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...
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 ...