CHARLESTON — The number of pigs in West Virginia on Dec. 1 was unchanged from a year earlier.

It seems that when it comes to the art of writing, I now only have time for works that pay especially well. These usually first appear in this column in their full length of about 1,400 words.

This story begins very close to where the very first “Far Muse” story started, near the intersection of Old Chapel and Bishop Meade roads at Millwood, Va. Unlike that story, I’m not trying to locate the source of a mysterious barbecue fragrance. In fact, if there is any fragrance involved, i…

A 6-week virtual program for youths interested in livestock or horticulture starts next week.

This will be the last installment of this column in 2017. The next will be on Jan. 3, 2018. Such an occasion is commonly thought to be a time of reflection — another year gone by (sigh).

ROMNEY — Brandon Walsh has been named direct support professional of the year for Potomac Center.

Consumers and retailers alike are demanding accountability when it comes to producing, buying and selling fresh produce.

I guess I've gotten into the habit of borrowing titles lately.

The 4th annual Student Ag Innovation Challenge will encourage problem solving and innovation among West Virginia students interested in agriculture.

Every square inch of ground anywhere holds a story. As children in the then vast New Jersey farm country, we would find lost objects in the fields by throwing our pocket knives then looking at the place where they landed. I admit that this method wasn’t very scientific, but it did sometimes …

Some of us can remember when disappointment with an American product or our government could be embodied in a single phrase; “Give it back to the Indians.”

The North River Mills shop has virtually no heat and plenty of ventilation. Years ago, someone must have found themselves in a situation similar to mine as there is evidence of newspapers having been put up on the west wall to block the wind. An open lean-to protects this wall from rain and …

Our managing editor at Vintage Truck magazine is recovering from surgery. Having just gotten back in the game after about a month’s leave, we’re all working together to try to compress time and get a couple of issues out in a timely manner.

Eli and Misty Cook’s Spring Valley Farm was featured in the October issue of the WVDA’s October Market Bulletin . Here’s their story.

“You can tell me that your dog ran away, then tell me that it took 3 days.’’ That’s part of the theme song to the Canadian situation comedy “Corner Gas.”

Imagine going for a checkup and receiving some not-so-great news — but instead of your physician adding another pill to add to your morning routine, she hands you a slip of paper that reads:

Ted wrote this on the eve of the 2016 election, with it appearing in print the day after Donald Trump won the presidency. He thought it would be a fitting reminder 4 years later.

Lonely Lights is a previously published title, but I can use it here because I own it. “Lonely Lights” was a poem that I wrote while listening to a radio broadcast of Miles Davis — it may have been “Sketches of Spain.”

Richard Dykstra of Readstown, Wis., writes to ask how much work is involved in replacing the engine in a gasoline powered Massey Ferguson 150 with a Perkins Diesel unit.

When we left off last week we had established that the Baldwin apple, another of the old-time varieties grown at Joy Orchard in Woodstock, Conn., where I picked in the 1970s, dates back at least to the Civil War. Well, I’ve since learned that we might as well pick up the American Revolution …

There’s a yearly event that takes place near the top the Blue Ridge at the Clarke and Loudoun counties line on Route 7. You may have noticed a wide parking area on the east bound side of the highway. The Appalachian Trail adjoins this area and there are usually vehicles parked there: car poo…