Today’s Harvest Blog

Many parts of the Northeast have faced a challenging planting season with wet weather and cool temperatures; now as summer kicks off, many are seeing significant stretches of above average temperatures. Given these recent extremes in weather conditions, a review of the tax implications of various crop insurance programs is warranted. 

As the region celebrates Dairy Month this June, the New York agricultural community has even more reason to cheer: Governor Kathy Hochul recently announced that $21.6 million has been awarded to 103 farms through the Dairy Modernization Grant Program.

As the Northeast experiences more extreme weather, heat stress is a growing concern for farmers and farm workers. Because they spend significant time outdoors doing physically demanding work, this population is particularly vulnerable to heat-related health effects. 

While corn and soybean crop planting is slightly ahead of last year nationally, it is way behind in New York and across the Northeast, due to unusually cold and wet weather, making field work difficult.