In the U.S., all food and food labeling, except for meat, poultry and eggs, are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. Meat, poultry and eggs are regulated by the USDA and often individual state departments of agriculture.
It can be hot — very hot — during July and August in Lancaster County farm country, but that heat doesn’t stop many in the community from a summer tradition of “putting up” fruits and vegetables. Read more
Nadine Moore became a leader for the Lebanon County 4-H Poultry Club. When the fair queen contest’s coordinator position became available in 2006, she was approached about assuming those duties. Read more
For Pennsylvania’s 4-H members, there can be a champion steer, hog, sheep or goat at the Farm Show in January. The leader of the Lebanon County 4-H Poultry Club, Dana Lape, would like to see turkeys on that list, too. Read more
80 yoga enthusiasts and seven goats de-stressed together in the Lebanon Area Fair. Read more
Whether you look at the name placards for the Ayrshires, Herefords, goats, sheep or rabbits, one name keeps showing up at the Warren County Farmers’ Fair: Brittany Smith Read more
CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. — Avah Gladle, 15, hopes to attend State University of New York Cobleskill to study animal husbandry once she’s finished with high school at Marcus Whitman High School in two years. While an ag college represents an expected route for a teen who grew up on a large farm, it’… Read more
Water is what fuels our basic functions. The human body is 60% water. Dehydration occurs when we sweat fluid out of our bodies and it is not being replaced. Read more
After a sweltering Saturday, a sultry Sunday and Monday’s monsoon rains, Tuesday, July 23, dawned refreshingly cool and dry at the Lebanon Area Fair. Read more
The impact of the depressed dairy market is felt not only by other businesses that rely on the industry, but in the show ring as well. Read more
Pennsylvania’s seven FFA officers paid a visit to the Lancaster Farming office in Ephrata on Friday, July 19, as part of their year-long service to the state organization. Read more
Years ago, every little country grocery store carried mixed pickling spice, alum, lime, canning salt, saltpeter and similar necessities for pickling, preserving and otherwise “putting up” food for the long, cold months of winter. Read more
The Franklin County Fair — held July 7-13 in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania — is an exciting time for everyone in the community, but it is especially important to the county’s 4-H members who compete in livestock shows and competitions throughout the week. Read more
The other day while cleaning our bookcase-style headboard in the master bedroom, I found myself dusting off a total of four remote controls in that location. It made me realize how spoiled we’ve all become now that there’s no longer the need to actually walk to a device to control it. Read more
Deep Creek Lake has long been a vacationer’s paradise. Hidden in the hills of western Maryland, the 64-miles-of-shoreline lake is surrounded by picturesque farmland. It has become a mecca for big city dwellers from Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Read more
On many farms, cats play an important role in keeping the rodent population down, making them a welcome companion. But what happens when they become too much to manage? Read more
The youngsters attending the Children’s Grief Camp at The Lands at Hillside Farm know tragedy. They’ve lost parents and loved ones to suicide, drug overdose and even murder. Read more
Pennsylvania FFA held its 90th state convention on June 11-13 at Penn State. The convention consisted of career development event competitions, election of state officers, chapter scrapbook contest and the presentation of chapter awards. Read more
The National Ford Fordson Collectors Association held its 28th annual national show in Alum Bank, Bedford County, this year, from July 11-14. Read more
A desire to farm brought a woman from Seattle to the other side of the U.S. — into rural Pennsylvania. Jackie Deiter and her newlywed husband of two months, Eric Deiter, are the owners of EJ Market Gardens LLC in Mifflin, Juniata County. Read more
With the addition of the turkeys to the newly named Juniata County Poultry Peeps Club this year, Connor Peterson knew he wanted to be one of the clubbers to work with the gobblers. Read more
Mention Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg and the average amusement-park enthusiast will recognize it as home to the Phoenix, the 2018 winner of the Golden Ticket Award for the world’s best wooden roller coaster. Read more
Agriculture is the biggest source of Lancaster County’s water pollution entering the Chesapeake Bay, but homeowners and businesses also have an opportunity to clean up their local creeks. Read more
The 36th Annual Schnecksville Community Fair took place June 18-22 in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, just north of Allentown in Lehigh County. Read more
Ag educator Sunnie Liggett teaches introductory ag, large-animal science, and horticulture at Avella High School. Read more
