Agriculture
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We wrote about Potsdam grower Daniel Martin’s plans for a new style of farmstand a few months, and now it’s up and a running. Martin’s market isn’t at the village square; it’s in the gathering place of the future – online. I tried...
Yes, a Washington hog farmer is feeding weed to his animals. According to NPR’s The Salt, no, the prosciutto he’s producing doesn’t smell like the kind; and no, you don’t get high from eating it. But the story highlights two...
It was a newsy week in the world of agriculture, so here are seven good reads to keep you busy this weekend: The Farm Bill passed both the House and Senate Agriculture committees this week, and are likely to get hearings on the floors of their...
Today we’re excited to have a new regular contributor join us on The Dirt. Lucy Martin lives south of urban Ottawa and writes regularly for NCPR’s other blogs. A couple times a month, she’ll share the view of food and farm issues...
The Senate Agriculture committee passed a nearly $100 billion a year Farm Bill this afternoon, 15-5. One of the Senators who voted against it was New York Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand, who’s leading a fight to restore all of the $400 million...
Agriculture
May 13, 2013 — The high court ruled unanimously that when farmers use patented seed for more than one planting in violation of their licensing agreements, they are liable for damages.
Apr 30, 2013 — Many farmers are cheering government proposals to give thousands of seasonal farmworkers a path to legal status. But even if the bill passes, it won't solve the long-term trend of fewer migrants coming north to work on U.S. farms. Farmers will instead have to learn how to do more with less immigrant labor.
Apr 10, 2013 — Cities are finding beneficial and lucrative ways to dispose of solid waste, while also helping farmers. But a lot of sewage still ends up in landfills or being processed at big, industrial incinerators.
Apr 9, 2013 — Vermont tops the nation when it comes to locally produced food, according to a new ranking from the nonprofit Strolling of the Heifers. Having farmers markets, CSA programs and distribution systems all helps.
Mar 18, 2013 — The market for locally-grown food has seen dramatic growth over the last decade. Despite this boost in sales and popularity, evidence suggests that the economics behind the movement still don't favor the farmer. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has new programs to try to prop up small-scale operations, but many local farms only survive because they scrape by on below-market wages, or by doing without things like insurance. Many economists say despite the charm of local food, there are relatively few benefits in terms of energy efficiency, quality or cost. They say that we shouldn't knock our system of region specialization and distribution, and that farmers markets, fun though they are, are not good economic models.
Special Reports
Audio SeriesFarm to Farm, Family to Family: David Sommerstein travels with NC dairy farmers to a Mexican village many of their migrant workers call home.
Audio SeriesA Year on the Farm
In this monthly feature series, David Sommerstein follows life in the barn, on the fields, and in the farmhouse through the changing seasons on the Andrews dairy farm near Gouverneur NY. This series won the 2006 "Cap" Creal Journalism Award from the New York Agricultural Society.
Audio SeriesHispanic Workers on North Country Farms
Five years ago, just a handful of farmers in the North Country employed Hispanic workers. Now many use workers from Latin America. The transition can be a bumpy one, for farmers and for the people they hire. David Sommerstein tells their stories in this ongoing series.
Audio Slideshow:Beekeepers facing new challenges
Lucy Martin visits with Ontario beekeeper Terry McEvoy and talks about colony collapse disorder and other apiary ailments that raise concerns about the food supply.
Audio SlideshowSights & Sounds of the Dairy Princess Parade
We go to the sidelines of one of the big events on the annual dairy calendar, the St. Lawrence County Dairy Princess Parade in Canton. Fire engines, tractors, and floats rolled down Main Street on Saturday.
Audio SeriesDiversifying North Country Farms
NCPR reporter David Sommestein's series on diversifying North Country farming won the 2003 “Cap” Creal Journalism Award from the New York State Agricultural Society.
Photo Audio EssayDairy Farming in the North Country
The time seemed right to look at the challenges facing dairy in the North Country. In part 1 we look at the price of milk, as seen through the eyes of one mid-size dairy farmer. In part 2 we visit a cheese manufacturer proposing drastic changes in the way North Country farmers do business. David Sommerstein reports.
Audio SlideshowA Barn-Raising in Upper Jay (Real 6:23)
These days, most new barns are built quickly with steel frames and sheet-metal siding. But some landowners are taking a little more time, using methods and materials passed down over hundreds of years.
