The Scoop View All →
Kathy Broke Her Face
And she learned why doing chores in your heels is bad for more than the shoes.
Read More →On Pasture’s Happy Thanksgiving Music Video
We’re thankful for YOU, our On Pasture Readers!
Read More →Help Grow On Pasture for FREE!
Leah Ashley Esser wears lots of hats. She is our tech support, shipping department, advertising department, article editor, and sounding board. Today she’s wearing her “let’s grow On Pasture” hat with some ideas for how you can help with no money at all.
Read More →When Rachel Met Kathy
Here’s the scoop: The day I met Kathy, she threw candy at me. She was giving a talk at the Grasstravaganza in Binghamton, NY, and she threw candy at all of us, really. There she was weaving this amazing story, explaining the hows and whys behind getting livestock to eat weeds, and we got treats. […]
Read More →VOTE for On Pasture!
It’s election day in the U.S. and folks who haven’t sent in their mail in ballots are out there voting today. So we thought we’d better make our election day speech too!
Read More →On Pasture Articles are ALL at Your Fingertips!
With almost 200 articles published since March 21, there’s a lot of information stored for you at On Pasture. So chances are if you have a question, you can find the answer here. But how do you find what you need? Here are some options: The Tag Cloud is another good way to find articles […]
Read More →Press a Button – It’s Fun!
We know things about our readers. No, no, we’re not the NSA. All we really see is how many people come to the site and read things. For example, we know that you really liked the Forage Calculator we posted. Lots of you read that article and shared it by email. So we’re working on […]
Read More →Can You Help Us Out?
First, thanks to all of you who have already joined the On Pasture community this past week! Your support and confidence in us keeps us going. We’ll be sending your t-shirts and bumper stickers out shortly. To those of you who have joined us, and to those still thinking about it, here’s a little more […]
Read More →Grazing Management View All →
Bale Grazing: Feed the Cattle, Feed the Pasture
If you didn’t have a chance to stockpile forage for winter grazing, here’s another way to make your life easier, your animals’ lives better, all while improving your pastures.
Read More →A Visit to Deck Family Farm
This is a lovely video of a beautiful farm near Junction City, Oregon. Deck Family Farm raises AWA* certified pasture raised beef, pork, laying hens and raw milk. Owner Christine Deck describes their multi-species grazing operation, and how their Animal Welfare Approved certification has benefitted their bottom line. *AWA stands for Animal Welfare Approved. As […]
Read More →Your Grazing Chart – Figuring Animal Needs
Today, we’re headed to a presentation by Troy, the Grass Whisperer, Bishopp to check out how easy it can be to figure our animal needs so we can create a Planned Grazing Chart that works for us.
Read More →Creating Your Grazing Chart – Mapping Your Pastures
Financial advisor and television host, Suze Orman said it’s impossible to map out a route to your destination if you don’t know where you’re starting from. Kinda makes sense for implementing a grazing management plan and chart too.
Read More →Grazing Charts – Working on Your Farm Layout
Troy Bishopp, the Grass Whisperer, is taking us through the steps for being successful by using Grazing Charts. As you make the switch to paddocks, you’ll want to map your property. But before you jump into mapping, take 5 minutes to watch this video from the Natural Resources Conservation Service. It will give you some […]
Read More →Setting Goals for Your Blank Grazing Chart
We know that the very idea of setting goals is horrifying to most of us. But this isn’t about those kinds of goals. This is about setting your grazing season’s goals to fit your business while leaving room for a personal life.
Read More →So Ya Got a Blank Grazing Chart. Now What?
Troy Bishopp has been working on making grazing planning easier for himself and his fellow farmers for quite awhile now. He’s found that grazing charts make it possible for him to successfully plan for his forage, livestock, finances, and a most importantly, a personal life with his wife, family and friends. This is the first in a series to help you get started using grazing charts to make your life better too!
Read More →Intensive Grazing – Putting it All Together, Or “Calling the Dance”
Dave Scott has been taking us through setting up an intensive grazing system that works, especially if you’re working with irrigated pasture. He’s already covered recovery periods and grazing periods, so now he takes us through stocking rates, adjusting for mother nature, and keeping track of where we’ve been.
Read More →Pasture Health View All →
Wetland Restoration: “What Do You Want To Do That For?”
Enhancing wetland areas on your farm can bring a whole new community of wildlife to your land.
Read More →Quickly Estimate Pounds of Dry Matter in Pasture
The Grass Whisperer has built up a healthy stockpile for some good winter grazing. Here he shows how he estimates what he’s got to help him with his planned grazing.
