Rachel Wagoner

Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia

Editor at FARM and DAIRY

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Articles

Smoldering silo at Portage County farm demolished

1 week ago | farmanddairy.com | Rachel Wagoner

MANTUA, Ohio — Two men and a sledgehammer. That’s all it took to take down the Kotkowskis’ 80-foot concrete silo. The silo was damaged by a fire last fall that destroyed the Kotkowskis’ barn and killed two-thirds of their goat herd. When its concrete staves hit the ground on May 1, it brought the couple one step closer to closing the final chapter on their farm life in Portage County. Blair and Karen Kotkowski had been waiting for the silo to come down to build their new modern beef barn.
How to prepare your farm for natural disaster

1 month ago | farmanddairy.com | Rachel Wagoner

Warming spring weather brings relief from the biting cold of winter, but it also marks the start of severe weather season in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. At our farm, we’re used to securing the barn doors before a big thunderstorm and checking the fenceline for downed trees afterward. It floods occasionally here, and we’re no strangers to hunkering down to ride out a cold snap or a winter storm. But I think a lot about what we would do if another natural disaster struck our farm.
Ohio harness driver dies after accident at western Pennsylvania track

1 month ago | farmanddairy.com | Rachel Wagoner

SALEM, Ohio – An Ohio harness driver died March 20 following a crash at The Hollywood Casino at The Meadows, in Washington, County, Pennsylvania. Hunter Myers, 27, of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, was thrown from the sulky during a race March 19, causing a chain reaction spill that involved four other horses and drivers, who escaped with minor injuries. He was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital in critical condition where he later died of his injuries.
Ag groups worry about tariffs' impact on American farmers

2 months ago | farmanddairy.com | Rachel Wagoner

SALEM, Ohio — President Donald Trump’s tariffs against Canada and Mexico went into effect March 4, along with doubling duties on Chinese goods to 20%, sparking a trade war with the United States’ top trading partners. Starting just after midnight, imports from Canada and Mexico are now to be taxed at 25%, with Canadian energy products subject to 10% import duties, according to the Associated Press.
Ohio's Disaster Relief Haulers helps farmers in need across country

2 months ago | farmanddairy.com | Rachel Wagoner

When disaster strikes rural communities, it can be hard to get help to the most remote areas. That’s why the Disaster Relief Haulers was formed in 2019. The Disaster Relief Haulers has been to Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky and Nebraska, bringing supplies and manpower to help farms, ranches and rural communities recover from natural disasters. Most recently, the group made several trips to eastern Tennessee to deliver supplies and lend a hand to those recovering from Hurricane Helene.
Opinion: USDA turmoil will set back farmers

2 months ago | farmanddairy.com | Rachel Wagoner

Friday was a big day for our farm. It was the day that our first-ever EQIP application would be submitted for ranking. We have a few projects on our farm that badly need to be done to move our farm forward and make it sustainable for generations to come. I worked out a plan to leverage several different buckets of federal and state monies to get this work done while limiting our out-of-pocket expenses.
Ohio reports first case of bird flu in a human

Feb 14, 2025 | farmanddairy.com | Rachel Wagoner

SALEM, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Health reported the state’s first probable human case of the H5N1 bird flu on Feb. 12. An adult male Mercer County farm worker who was in contact with deceased commercial poultry was infected with the virus, according to the department. Ohio currently leads the country in bird flu detections with more than 60 flocks testing positive for the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus in little over 6 weeks.
Bird flu found in Lehigh Valley flock in Pennsylvania

Jan 27, 2025 | farmanddairy.com | Rachel Wagoner

SALEM, Ohio — Bird flu is back in poultry in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture on Jan. 27 confirmed a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a 50,000-bird layer chicken flock in Lehigh County. The department quarantined the farm and all commercial poultry facilities within 10 kilometers of the infected flock, restricting the movement of poultry products in that radius.
Community rallies to help animals left behind after family killed in murder-suicide

Jan 21, 2025 | farmanddairy.com | Rachel Wagoner

SALEM, Ohio — It’s stressful to rehome one animal, let alone more than 70 of them. But that’s just what a group of friends did after the sudden and tragic loss of a farm family in rural Beaver County, Pennsylvania last week. “Within 12 hours, every single animal on that farm was spoken for,” said family friend Judie Mammone. “It goes to show what type of people Michelle and Bill were.”Clifford “Bill” Hunt Sr., 51; Michelle Hunt, 48; Clifford “CJ” Hunt Jr., 18, and Cody Hunt, 16, were shot Jan.
How not to talk to strangers

Dec 5, 2024 | farmanddairy.com | Rachel Wagoner

I was recently at a birthday party for a dear relative of mine. As I do, I got to talking with some people I’d never met about things we had in common, people we both know, etc. It came up that I help run my husband’s family farm, where we raise beef cattle and sheep, all for meat. An older gentleman, someone’s uncle, asked me casually what it costs now for a cut and wrap on a beef. I told him our price ($3.95 per pound plus processing, by the way), and he was scandalized by the price.