News stories tagged with "beef"

(06/03/11) A Maine-based beef company wants North Country farmers to raise beef cattle for a high-end retail market.

Pineland Farms Natural Meats is looking to buy between 150 and 200 head of cattle a month from North Country farmers and it's holding a meeting Friday to tell farmers about company requirements. more

(03/30/10) Tonight, local beef, lamb, and pork farmers are gathering at Cornell Cooperative Extension in Canton to discuss a problem that they're happy to have. Increased interest in local grass-fed and free range meat has created a shortage of slaughterhouses in the North Country and across the Northeast. There are only three USDA-certified abattoirs in northern New York, two in St. Lawrence County and one near Saratoga Springs. As David Sommerstein reports, meat processors see a big opportunity and a big risk.

The Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County is hosting a meeting tonight at 7 to discuss the shortage of slaughterhouse facilities in the region.

One note to this story: bison farmer Dale Healey is retiring, but he says it had nothing to do with the slaughterhouse shortage. more

(02/11/10) Drive through almost any hamlet or four corners in the North Country, and you will likely see a shuttered family grocer. The little shops were once the hub of gossip and community activity, as well as shopping for essentials, before they were eclipsed by chains of gas station convenience stores. A man in Jefferson County is reviving his family's grocery store in Pamelia Corners. In the process, he's giving local farmers an outlet for their products in the cold months between farmers' markets. David Sommerstein reports. more

(06/18/08) There were a lot more questions than answers last night at a fact-finding meeting on Bion. The company wants to build an 84,000 beef cow farm and ethanol plant in St. Lawrence County. A task force is trying to find out more about how the project would affect the people, economy, and environment around the proposed feedlots. But there appears to be an impasse. Martha Foley reports.

(12/19/07) St. Lawrence County is finalizing the make-up of a task force to analyze a company's plan to build an 84,000-head beef feedlot and ethanol plant. Scientists, farmers, lawmakers, and citizens will gather information on the project. The task force was a major component of the county's expression of "tentative support" for Bion's plans. David Sommerstein reports.

(11/16/07) A New York City-based firm is pushing ahead on a project that would combine a massive feedlot with alternative energy in St. Lawrence County. Bion Environmental Technologies touts an environmentally friendly way to raise 84,000 beef cattle and produce ethanol in the process. The project would be the first of its kind in the country. Many community leaders see the $200 million project as an economic boon and an environmental model. But a growing number of critics say the "green" promises are too good to believe. David Sommerstein reports.

(03/04/03) The town of Dekalb Junction, just southwest of Canton, is known by treasure hunters as the antique capital of St. Lawrence County. But every Wednesday, bargain hunters of a different kind park their 4x4s and trailers all along Route 11 for Seymour's Commission Sales weekly livestock auction. David Sommerstein stopped in and sends this audio postcard.

(12/06/02) Grass fed meat is a hot topic in culinary circles. A symposium this weekend will bring farmers and chefs together at Paul Smith's College. Martha Foley talks with Richard Brousseau, Chef and owner of Richard's Freestyle on Lake Placid's Main Street.

(10/16/02) Most of the cattle raised in the Great Lakes region spend their lives in a feedlot, fattening up on corn and other grains. But there's a growing number of organic farmers looking at putting their cows in the pasture. They say grass-fed beef is a healthy alternative. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium's Brad Linder has more.

(04/18/02) While red meat has taken a beating in recent years from the health industry, a number of studies now indicate that it's also possible for even red meat to have some health benefits. Scientists and farmers have found ways to put certain important fatty acids in chicken and pig diets. Now chicken, pork, and even eggs can have lower than average cholesterol. An organic farmer from Northern Illinois is participating in a study that's trying to get beef to catch up to its healthier counterparts. If he succeeds, farmers across the Great Lakes might start varying their grain crops. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium's Simone Orendain reports.