SALEM, Ohio — Dissent and disagreement within the agricultural community about the future of the national animal identification program came through loud and clear during Congressional hearings last week.
Animal identification, lauded by some farm groups as absolutely necessary to protect the food supply and criticized by others as a flawed program that will threaten farmers’ livelihoods, […]

LOUISVILLE, Ohio — Last week, on a 50-degree day, Josh Moore celebrated the coming of spring by carrying hundreds of flats and planters full of pansies from their shelter at Motts Greenhouse, arranging them into rows in the sunshine.
It’s only March at the Motts operation just east of Louisville — there’s admittedly not much to […]

SALEM, Ohio — No one is safe from hard-hitting money woes, and this week, another victim came forward: Ohio State University Extension.
State budget cuts will eliminate roughly $3.6 million of the state Extension purse now through June 2011 and have forced a massive restructuring and workforce reduction in the state Extension system.
“OSU Extension must reduce […]

Leroy Baker Jr., owner and operator of Sugarcreek Livestock Auction, has been fined more than $162,000 by the USDA for violating equine transport laws. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) filed a complaint against Baker in March 2008, alleging he violated the Commercial Transportation of Equines for Slaughter Act.

SALEM, Ohio — Ohio farmers, you’ve had your warning.
The Humane Society of the United States — the group who’s successfully outlawed hen cages, veal crates and gestation stalls in California, Arizona and Florida — has its eye on doing the same in the Buckeye State.
The organization sent representatives to Columbus in February to make sure […]

SALEM, Ohio — Temple Grandin, renowned author, livestock facilities designer and proponent of animal well-being, is lending her name to a labeling program that guarantees sustainability and humane animal treatment.
Grandin unveiled the program, which she’s calling Dr. Temple Grandin Certified, Sustainable & Humane, in early February.
It applies only to the Niman Ranch line of branded […]

SALEM, Ohio — It’ll be one of the easiest ways you’ll ever make money off your farmland.
That’s what’s being said about carbon credit trading, and farmers in eight Pennsylvania counties have the chance to be among the first in the Keystone State to get involved and profit from doing, well, nothing.
Pilot
Gary Swan, Pennsylvania […]

SALEM, Ohio — Diversified farms and soil types. Plenty of moisture. Optimism about the future.
Farmers of all ages, plus agribusiness and political leaders, said these were the good things going for agriculture in Crawford County, Pa.
But those who turned out over the past couple weeks for public discussions on the topic also identified some drawbacks […]

Mahoning County farmer Ed Schaefer Jr. decided to skip the flowers, chocolates and mushy card for his wife, Jen, and made a more public statement last weekend for Valentine’s Day. “There’s no better way to say ‘I love you’ than with a load of manure, is there?” he joked. Schaefer spread his love — and […]

BURTON, Ohio — Pecan turtles, the gooey caramel and nut confections dunked in dark or milk chocolate, are piled in the showcase.
Decadent truffles drizzled with thin wisps of pink chocolate rest nearby, bordered by golden trays of peanut butter buckeyes almost as big as grapefruits.
It’s every chocoholic’s dream to be surrounded by pound after pound […]