Hudson Valley Jane brings cannabis education and community to Beacon

Hudson Valley Jane, a cannabis farm and micro-dispensary, is dedicated to bringing farm-to-main street cannabis to Hudson Valley communities. The farm itself is located off of Route 82 in Ancram, NY, and the Hudson Valley Jane dispensary will open its doors on Main Street in Beacon, NY, on June 7. 

Co-founders Stacey […]

Farm to fork: How local farms are using social media to build community and maintain transparency

Above photo by Makani Kirwin

These days, it seems like it’s nearly impossible to run any type of business without a social media presence. Whereas years ago business would spread by word of mouth, in this day and age, if you don’t have an Instagram or Facebook page, people almost always ask “Why not?” 

Increasingly, more […]

By |2025-04-28T13:57:35-04:00May 1st, 2025|Farm Feature, Featured Article, Our Environment|

Sky High Farm: Promoting food sovereignty and addressing rural food insecurity

Above photo by Walter Hergt. 

Sky High Farm is not your average Upstate New York farm. A registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, since its inception, Sky High Farm has donated 100% of the vegetables and protein grown and raised on the farm to food access partners throughout New York state. 

Located on 40 acres off of Hall […]

By |2025-04-28T13:48:11-04:00May 1st, 2025|Farm Feature, Featured Article, Our Environment|

Hudson Valley agriculture

Our old Dutchess farmers may feel proud of their farms,
Producing such fine crops, having beauty that chains,
The stranger that journeys far over the state
Declaring old Dutchess stands first on the slate.
Rhinebeck farmers, of good tillage, are not afraid,
When they gather their harvest, they find they’re well paid;
Their corn, rye, and oats, such a bountiful […]

By |2025-04-28T13:28:23-04:00May 1st, 2025|Farm Feature, Great Outdoors, Our Environment|

All about Scottish Highland Cattle: Environmental education and land restoration at Elk Ravine Farm

If you’re taking a drive through the countryside and you find yourself on Route 83 in Amenia, NY, chances are you’ll come across Elk Ravine Farm. The farm – owned by Jim Archer and named for the Rocky Mountain Elk that it initially housed – sits on 90 sprawling acres that encompass multiple different habitats, […]

Energy efficient construction: Better for the Earth and better for your wallet

Above photo is the Orchard Modern project by CB Design / Build

Energy-efficient construction is a term that’s being used with more frequency in the construction world. With drastic changes in weather due to climate change, more builders and contractors are considering ways to make homes more resilient to extreme weather, while mitigating the effects on […]

By |2025-03-25T10:55:03-04:00March 27th, 2025|Great Outdoors, Our Environment|

Nuclear Power

Nooooo! A thousand times, no. Not here!

Yes, of course, the knee-jerk response to any mention of nuclear power is to scream with the fury of seven tornadoes during an early Sunday-morning earthquake. Everyone has a position, certainly, but how about we set politics to the side and start with a clean slate here, shall we? […]

By |2025-03-25T10:46:03-04:00March 27th, 2025|Great Outdoors, Our Environment|

Plastics: The future or a failure?

“I just want to say one word to you. Plastics.”

Remember that classic line from the 1967 movie “The Graduate”? 

Had Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) followed that advice, today he might be a wealthy, retired CEO. 

But he’d also have been part of what is a world-wide problem for waste and climate change. Plastic is everywhere, […]

By |2025-03-25T10:43:27-04:00March 27th, 2025|Great Outdoors, Our Environment|

Come fly away with me

By Ian Strever & Daniel Moran

Daniel Moran is a student at Housatonic Valley Region High School who has been learning about drones and sharing his expertise with peers and adults throughout the Region 1 School District in Connecticut.

Imagine yourself standing among the most perfect 100-acre field of soybeans, planted autonomously by a GPS tractor, with […]

By |2025-03-25T10:35:15-04:00March 27th, 2025|Great Outdoors, Our Environment|

What’s all the buzz about? The role of honey bees in our ecosystem, colony losses, and the challenges of keeping hives

Pollination is vital to our ecosystem. Bees and other pollinators work hard, ensuring food security and nutrition and maintaining biodiversity for plants, humans, and the pollinators themselves. 

Just how dependent is our food system on pollinators?

Pollinators are essential to the production of many fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts. According to the Food and Agriculture […]

By |2025-03-25T10:30:40-04:00March 27th, 2025|Great Outdoors, Our Environment|
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