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What is the Most Read Online Grazing Resource?

It’s On Pasture! Surprised? I guess I am a little bit. When I first talked to friends and colleagues about starting a grazing publication, all I really wanted to do was get good information to graziers in a format that was easy to understand and that could be applied quickly. I wasn’t thinking about world […]

By Kathy Voth 1 week ago

The whole purpose of On Pasture is to help more folks make a better living. We’ve addressed ways to do that with grazing management, understanding how your forage works, and ways to manage livestock. But I’ve always wanted to do more to address teh most heartbreaking complaint I hear over and over from farmers and […]

By Kathy Voth 2 weeks ago

You’ve heard this Chinese proverb, right? It’s the same with getting started planning your grazing. If you haven’t already started using a chart or some other management tool, the time to do it is now. And we’re lucky to have Troy Bishopp to help us get going. Troy is enthusiastic about grazing, about making it […]

By Kathy Voth 3 weeks ago

My cat is teaching me a new trick. I wrote about her a year ago, describing how she gets me up from my desk to feed her, watch her drink, and open doors for her. She gets all this by tapping on my leg and meowing to me. But lately, I’ve been pretty busy, and […]

By Kathy Voth 1 month ago

For me, February is always the longest month, even though it has the fewest number of calendar days. It’s the month when winter has gone on long enough and I’m just done with it. It’s the month I start looking for Spring. So – will it be early this year? According to Punxatawney Phil, the […]

By Kathy Voth 1 month ago

Our livestock could be one of the biggest dangers to our safety.

By Kathy Voth 1 month ago

I was supposed to be in Wisconsin this past week, enjoying the -20 degree temperatures, and speaking at the 2019 Grassworks conference. I didn’t make it. My first flight out was cancelled, and rescheduled for later in the afternoon. So I checked my bag and went home for a few hours. When I returned, my […]

By Kathy Voth 2 months ago

When I was working for the Bureau of Land Management and stationed at Utah State University, a friend and I started an internship program called “Tehabi.” It gave students the background and experience they needed to work for land management agencies like the National Park Service, the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, and helped […]

The Power of One Wire

By Johnny Rogers 3 days ago

Dr. Matt Poore also contributed to this article. The tools to improve productivity that we have at our disposal are quite astonishing. Computers that allow us to analyze our operations, equipment used to plant/harvest crops to produce feed, and the genetic predictions used to select better livestock are just a few examples of tools that […]

By Tom Krawiec 1 week ago

Tom Krawiec and Troy Bishopp are on the same wave length – grazing charts are where it’s at if you want to have healthy pastures and a successful grazing season.

By Troy Bishopp 2 weeks ago

It’s that time of year again, where the annoying, persistent Grass Whisperer suggests, coerces or abruptly throws it down, that folks need to use a grazing planning/monitoring tool or device. I’ve been doing show and tell on this subject for 7 years now. Why do I keep up the reminders and offer free grazing chart […]

By Jim Gerrish 3 weeks ago

We think it is far more important to stop making hay on your land than it is to stop feeding hay on your land. Here are some things to think about. What Made Sense in 1973 Doesn’t Make Sense Today Making hay is a whole lot more expensive than it used to be. This table […]

By Kathy Voth 3 weeks ago

Thanks to Heather Emmons of the Natural Resources Conservation Service for this story of how to get water where livestock need it. (It comes to us from the Conservation Roadtrip and you can see it in it’s original form here.) It can give you an idea of how you might work with the NRCS on […]

By Michael Harman 1 month ago

GIS is an abbreviation for Geographic Information Systems. In practical terms GIS is the application of the science of location and all things related. In the last several years significant advances on global positioning and high tech farm equipment has leveraged this technology to increase yields on grain farms, more efficiently apply fertilizers to growing […]

By Dean Schneider 1 month ago

Dean Schneider, a rancher in Oklahoma, is moving to year round grazing after decades of making and feeding hay. Here’s how he’s managing the change.

By James Matthew Craighead 2 months ago

You do not have to move cows every day to build soil health. You don’t always have to stretch polywire to implement rotational grazing. Sometimes you will have to feed hay, and this can be as constructive as it is destructive. There is a growing trend that I am seeing in “regenerative” agriculture to push […]

Feeding Hay to Improve Your Land – Part 4

By Jim Gerrish 3 days ago

Did you miss the start of this series? Here is Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. Bale grazing has been increasing in popularity for several years now. This method of feeding minimizes or eliminates the need for running any feeding equipment in the winter months, but is it really all sunshine and roses? Let’s […]

By Jim Gerrish 1 week ago

If you missed them, catch up by reading Part 1 and Part 2 of this series. Having a systematic approach to hay feeding is a critical part of maximizing the nutrient benefits you get when feeding hay is a big piece of your pasture fertility program. We have already seen in the previous post the […]

By Jim Gerrish 2 weeks ago

This is Part 2 in Jim’s series. If you missed Part 1, here you go! When you feed hay for fertilizer, we often think of it as a way to reduce the need for purchased fertilizer, especially Nitrogen (N). Have you thought about how much N you may actually be applying when you feed hay? […]

By Kathy Voth 3 weeks ago

In two previous articles, Beth Burritt wrote about the scariest invasive plant I know, Medusahead rye. This week, I’m sharing the good news that there may be a solution for controlling it.

