Country Folks
Posted on June 3, 2026
It’s June Dairy Month once again. Hopefully, that never changes. It’s been an annual reminder of one of the blessings America should be grateful for but find all too easy to take for granted because dairy is always there. Walk into any grocery store and you’ll find an abundance of safe, top quality,...
Country Folks
by Sonja Heyck-Merlin 
Posted on June 3, 2026
Maple Wind Farm is inoculating their winter-laying houses with Lactobacillus, a beneficial bacterium, to improve animal health. It’s an on-farm trial in collaboration between the farm and the Land Care Cooperative, a farmer-led group focused on building healthy, water-retaining soils, reducing flood...
Country Folks
by Joseph Armstrong 
Posted on June 3, 2026
On most small farms, the difference between a peaceful night and a pasture full of panic can come down to one thing: a guardian animal you trust with your flock. Predator pressure is a reality for nearly every sheep or goat farmer today, whether the threat is coyotes slipping through fences, neighbo...
Country Folks
by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant 
Posted on June 3, 2026
Silage technology can help you improve herd health and productivity; however, it’s wise to plan well in advance of harvest, according to Michelle Chang-Der Bedrosian, Ph.D. Chang-Der Bedrosian directs research and development at Animix LLC and presented “Beyond the Basics: Cutting-Edge Silage Strate...
Country Folks
by Sally Colby 
Posted on June 3, 2026
Some farmers look forward to collecting Social Security as part of their retirement, but there are other avenues to boost retirement income. Many retired farmers find themselves wishing they had done more retirement planning for more secure income. Those working through farm transition or succession...
Country Folks, Farmers First
Posted on June 3, 2026
Hello, farm family! Yesterday, an old memory resurfaced from some dusty corner of my mind. It was of my great-grandfather sharpening a hoe on our old foot-powered wheel grinder. Hoes We used hoes a lot on our farm back then. Naturally, we employed them for transplanting seedlings and weeding vegetab...
Country Folks, Crop Comments
Crop Comments
Crop Comments A15 
Posted on June 3, 2026
In a video clip filmed in North Carolina’s Outer Banks, a 4WD truck grew mired. Its 60 PSI tires dug deeper and deeper, rendering the vehicle helpless as its operator tried to back away from the mess. The narrator reduced tire pressure to 15 PSI, enabling the truck to easily back out of its sand tra...
Country Folks, Dairy
by Joseph Armstrong 
Posted on May 27, 2026
Giant farms dominate the dairy landscape. According to Jon Winsten with the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (NE-DBIC), the last 20 years have seen a 63% decrease in the number of farms, but overall milk production has risen by 28% – with massive farms driven to produce more and more milk ...
Country Folks
by Sally Colby 
Posted on May 27, 2026
Nearly everyone looks forward to retirement, and many anticipate collecting Social Security. However, planning is essential. Paula Ledney, Penn State Extension program specialist, retirement planning and business management, explained, “Social Security is a federal program that provides retirement b...
Country Folks
by Laura Rodley ilac Ridge Farm in Brattleboro offers Vermont?s 
June 3, 2026
Lilac Ridge Farm in Brattleboro offers Vermont’s first organic certified creemee, certified by the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA-VT). Th...
Country Folks
by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant 
May 27, 2026
Herbicide resistance is an increasing problem for soybean growers. Resistance leaves fewer tools for operators to combat weeds. Vipan Kumar, Ph.D., pr...
Country Folks, Crop Comments
Crop Comments
Crop Comments A7 
May 27, 2026
According to Dan Quinn, Purdue University agronomist, examining corn ears from your fields helps estimate what yield might be. Examining corn ears pri...
Country Folks, Dairy
by Sally Colby 
May 20, 2026
A relatively small dairy farm with fewer than 100 cows was the norm not long ago, and it’s working today on Becky and Dave Troop’s farm in Cochranvill...
