The cleanup of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed has involved farmers in multiple states, where acreage such as that owed by the McMahon family, of E-Z Acres, in Homer, NY, feeds into the watershed. Several streams gather surface water, which is ultimately funneled into the Chesapeake Bay. The McMahons r...

HOOSICK, NY — Over a series of serpentine country roads and up in the hills of Rensselaer County, one will find High Meadows Farm, which proudly displays a Stonyfield Organic sign over its barn door, noting it was established in 2018. Gary Hirshberg, co-founder of Stonyfield Organic, said he can’t w...

“Despite what the industry throws at you every day, you need to keep your head up and keep plowing forward no matter what the situation is,” said Jeremy Michalak, second-generation dairy farmer of Michalak Dairy near Fort Plain, NY. Michalak has always had a love for farming, despite the long hours ...

Addison Michalak, a shy, 10 year-old Canajoharie 5th grader, did not start her summer off with a trip to the beach or a pool party. Instead, Addison found herself up to her elbows (literally) in the birth canal of a Holstein dairy cow giving birth to twin calves. Addison, who’s usual farm chores con...

BROOKFIELD, NY — Amongst the backdrop of 4-H livestock shows, carnival rides and the bellowing diesel power of the tractor pulls at the 179th Madison County Fair, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County held a special Agriculture Appreciation Reception to honor Dairy of Distinction recipient...

Chuck Tellier hadn’t thought much about roll-over protective structures (ROPS) until a tractor accident nearly took his life. Now, he won’t drive a tractor lacking the safety devices. Tellier farmed six acres of vegetables and hay on his Sodus, NY farm. On a March 1990 day, he used his John Deere 20...

Producers know that farmers markets are great places to showcase their wares — and distributing free samples is an excellent way to bring customers in to purchase those wares. In a recent 2018 webinar presented by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), ‘safe food sampl...

Just a few short months ago, Andrew and Blake Place of Hidden Pastures Dairy in Glenfield, NY, held their launch party. The party, hosted by Tug Hill Vineyards, offered guests a taste of things to come: goat milk gelato. Today, the couple’s gelato is available at a growing number of retail outlets a...

ITHACA, NY — To see why Nate Chittenden ’00 was the perfect choice to receive the inaugural Cornell University Hometown Alumni Award, you had to look no further than the beaming, multigenerational community of family, neighbors and friends who came to the celebratory event honoring him June 23 in St...

When the blue-green algae does bloom it is very likely that someone, somewhere, is going to suffer in some way as a result of this seasonal phenomenon that has been going on for literally millions of years. Whether it is an individual, one of their pets or livestock owned by them, some animal is lik...

Consistency is the word that Joan Harris and Mike Scannell of Harrier Fields Farm use to describe what they were looking for in cattle when they settled on breeding Devons for seed-stock and beef: “consistent herds.” “In 2002 we acquired our first Devon cattle after learning that breed could consist...

CROGHAN, NY — The New York Association of Agricultural Educators (NYAAE) has selected the Vernon-Verona-Sherrill (VVS) High School Agriculture Program as New York State’s Outstanding Middle/Secondary School Agricultural Education Program. The program was formally recognized in June in front of more ...

A small rural school is making itself a big name by leading the way in re-establishing agriculture education in the classroom. Mount Markham CSD, located in the southern-most edge of Herkimer County in the small village of West Winfield, ­­lost their ag education program nearly 30 years ago. “Mount ...

The American Soybean Association (ASA) wants to recognize exceptional soy volunteers and leaders — and we need your help. During ASA’s annual awards banquet, individuals will be recognized and honored for state association volunteerism, distinguished leadership achievements and long-term, significan...

A 24-hour hackathon on Friday, June 1 at research location Bleiswijk of Wageningen University & Research, featuring 14 international teams, has determined which five teams will continue in this year’s Autonomous Greenhouses Challenge, organized by Wageningen University & Research. The five winning t...