Country Folks
Posted on May 6, 2026
High production dairy cows are metabolic athletes with unique nutritional challenges that producers must be aware of to maintain herd health, trace mineral balance and optimal milk production. There are currently 1.2 million dairy cows producing an average of 22,516 lbs. of milk per cow within Conne...
Country Folks
by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant 
Posted on May 6, 2026
Crop diseases reduce yield, but with the right planning, farmers can lessen their effect and realize the full potential of their crops. Jordan Bassler, agronomy leader at Seed Consultants in Washington Courthouse, Ohio, presented at the recent A.N. Martin Open House. “Red crown rot is big in soybean...
Country Folks, Farmers First
Posted on May 6, 2026
Hello, farm family! After a tumultuous winter, spring is finally here, even though the weather seems to be having a hard time getting the message. Farmers are not fooled by unseasonable chills, however. If you’re anything like the farmers I know, you’re already moving full speed ahead: filling up gr...
Country Folks, Crop Comments
Crop Comments A10 
Posted on May 6, 2026
As I’m writing this column in late April’s pre-dawn, it appears that spring has not quite grabbed the climate reins from winter. Autmn-planted winter annuals are looking pretty good – crops like wheat, rye, triticale, barley and speltz. But perennial crops are taking their sweet time breaking dorman...
Country Folks
by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant 
Posted on April 29, 2026
Getting a jump on pests can help improve your chances warding off a major infestation. Chloe Yi-Luo Cho, Ph.D. candidate in entomology at Cornell, presented “Early-Season Pest Damage Across New York: Risk Under Different Management Practices in Light of the Neonicotinoid Ban” at the recent Soybean &...
Country Folks
by Kelsi Devolve 
Posted on April 29, 2026
Taika von Königslöw, assistant Professor at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, spoke at the 2026 New Hampshire Dairy Management Conference, explaining the complexities of calf health and management. Calves are extremely vulnerable within their first few days of life, but it’s essen...
Country Folks
by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant 
Posted on April 29, 2026
A motivational speaker may not seem a typical choice for a speaker at a farm conference, but the Northeast Dairy Management Conference, presented by PRO-DAIRY and the Northeast Dairy Producers Association, welcomed Matt Booth of Mattitude from Dubuque, Iowa, to speak about one’s outlook effecting po...
Country Folks, Crop Comments
Crop
Posted on April 29, 2026
The U.S. plants significantly less acreage of this summer annual than it did a century ago. Buckwheat was once a much more widespread crop before the late Industrial Revolution introduced new technologies. The center-point of such technologies were fertilizers based on chemical ingredients which inc...
Country Folks
by Sonja Heyck-Merlin 
Posted on April 22, 2026
According to Alyssa Dietrich Warner, it’s commonly recommended to feed a newborn calf a minimum of four liters of colostrum at the first feeding. Some dairy farmers choose to feed more than this. This is a way to achieve excellent transfer of passive immunity (TPI), regardless of colostrum quality. ...
Country Folks, Dairy
by Sonja Heyck-Merlin 
June 17, 2026
“We want to identify what are the top management practices that explain the best milk quality in organic dairy farms,” said Carlos Nino de Guzman, a d...
Country Folks, Dairy
by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant ommercial dairy herds are increasing both 
June 17, 2026
Commercial dairy herds are increasing both in profitable milk components and in overall yields. Does this mean cows should be challenged with more nut...
Country Folks
by Sonja Heyck-Merlin 
June 17, 2026
“The famous quote about food hubs is when you’ve seen one food hub, you’ve seen one food hub. They’re like snowflakes,” said Katelyn Porter of the New...
Country Folks, Dairy
by Sally Colby 
June 17, 2026
Mary, Javier and Lorrie handle moving cows and milking at Cool Beans Dairy. Mary attaches milking units immediately after wiping udders dry while Javi...