Agriculture

(05/23/12) Gov. Cuomo's proposal to expand gambling in New York gave one rural St. Lawrence County leader an idea.

"I was thinking when I read the governor's proposal to put seven casinos in New York State, I thought, why not put one in the northern tier? Maybe we could get one up here." Brasher Town Supervisor James Dawson told town board members last week a casino would be a great way to attract visitors to the region...and to pump up St. Lawrence County's flagging economy.

The 900 acres Dawson has in mind has already been considered for a racetrack and entertainment complex. That development failed, and the land ended up in bankruptcy court. Dawson told Nora Flaherty a casino there could anchor a host of spin-off development. more

(05/23/12) The Canton Farmer's Market opened last week. While most of the vendors rely on their table display to catch the customer's eye, one tent calls on the customer's olfactory system.

(05/21/12) It's prime season for planting the vegetable garden. With hot, dry weather, tender new transplants and seeds need a little extra care. Cornell Cooperative extension horticulturist Amy Ivy tells Martha Foley that light, frequent watering can be key.

(05/21/12) A high school science teacher from Lake Placid wants to help the town of North Elba change the way it disposes of organic waste.

Tammy Morgan teaches biology and environmental science at Lake Placid Middle-High School. She recently delivered a preliminary report to the North Elba town board on a proposed project to install an anaerobic digester at the town-owned landfill.

As Chris Morris reports, some farms already use anaerobic digesters to process manure, but North Elba would become the first municipality on the East Coast to use this kind of technology to process food waste on site. more

(05/21/12) Every spring, a Department of Environmental Conservation biologist drives along north country highways at dawn or dusk, stopping every so often to pull over and listen. They're listening for the distinctive "peent" of the singing American woodcock, a brown speckled bird a little larger than a songbird with a long, narrow beak for pulling earthworms out of the ground.

The little game bird is under threat New York state, and the survey each year is meant to get a handle on what population trends are in this region. DEC regional spokesman Stephen Litwhiler is the happy host to several of the birds in his backyard in southern Jefferson County. He says the birds' appearance each year is his personal "harbinger of spring."

For this Heard Up North, reporter Joanna Richards donned camouflage and hid behind the birds' favorite tree in Litwhiler's backyard to get a close-up look - and listen. more

(05/17/12) St. Lawrence County has had a Dairy Princess since 1964. Every year since then, a group of judges selects a wholesome young woman from the community to be the face of the local dairy industry.

To become the dairy princess a girl has to be between 16 and 21 years old, and has to compete in a pageant where she is judged on her public speaking ability, her general poise, and her knowledge of dairy products. Tasha Haverty takes us through this year's competition, and looks ahead to its future.

(05/14/12) Boxes and pots offer a great chance for small-scale and perfectly located flower gardening. Cooperative Extension horticulturist Amy Ivy has tips on how to assemble and maintain successful containers, including how to recycle potting mix from year to year. She talks with Martha Foley.

(05/11/12) The Obama administration has scrapped an effort to introduce new safety regulations designed to protect the tens of thousands of kids who work in agriculture.

Many farmers are applauding the decision to shelve the rules, calling it a victory for their rural way of life.

But safety experts say more teenagers under the age of 16 die each year working on farms than in all other industries combined.

With the presidential election just six months away, supporters and critics alike say the new rules were just too controversial. North Country Public Radio's Brian Mann reports. more

(05/04/12) This week and next, North Country Public Radio is exploring the lives of people who do traditional work. These are arts and types of industry that people would have been using to make a living in our region a century ago, or even longer. Ted Elk has been a beekeeper for nearly 20 years - with hives from Clayton, to Evans Mills, to Fort Drum. He says it's become much more labor intensive in that time. Julie Grant visited him Hammond. more

(05/03/12) Record-breaking warm temperatures this March sped up the growing season in North Country orchards--with many fruit trees now in blossom well ahead of schedule. This weekend, low temperatures below freezing put those blossoms in danger, and raised questions about this year's yields.

Many orchardists spent much of the weekend trying to protect their crops--using bonfires, wind machines and water to keep frost from settling into fruit blossoms. more