Most importantly I'm a dairy girl from Upstate NY! I love all things Hokie, Syracuse b-ball, Buffalo Bills & tennis.
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Articles by Lynnette Wright
Fridays on the Farm: A Blueberry Farm Better Than the Bahamas
This Friday, meet the Carini family of Carini Farms, a blueberry operation located a few miles off the coast of Lake Michigan in West Olive, Michigan. The area’s cool lakeshore breezes and naturally acidic, well‑drained soils create excellent conditions for blueberries, and for fourth‑generation farmer and matriarch Vicki Carini, it’s also home. Vicki Carini (left) and Kurt (middle) with their daughter and granddaughter.
Fridays on the Farm: Diversifying a Tricentennial Dairy Farm
By Lynnette Wright This Friday meet Robbie and Shannon Dygert, thirteenth-generation dairy farmers of Dygert Farms in Palatine Bridge, New York, an operation that has been in the family for over 300 years. The original farmstead was deeded to the family in 1723 by the British royal family and has been run as a dairy ever since. Robbie and Shannon took over ownership of the farm in 2009 to steer it into the fourth century of operation. Robbie and Shannon started milking 50 cows in a tie stall barn.
Fridays on the Farm: Diversifying a Tricentennial Dairy Farm
This Friday meet Robbie and Shannon Dygert, thirteenth-generation dairy farmers of Dygert Farms in Palatine Bridge, New York, an operation that has been in the family for over 300 years. The original farmstead was deeded to the family in 1723 by the British royal family and has been run as a dairy ever since. Robbie and Shannon took over ownership of the farm in 2009 to steer it into the fourth century of operation.
Fridays on the Farm: Passion for Agriculture Sows the Seeds of Leadership
This Friday, meet first-generation farmer and rancher Tommy Salisbury of Collinsville, Oklahoma. He started his first herd at 15 with a youth loan from USDA’s Farm Service Agency. Years later, Tommy’s neighbor gave him the opportunity to purchase his property. Since then, he’s planted his roots deep in the local and national agriculture community, determined to make an impact. In addition to cattle, he also annually plants and harvests soybeans and wheat.
Fridays on the Farm: Harvesting Holiday Traditions at Oak Hill Tree Farm
This Friday, meet Matt and Rachel Stine, owners of Oak Hill Tree Farm. Nestled into a quiet corner of Crawfordsville, Indiana, this family farm is where holiday dreams come true – from pumpkin patch photoshoots to cutting down the Christmas trees, the Stine’s farm has it all. Matt and Rachel Stine are owners of Oak Hill Tree Farm in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Photo courtesy of Matt and Rachel Stine. Rachel and Matt dove head-first into farming in 2009 with approximately 40 head of beef cattle.
Ask the Expert: A Q&A on USDA Beginning Farmers with Sarah Campbell
Sarah Campbell is the National Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coordinator for USDA. In this Ask the Expert, Sarah answers questions about common misconceptions about beginning farmer and rancher eligibility, available programs to help and how to chart your path as a beginning farmer. Am I too old? There is no age limit or age requirement to be considered a beginning farmer or rancher.
Fridays on the Farm: Growing in the City of Good Neighbors
This Friday, meet Mayda Pozantides and Anders Gunnersen, owners of Groundwork Market Garden in Buffalo, New York. They started the farm in 2015 after purchasing two acres of land parallel to an old railway bed in an auction for a bargain price. With a focus on soil health, Mayda and Anders began their farming operation using organic methods. Before farming, Mayda was a teacher with a passion for food and farming. She continues to educate, but now she is doing it through Groundwork Market Garden.
Fridays on the Farm in Buffalo: Growing in the City of Good Neighbors
Groundwork Market Garden also runs a program called the Good Neighbor Fund, where local businesses and people can donate money for the farm to offer Solidarity Shares to local families suffering from food insecurity. By Lynnette Wright, USDA Farmers Gov New York·Sep 26, 2025 Excerpt: Before farming, Mayda was a teacher with a passion for food and farming. She continues to educate, but now she is doing it through Groundwork Market Garden.
Meet the Producer Behind the Policy: Jason Smith, Valley Farm Management, Gonzales, California-
Jason Smith knows that farming is about the risks of Mother Nature: frost, heat, fires, and smoke…and the risks of the marketplace. It seems that this Gonzales, California, winegrape grower faces a new kind of disaster each year. That’s why he and other winegrape growers across the Golden State use Federal crop insurance extensively as a risk management tool for their operations. “Next year will be our 50th year growing winegrapes here in the Monterey County.
Fridays on the Farm: A Fruitful American Dream
This Friday meet beginning farmer Iris Rosario, a first-generation Mexican American farming with her parents, Pablo and Bea, at Rosario Farm Inc., in Albion, New York. Iris’ parents are originally from Mexico and had been farmworkers across the southern United States. When they moved to New York, Pablo started working on an apple orchard and knew the orchard is where he was meant to be, working his way up the ladder from a picker to a manager of 38 employees.
From Humble Beginnings to Senior Executive: Kimberly Graham, Assistant Deputy Administrator, USDA Farm Service Agency
Kimberly Graham still lives in the same Charles County, Maryland town where she grew up. Fifty miles south of Washington, D.C., La Plata is a small town where tobacco farms dot the landscape—or at least it was small in 1988 when Graham was a teenager embarking on her first job as a Clerk Typist with the federal government.
We launched the farmers.gov dashboard pilot for Iowa - a dashboard that provides one-stop shopping for state and county-specific agriculture-related data. | Farmers.gov
What does USDA have for your state and county? Let’s find out! Today we launched the farmers.gov dashboard pilot for Iowa — a dashboard that provides one-stop shopping for state and county-specific agricultural data and USDA resources. Dashboard Features The farmers.gov dashboard consolidates data and information from USDA and other government agencies including: Commodity Pricing.
Fridays on the Farm: A Solar-Powered Holiday at Stokoe Farms
This Friday, meet the Stokoe family of Scottsville, New York. Their sixth-generation family farm, Stokoe Farms, has been in operation since 1812. Today, the farm has diversified into three main areas of production: crops, dairy and agritainment, a form of agrotourism. Family members Kim Snyder and Greg Stokoe manage the crop and dairy heifer raising operations, while Suzanne Stokoe, operates the agritainment venture, which takes advantage of the farm’s proximity to Rochester, New York.
New Online Tool Allows Farmers, Ranchers to Easily Report Anticompetitive Practices
Farmers, ranchers, and other producers and growers now have a one-stop shop to help ensure they are treated fairly. The new farmerfairness.gov portal developed jointly by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Justice (DOJ) allows you to report potential violations of livestock and poultry antitrust laws, including the Packers and Stockyards Act.
How Black American Contributions Have Helped Shape the American Cultural Mosaic
February officially kicks off Black History Month, which began in 1915, half a century after the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States. It’s a great time to celebrate the accomplishments of Black American pioneers, luminaries, and leaders, and to recognize their pivotal role in shaping our American cultural mosaic.
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