Albany, NY, Aug 16, 2012 — Governor Andrew Cuomo wants to ease a key environmental regulation so that smaller dairy farmers can keep more cows, more easily. The governor says he'll also seek ways to help farms get lower cost energy, and help farmers sell energy back to the electrical grid.

The news that the threshold requiring farms to follow strict Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) rules will be raised came at the "yogurt summit" convened by the governor Wednesday at the State Capitol.  Go to full article

Watertown, NY, Aug 16, 2012 — Governor Andrew Cuomo hosted a "yogurt summit'' Wednesday in Albany, to talk with farmers and manufacturers about ways the state can help boost New York's share of the growing trade. Making yogurt has become big business in upstate New York in recent years.

Those yogurt plants that are the focus of the summit are in western and central New York. But North Country dairy farmers would still benefit from growth in that industry. Jay Matteson is Jefferson County's agricultural coordinator. He told David Sommerstein the more dairy plants in the region, the better.  Go to full article

Albany, NY, Jun 13, 2012 — Lawmakers are on a tight schedule in Albany this week. With the end of the legislative session set for June 21, they're pushing the clock to finish work on a myriad of large and small issues, and get legislation passed before time runs out.

But they got a break yesterday (Tuesday), and it was a sweet one, as New York's dairy farmers brought their ice cream, chocolate milk, mozzarella string cheese. and their politics to lobby their legislators.  Go to full article

Canton, NY, Jun 04, 2012 — June is National Dairy Month, and this weekend was the annual Dairy Princess Festival and Parade. Despite the crummy weather, the hundreds of people who came out didn't look like they were feeling a drop.

Fire trucks, high school bands, girl scouts, politicians, local businesses and, of course, the Dairy Princess and her court rolled through town, throwing handfuls of candy all along the way. Tasha Haverty got to meet the parade's unofficial tallier of the floats, 11 year-old Ryan Nolan. They send us this postcard.  Go to full article

Canton, NY, May 17, 2012 — 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.  Go to full article

Burlington, VT, Apr 09, 2012 — The dairy industry in Northern New York and Vermont relies heavily on migrant labor. A lot of the farm workers are undocumented. That causes problems when the workers have to do simple tasks that involve driving, like going to the grocery store or visiting the doctor. But Vermont legislators are discussing a bill that may change that. Sarah Harris reports.  Go to full article

Chase Mills, NY, Dec 30, 2011 — There's no doubt farming's a volatile industry. With grain and gas prices constantly fluctuating, and more and more consumers searching for low prices, it's no wonder the number of farms has dropped. Last summer, NCPR traveled the North Country looking for the next generation of farmers. This week, we're listening back to some of the stories we found.

The key to farming since the 1970s has been to go big with a few cash crops, search out efficiency, utilize technology and produce more from each acre.

Some young farmers want to do it their own way. They want to stay small, avoid mainstream distribution and maybe grow organic. These new farmers face different challenges from their traditional predecessors, but they can't avoid the economics. Steve Knight tackled the knotty subject of farm economics.  Go to full article

Watertown, NY, Dec 29, 2011 — Many North Country Maple producers can now tap into a new loan fund to help them increase the amount of syrup they produce. The Development authority of the North Country, or DANC, set up the program after several studies showed most maple trees in the area aren't being tapped. That means producers are missing out on a lot of potential revenue. Nora Flaherty has the details.  Go to full article

Norwood, NY, Dec 26, 2011 — This week, we're listening again to a series we produced this summer titled, "Farmers Under 40", a look at the new generation of young farmers in the North Country. The series also celebrates locally grown food: vegetables, fruit, meat and dairy. So, what can you do with raw milk, besides drinking it? Think cheese.

Inspired by Barbara Kingsolver's book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Todd Moe found it's pretty easy to make delicious soft cheese, with no special equipment and just a few key ingredients. He starts with a gallon of raw milk. Forty-five minutes later, he's got a softball sized piece of home made mozzarella. It begins on the farm...  Go to full article

Potsdam, NY, Oct 03, 2011 — High school students and staff from around the region are invited to attend GardenShare's Youth Summit on October 24th at SUNY Potsdam. It's National Food Day, and organizers want young people, and their mentors, to explore issues like healthy eating, sustainable farming and junk food. GardenShare executive director Phil Harnden spoke with Todd Moe. He says the event is free and there's financial aid for schools to help offset the costs of transportation.  Go to full article