Mental Health Help for Farmers
How regional organizations are helping one of the most stressed segments of the workforce By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant Change is the only constant in farming: costs, prices, weather, pests,…
Bill Kaufman holds up a board with a honeycomb hanging off the bottom. “This was in the bedroom of a home where they watched a swarm of bees move in. I didn’t get there for about four days after they moved in. ... This was early spring this year and they have produced some of the honey that I have bottled already this year,” Kaufman explained. Photo courtesy Bill Kaufman
Honey Prices Have Been Rising
That doesn’t prevent 91-year-old Oswego beekeeper Jim Howard from working with bees. “It’s a business. But it’s a fun business,” he says By Jolene Cleaver What is the local…
Ontario Orchards
One of the largest and most complete farm markets in Central New York celebrates 60 years in operationsBy Tom and Jerry Caraccioli The Ouellette family, front to back: Dennis, Laurie, June and Kathy. Photo courtesy of Ontario Orchards.In 1964, if you went to Ontario Orchards to buy fresh fruit and produce, a bushel of apples (approximately 42 pounds or 100 apples) cost about $3. Corn was going for about a dollar a dozen. And strawberries were a dollar a quart.For more than seven decades Dennis Ouellette has been an agriculturist.This fall, the Ouellette family, led by Dennis and his wife, June, along with daughters, Kathy and Laurie, and grandchildren, celebrate the 60th anniversary of owning and operating Ontario Orchards.From the very beginning they made a point of selling their own fruit, vegetables and Christmas trees, as well as help the local economy by selling goods grown by local farmers.Today, Ontario Orchards has become one of the most diverse, complete, family-owned farm markets in Central New York and New York state. Early startOntario Orchards is presenting its 24th Annual Fall Jamboree in September. Pictured are Kathy Ouellette-Pfeifer, Laurie Oleyourryk and Dennis Ouellette during last year’s preparation.It all started for Ouellette as a 6-year-old (more…)
CNY Farming: What’s Left?
As the dairy industry struggles, what type of farming remains? By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant On the surface, it appears that agriculture is booming in CNY — and in some ways,…
Extended Sorbello family celebrating 100 years of Sorbello and Sons last year.
Sorbello Farm Enters Second Century
The farm has been run by the Sorbello family since 1923 By Stefan Yablonski Mariano Sorbello planted more than just seeds in Fulton 101 years ago. And even a devastating…
Judy Queale-Dunsmoor and her husband John Dunsmoor.
America’s Cooking Onion
Oswego’s Dunsmoor Farms have added flavor to cooking for over eight decades By Tom & Jerry Caraccioli Often, when superfoods with antioxidant properties are discussed in diet and health conversations,…
Stand of produce at Fulton Market. The farmers market in Fulton will run Saturdays from June 8 through Oct. 12. In Oswego, the market runs Thursday evenings from June 13 through Oct. 10.
Why Direct Farm Sales Matter
By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant Wegmans, Price Chopper, Aldi, Tops Friendly and lots of locally-owned grocery stores provide fresh produce for sale. But farmers selling directly to the public through farmers’…
Farming Helps Grow the Local Economy
Agriculture is a significant part of Oswego County’s economy, according to Joshua Vrooman, agriculture community educator at Cornell Cooperative Extension in Mexico. The county’s multi-million dollar agriculture industry creates jobs,…
Stoney Meadow Yields Bountiful Sweet Corn
Second generation farmer: ‘I will most likely be the last person to actively farm my family’ By Stefan Yablonski George Krul of Stoney Meadow Farm is a second-generation farmer. Why…
Black Creek Farm: An Evolving Family Adventure
By Stefan Yablonski Scott and Heather DelConte wanted to expose their children to farm life. “We started Black Creek Farms as a small family farm in 2007 when we purchased…