Lancaster Farming

With demand doubling over the past three years, the 200-member Virginia Poultry Growers Cooperative is investing $114 million in a new feed mill. “The turkey industry was kind of born here in the Shenandoah Valley,” co-op President John King said. “We want to make sure that 10 to 20 years from now there’s turkeys still being raised on these growers’ farms.” Turkeys raised on a co-op member farm.

Artificial intelligence is no longer the future; it’s the here and now, finding its spot in all industries, including auctioneering. Michael Grimm, the 2026 Virginia Auctioneers Association State Champion Auctioneer, is leading the modern evolution of the industry, combining a high-quality chant with cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology.

DELTA, Pa. — Teamwork and generosity are making the Mason Dixon Fair grow. Visitors this week were able to browse exhibits in a newly constructed Farm and Home building, thanks to donors and volunteers from both sides of the state line. The fair also hosted its first professional rodeo on Monday evening that coincided with a five-hour goat show.

At a Pennsylvania farm market on a cool Saturday morning, a shopper lifts a jar of amber honey toward the light. Nearby, apples are stacked in wooden crates, pumpkins crowd the edge of a produce table, and a beekeeper explains why this year’s honey tastes darker, stronger and a little smokier than last year’s. That single table tells a bigger story.

Farmer Braden didn’t think he’d ever do a show like Farmer Wants a Wife, but he’s sure glad he did. We caught up with Braden Pridemore, one of the three farmers on Farmer Wants a Wife Season 4, on our Farmer Wants a Wife Afterparty podcast to chat about all the drama, jokes and the surprising things that did not get aired. Braden picked Casey in the finale episode to continue a relationship with, and the pair are still going strong.

Editor: Data centers are in the news, and in a lot of editorial columns. For anyone interested or concerned about data centers, I encourage you to do your own research. Views and opinions span from “not much to see here, it’s just another development” to “the sky is falling, taking farmland, water and electricity with it.” The benefits and concerns of any development will vary by community, and one size will not fit all.

Editor: I was surprised to see that the Pennsylvania Game Commission printed full page ads in Section A of the June 20 and 27 editions of Lancaster Farming. Are the ads intended to increase license sales? I doubt the money spent on the ads from hard working hunters’ license fees will generate additional license sales. Hunters who subscribe to Lancaster Farming have already purchased a license, or will likely do so. No low hanging fruit here.

Editor: Because of my family’s love and dedication for America, we celebrate 250 years. But I can’t help doing so with a very heavy heart because my memory goes back 344 years when our family came to America from England to escape religious persecution, only to be persecuted 300 years later because we are Pennsylvania family farmers.

I have what I think are aphids and they are really setting back my third cutting of alfalfa. What can I spray to get rid of them? The first step to solving any pest problem is correct identification. Pea aphids are the species we tend to see in alfalfa in Pennsylvania. They are very small, one-sixteenth to three-sixteenths of an inch long, and have soft bodies and “tailpipes,” formally called cornicles.

Jeff Nogan admits he doesn’t check his email often, but in June a family member suggested he might want to be more diligent. Nogan, who operates Applewood Farm in Scott Township, Pennsylvania, was invited to attend a Rose Garden dinner at the White House for farmers on June 25. The event was hosted by President Donald Trump, who ended up sitting a few tables away from Nogan at the dinner. For the Lackawanna County beef farmer, the invite was a big surprise.