If you can hear the birds singing and the music of the ice cream truck driving by, then you know that it’s finally picnic season! There’s nothing better than whipping up a mountain of your favorite summer treats and eating them outside with people you love. You don’t need a fancy basket or a checkered…
While the Avian flu outbreak continues to grow in south-central Pennsylvania, for the very first time there are now flu-positive flocks in Berks County. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently stated that the two positive flocks were found at commercial duck farms in the area, more specifically a duck breeder and a duck livestock farm.…
Spring is finally here, and that means the growing season is about to start! People everywhere are gathering up their garden tools and getting ready to break ground on their vegetable gardens for the year. If you’re a gardening newbie, growing your own fruits and vegetables in the backyard might seem like it’s more trouble…
As the weeks grow warmer and the soil starts to unfrost and become arable, our agricultural experts and farmers know it better than anyone: spring is coming! Now is a great time to prepare for the warm season by celebrating National Agriculture Week (NAW) in Berks County, PA. Every year, National Agriculture Week is dedicated…
On December 29, 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), a historic and comprehensive “pollution diet.” The TMDL is the largest ever developed by EPA, encompassing a 64,000-square-mile watershed. A TMDL is a planning tool that provides the calculation of the maximum amount of a particular…
It’s hard to believe that in the United States, food travels an average of 1,500 miles from farm to table. Meanwhile out of every retail dollar spent on food, only 15 cents returns to the farmer or rancher. Our supply chain is squeezing every last penny out of the American farmer. This is not economically…
While winter rages on in the Berks County area with cold winds and frequent snowfall, you can still stay warm and comfortable with locally-sourced alpaca wear and wool-based products. Could there be anything better than settling in with a wonderfully-soft alpaca scarf or a warm pair of wool socks warmed by the fire? Residents near…