The Blue Ribbon Calf Sale, which takes place in West Springfield, MA, has always had a special place in my heart. Since 2018, when I started showing dairy cattle, I have attended every sale and clinic night. In 2022, I began volunteering at the sale, helping with preparations for sale day and going ...

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...

February’s Winter Storm Hernando dumped two feet of snow in Western Massachusetts, on top of existing snow cover. Dealing with that much snow makes it difficult for sugar producers to tap their maple trees. “It’s a little later than we have been tapping,” said Hunter Sessions, owner of Winston’s Sug...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

I am Maddy Poitras, an active Junior member in the seven major dairy breeds associations. Every year the event I most look forward to, which starts the show season, is the Massachusetts Blue Ribbon Calf Sale. I’ve been going to the sale every year and working it for the last five years. Working the ...

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...