Green tobacco sickness can occur when people come in contact with tobacco leaves — usually when the leaves are wet or the people themselves are wet with sweat. Read more
A recent Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum program saluted a largely unsung Lancaster County inventor, William Chester Ruth, who obtained more than 50 patents, mostly for products designed to make the farmer’s life easier. Read more
My Gramma Bowman was an excellent flower gardener. She had pansies and Johnny Jump Ups and gladioli, as well as snapdragons and geraniums. Her rhododendrons were massive and she took such good care of her beautiful rose bushes. Read more
Stress in farm life is not unusual. But, sometimes there are stressful situations that last a significantly long time and impact the family and other farm workers. Read more
Summer is in full swing and even though we’ve had a lot of rain this summer, kids are still having fun in the water. Children are swimming in pools, lakes, rivers, streams and ponds. Read more
The Big Butler Fair, always held during the Fourth of July holiday, is in its 164th year. This year’s fair ran from June 28 to July 6. Sunday’s perfect day started with the goat show and Brock Hohman of McConnellsburg judging the 4-H and open classes. Read more
Dr. Chris Tipping, an associate professor of biology at Delaware Valley University, is testing methods to control the spotted lanternfly at a local vineyard this summer. Read more
Irwin Richman highlighted many of these 18th- and early 19th-century American horticulturists during a recent presentation that was part of the Friends of the Cornwall Iron Furnace’s monthly lecture series in Lebanon County. Read more
The Greater Washington County Food Bank farm hosted its open house in May. Read more
In 2005, dream became reality, when Paul and Diane Cusumano purchased a small farm in southwestern York County. Since then, the couple have developed their passion for growing plants into a native-plant nursery business. Read more
As I’ve gotten older, I’m not sure whether I just have a greater awareness of such things, or if they really are happening with greater frequency in our area, but I am no longer a stranger to hurricanes, tornadoes or severe wind events. Read more
So far, Cook’s collection includes the signatures of 27 presidents, personal items from the White House, vintage photographs, a rare Teddy Roosevelt Rough Riders toy and even a wooden pitchfork made by Jimmy Carter. Read more
The Luce business held its large biannual consignment auction in Somerset County with over 4,000 people in attendance on an unusually warm spring day. This auction has been held continuously — one in the spring and one in fall — since 1990. Read more
Growing up in Manheim, Lancaster County, gave Wolgemuth the chance to work at his father’s yearly farm-equipment consignment sale that had started even before Dennis was born. Read more
Whether it’s a baler or tractor, Houser said it’s a good idea to break out the pressure washer and grease gun to get farm machinery ready for an auction Read more
Actually, right here on our farm, we have daily conflict as well. Ours is more of the two-legged versus four-legged type of petty disputes, or sometimes two-legged versus two-legged, or four-legged versus four-legged. Read more
CUMBERLAND, Md. — Three action-oriented ninth-grade 4-H’ers in Allegany County have been approved by their local Farmers Market Association to enact a community project to fight food insecurity in their own neighborhood, led by Jessica Mellon, University of Maryland Extension 4-H educator. Read more
The iconic, colorful glass bowls and cookware, so familiar in the kitchens of our moms and grandmothers, have become “hot” in the vintage houseware markets. Read more
It’s pleasant images of those childhood daytrips that still go through my head any time I hear the classic beach tune “Under the Boardwalk,” a 1964 hit by The Drifters. However, in recent months, I’ve been looking at a different type of boardwalk that has nothing to do with vacation or the beach. Read more
Joyce Bupp is a freelance writer in York County, Pennsylvania. Read more
Participation in Kempton Fair's swine show was thrown off by a state Ag Department order, announced just two weeks before the show, requiring all Pennsylvania market pigs to move to slaughter following exhibition. Read more
Zipping out from a line of apple trees in a John Deere Gator is Pennsylvania’s first alternate dairy princess, Samantha Haag. Read more
Recently, I read of a couple in California who — a long time ago — came across a half-buried tin can while walking their property after a flood. They dug the tin up from the mud in which it was partially encased and, upon opening it, found a trove of gold coins. Read more
The University of Vermont Extension 4-H is offering a full day of farm safety workshops on July 9. The workshop is open to all youths, ages 10 to 16. Enrollment in 4-H is not required to participate. Read more
Will the rain ruin the rhubarb? What’s all the rhubarb about? How did a sour-tasting spring plant historically get to be such a topic of conversation? Read more