By Don Ashford 1 month ago

Even if you’re not planting ryegrass, Don’s tips work for prepping for other seeding for pasture improvements as well.

By Kathy Voth 1 month ago

Here’s a press release from Yale’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies sharing some new information about soil organic matter’s contribution to crop yields. While increasing soil organic matter provides numerous benefits (like carbon sequestration, improved water-holding capacity and reduced run-off and erosion), it turns out that some of the science about increases in production […]

By Victor Shelton 2 months ago

By this time of year, any seeding of forages would be considered a dormant seeding. Seeds planted now will lay there until the right conditions present themselves closer to spring. Most producers with pasture or hay ground understand the concept of “frost-seeding.” Frost-seeding is taking advantage of the freeze-thaw process of the soil during winter […]

By Beth Burritt 2 months ago

Last week we looked at why Medusahead Rye is so dangerous. This week Beth shares how we can prevent its spread. These tips are important for preventing the spread of all kinds of weedy species, so check them out and use them, even if you don’t have Medusahead. Preventing medusahead from establishing in new areas […]

Is That Farm/Ranch Enterprise Really Making You Money?

By Kathy Voth 3 days ago

Allocating costs is a tool used to assist in financial and managerial decision making within your operation. Done well it can help you focus on what’s making the most profit for you.

By Kathy Voth 1 week ago

An Agricultural Research Service (ARS)-led team has completed a comprehensive life-cycle analysis quantifying the resource use and various environmental emissions of beef cattle production in the United States. Their results so far indicate that U.S. beef’s contribution to climate change is small percentage of the country’s Greenhouse Gas emissions, and were not a significant contributor […]

By Greg Judy 1 month ago

Note from Kathy: In April of 2018 I visited Greg and Jan Judy at Green Pastures farm. When I arrived, Greg was in the middle of inoculating logs with Shiitake mushroom mycelium, and he explained the process and the adjustments they’d made to their operation as it has grown. Check out Greg’s video here, as […]

By John Marble 1 month ago

Last month John described what successful ranching might look like in the future, and what steps young ranchers might consider. This article is another look at that subject, sharing the example of a young entrepreneur finding success with a diverse, forward-thinking business model. My young friend Cody Wood is a nut; anyone can see that. […]

By Tom Krawiec 1 month ago

Low-Stress Livestock handling is more than just being kind to your animals and the people working with you. As Tom points out, the money it saves you can be very significant!

By Meg Grzeskiewicz 2 months ago

I spent my first four years in the grazing business running custom cow-calf pairs. It wasn’t profitable for me and I determined that it wasn’t the best use of my resources (as I discussed in some of my On Pasture articles in 2018). In spring 2018, I switched to being a seasonal operation. I bought […]

By Don Ashford 2 months ago

We all prefer trusting and being trustworthy, but sometimes things just don’t work out without a contract of some sort to clarify expectations. Here are some examples of problems that could have been prevented by having more than a handshake.

By John Marble 2 months ago

I recently received a note from a young friend (let’s call her Peggy Sue) who desperately wants to be a rancher. Since her childhood she has dreamed of working with animals. She has learned about marketing and economics. She’s studied hard and become a competent grazier. She’s done some hard work. But she’s getting a […]

A Farmer Walks Into a Print Shop….The True Story Behind the Free Grazing Charts

By Troy Bishopp 3 days ago

“A farmer walks into a print shop” could be the beginning of a funny joke. The joke, however, is mostly on you, as many farmers and ranchers have said they can’t take our excel file of free grazing chart templates and get them printed on a door-sized piece of paper. And then, when Troy gets […]

By James Matthew Craighead 2 weeks ago

Little things add up to big things that cost time and money. Here’s how to stop them while they’re small.

By Kathy Voth 3 weeks ago

By John Marble 1 month ago

When your spouse knows you and what you love, even the most ordinary ranch supplies can become a sweet gift.

By Troy Bishopp 1 month ago

Have you been having any fun lately? Troy reminds us to be kids once in awhile.

By Don Ashford 2 months ago

We were over at John Seal’s one day looking to buy some of those big Holstein heifers from Wisconsin that he would go up there and get about twice a year. We were trying to grow our outfit and our heifer production, in our mind, was going too slow. We had bought heifers from John […]

By Greg Judy 2 months ago

Back in 1999 when we first started leasing idle land for grazing that needed serious fertility, I designed my first bale unroller. We had all these old farms that had been stripped of their fertility by folks continuously haying them every year without putting back any nutrients. We did not have any money to fertilize […]

By Kathy Voth 3 months ago

John Marble, another of On Pasture’s Writers in Residence, has been writing for On Pasture for a little over two years. He focuses on helping us take a new look at things we might take for granted. Examples include his thoughts on paddock design and moving livestock, and his article “From Minimal To Mob – […]

Does it Pay to Fertilize Pastures? Part 1 of 2

By Bruce Anderson 3 days ago

Yes, some folks say they’ve been able to give up fertilizing thanks to excellent grazing management. For those of us who are still working on getting there, here’s what research has shown about the economics of an added boost.

