Category: Ag News

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 12:28:37 CDT

One of the new faces in Oklahoma State University Agriculture this fall semester is Wade Thomason, head of the OSU Department of Plant and Soil Sciences.
Thomason began his role at OSU in August after a 19-…

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 12:23:23 CDT

The 54th Annual Butter Sculpture at the New York State Fair has come down, but it isn’t going to waste.

American Dairy Association North East, in conjunction with Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners and Noblehurst Farms, dismantled the 800-pound sculpture at the New York State Fairgrounds. Ultimately, the butter – which was provided by O-AT-KA Milk Products in Batavia, N.Y., and was unsuitable for sale or consumption for a variety of reasons – will return to Western New York, less than 15 miles away from where it was originally produced, to be recycled at a local dairy farm.

Noblehurst Farms in Pavilion, N.Y., (Livingston County) will combine the butter with other food waste from local food manufacturers and educational institutions and run it through the farm’s digester, converting it into energy. The digester breaks down the material and creates enough electricity to power the farm, the farm’s on-site creamery and about 350 homes for a year. Specifically, the butter from the Butter Sculpture alone will be able to power one house for three days.

“We are honored to be recycling the New York State Fair Butter Sculpture for the seventh year in a row,” said dairy farmer Chris Noble of Noblehurst Farms and Craigs Creamery. “We will mix the butter sculpture with other food waste and convert it to energy over the course of about 28 days. That energy will be created into electricity which will power homes in the local community.”

In recent years, Noblehurst Farms has been recognized nationally for achievements in sustainability and community partnerships to divert food waste from local landfills. The result of Noblehurst’s efforts have led to diverting 200 tons of food waste from local landfills on a weekly basis.

“Our awareness of the role that dairy farmers are playing in addressing the global food waste problem has definitely heightened,” said Noble. “We are hopeful that our innovative food waste reduction practices will bring additional value as New York State focuses on reducing methane and sequestering carbon in the coming years.”

This year’s sculpture, “Refuel Her Greatness – Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Title IX,” spotlighted female athletes and how today’s athletes refuel with chocolate milk.

To listen to Chris Noble with Noblehurst Farms talk about the conversion process, click here.
   

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 11:15:05 CDT

Water moves and is recycled from one form or one storage area to another in the process we call the water cycle. This cycle is the mechanism by which water moves around the globe and in our atmosphere. And a…

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 11:08:51 CDT

**EMBARGOED UNTIL 10:00 AM, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2022**
Written Testimony for the Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works
Legislative Hearing on S. 1475, the Livestock Regulatory Protection Act o…

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 11:07:08 CDT

Hay is getting tighter. Farmers and hay producers are beginning to get creative with baling up their milo, soybeans, and corn stalks.

The rain did come across the parts of the state which brought cooler …

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 09:45:59 CDT

Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association announced the application window for its spring 2023 internship programs is now open.

These unique internship programs provide opportunities for student…

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 09:43:06 CDT

In a win for producers across the country, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency recently announced changes to two crop insurance programs-Whole Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) and…

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 09:41:12 CDT

The National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) is now accepting nominations for the second cohort of the Advanced Training for Animal Agriculture Leaders program. Nominations are due November 1.

I…

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 09:39:10 CDT

Click here to listen to audio

Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays, is talking with international consultant, PJ Budler, about making Cattlemen’s Congress the premier destination for …

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 09:25:19 CDT

Bob LeValley, Oklahoma Beef Quality Assurance Coordinator, provides guidelines for producers for using antimicrobials in cattle. This is part of a
weekly series published electronically by Paul Beck called…