Country Folks
Part 1: Cyberthreats are real
Posted on April 15, 2026
Part 1: Cyberthreats are real The reality of cybercrime for livestock farms is almost too easy. Most farms have internet access, which means they are tied to international supply chains, making them vulnerable. Andrew Rose, of the nonprofit Bioeconomy Information Sharing & Analysis Center (BIO-ISAC)...
Country Folks
by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant 
Posted on April 15, 2026
As a growing body of research indicates, nitrogen fixing microbials may not help farmers significantly improve their corn yields. Dr. Charlie White, soil fertility and nutrient management at Penn State, presented “Nitrogen Fixing Microbials for Corn: What We’ve Learned from Four Years of Field Trial...
Country Folks
by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant 
Posted on April 15, 2026
Boosting the quality of forage can directly affect a farm’s bottom line. Jessica Williams, marketing manager for green harvesting for Massey Ferguson North American, presented “Optimizing Forage Quality in Harvested Forages” as part of the recent Cornell Organic Field Crops & Dairy Conference hosted...
Country Folks, Crop Comments
Crop Comments A15 
Posted on April 15, 2026
Ten days after spring 2026 started, a serious electric storm hit our part of Central New York. During the early pre-dawn, lightning bolts struck (fortunately not too close to us). This electric storm was caused by the southern branch of the northern jet stream surging northward. In such an event, a ...
Country Folks
by Sally Colby 
Posted on April 8, 2026
Manure safety might seem like a boring, overdone topic, but that isn’t the case when farmers continue to die in manure-related accidents. In many cases, death is due to hydrogen sulfide (H2S) buildup in and around manure storage, spreaders and other handling equipment. Walter Grose has been working ...
Country Folks
by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant 
Posted on April 8, 2026
Are white mold and other soilborne diseases affecting your soybeans? Camilo Parada-Rojas, Ph.D., field crop pathologist with Cornell University, presented “Soybean Soilborne Disease Management and Research Priorities for Field Crops Pathology in New York” at the recent Soybeans & Small Grains Congre...
Country Folks
Courtney Llewellyn 
Posted on April 8, 2026
At a meeting of the Northeast Cover Crops Council, John Tooker, a Penn State entomologist, showed a photograph of a hay mower in southern Pennsylvania teeming with slugs – tens of thousands of slugs, maybe hundreds of thousands. A photograph of a corn planter taken in Illinois showed similar quantit...
Country Folks
by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant 
Posted on April 8, 2026
Growing the size of the dairy herd means looking at what to do with the additional manure. These considerations can affect both the farm and the environment. Jason Karszes, Lainey Koval and Kirsten Workman, all with Cornell PRO-DAIRY, discussed “Acres, Cows & Nutrients: Financial & Environmental Con...
Country Folks
by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant 
Posted on April 8, 2026
Like any farmer, soybean growers want to raise more to get ahead. Horst Bohner, soybean specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs, said it’s possible to increase yields based upon past innovations, as no-till systems and Roundup Ready seeds fueled growth at a time whe...
Gardening Farming
Courtney Llewellyn 
July 26, 2026
As some Northeast gardens peak in July, growers are trimming plants, pulling spent vegetables, mowing lawns and managing an increasing amount of yard ...
Events
Courtney Llewellyn 
July 24, 2026
The Connected Herkimer County Teams, representing Central Valley, Dolgeville, Herkimer and Mount Markham, are inviting families from across Herkimer C...
Gardening Farming
Courtney Llewellyn 
July 23, 2026
The Otsego County Conservation Association (OCCA) is accepting nominations for its “Conservationist of the Year” award for 2026. Each year, OCCA award...
Gardening Farming, Lifestyle
Courtney Llewellyn 
July 21, 2026
Seniors are vulnerable to mental health issues. The World Health Organization says around one in five older adults experience psychiatric disorders li...