By Kathy Voth 1 week ago

From March of 2018, it’s my annual reminder to you! It’s that time of year again when those special forbs start poking their heads up in your grassy pastures. That means it’s also the time of year when I remind you, “Those are NOT weeds. That is good forage!” And then I remind you that […]

By Greg Judy 2 weeks ago

From March of 2017, Greg Judy’s tips for transitioning through mud season to good grazing. In just a few weeks it will officially be Spring. It’s the time when we start seeing a tinge of green grass poking its baby head up. Middle of March is also the normal time to have tons of mud […]

By Kathy Voth 3 weeks ago

On Pasture began sharing videos from Alberta Agriculture and Forestry back in 2017. It’s still one of the best resources we’ve found for showing how to reduce costs and labor to get livestock through the winter. Enjoy! One of the biggest challenges farmers and ranchers face is feeding their livestock through winter. It can be […]

By Kathy Voth 1 month ago

Thanks to Jesse Morrison of Mississippi State and the Soil Science Society of America for this article from January of 2018. It might help you give some thought to what you want to plant if you’re thinking of adding to your pastures this year. Although it might seem like grazing animals will eat any grass […]

By Aaron Berger 1 month ago

Are you looking for a new bull? This January 2018 article has some suggestions as you search. The purchase of a bull is a significant investment and represents the genetic future of the calves and in many cases replacement heifers that will go into the cowherd. The following are thoughts on a process that producers […]

By Kathy Voth 1 month ago

In February of 2017 we took readers on a summer visit to South Dakota with this article and video. Since so many of you just made it through the Polar Vortex, we thought another summer trip was in order in 2019. We hope it helps you look forward to warmer times! Charlie and his wife […]

By John Marble 2 months ago

This week James Matthew Craighead points out that we don’t have to move our cows every day. John Marble adds to that idea with a look at the lifestyle and economic choices involved in our grazing management. This brought up quite a discussion when we first ran this in January of 2018! I’ve added those […]

Calf Scour Management

By Kathy Voth 1 week ago

Thanks to Alberta Agriculture and Forestry for providing this great information! Calf scours can cause a large financial loss to cow-calf producers. With scours, the intestine fails to absorb fluids and/or secretion, and the material is passed into the small and large intestines. These higher fluid levels in the manure result in a watery discharge. […]

By Whit Hibbard 3 weeks ago

Here’s another in Whit Hibbard’s series on Low-Stress Livestock Handling. Earlier this year Tom Krawiec wrote about how he used these techniques to save his ranch $2400. Whit is following up with the information you need to build your own skills. Check out our Special Collection of Whit’s articles to see everything in the series. […]

By Whit Hibbard 1 month ago

Last week Tom Krawiec wrote about how much money he saved simply by using low-stress handling to drive his cattle. Since folks wanted to learn more, Whit is sharing this article on the low-stress handling techniques that made Tom’s cattle drive possible. Just about everything we do with our cattle comes down to driving them […]

By Jim Gerrish 1 month ago

Not so long ago, I visited Mike Roberts, the ranch manager at Waldron Ranch in Alberta, Canada. Mike is definitely one of those outside-the-box thinkers. As a great example, he is teaching his cattle to be goats to control woody species invasion on native rangelands. On part of the ranch, he has developed about 50 […]

By Tom Krawiec 1 month ago

Low-Stress Livestock handling is more than just being kind to your animals and the people working with you. As Tom points out, the money it saves you can be very significant!

By Kathy Voth 2 months ago

In this video from Oklahoma State University Extension and SunUp TV, Glenn Selk, OSU Extension Cattle Specialist, talks about the key to your replacement heifers have a successful first calving: it’s good body condition. This means that on a one to nine scale, they should be at least at the mid-point of 5, and even […]

By Whit Hibbard 2 months ago

For the past few years, Whit Hibbard has been sharing a series of articles on Low-Stress Livestock Handling (LSLH). We’ve gathered these articles as one of our Special Collections so you can see them all. Stay tuned as we’ll be sharing a number of new articles in upcoming issues of On Pasture. Driving—the active process […]

By Aaron Berger 2 months ago

Most of these tips apply to any kind of livestock that will be giving birth. So check it out!

Beware of Coyotes

By Kathy Voth 3 days ago

The people who made this sign must have read the research that says humor boosts retention of important information. And in case you’ve never seen it – here’s the historic moment when the coyote catches the roadrunner! (Just 1:42) 🙂

By Kathy Voth 1 week ago

Here’s a new sport to try – from the man who invented it!

By Kathy Voth 2 weeks ago

If you’re in the path of the latest snowstorm, here’s an idea for making the most of it. Get your own personal flamingo. 🙂 They have ice dragons, unicorns, penguins and polar bears too. I know – what will they think of next?!