Photo Audio EssaySaving New York's Historic Barns
Some of New York's oldest barns are getting facelifts. Todd Moe visited a Canton family's 1820 English threshing barn slated for restoration.
Dairy farmer Mike Kiechle of Philadelphia, NY, spreads manure from his tractor. He's the kind of small farmer the new rules are trying to target, but he says he doubts he'll grow his herd bigger. Photo: David Sommerstein
Will easing dairy manure rules do much at all?
Rensselaer, NY, May 06, 2013 — Last month, Governor Cuomo carried through on a promise he made to dairy farmers, loosening environmental regulations for small farms.
Right now, a farm with 200 cows or more has to prepare detailed and costly manure management plans. Starting this week, that threshold will be bumped up to 300 cows.
Speaking at last summer's Yogurt Summit, Agriculture Commissioner Darrel Aubertine said the change would help boost milk production to meet demand fueled by Greek yogurt's popularity. "Simply put," said Aubertine, "this will make it much easier for small farms to grow."
North Country lawmakers and the state Farm Bureau praised the rule change. But environmental groups say more unregulated manure means more farm runoff in rivers and streams. It remains a big question whether the change will do much of anything at all - to the environment or for the economy. Go to full article
Right now, a farm with 200 cows or more has to prepare detailed and costly manure management plans. Starting this week, that threshold will be bumped up to 300 cows.
Speaking at last summer's Yogurt Summit, Agriculture Commissioner Darrel Aubertine said the change would help boost milk production to meet demand fueled by Greek yogurt's popularity. "Simply put," said Aubertine, "this will make it much easier for small farms to grow."
North Country lawmakers and the state Farm Bureau praised the rule change. But environmental groups say more unregulated manure means more farm runoff in rivers and streams. It remains a big question whether the change will do much of anything at all - to the environment or for the economy. Go to full article
New York rediscovers an old crop: hops
Apr 30, 2013 — New York was once the dominant grower of a main ingredient in beer: hops. As craft brewing has taken off in the state, it's created an opportunity for farmers to get back into hop growing. Go to full article
Keeping up with asparagus
Apr 29, 2013 — It won't be long before the lucky people with an asparagus patch will be eating one of the first edibles offered by the new season.
Whether you're trying to keep an old patch productive, or have established your own asparagus bed, Cooperative Extension horticulturist Amy Ivy has good advice.
Planting a new bed has traditionally required digging a big trench, but Amy has good news there: eight inches is plenty deep, and now's the time. Go to full article
Whether you're trying to keep an old patch productive, or have established your own asparagus bed, Cooperative Extension horticulturist Amy Ivy has good advice.
Planting a new bed has traditionally required digging a big trench, but Amy has good news there: eight inches is plenty deep, and now's the time. Go to full article
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From milk to beer: Dairy family switches to hops
Apr 29, 2013 — Agriculture in the North Country is changing - and the evidence is everywhere. For the Goodmans, a longtime dairy family in Fort Ann, in Washington County, it's time to get... Go to full article
Elmira thinks twice about its fracking boom
Apr 23, 2013 — The City of Elmira is just seven miles from the Pennsylvania border. And for four years, the natural gas boom in Pennsylvania's Northern Tier crossed over the border and... Go to full article
Bringing Earth Day back home
Apr 22, 2013 — It's the 43rd Earth Day. The idea of a day to stop and think about and celebrate the Earth came from U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin after he toured the devastation of... Go to full article
VT House weighs driver's licenses for migrant workers
Apr 19, 2013 — The Vermont House is hearing testimony on a bill that would grant drivers' licenses to people living in Vermont regardless of their legal status.
At yesterday's... Go to full article
At yesterday's... Go to full article
Schumer says immigration bill will help NY dairy farms
Apr 18, 2013 — U.S. Senator Charles Schumer says a new bipartisan immigration deal will provide an economic boost to New York farms and the agriculture industry.
In a ... Go to full article
In a ... Go to full article
Amish farmers partner with Agri-Mark
Apr 18, 2013 — Most of the North Country is losing population, and losing farms. But there's one group that keeps growing: Old Order Amish. They're drawn to the St. Lawrence Valley by the... Go to full article
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