Aug 14, 2006 — Everywhere you look this time of year, you see miles and miles of hay. Hay in round bales, square bales, wrapped in white plastic, lined in long strips across fields, piled in a big wagon hitched to the back of a tractor. This year, David Sommerstein's spending time on Bob Andrews' dairy near Gouverneur to learn the ins and outs of farming. Today's episode of A Year on the Farm is all about hay.  Go to full article

Feb 23, 2006 — "Closed herds", like the cows on Bob Andrews' farm, are in a minority in the North Country. Lots of dairy farmers are buying and selling cows at auctions, picking up replacement heifers as their milkers age. Farms, like ones in Hopkinton and Madrid, have entire operations based on raising calves until they're ready to produce milk. David Sommerstein spoke with Joseph te Riele, a dairy farmer in Canton. He says a growing number of farmers send their calves to other farms after they're born.  Go to full article