{"Body Text Edit"/}Recently, The Daily Star examined the recent boom in beef herds in Chenango, Delaware and Otsego counties.
The move toward more beef farming makes sense. It's easier on aging farmers with small operations than is dairy farming with its twice-a-day milkings. It comes at a time where there's a strong demand for beef, and also when people are starting to examine where their food comes from. Eat local is a small movement but is gaining strength.
The other promising aspect we found, in talking with numerous farmers and officials, is that beef and dairy farming are complementary. While the farming tradition will always face struggles in upstate New York, farmers don't appear to have to choose between beef or dairy. And it's a good thing, for while the tri-county region is among the state leaders in beef production, the dairy herds are roughly five times larger.
And for those with concerns about safety or humane treatment of cattle, it would seem smaller, personal operations in our midst are more trustworthy _and easier to inspect _ than corporate-run places scattered about the U.S.
For all these reasons, the rise of beef farming is a positive development for our farmers and our area.
{"Headline36"/}Organ gifts foster hope
{"Body Text Edit"/}It can be hard to imagine that anything good can come of the tragic loss when a young person dies. It can happen, however, and we've seen two recent examples of that in our area.
When 8-year-old Matthew Mundy died in April after falling into a pond, and when State University College of Technology at Delhi student Tyshawn Bierria died after suffering multiple stab wounds, both families elected to do organ donations.
As Bierria's mother, Sharon, said in a statement issued after her son's death, "Tyshawn lives on through his organs. His heart still beats, his lungs still breathe. His organs were restored for a purpose."
According to the U.S. Government website for organ and tissue donation and transplantation, organdonor.gov, there were more than 99,000 candidates on waiting lists for organs as of May 1. According to the New York State Organ and Tissue Donor Registry, one person can save up to eight lives by being an organ donor.
The state Department of Health's website, www.health.state.ny.us, has an organ donor form that can be filled out online, and organdonor.gov has organ donor cards you can print out, sign and carry with you. The most important step, however, is making sure your loved ones know of your wishes. Taking these simple steps can have life-changing results.