Read More →Using iPhones and Texting to Reduce Feral Pig Problems
Watch this video to see how texting is helping ranchers capture hogs with much more success. Maybe this will inspire you to think of new solutions to old problems!
Read More →A Fall Visit to Greg and Jan Judy’s Green Pastures Farm
After a 6 month drought, you’d think that Greg might be a little down about his winter grazing prospects, and you’d be wrong. He’s found that managing his animals as one big herd is especially beneficial during drought. In addition, by taking just the tops of the plants, and leaving plenty of “solar collectors” behind, […]
Read More →Cows Eat Leafy Spurge
Contrary to what you’ve been told, leafy spurge does not cause harm to cattle, and with a little training, they can and will eat it. So why not turn that pest into forage? Here Kathy shares what she’s learned about getting cattle to eat leafy spurge over her decade of teaching cows to eat weeds.
Read More →Sue Kennedy Teaches Cows to Eat Leafy Spurge
Here are some of the posts on the Kennedy Ranch Facebook page from Sue Kennedy’s work teaching cattle to eat leafy spurge on their ranch in Lamoille, Nevada. Sue says that the cattle do well eating the spurge on their first rotation through a pasture. But 14 days later they tend to eat around the […]
Read More →ATTRA’s Extended Cow Calf Calculator
Dave Scott, of the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) recently completed a series of articles for On Pasture about Intensive Grazing on Irrigated Pastures. In them he mentions the Extended Calf Calculator, and here he shows you how to use it.
Read More →Russian Knapweed Can Be A Tasty Forage
Though Russian knapweed is not safe in large quantities for horses, it can be part of a nutritious diet for your ruminant livestock.
Read More →Livestock View All →
The Right Cow
Cattle are considered to be well attuned to our modern beef industry and we only need to breed the right bull to a cow for profit. Included in this theory is adding all the necessary inputs recommended by every magazine you pick up. This has been the typical system for 40 years, but it doesn’t […]
Read More →Small-farm “Egg-onomics”
Josh shares the facts and figures of raising pasture-raised, free-range, organic-fed hen eggs. It’s math that can really help you understand your inputs and what you should be charging for that dozen of eggs you collect from your chickens.
Read More →The Latest In Low Cost Herding Technology
Greta Vigren, a Swedish farmer noticed that her 5-year-old pet rabbit, Champis, had a new talent when she let her sheep out to graze for their first time in pasture after a long winter. In her interview with the Huffington Post, Greta says, “He just started to behave like a sheepdog.” Her friend, Dan Westman, […]
Read More →Veal Part 4: Calves Into Veal – The Most Difficult Part of the Process
Harvesting, processing and packaging your product is different than what is typically done for other meat you harvest. With this article, Sandra points out the challenges and then how to be successful.
Read More →Cows Eat Leafy Spurge
Contrary to what you’ve been told, leafy spurge does not cause harm to cattle, and with a little training, they can and will eat it. So why not turn that pest into forage? Here Kathy shares what she’s learned about getting cattle to eat leafy spurge over her decade of teaching cows to eat weeds.
Read More →Sue Kennedy Teaches Cows to Eat Leafy Spurge
Here are some of the posts on the Kennedy Ranch Facebook page from Sue Kennedy’s work teaching cattle to eat leafy spurge on their ranch in Lamoille, Nevada. Sue says that the cattle do well eating the spurge on their first rotation through a pasture. But 14 days later they tend to eat around the […]
Read More →Veal Part 3: Let the Fun Begin! Handling, Care and Feeding
This is the third of a five-part of posts regarding veal production for small-scale farms and why educated eaters dedicated to local foods and sustainable agriculture should be eating veal as well as beef. Here Sandra covers the care and feeding of calves.
Read More →Pastured Turkey Basics
Our good friend Forrest Pritchard is back with these great tips for raising your own pastured turkeys for sale.
Read More →Money Matters View All →
Small-farm “Egg-onomics”
Josh shares the facts and figures of raising pasture-raised, free-range, organic-fed hen eggs. It’s math that can really help you understand your inputs and what you should be charging for that dozen of eggs you collect from your chickens.
Read More →Veal Part 4: Calves Into Veal – The Most Difficult Part of the Process
Harvesting, processing and packaging your product is different than what is typically done for other meat you harvest. With this article, Sandra points out the challenges and then how to be successful.
