Spring is one of the busiest times of the year on a farm. Even if things are busy, keep health and safety to the forefront of what you do.

Tax season is over, but you may be wondering if you may be audited by the IRS or incorrectly classified as a hobby farm. This article investigates the classification of farms as businesses vs hobbies, what the IRS is looking for in a business, and what records you need to keep to prove you're a legitimate business.

It takes a whole lot to produce a dozen eggs! Now's a great time to evaluate your costs so that you can charge a fair price that still enables you to make a profit.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is issuing up to $10 billion directly to agricultural producers through the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) for the 2024 crop year. Eligible producers must report 2024 crop year planted and prevented planted acres to FSA on an FSA-578, Report of Acreage form. Contact your local FSA office for more information.

Farming comes with plenty of challenges, and property taxes is a pretty big one of them. In New York, the Agricultural Assessment Program helps lower property taxes for land used for farming. Every year, if you own or rent farmland, this program can save you money. Here's what you need to know to take advantage of this benefit AND connect with rented landowners to ensure they're receiving this benefit. 

The 2025 Operations Managers conference entitled "Empowering Managers: Embracing Diversity, Consistency, and Attitude for Success" was hosted by Cornell PRO-DAIRY and Northeast Dairy Producers Association at the end of January. Check out some of my favorite takeaways from the conference.

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As you're planning your turkey harvest and sales, keep safe handling, proper labeling, and regulations on sale in mind to enjoy a stress-free and food safety-forward holiday season.

Nestled atop a hill overlooking Seneca Lake, sits Shtayburne Farm Creamery, a quaint value-added dairy farm business run by the Hostetler Family. I spent an afternoon with brothers, Lorin and Lance and their family, who I found not only to be serving up ice cream flights and farmstead cheese, but good advice for those farmers interested in value-added dairy processing.

On March 13th and 14th, a group of 23 farmers and small dairy processors from Western NY traveled with the CCE NWNY and SWNY Teams to successful farms and businesses who work within the value-added dairy processing space on the eastern side of the state.  This trip was a result of a growing interest for locally produced specialty dairy products, and a desire from farmers to learn about options to diversify their dairy farm businesses. 

Two competitive state grants are available to fund start-up, improvement, or expansion of farm operations; support for marketing, training, construction, and more! Applications open October 25th and December 30th, closing January 24th, 2025 and December 30, 2024, respectively.