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ARTICLE • February 27, 2026 • 3 min read

FARMERS, BACKBONE OF AMERICA - Last Call for Expo & Mapling

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Diane Dubshinski
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3 min read 35 views

Last call for marking your calendars to attend the 2nd annual 

‘SCHOHARIE AG SOLUTIONS AND NETWORK EXPO”

Tuesday, March 3, 2026. 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m.  Outstanding amount of exhibitors introducing their wares on the latest farming techniques.  Come and gain insight on what is happening on the New York farming scene when Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball, keynote speaker, delivers his speech for the 31,000 plus farms in New York.   Come out and meet your local farmers, agribusinesses and ag partners.  Important you bring business cards to share, look for the business card table.   Join the workshops, then locally sourced products will be served for lunch.

Due to Schoharie Ag Solutions  Expo on  March 3, the monthly Agriculture committee has been rescheduled to April 7 at 4 PM. Please mark your calendars.

Looking for a weekly advertising plan for your Farm starting Spring of 2026?  Contact Diane at  Dubshinski@gmail.com 

Watch for our free “farm of the week” column—Tell us about your farm with a picture or special event and we will post it on our agricultural page for free for 1 week.  Only one farm  per week so email dubshinski@gmail.com.

Future Events

March 7, 2026

Berry pruning

10 am-12: pm. Middlefield Orchard

2274 State Highway 166

Cooperstown, NY

March 10-11, 2026

NORTHEAST Dairy Innovation Summit. March 10-11, 2026, Albany, NY,  Two full days of Northeast Dairy Innovation information with education and fun!  At the Desmond Hotel in Albany, NY—must be registered.

April 18, 2026

SUNY Cobleskill Dairy Fashions Sale

Dairy Cattle Club

Keep warm!

Mapling, the art of making maple syrup!  

Mother nature works all year around, preparing just for the special sugar maple trees to let down the most delicious sap known to man.  It all starts with the bitter cold winter and when the calendar gets closer to spring, the most magical transformation occurs.  Cold freezing nights and warm days starts to let the sap flow.  Energetic maple lovers walk the woods inserting spiles, (taps) into all available sugar maple trees. Add the blue tubing to the spile to collect the sap and this starts the process of collecting the syrup and boiling down to a concentrated sugary syrup.  Test the sugar content, and bottle it and it’s on its way to your pancake breakfast or  dinner table.  In calendar year 2024,  New York was the fourth leading  Maple syrup producer in North America.  Quebec, lead the way with 18,000,000 gallons, New York produced 960,000, Vermont lead with 2nd place of 3,108,000 and New Brunswick 1,200,000 in North America. Yes, Canada is way ahead of the rest of the world with Maple syrup.   One reason, is the abundant forests of sugar bushes, maple trees in Canada.  These numbers are based on commercial production in New York State. It does not include the many smaller backyard, artisanal production of maple syrup.  No worries, we’re gonna love that maple syrup either way!

Enjoy and keep warm!