Year: 2012

MaineNYFC o242io

And the Survey Says! Beginning Farmer Critical Needs

By Wes Hannah / April 2, 2012
Posted in ,

With nearly one-quarter of American farmers expected to retire in the next two decades – indeed, the average age of a farmer in the U.S. hovers around fifty-seven – the need for an effective plan to encourage beginning farmers has never been more pressing. As with any entrepreneurship, farming has a number of major barriers…

FBPoll 1hps5dq

Using Online Surveys and Polls to Connect with Your Clients

By Michelle Podolec / April 2, 2012
Posted in ,

Surveys help you gauge what your customers think of your business, and give you the chance to learn more about what they want from you. Online polls can help you gather feedback quickly and easily from your customers. While not appropriate for every business or situation (sometimes paper surveys can get a better response rate),…

Tomato Therapy

By Mason Donovan / April 2, 2012
Posted in , ,

  There are so many reasons why we decide to be farmers. Traditionally it has been a profession passed down from one generation to the next. You were often expected to take on the stewardship of the family land. Others took up farming as an alternate revenue stream to the corporate world as either a…

Springside Farm’s Many Baskets

By Maryn Carlson / April 2, 2012
Posted in

by Larkin Kimmerer When Ed and Paulie Drexler started dairy farming together right out of college, they received a piece of advice from a professor at Cornell University: if you are going to put all your eggs in one basket, you’d better make sure it has a strong handle. Thirty-seven years and a few broken…

Spring 18sjpq6

Spring Forward

By Ron MacLean / April 2, 2012
Posted in ,

In the Northeast, usually Spring is a renaissance after a long, cold, snowy season. This past winter, however, never really arrived. On February 2, 2012, the day Punxsutawney Phil predicted 6 more weeks of winter, there was little or no snow cover in much of the Northeast. Spring arrives in March followed by her sisters,…

GreenGrass 245dvgn

Realizing the Potential of NY Grasslands

By Dan Welch / April 2, 2012
Posted in

Report recommends taking action to realize the potential of underutilized grasslands as a farming resource that will spur rural economic development, grow the regional food supply, and enhance environmental outcomes for all citizens of New York State. There are over 3 million acres of grasslands in New York State that are not currently being used…

Off the Ground: Conservation Program Promotes both Hay Yield and Bird Habitat

By Toby Alexander / April 2, 2012
Posted in , ,

  In our last two “Stewardship and Nature” columns, the National Audubon Society described the partnership they have had with the Natural Resources Conservation Service and landowners to facilitate the management of wildlife habitat to promote avian species (birds). In this article Toby Alexander explains the process used to develop an agronomic practice and financial…

Ducklings 28csd29

Maine’s Original Duck Farm

By Ryan Wilson / April 2, 2012
Posted in ,

Ryan Wilson and Gina Simmons, owners of Common Wealth Farm, in Unity, Maine, were surprised with their level of first year success. Finding an instant niche market and being established as a family farm gave way to a lot of progress in a short amount of time. Before starting Common Wealth Farm, Ryan Wilson had…

Wake Robin 1 2gcrdlq

Grazing and the Good Life

By Meg Schader / April 2, 2012
Posted in , ,

This article was one of four winning entries in a writing contest sponsored by the New York State Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI). GLCI is led by a Steering Committee of farmers and agricultural professionals to promote the wise use of private grazing lands, and is funded by the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service. Our family…

KristinKimball 25kki91

Farm Memoirs

By Jill Swenson / April 2, 2012
Posted in ,

  There’s nothing more enjoyable than spending a spring afternoon indoors reading a book while it rains outside or while you wait for the mud to dry. Memoirs export you to a different time and place and put the reader into the shoes walked by the author. The genre of memoir is very popular and…