Food Security and Emergency Preparedness
Food security is a critical aspect of disaster preparedness. Emergencies like floods, tornadoes, pandemics, and storms can disrupt food supplies. One of the first steps in creating a food security plan is to understand the local needs, including the specific food security challenges and vulnerabilities of the population. With Herkimer County being number one in […]
Farm Profile: Garlic Delite Farm
Frank Yerina continues the Garlic Delite Farm started by his dad, Robert Yerina, in 1985. The farm was a family operation from its beginning. Robert began the farm with a handful of garlic bulbs that his father had bought at a bar in Salisbury, New York. Knowing the Mohawk Valley’s great growing conditions for garlic […]
Growing Better Tomorrows
Over the past decade, Herkimer County has been seeing, and benefitting, from community gardens sprouting up. Through cross-pollination, the idea has spread in Ilion, Frankfort, Herkimer, Mohawk, Little Falls, with hopefully more to come. “It is our belief that everyone should have a garden. We strive to give this space to the community to volunteer […]
On the House Bouquets
Nothing drives me to plaster down words faster than an encounter with excellence in human spirit. My meeting with Sue Carney was such an encounter, and so I am delighted to share this story with our readers. Sue Carney is an interesting character. As I wrote this, I imagined she would smile upon reading it, […]
Farm Profile: Gallik Family Farm – A Legacy Rooted in Family Traditions
Nestled near the village of Herkimer, Gallik Family Farm is an example of farming traditions passed down through generations. The farm’s history begins in the early 20th century with Donna Gallik’s grandparents, Carpatho-Rusyn immigrants, who left their homeland in search of better opportunities. After settling in New Jersey and working industrial jobs, they were drawn […]
Farmers’ Museum Jr. Livestock Show
The Farmers’ Museum Junior Livestock show is a rite of summer for young people throughout a nine county region of Central New York. The show began in 1947 with a gift from the founder of The Farmers’ Museum, Stephen C. Clark of Cooperstown, to support the 4-H programs of the Cornell Cooperative Extension offices in […]
Midsummer Feeding
Plants are a lot like us. They get hungry. Even though we may have a big breakfast, we start looking for something to eat a few hours later. As you prepared your vegetable garden this spring, you likely added compost and fertilizers to feed your plants. But your plants may need a snack too. Some […]
Farm Profile: Augur-Doody Farm
One of the core strengths of American agriculture is the family farm, according to the USDA’s 2017 Census of Agriculture, about 96% of the 2.04 million farms in the United States are family-owned. Despite economic and technical changes, family farms continue to be the backbone of American agriculture. The farm of Patrick and Amy Doody […]
Cultivating Inclusion on the Farm
Farms are demonstrating their agility in response to industry changes such as technology advancements, climate fluctuations, and policy and regulatory changes. As the agricultural landscape evolves, so does the makeup of farm workforces. Today, farms are seeing an increasingly diverse array of employees, reflecting the global nature of modern agriculture. To thrive in this changing […]
Farm Profile: Insight Dairy, LLC
By anyone’s accounting, agriculture is a tough business. Dairy farmers make their living through hard work, good luck and a whole lot of knowledge about subjects as diverse as economics, herd health and management, implement and heavy truck maintenance as well as basic human resource skills are just a few of the skills that Chris […]
