Stories by Susan Crowell

Farm and Dairy Editor Susan Crowell has been with the paper since 1985, serving as its editor since 1989. Raised on a farm in Holmes County, she is a graduate of Kent State University. You can follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/scrowell and follow Farm and Dairy at http://twitter.com/farmanddairy.

Three keys to achieving sustainable agriculture

Wednesday, March 3, 2010 by Susan Crowell

(Part II of II)
Have you ever tried to sit on a three-legged stool that had one leg shorter than the other two, or was missing a leg? It’s a balancing act that’s not very easy and you can’t do it for very long.
So it is with working toward sustainable agriculture. You can’t focus on the […]

Is there an agricultural sustainability consensus?

Wednesday, February 24, 2010 by Susan Crowell

(Part I of II)
What does it really mean to farm sustainably? To be committed to agricultural sustainability?
Ask 10 people and you’ll get 10 answers — some of them vigorously in opposition to other answers.
There is, however, agreement that sustainability in agriculture is essential for the planet’s health and future — to our health and […]

Bale out: Ohioan invents a better way — the Kuhns Hay Accumulator system

Tuesday, February 16, 2010 by Susan Crowell

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — That old saying about necessity being the mother of all invention? It’s true, you know. Just ask Kenny Kuhns.
The Trumbull County, Ohio, farmer was frustrated with the labor-intensive process of making small square bales of hay. He had a good market for the smaller bales, selling to local horse owners, but the […]

Scenes from the National Farm Machinery Show

Thursday, February 11, 2010 by Susan Crowell

Just spent the day in Louisville, Ky., at the National Farm Machinery Show. Here are some of the photos from our trip to the show. Check back for more photos, as well as news.

Yellow Tail wine donation to HSUS incurs farmers’ wrath

Tuesday, February 9, 2010 by Susan Crowell

An amazing thing happened last week while you were busy milking, feeding, repairing, resting or doing whatever other chores keep farmers busy in bleak midwinter.
An army of “agvocates” — farm advocates — were on their computers creating a ruckus on your behalf. And it was an online vocal maelstrom that spread like wildlife, finding allies, […]

Farmers, knock the chip off your shoulder

Tuesday, January 26, 2010 by Susan Crowell

Farmers often harbor insecurities when plopped in a room with bankers or small business owners or lawyers. Too often, farmers feel like they don’t belong in that crowd, like their chosen profession is somehow less important or worthy than the others’. They couldn’t be more wrong.

Another climate change is needed for agriculture

Thursday, January 21, 2010 by Susan Crowell

Does your state (county, borough, village, township, fill in the blank) like its farms?
Does it realize the economic impact of agriculture? Is there a welcome mat out for new farms? Do the powers that be understand the value of green space, of a “viewshed,” that a farm contributes?
Or is agriculture snubbed and ignored like a […]

Can we bridge the great farm philosophy divide?

Thursday, January 14, 2010 by Susan Crowell

Now is the time for agriculture to communicate its advantages, as well as re-evaluate its traditions.

Meatballs and butchers are hot!

Wednesday, January 6, 2010 by Susan Crowell

Top food trends of 2010: The last time I checked, farming had something to do with food, so I wanted to know what was tapped to be “hot” this year, and whether or not farmers could benefit.

Celebrate the first silent night

Thursday, December 24, 2009 by Susan Crowell

(Note: This column first appeared in Farm and Dairy 16 years ago. I offer it here again this year, because its message never dims. Merry Christmas to all.)
If you walked by Edith Troyer’s third grade class at Walnut Creek Elementary School during December, it wasn’t unusual to hear voices of the young students singing a […]