Country Folks
Posted on March 18, 2026
The 2025 Irrigation Show & Education Week brought together growers, consultants and tech tinkerers hungry for tools that can stretch every drop. In the middle of the bustle, Dr. Stacia L. Davis Conger, state irrigation specialist and associate professor of irrigation engineering at LSU’s AgCenter, d...
Country Folks
by Sally Colby 
Posted on March 18, 2026
In the past, income from the sale of wool from annual sheep shearing was sufficient to pay for the flock’s feed for the year. Today, that’s no longer the case for most who raise sheep. But Diana Dougherty and Gabriella Nanci bucked the trend and found ways to make a profit with wool. Dougherty raise...
Country Folks
by Deborah J. Sergeant 
Posted on March 18, 2026
Farmers rely on weather forecasts to know when to plant, spray and harvest. Forecasting can also help predict poor health in the herd. Jackson A. Seminara, Ph.D., presented “Forecasting Performance: How Clues from Blood, Milk & Sensors Can Predict Unfortunate Outcomes in Multiparous Cows” as part of...
Country Folks
by Sally Colby 
Posted on March 18, 2026
High-oleic soybeans were introduced commercially in 2012 but weren’t widely grown outside of Indiana and Ohio until recently. According to the United Soybean Board , there are some good reasons farmers should consider planting high-oleic (HO) soybeans, including no yield drag, solid domestic demand,...
Country Folks, Crop Comments
Crop Comments
Posted on March 18, 2026
In 1972, then-President Richard Nixon expressed great worry that most of America’s supply of imported oil could become quite vulnerable to a strangle-hold focused on the Strait of Hormuz. Such a constriction could be enacted by our adversaries in the Middle East. The Strait of Hormuz is approximatel...
Country Folks
by Sally Colby 
Posted on March 11, 2026
University of Wisconsin Biological Systems Engineer Dr. Joseph Sanford recently discussed the types and benefits of manure separation during the university’s Separator Week. Manure separation efficiency can be improved with storage, added treatments such as sand and/or solid removal, digestion and o...
Country Folks
by Andy Haman 
Posted on March 11, 2026
New York State Ag Commissioner Richard Ball gave the keynote address at the 2026 Ag Solutions & Networking Expo at SUNY Cobleskill Ag & Tech last week, echoing the strength of New York’s local and statewide agricultural opportunities, even as the country continues to face a “foggy D.C. policy on ag....
Country Folks
Posted on March 11, 2026
Are you ready for the 2026 grazing season to be a game changer? Are you getting all you can from your pastures and meeting your goals? Do you want to add more grazing days, profit and pleasure from your management? Curious about using a grazing chart and hearing from grazing practitioners? If you an...
Country Folks
by Sally Colby 
Posted on March 11, 2026
With all eyes still on avian influenza, it’s easy to forget about another disease that’s inching closer to the U.S. Nearly everyone who raises pigs should be familiar with the possibility of African swine fever (ASF) eventually arriving in the U.S. With approved biosecurity measures in place, produc...
Country Folks
by Sally Colby 
June 10, 2026
According to a 2025 state agriculture overview, New York State is home to 30,000 farm operations, 650,000 milking cows, 500 concentrated animal feedin...
Country Folks
by Sally Colby 
June 10, 2026
When the price of lamb dropped in the 1990s, Janet McNally had to make changes in the way she raised sheep. McNally spoke recently at the Pennsylvania...
Country Folks
by Farmer Ben Simons & Audrey Donahoe, ADANE 
June 10, 2026
I make it a point to celebrate dairy in every way I know how. I visit my local grocery stores and buy milk by the gallon, sour cream, cheese and my pe...
Country Folks
by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant 
June 10, 2026
The gold standard of research is long-term findings. These demonstrate lasting trends and a greater likelihood of predicting future outcomes. Michael ...