Posts by Rich Taber

Rich Taber is the Livestock and Forestry Educator for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chenango County, New York. He lives with his beef cows and other creatures on a 165-acre farm in the high, remote hills of nearby Madison County. He can be reached at email rbt44@cornell.edu.
The author's herd of mixed Hereford, Black Angus, and Red Angus cattle.

Selecting a Beef Cattle Breed

By Rich Taber / October 20, 2020

In part two of our “What’s Your Beef?” series on raising cattle on small farms, we help you answer the questions of what breed of beef cattle you should get.  In the first article…

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Calves and their mothers in a pasture

What’s Your Beef?

By Rich Taber / July 20, 2020

So you think that you would like to raise some beef cattle on your small farm? This is the first installment of a multi-part series of articles on raising beef…

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Touched by an Angel: Disaster Averted!

By Rich Taber / January 13, 2020

He or she who hauls heavy agricultural loads on highways has to be vigilant in preventing machine failures on busy highways!  I am no stranger to ordeals, mishaps, and minor…

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Brush Hogs and Rotary Cutters: Multi-purpose Tools for the Small Farm

By Rich Taber / October 7, 2019

Brush hogs can knock down vegetation and weeds in a timely manner, and have several very useful purposes. Small farmers of necessity must accumulate a certain amount of machinery to…

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How About Those Woodlots; Can We Make Any Money From Them?

By Rich Taber / January 14, 2019

Increased farm viability and diversification through value added forest products. By Rich Taber Many farmers and rural property owners have woodlands as part of their land ownership portfolio, and we oftentimes…

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Chainsaw Safety, Part 4: Reducing the Risk of Chainsaw Kickback (Just say No to Kickback!)

By Rich Taber / July 2, 2018

Chainsaw Safety, Part One Chainsaw Safety, Part Two Chainsaw Safety, Part Three In the first three articles of this series on chainsaw safety we focused on having the right types of safety…

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Chainsaw Safety, Part 4: Reducing the Risk of Chainsaw Kickback (Just say No to Kickback!)

By Rich Taber / June 28, 2018

Chainsaw Safety, Part One Chainsaw Safety, Part Two Chainsaw Safety, Part Three In the first three articles of this series on chainsaw safety we focused on having the right types of safety…

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Cover Crops

Low-Cost Seeding Methods for Improving Pastures and Haylands 

By Rich Taber / April 6, 2018

Methods to improve old unproductive pastures and hayfields that are both effective and economical are a common challenge for farmers, and especially so for new and beginning farmers.  The time and cost for re-seeding includes multiple…

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Personal Protective Equipment: Chainsaw Safety, Part 2

By Rich Taber / January 8, 2018

Chainsaw Safety, Part One This second part article on chainsaw safety is part of our CCE Chenango grant project done in collaboration with the New York Farm Viability Institute, “Increased…

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Chainsaw Safety, an Absolute Necessity

By Rich Taber / October 2, 2017

Most farmers and rural landowners own chainsaws for a variety of purposes, the majority of which involve the cutting of trees and firewood.  Chainsaws, in the hands of the untrained…

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