The Peru Gazette

By John T Ryan

When you’re enjoying delicious cheese today, take a little time to think about Adirondack Farms employees like Dakota Sayward.  The Peru Gazette talked to Sayward yesterday morning along Mannix Road as he pumped 550 gallons of liquid fertilizer into a 16-row corn planter.

Dakota said he plants about 250 acres of corn daily. So far this spring, he’s planted about 2,300 acres in Peru and Plattsburgh, and he’ll plant 2,000 more over the next few days.

The John Deere Tractor he’s driving and the Ultraplant corn planter he’s pulling have been outfitted with the latest farm technology. Once Sayward aligns the tractor on the rows, satellite guidance steers the tractor and dispenses precise amounts of seed and fertilizer. Champlain Valley Agronomics, also located in Peru, analyzes Adirondack’s fields to determine the satellite guidance and the fertilizer needed in every row.

A Willsboro native, Sayward has worked for Adirondack Farms for about ten years. The Peru Gazette applauds hardworking farm employees like Dakota Sayward. They are genuinely essential workers. Adirondack Farms has 115 employees.