Read More →Veal Part 3: Let the Fun Begin! Handling, Care and Feeding
This is the third of a five-part of posts regarding veal production for small-scale farms and why educated eaters dedicated to local foods and sustainable agriculture should be eating veal as well as beef. Here Sandra covers the care and feeding of calves.
Read More →Veal Part Two: Getting Started Raising Veal
This is the second of a five-part series on veal production for small-scale farms and why educated eaters dedicated to local foods and sustainable agriculture should be eating veal as well as beef. Here Sandra covers veal-raising facilities and equipment, where to get your calves, and how to feed and transport them.
Read More →Veal Part One – Time to change attitudes and misconceptions
This is the first in a series of posts regarding veal production for small-scale farms and why educated eaters dedicated to local foods and sustainable agriculture should be eating veal more than beef.
Read More →Uruguay Competes For Grass Fed Market
As I was doing research for the article on competition from imported grass-fed beef, I found a very interesting story being told about Uruguayan beef by one of its sellers. Sprouts Farmers Market paints a picture that describes Uruguayan beef as more flavorful, and more consistent in quality than American beef, and even as more […]
Read More →Knowing Your Competition
A recent report on NPR noted that grass fed beef is becoming more and more popular. In fact, George Seimon, a founder of Organic Valley, says that though the push for grass-fed beef started with activists who wanted to challenge an industry dominated by factory-scale feedlots, the demand for the product has now gone mainstream. That should […]
Read More →Death and Taxes Part II – State Taxes
In Part I of Death and Taxes we looked at the Federal “Death Tax” and found that changes to the tax laws have reduced the worry for most farms, ranches and small businesses. But you’re not out of the woods until you know a bit about your state estate taxes. So check it out!
Read More →Consider This View All →
Once Upon A Time We Farmed Moose
Once upon a time, in a land of long winters and little feed, someone wondered “why don’t we domesticate moose?” Santa and many others in the cold north use reindeer. We could use moose instead of horses out here in the Russian wilderness. They would thrive on the twigs we have, since we have no […]
Read More →Using iPhones and Texting to Reduce Feral Pig Problems
Watch this video to see how texting is helping ranchers capture hogs with much more success. Maybe this will inspire you to think of new solutions to old problems!
Read More →Are You Suffering From Iron Disease?
Many men suffer from this un-researched affliction that is somewhat prevalent in the cattle raising community. This problem has been around for some time, but with the encouragement of high input ranching it really took off and has gotten out of hand. Getting hooked is easy. A certain amount of men seem to have an […]
Read More →What Changes Your Mind?
In a world where changing your mind is sometimes called “flip-flopping” we appreciate science because it creates openings for discussion, allows for new understandings, and gives us opportunities for change. For some reason, saying “I was mistaken” or even “I was wrong” is very difficult for all of us. But science provides a venue where […]
Read More →No Money in Grazing Dirt
Here’s how one farmer/agency staffer perseveres in spreading the gospel of grass.
Read More →Farming Bugs to Feed to Livestock
An entrepreneur in Ohio is producing 225 pounds of clean, safe feed per day in a 3-foot by 5-foot space he calls “The Love Shack.” See how black soldier fly larvae might be in your livestock’s future. And don’t miss the Barry White video we included!
Read More →Losing Without Warning
Full disclosure time: I’m from the east. The west operates on a scale that seems kind of foreign to me. Eastern sizes are in the tens, and western sizes – from miles to head of cattle to acreage – run in the hundreds. My father-in-law is from the west, though, and when we were on […]
Read More →Worm Dancing
“He who dances with worms creates topsoil and catches more fish” ~ The Grass Whisperer
Read More →The Funnies View All →
Did Black Friday Get You Down?
Don’t let Black Friday get you down! Here’s Ye Olde On Pasture Holiday Shoppe, where no one has to work in a mall and you can get cool farmer/rancher stuff!
Read More →Flamingo Thanksgiving
In honor of the fact that we all overdo it a little on Thanksgiving, we’re overdoing it with the funnies this week too. Enjoy!
Read More →What Does the Farmer Say?
Both of these videos make all of us at On Pasture laugh. The first, “What Does the Fox Say?” is the popular version, and if you haven’t seen it yet, it’s worth the time. When Kathy visited Rachel in October, she and Rachel and Rachel’s 3 kids watched it together at least 3 times, and […]
Read More →
Farmer/Rancher Hallowe’en Costume Suggestions
If you don’t know what to be this Hallowe’en, here’s something you can make with items you have around the farm!
Read More →
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