – a lot. Adam Beard, Ph.D. with Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, presented “Early Calf Management: Key Influence on Heifer Development” as part of Cornell’s ongoing “Boots in the Barn” webinar series. Beard discussed the developmental...

“Did you know Cornell Cooperative Extension has an entire team dedicated to agritourism operational assistance and advocacy?” Laura Biasillo with the CCE Agritourism Work Team led a Q&A session for producers at the 2026 Ag Solutions & Networking Expo, which took place at SUNY Cobleskill Ag & Tech in...