Year: 2017
by Mario Miranda Sazo Over the past five years, many New York fruit farm operations have undergone significant growth. Orchards that used to employ only a handful of people with low-skill horticultural talent now look for more help to meet this demand. Why does one fruit grower always have highly-efficient labor, while other similar farm operations do not? Why are some…
One mushroom growing operation proves farming in the city is possible and profitable. by Molly R. Bucknum Most urban farmers have a tough time finding space to grow food. Location, high rent costs, and lack of infrastructure all make securing farmland in a city difficult. That’s why Tyler Case and Brian Versek of Philadelphia were…
From the Editor: Regardless of your social, political, and religious views, as a farmer you belong to agroup that is a small minority of the US workforce. And as we all know, farming isnot a job, but a lifestyle. When there is not a clock-in and clock-out time, and whenthe farm needs rise and fall…
Affordable biofilters can keep your farmyard odor in check. by Jason P. Oliver The importance of good neighbor relations and the issue of odor Foul odors can lead to criticism of a livestock farm and impede the good neighbor relations that are essential to a sustainable production. Due to changes in farm practice and manure…
by Claudia Kenny A farmer manages complexity such as unpredictability in biological systems, changing weather and climate patterns, and ever-changing economic systems. When multiple stressors pile up, relationships often break down. Break downs on farm can manifest in many different ways, from debt default to family or employee tension or conflicts. Our business and personal lives are…
by Groundswell Center for Local Food and Farming The Groundswell Center for Local Food & Farming and the Cornell Small Farms Program are teaming up to create a new column called Lessons from the Land, which captures and share the stories of and lessons learned from farmers, homesteaders and land workers around New York and…
by Guy K. Ames Almost all of the domestic organic table grapes and tree fruits sold in the United States come from the West. In the eastern United States, organic production of perennial fruits is complicated by myriad insects and diseases. If an eastern grower could find a technique to grow good-looking organic fruit that…
by Alissa Kent The John May Farm Safety Fund is a funding assistance program that was launched by the New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health (NYCAMH) in January of 2016. The Safety Fund, set up by NYCAMH, honors the organization’s co-founder Dr. John May and will assist New York farmers who need financial…
by Reuben Dourte If you have found yourself in the situation of expanding your farming operations to business activities that fall outside of the scope of normal or traditional farming ventures, you probably need to take time to reevaluate your insurance coverages. Often, farming policies will exclude coverage for what the insurance company considers as…
Getting a Leg Up on Climate Change by Jonathan Lambert & Abbie Kramer From increased flooding and short-term drought, to heat stress and unexpected freeze risk, the effects of climate variability and change are exacerbating the challenges that farmers already face on a daily basis. Climate change presents an unprecedented test for the ingenuity of…
