The largest rodent in North America is the beaver. It lives in nearly all 50 states, and it’s the official mammal of New York State. Their strong jaws allow them to decimate trees quickly, and just one animal can chew down several hundred trees every year. Beaver dams flood farmland, timber and road...

It can be very hard to sometimes predict what the effect of the cover crop will be on nitrogen requirements for the next corn crop,” said Charlie White, a Penn State associate professor and Extension specialist in soil fertility and nutrient management. Pennsylvania corn growers facing this conundru...

Fertilizer burn is seedling injury caused by high concentrations of salt, nitrogen or ammonia in fertilizer applied too close to the seed or in-furrow. This causes dehydration, yellowing, stunted growth and delayed maturity. Nature boasts two ways for getting rid of surplus moisture. The most common...

Many dairy cows go on to a second career as beef, and it’s the responsibility of everyone on the farm to care for them properly until they leave the farm. Veterinarian Dr. Julia Herman, who consults on animal health for the National Cattleman’s Beef Association (NCBA), says dairy farms have a lot to...

For many small processors, getting beef officially graded can be a challenge. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has developed a Remote Beef Grading Program (RGP) that is removing much of that burden by allowing plants to submit carcass information digitally rather than relying on in‑person...

A recently published study assesses the feasibility of creating a Northeast value-added dairy training center to support makers of dairy products. The findings were summarized by Shayna Cohen and Liz Thorpe in a presentation hosted by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets’ Northeast Dair...

Farmers have plenty of stress to deal with – input costs, prices for their goods, pests and weather, one of the most influential effects on their income. To address weather challenges, Alex Lindsey, corn physiologist in Ohio State’s Department of Horticulture & Crop Science, presented “Managing Corn...

It’s been a hard winter so far, with lots of snow and frigid temperatures. We’ve seen many days of wind chills well below zero, and so having a few days in the 30s is always a welcome respite! However, there is still more winter to come – and it’s a good time to utilize any break in the weather to p...

According to Steve Culman, Ph.D., soil scientist at Ohio State, cation exchange capacity (CEC) is a fundamental soil property used to predict plant nutrient availability and retention in the soil. It is the potential of available nutrient supply, not a direct measurement of available nutrients. Soil...