Country Folks
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...
Country Folks
by Enrico Villamaino 
Posted on March 4, 2026
Influenza A virus continues to challenge pork production. It mutates. It reassorts. It exploits management gaps and thrives on opportunity. New field data now show that everyday barn level decisions directly influence how genetically diverse and complex this virus becomes inside a herd. The data cit...
Country Folks
by Enrico Villamaino 
Posted on March 4, 2026
Sweet sap seasons are sacred in the sugarbush. Yet a speckled sapsucker is stirring stress among syrup producers. The spotted lanternfly (SLF), first detected in Pennsylvania in 2014, has spread swiftly and is now established in at least 19 other states. This invasive Asian planthopper prefers tree-...
Country Folks, Crop Comments
Crop Comments
Crop Comments B3 
Posted on March 4, 2026
Corn was originally a tropical grass from high elevation areas of central Mexico (about 7,400 feet above sea level). Today, corn still prefers conditions typical of that area – warm daytime temperatures and cool nights. Areas that consistently produce high corn yields share some significant characte...
Gardening Farming
Courtney Llewellyn 
May 4, 2026
Trees are very important to our world. They help with landscape aesthetics, shade, food production, wildlife habitat and much more. Now is a great tim...
Events
Courtney Llewellyn 
May 2, 2026
The Adirondack Railroad Beer & Wine Trains are getting ready to roll in for a new season. In addition to the Utica Beer & Wine Train, two new offering...
Lifestyle
Courtney Llewellyn 
April 30, 2026
Great nature photography doesn’t start with expensive gear – it starts with paying better attention. In just 15 minutes, you can train your eye, sharp...
Lifestyle
by Sam Mazotta 
April 28, 2026
Dear Paw’s Corner: I want to take my 2-year-old dog Halley on hikes this summer, but I’m terrified that she will get Lyme disease. What will happen to...