Tagged: Agriculture

The city of Watertown has built a new pavilion as part of its downtown revitalization project. It's meant to house outdoor activities, including the Saturday farmers market. The farmers market held an appreciation ceremony to thank the city on Saturday.

The cherished autumn tradition of apple picking is off to an early start in the Northeast as growers deal with aftershocks from bizarre spring weather that took a toll on fruit crops.

It's a busy Sunday morning at Empire Brewing Company in Syracuse. Behind the line, cooks shout brunch orders and the dining area is filling up with customers. A blues band is setting up for a set, a weekly tradition here.

Company president David Katleski sits in a big booth near the kitchen. The sounds are like any other busy restaurant, but there's something different going on here.

As fast as veggies are popping up in the garden, local foods are showing up on grocery store shelves throughout northern New York.

A new food co-op recently opened in Clayton, in Jefferson County, that showcases locally-sourced vegetables and other products, but big grocery chains like Hannaford and Wegman's are getting in on the trend, too, adding more of the region's products to store shelves.

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced he is loosening some environmental regulations so that dairy farmers can more easily own more cows. The news came at the first ever yogurt summit convened by Cuomo at the state Capitol.

The hot, dry weather is taking a toll on crops in the region. Scattered heavy rains have brought some relief to some areas, but overall, production of field crops like hay and corn is suffering. In the North Country, it's been decades since the area experienced a summer so dry.

New York isn't officially in a drought, but it's certainly been a dry summer so far in upstate New York.  Farmers aren't pushing the panic button just yet, but they are watching the skies.

A pest has invaded farm fields throughout Jefferson County. Army worms – actually caterpillars that transform into moths – migrate up from the south every year to Northern New York. But this year a major outbreak of the worms is causing a widespread threat to crops, and big financial losses to some farmers. 

John Weeks reflects on how hayfields have changed since his youth on the family farm. While the technology of haying has evolved dramatically, hayfields still serve as a home for a wide variety of wildlife.

Originally aired on June 17, 1988.

The apple crop in New York is the second-largest in the country, behind only Washington State. Cherries, peaches, apricots and grapes are also big business in New York.

The Beak and Skiff apple farm hosts the LaFayette Apple Festival this weekend. The farm is also celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.  WRVO's Kate Percival took her 10-year-old son on a field trip to the farm, and spoke with Steve Morse about what's changed, and what's remained the same, in the past century.