Country Folks
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 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, Crop Comments
Crop Comments
Crop Comments A12 
Posted on March 11, 2026
I have begun rewatching the TV series “Band of Brothers.” The series’ title comes from William Shakespeare’s “Henry V.” There’s an underlying agricultural theme to the English bard’s play. That theme supports the military overtones of a 15th century battle that occurred Oct. 25, 1415. That military ...
Country Folks
by Sally Colby 
Posted on March 4, 2026
As African swine fever (ASF) inches closer to the U.S., many countries are already dealing with the devastating disease that can shut down both large and small pig producers. For countries like the U.S. that are currently free of ASF, all it will take is a single pig, wild or domestic, to initiate t...
Country Folks
ning of different colors. Go out every by Karl H. Kazaks 
Posted on March 4, 2026
Over 650 people attended the 2026 North Carolina Commodities Conference. One of the highlight speakers was Alex Harrell, farmer from southwest Georgia and current soybean world record holder (218.2 bu./acre in 2024). “The number one limiting factor I’ve seen on corn and soybeans is the planter,” Har...
News
Courtney Llewellyn 
Posted on March 4, 2026
Stepping out of the dairy business doesn’t mean your barn has to sit idle. In the “From Dairy to Pork: Barn Conversion in Action” video series on YouTube, the New York Pork Producers teamed up with Strategic Planning Specialist Tim Terry of Cornell University’s Pro‑Dairy program to show how former d...
Country Folks
by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant 
Posted on March 4, 2026
The dams you breed today will influence the herd you own in the future. Daryl Nydam, DVM, Ph.D., and Julie Adamchick, DVM, Ph.D., presented “Breeding Today for the Herd You Want Tomorrow: Tools to Support Semen Choice Tradeoffs” as a webinar in Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine’s “Boots in th...
Gardening Farming
Courtney Llewellyn 
March 24, 2026
Spring was Dad’s favorite time of the year. He always looked forward to “spring green-up.” This season brings back so many memories – running behind t...
Gardening Farming
Courtney Llewellyn 
March 22, 2026
In time for National Ag Day on March 24, the nonprofit Rural Minds announces the launch of the new Farmer Mental Health Resilience Program in support ...
Lifestyle
Courtney Llewellyn 
March 20, 2026
Here’s a pantry staple I don’t write about often enough: canned salmon. Fresh salmon is one of the healthiest foods you can eat. It’s rich in protein ...
Lifestyle
Courtney Llewellyn 
March 19, 2026
Dear Paw’s Corner: We had a scary incident a few weeks ago. Our puppy Terah got into the cabinet under the kitchen sink and chewed on a plastic spray ...