Jay Matteson's Rural America Jay M. Matteson

Host Jay Matteson interviews Dawn Cole, President and Chief Executive Officer of United Way of Northern New York about food insecurity in our rural communities and the role United Way plays in assisting people in need. Dawn discusses their food drive coming up on June 5 in Watertown from 8am to 2pm. Jay learns about a great program involving United Way and Jefferson - Lewis BOCES involving the BOCES Hospitality program. Students in the program prepare frozen meals that are given out to to local families in need. Once the family has the meal, they pop it in the microwave and have a healthy, tasy meal to eat!

Dr. Robert Lynch, DVM, the Dairy Herd Health and Management Specialist for PRO_DAIRY Animal Science at Cornell University, joins hosts Ron and Jay for an in depth discussion about Avian Influenza and how it is impacting the Dairy Industry. How signifcantly does it impact dairy cows? Does it pose a threat with our dairy product supply? We get answers to those questions and more, thanks to Dr. Lynch.

Jay interviews cohost, Ron Robbins while he's on the road returning from Florida. The two have a have broad discussion ranging from the results of the presentation by Dr. Dvid Kohl; the upcoming eclipse on April 8; and agricultural impacts of the bridge collapse in the Port of Baltimore. We finish ut the show with a discussion on Avian Flu and the impacts that will have on the dairy industry.

Dr. David Kohl, Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Finance and Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship at Virginia Tech joins Jay and Ron for a great conversation about sports and business. It's amazing when you think about the 4th quarter, last period, last inning of the game and how you try to overcome a deficit to win the game, and how that compares to running your farm or business successfully.
Our conversation unintentionally uses sports to build great insight into managaing your business and farm.
Dr. Kohl is speaking in Jefferson County and nhis alma mater, Jefferson Community College on Thursday March 28 starting at 6pm. It is a free program and you are encouraged to visit www.agricultureevents.com for more info and to register.

This is a special invitation to attend an upcoming seminar on March28, 2024 at Jefferson Community College with Dr. David Kohl.

in this episode, Jay Matteson interviews Linda Garrett, the New York Regional Director of American Farmland Trust. American Farmland Trust (AFT) is doing a lot of work across New York State to help preserve precious farmland. AFT is working with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and County Soil and Water Conservation Districts to provide training to farmers on regenerative agricultural practices and improving soil ecosystems. AFT is also focused on the increasing presence of women in agriculture, helping to bring women with an agricultural focus together across the State.
AFT is also matching those who want to get into farming with available farmland through their Farmland for a New Generation Program. Linda and Jay also discuss AFTs Farm to Institution program and their work bringing local food into school meals for the students.
Solar siting on farmland is a huge issue across NYS and AFT is working hard to help farmers and communities make wise choices. There are many activities undereway by AFT to assist.
This episode is power packed with great information so enjoy and thanks for listening.