Agriculture

Rising fertilizer and fuel costs tied to Middle East conflict are adding pressure to Riverhead-area farmers heading into the growing season.

We should look closely. We should name things honestly. And we should remember that once land is lost in practice, no label can save it later. Guest column by Robert Gass

Officials gathered at the East End Food Institute Food Hub in Riverhead Tuesday to celebrate progress on the facility, supported with a $5 million state grant. The secretary of agriculture & markets announced a new round of infrastructure funding at the event.

An outbreak of avian influenza at Crescent Duck Farm in Aquebogue has forced the farm to cease operations and begin to euthanize its entire flock, jeopardizing the future of Long Island’s last remaining duck farm. Co-owner Doug Corwin discusses what it will take to restart operations at the 117-year-old family farm, now under quarantine.

Keep an eye out for the spotted lanternfly. And if you see it, take pictures, kill it, collect it and report it. An infestation of this invasive species can do serious damage to vineyards — and the local economy.

Horton’s Flower Farm, a small plot of land tucked away on a desolate stretch of Horton Avenue in Riverhead, surrounded by farmland, offers many ways to connect not only with nature but with the area’s agricultural heritage, too.

Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine visited a working farm in Riverhead Wednesday to sign legislation appropriating $15 million of new funding this year for farmland preservation.

Farmworkers in New York will be entitled to overtime after 40 hours beginning Jan. 1, 2032, under an order signed yesterday by the state labor commissioner.The overtime threshold will be reduced incrementally every two years as the 40-hour threshold is phased in over the next decade.

The Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center in Baiting Hollow, founded in 1922, provides a crucial service to the region's growers. Yesterday the center celebrated its centennial with a gala at its sprawling 68-acre campus on Sound Avenue, attended by the president of Cornell University.

Two longtime members of Long Island's agricultural community were honored by the L.I. Farm Bureau Friday night at the group's 101st gala awards dinner.