Agriculture

Near-drought conditions in southern New Hampshire are straining vegetable farmers in the midst of planting season, after more than a month without substantial rainfall.

The state expects to soon declare a drought in the southern tier and lower Lakes Region, after an abnormally dry spring and a winter without much snow to recharge streams and groundwater.

A federal judge in New York says a portion of the case against the Monroe, New Hampshire-based company Pete and Gerry's Organics can proceed. 

The animal rights group PETA sued the egg company last year on behalf of a group of customers, alleging that Pete and Gerry's was misleading customers about conditions on its farms.

A proposed bill in the New Hampshire House would expand a grant program from the state's agriculture department to include energy efficiency projects on farms.

The grant program currently supports farmers to better manage their fertilizer and manure to cut down on water pollution.

This bill would expand those grants to support energy efficiency projects such as sugar house equipment upgrades or on-farm electrical generation and storage.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently published a census report on New Hampshire’s farming industry. The data shows that New Hampshire farms are becoming smaller and more profitable.

The USDA report, which is done every five years, shares numbers from 2017.

Some key findings:

A little over a year ago, former Speaker of the N.H. House Shawn Jasper traded in his Speaker’s gavel  for the job of Commissioner of the N.H. Department of Agriculture, Markets, and Food.

Jasper suggested on The Exchange this week that he doesn’t miss the tussle of Statehouse politics -- dealing with 399 lawmakers, constant deadlines, and the scheduling of bills.

When it comes to his new job, Jasper said, “There are still issues here, of course, but I feel I’m able to help people a lot more directly." 

Jasper also outlined what he feels his department can and cannot do when it comes to resolving disputes over agritourism and advising farmers with concerns about the effects of climate change.  On the latter, Jasper said: "That is more UNH Cooperative Extension's role. That’s not something we’re able to do."

More than 5,000 visitors and dozens of farm animals are descending on the Double Tree Hotel in downtown Manchester for this weekend's New Hampshire Farm and Forest Expo.

The annual event features workshops and trade booths on the state’s farming and forestry industry, as well as kid-friendly booths with farm animals and craft demonstrations.

Gesturing toward a crowd gazing at goats, organizer and state forester A.J. Dupere says visitors come from a mix of backgrounds.

State officials gathered Thursday for an update on the drought that now covers all of Southern and Central New Hampshire.

They typically hold this meeting once a drought has persisted for several weeks. This one began in May and may spread to the whole state by fall.

The state’s last drought management working group meeting was in 2016, when drought came on more slowly than this year’s, but ended up lasting longer and being more severe.  

  The University of New Hampshire is changing its two-year degree programs to refocus on agriculture and respond to evolving workforce needs.

Officials recently completed a four-year review of the Thompson School of Applied Science, which has been offering two-year associate degree programs for 125 years.

Three programs — forest technology, animal science focused on livestock and large animal veterinary technology — will be integrated more closely with four-year degree programs, while four other programs will be dropped after 2019.

A proposal to make it easier for New Hampshire farms to host things like weddings and larger-scale events will be up for consideration by state lawmakers in January.

The issue has come up repeatedly in recent years, both in the state legislature and in court cases.

Local regulations on what's known as 'agritourism' — events that bring visitors onto farm property — vary significantly from town-to-town.

Henniker Christmas tree farmer Stephen Forster, for example, has been fighting with officials in his town for years to host weddings on his property.

The burned out shell of Lemay and Sons’ slaughtering facility still sits untouched, the charred studs visible like a rack of overcooked ribs.

On October 6th, a fire ripped through the main production building of this family-run business, where locally raised cows and pigs have been turned into beef and bacon since 1963. No one was hurt in the fire, and no cause has yet been determined.

Rick Lemay, youngest of six and current operator of the business, says since the fire, he’s felt and seen an unexpected outpouring of support from the community.

In a scenario that was reminiscent of his earlier rise as Speaker of the House, Republican Shawn Jasper narrowly squeaked through as New Hampshire’s new agriculture commissioner — thanks to support from the opposite party.

When Jasper was elected Speaker in 2014, House Democrats joined with a handful of Republicans to secure his nomination. On Wednesday, the Executive Council's two Democrats also joined with one Republican to confirm Jasper as agriculture commissioner.

The Speaker of the New Hampshire House is looking to put down his gavel to lead the state’s agriculture department.  Although it may be an unusual career move, Speaker Shawn Jasper says he’s been eyeing the commissioner's job for a while. 

Jasper grew up in a family of poultry farmers. His grandfather and father bred chickens for nearly 75 years in Hudson - producing more than 160 million eggs. 

Jasper says he’s continued to keep up on agriculture issues over the years through the legislature and as a nearly 30-year advisor to UNH's agriculture fraternity.

A small group of New Hampshire veterans will gather in North Haverhill Tuesday to learn about farm equipment and the agricultural industry in the state. 

Some late season snow and a string of decent weather in New Hampshire are creating a bumper crop of strawberries in backyards and on farms this year. 

We may be hearing a lot about bees this week. It's national pollinator week - a chance to talk about the important role pollinators play in agriculture and the environment. And in New Hampshire, several organizations are planning events. 

As the populations of pollinators decline, national organizations like the Pollinator Partnership are working to raise awareness about the bats, bees, and butterflies that pollinate our crops.

New Hampshire milk production ticked up slightly in the first quarter of the year. 

The latest data from the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service shows 72 million pounds of milk produced between January and March.

New Hampshire maple syrup producers saw higher yields last winter compared to the previous year.

Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture found New Hampshire produced 154,000 gallons of syrup this year, compared to 112,000 in 2014.

Cold weather shortened the maple syrup season by several days in 2015, but yield per tap rose in New Hampshire over the winter.

Syrup production in the northeast totaled 2.96 million gallons, up 7 percent from 2014.

May is when many farmers markets get underway or move from indoor markets to outdoor locations.

Jane Lang is president of the New Hampshire Farmers Market Association. She says it’s still early in the growing season, but over time consumers will see more options.

“A lot of them bring a lot of their seeds and things like that to the market," Lang says. "But you’re going to start seeing the vegetables coming probably in the next few weeks.”