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A great example of the virtues of quality over quantity is the milk produced at Miller’s Organic Dairy in Richfield Springs. A long standing certified organic farmer, Miller’s introduced grain as a means to increase volume of milk production in the 1970s.…
From an ecological or agricultural point of view, what is the best use for abandoned or neglected farmland? 1…
Riparian buffers are among the best management practices we mentioned in our October column about regenerative agriculture. The word “riparian” refers to areas alongside streams, rivers or other bodies of water.…
Unlike “organic farming,” “permaculture,” or “biodynamic farming,” the idea of regenerative agriculture is not an absolute prescription, but rather an agricultural philosophy which is directed at high-quality production within the context of preservation and restoration of the local “natural capital” embedded in soil, water, and biodiversity.…
Jonah Shaw, of Delhi, grew up with a chef’s knife in one hand and a scribbled spreadsheet in the other. From the beginning, he loved cooking great-tasting food and understood the importance of organization to creating it consistently.…
News from the Noteworthy: Sustainable Otsego Tunnel Vision – Hoop Houses Extend Growing Season Farmers have sought protection from climate and weather since the beginning of agriculture. Gardeners of Roman emperor Tiberius are credited with creating the first greenhouse “effect” by placing sheets of selenite, a translucent form of gypsum, over winter crops. Now climate change is bringing extremes of heat and cold, rain bombs, blights, and other challenges. An increasingly popular and economical protection for row crops is the…
Letter from Wayne Mellor Otsego Board of Reps Made Right Decision Sustainable Otsego fully supports the Otsego County Board of Representatives’ unanimous vote to oppose three propositions in the proposed 2024 state budget, which would change Real Property Tax Law 575-b, part N. The first local, utility-scale, solar project was proposed for the Town of Laurens in 2019. In response, Sustainable Otsego’s position was that our communities and Otsego County need to benefit from the loss of our land to…
News from the Noteworthy Exploring a Working Example of Applied Idealism The Unadilla Community Farm in West Edmeston, established in 2014, is a nonprofit whose mission is providing space for the teaching and practice of sustainable skills in agriculture, natural building, and food equity. The farm was an abandoned corn field, now transformed into an edible food forest. It grows 200 varieties of annual and perennial products, using sustainable techniques. It uses a diversity of conservation practices, such as rainwater…
News from the Noteworthy Freshwater Aquaculture: Raising Fish on a Hilltop What grass is to dairy, water is to aquaculture. At Skytop Springs Fish Farm, on a sylvan hillside in Sidney Center, the Sellitti family works with nature’s offering—pristine water from multiple springs and wells. Twenty-five gallons a minute run through a series of artificial ponds, then huge tanks, and finally to holding ponds, where solids settle out and the water is returned to the land. This is a zero…
News from the Noteworthy Trust is Key to Success of Vertically Integrated Farm Teresa Labruzzo, co-owner of Dream Weaver Farm in Richfield Springs, admits she was not at all sure if there would be any customers when they opened their farm store two years ago. But in fact, market research wasn’t necessary after all…there is a huge demand for DWF’s products. This edition of “The Life of the Land” will explore some of the elements which make this an agricultural…