Biography:
I'm a digital journalist for Spectrum News in Syracuse covering agriculture and food production. I graduated from Syracuse University where I earned my master's degree in photojournalism. I studied Buena Vista University in Storm Lake,...
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Triple J Farms is encouraging other Black farmers to enter the industry of agriculture by stamping messages on their egg cartons such as "Make farmers black again." Read more here.
Researchers at Cornell University are examining the viability of rice in New York's floodplains. The crop could help benefit farmers who live near rivers, lakes and other areas that are prone to flooding. Read more here.
Mental health among farmers is a growing concern as they are one and a half times more likely to commit suicide. Farmer Doreen Barker relies on a community group she created NY Farm Women, for support. Read more here.
Eva Zaczynski moved to the United States in 1988 from Poland and has been serving authentic polish food to Syracuse residents for more than 25 years. Read more here.
In an old growth oak grove in Onondaga County with the sun shining through the towering trees and the sounds of kids playing in a nearby park, Zach Papaleoni’s eyes are focused on the ground — on the hunt for gourmet wild mushrooms. Read more here.
With the war in Ukraine, the price of sunflower seed oil has rapidly increased as they are the world's largest exporter of the product. However, there is a company in CNY making the oil from locally grown sunflowers. Read more here.
After a pandemic exposed stresses in the food supply chain and as climate change begins to impact farming, producers in upstate New York are turning to creative growing techniques to meet local demand year-round. Read more on two hydroponic farms.
Youth agricultural programming in New York is making a comback since the COVID-19 pandemic. The Learning Farm in Ithaca offers after school programming and summer programs. Read more.
Ethan Tyo grows a Three Sisters garden at the community garden on Syracuse University's campus. The garden is a traditional indigenous way of growing corn, squash, and beans.
With an estimated loss of 80 million tons of food every year in the United States, local organizations are trying to redirect that food to pantries, food banks and other emergency food operations. Read more here.