Host Suzanne Rajczi, visits Cooper Lane Farms with Katie Hines and Bob Ferris to explore the farm’s history and how it evolved from a former dairy property into an operation focused on hay, sweet corn, and local food education. Bob discusses hand-picked sweet corn, hay production and crop rotation, and the challenges and satisfaction of sustaining agriculture, including land conservation and changing economics. Katie shares her 4-H journey from Cloverbud through showing and selling Southdown sheep at the Dutchess County Fair, detailing sheep care, lambing, and animal stewardship for quality meat and wool. She also explains how she built Zo’s Ice Cream, emphasizing small-batch production, local sourcing, the “cow to cone in three days” model, seasonal flavors like sweet corn ice cream, and educational school programs connecting kids to where food comes from, ahead of the Dutchess County Fair’s 180th anniversary.

00:00 Podcast Welcome
02:34 Sweet Corn Work
04:27 Hay Fields Rotation
07:53 Animals and Aging
08:41 Katie 4H Journey
11:02 Fair Auction Lessons
14:57 Sheep Care Basics
18:55 Local Lamb Quality
21:21 Zoes Ice Cream Story
23:27 Local Flavors Ingredients
24:20 Sweet Corn Flavor
26:13 Sourcing Local Ingredients
31:52 Future of Local Farming
38:25 Advice for Young Farmers
43:11 Sheep Raising Basics
46:32 Podcast Wrap and Fair

Step into the powerful world of Percheron draft horses and carriage driving in this episode of Monday Moments. Host Suzanne Rajczi, speaks with Frank Castella of Castle Carriage about the history, strength, and legacy of these incredible horses from their origins as medieval warhorses in France to their vital role in American agriculture.

Frank shares how he trains draft horses using trust and consistency, breaks down hitch terminology, and explains how teams are built for parades, weddings, competitions, and even film work. He also tells the story of acquiring his first Percheron and building a life around these animals.

A highlight of this episode is the inspiring Warrior Wagon Veterans Appreciation Project—an accessible, military-themed wagon Frank designed to honor service members. From 2014 to 2024, the project recognized nearly 600 veterans and public servants, blending agriculture, craftsmanship, and patriotism.

If you’re interested in horses, farming, history, or honoring those who serve, this episode delivers.

00:51 Meet Frank Castella
02:02 Percheron Origins and Warhorses
04:47 Hitches and Horsemen Basics
06:30 Draft Breeds Compared
10:06 Size Weight and Farm Work
12:48 First Percheron at the Fair
16:07 Building Teams and Wagons
23:31 Training with Kindness
27:30 Trust Building Timeline
29:33 Breaking Cart Gone Wrong
32:09 Warrior Wagon Origins
43:36 Impact Honoring 600 Heroes
46:49 Hitch Roles And Training
49:03 Driving Cues And Control
50:25 Favorite Horses And Joy
52:33 Youth And Agriculture Future
56:47 Final Thanks And Fair Promo

Discover the vital role honeybees play in pollination, agriculture, and our food supply in this episode of Monday Moments. Host Suzanne Rajczi sits down with beekeeper Michael
Vlei Forge Apiary, in Rhinebeck, NY, to explore the fascinating world of beekeeping in the Hudson Valley.

From hive structure and bee lifecycles to raw honey production and pollination economics, this episode breaks down how bees impact everything from local farms to global food systems. Michael shares his journey from professional horseshoer to beekeeper, along with insights on hive management, swarming, winter survival, and transporting bees for crop pollination.

We also dive into major threats facing honeybees today, including pesticides, habitat loss, weather changes, and varroa mites—plus how organic beekeeping practices can help.
If you’ve ever wondered how bees make honey, how to start beekeeping, or why bees are essential to agriculture, this episode is for you.



TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Welcome to the Podcast
02:45 Western Honeybee Basics
04:41 Pollination Economics
06:27 How Bees Navigate Home
09:45 Bee Life Cycle Explained
13:37 Winter Survival and Feeding
15:43 Swarming and Space Management
17:29 Hive Architecture Tour
20:28 Queen Marking and Stings
24:43 Hudson Valley Nectar Flows
29:17 Fairground Apiary and Organic Care
31:03 Mites and Bee Biosecurity
34:21 Dutchess County Fair
38:03 Bee Stressors and Habitat
40:00 Starting Beekeeping Tips
46:04 Real Honey vs Adulteration
49:10 Harvesting and Bottling Honey
50:59 Honey Varieties and Judging
56:45 Comb Honey and Wax
58:44 Helping Bees at Home
01:00:40 Stings and Protective Gear

Host Suzanne Rajczi visits Soukup Farms in Dover Plains, New York, to learn from Mark and Jennifer Soukup about their multigenerational maple operation and its ties to the Dutchess County Fair’s working sugar shack. They discuss the farm’s history from a pre–Civil War orchard to today’s 150 acres owned, 500+ farmed, and 3,000+ tapped trees, along with sustainable forest management and proper tapping practices. The episode explains how sap becomes syrup through reverse osmosis, boiling on an evaporator, and hot filtering, including the “rule of 87” and how weather-driven freeze-thaw cycles determine season timing, sap flow, and syrup grades from golden to very dark. The Soukups also highlight community education via maple weekends, school and bus tours, and value-added products like maple sugar, cream, candy, and sauces.

00:00 Welcome to Soukup Farms
05:00 Maple Varieties Explained
06:14 Jennifer Joins the Operation
07:14 Evaporator and Filtering
09:16 Reverse Osmosis Basics
10:35 Weather and Sap Season
15:10 Tapping, Tubing, and Workflow
20:44 Boiling Hours and Yield Math
26:02 Flavor Profiles by Color
31:08 Tours and Maple Weekends
34:16 Dutchess Fair Sugar Shack
40:37 Cooking with Maple Syrup
41:27 Real vs Imitation Syrup
43:51 Value Added Maple Products
45:50 Closing and Next Episodes

Suzanne Rajczi sits down with Russ and Amanda Brezinski of North Wind Farms in Tivoli, New York, a family-owned, vertically integrated livestock farm. Russ shares how the farm grew from his father’s 1982 start raising antibiotic-free poultry into a diversified operation with chickens, turkeys, cattle, pigs, lambs, goats, ducks, geese, guinea hens, and rabbits.

They describe raising and processing poultry on-farm, turkey breeds and seasonal ordering, biosecurity practices, feed sourcing, and timelines for turkey and beef production.

The conversation covers pasture rotation, soil health, farm size and herd numbers, winter challenges, labor shortages, processing and USDA inspection constraints, farmers’ market sales, customer education, and misconceptions about farming’s demands.

They also discuss ties to the Dutchess County Fair, 4-H, and hopes to preserve farmland for future generations, including support for FFA.

Today we visit Battenfeld Flower & Tree Farm in Red Hook, New York, to explore the story behind one of Dutchess County’s most unique multigenerational farms. Fred Battenfeld shares how the family operation evolved from apple orchards, dairy farming, and violet greenhouses into a thriving flower and Christmas tree business. The farm became known for greenhouse-grown anemones cold-season flowers that thrive in the Hudson Valley developed through careful seed breeding, cross-pollination, and meticulous greenhouse practices.

Fred also discusses the seasonal rhythm of the farm, from breeding new flower varieties and shipping blooms nationwide to managing nearly 100 acres of Christmas trees. He reflects on the craftsmanship behind pruning and shaping trees, the intense holiday rush when visitors arrive for cut-your-own trees, and the Battenfeld family’s decades-long involvement with the Dutchess County Fair, helping expand agricultural education and community traditions.

The Dutchess County Agricultural Society is proud to present Episode 1 of our new podcast, The Legacy of Agriculture and Community. Hosted by Suzanne Rajczi, this series celebrates the people, farms, and traditions that define our region.

Our first guest is Jennifer DeForest from Stormfield Swiss Farm. Located on the historic Knapp Farm property, Stormfield Swiss is a testament to the resilience of New York agriculture. Join us as we explore Jennifer’s journey from 4-H member to dairy farm owner and advocate.