Posts by Fay Benson
Dairy farmer and Cooperative Extension Educator Fay Benson shares the results of a three-year study testing his Pasture Compaction Ratio hypothesis. He describes best management practices and how to measure…
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Soil compaction by grazing animals leads to loss of pore space, which can have tangible impacts on pasture productivity. I had a pasture soil compaction epiphany while working in a…
Read MoreWith more than 600 dairies, New York has more organic dairies than any other state. Four months have passed since the COVID-19 pandemic caused a shutdown of nearly all aspects…
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The current and future disruption of the dairy industry will require producers to think outside the box and possibly inside the fence. Two dairy enterprises that can benefit the most…
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Raising an organic dairy heifer can be costly. The first year of a dairy heifer’s life has the highest per day costs mainly due to the whole milk fed and labor required for young calves.…
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As the government moves away from disaster payments and programs, New York farmers are increasing their reliance on crop insurance to take some of the risk out of their cropping…
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As the government moves away from disaster payments and programs, New York farmers are increasing their reliance on crop insurance to take some of the risk out of their…
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Farmers who have used bedded packs were featured at the NY Certified Organic (NYCO) meeting on January 8, 2019. Small dairy farm operators in New York may soon be faced…
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Small dairy farm operators may soon be confronted by the prohibition of winter spreading of manure. Any farmer looking to update their barns should consider a design that can accommodate…
Read MoreThe purpose of this article is to help dairies that are interested in having their milk processed into salable dairy products. Off-farm processing will alleviate the considerable time, effort, and…
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