The Scoop View All →
Why Can We Look at the Same Thing and Come to Different Conclusions?
An old friend called me the other day and asked me this very question. I hear it from a lot of folks, so I did what I always do – I looked for science and theories that might give us an answer, and a handle on what we can do about it. One answer, the […]
Read More →When the Fire Came – A Rancher Works Through Oregon’s Holiday Farm Fire
On September 9, John Marble’s short voice mail on my home phone said, “We have fire on three sides and we’re evacuating cattle.” He was running from the Holiday Farm fire that had been whipped into a frenzy by gale force winds two days earlier. By the next day, his part of the Calapooia Valley […]
Read More →Why do we do it this way? How can we do it better?
When I’m up against a challenge, I have some questions that I ask myself: Why do we do it this way? How can we do it better? What is another right answer? That last question, “What is another right answer?” is a principle for creativity and problem solving that I learned from Dewitt Jones. Dewitt […]
Read More →See Me at the CSSRM Online Conference
This October 27, I’m joining Tip Hudson and Clay Conry on a free webinar to talk about the work we’re each doing to build community and provide support to graziers. You might know Tip from his podcast “The Art of Range” and Clay from his podcast “Working Cows.” Tip, Clay, and I are the third […]
Read More →Want to Get Paid for Providing Ecosystem Services? Start by Lunching With Forages
Meet Debbie Reed, Executive Director of the Ecosystem Services Marketing Consortium. This Thursday, she’ll be talking about the work she and her colleagues are doing to develop markets that can pay farmers and ranchers for improving soil health and protecting water quality. Reed is the first in the Oregon Forage and Grassland Council’s “Lunch With […]
Read More →Paint Cows Like Zebras to Reduce Flies
For years, scientists have tried to answer the question, “Why do Zebras have stripes?” Theories included that stripes were good camouflage, that they were some kind of “air-conditioning” or a signal to herd mates. But lately, there’s growing agreement that it’s all about protection from biting flies. The conclusions come as a result of a […]
Read More →Why Do We Believe Cows Prefer Grass?
If you’ve read On Pasture for very long, you know that before I created On Pasture, I was best known for creating a method for teaching cows (or any other ruminant) to eat weeds. Starting in 2004, I developed steps that anyone could use, testing them and then refining, until the process only took 8 […]
Read More →Why Do Farmers and Ranchers Adopt Regenerative Practices?
This week’s Scoop comes to us from Michelle Klampe of Oregon State University. Regenerative ranching, a holistic approach to managing grazing lands, enhances ranchers’ adaptive capacity and socioeconomic well-being while also providing an opportunity to mitigate climate change, a new study from Oregon State University has found. Regenerative ranching practices rebuild ecological processes, allowing ranchers […]
Read More →Grazing Management View All →
How to Graze During the Dormant Season (Summer or Fall)
Whether it’s fair or not, people seem to believe that northwest corner of America is a fairly unique place. Folks like to rave about the extraordinary degree of “greenness” in this country, while also whining and moaning about our soggy winters. I always find this entertaining. The truth is, we do have a long, gray […]
Read More →Want to Know How to Get the Most From Your Pastures? Ask a Dairy Grazier
When Oregon dairy farmer Jon Bansen decided Double J Jerseys was going all grass fed in 2017, he faced a challenge. Milk production requires a tremendous amount of energy, so pasture forages really need to pack a punch. He also needed resilience, and feed that would hold up through heat, cold and drought. Finally, milk […]
Read More →Conservation and Ranching Go Hand in Hand
Thanks to the Sand County Foundation for this piece. I’ve added some ideas about how you can use what you learn here. Craig and Conni French always considered themselves good land stewards, but six years ago things really began to change. They came to see their cattle ranch’s fate was tied to healthy soils and […]
Read More →Use Good Stop Grazing Heights For Animal and Soil Health and More Spring Forage
It is late September as I write this, and so far this month I’ve had a total of two-fifths of an inch of rain up until today. Some oats and turnips I planted over three weeks ago have barely broke ground. They won’t provide much grazing at this rate. Sadly, there are areas of Indiana […]
Read More →Greg Judy on How to Use Portable Fence Reels and Set Up Electric Fence Quickly and Easily
Lately I’ve been seeing questions from folks about portable electric fence reels – which ones to use and how to use them. The next question is “Now, how do I use these to set up my fence?” Here are the answers in two great videos from Greg Judy. If you already know all this, consider […]
Read More →Three Keys to Being a Successful Grazier
In this video, we take a trip to Nye, Montana to visit the Keogh Ranch. It’s been in the family since Noel Keogh’s folks purchased it in 1947. It may be larger than the operation you run, but his management addresses the challenges that each grazier faces: Managing for good grass utilization with fencing and […]
Read More →Grazing Through Drought, Too Much Rain, and Fire
Because Oregon has been in a long-standing drought, John Marble has lots of practice acting on his drought plan and rebounding when it rains. His examples of what works can get you through, rain or shine.
Read More →Limit Feeding Corn With Forage an Option to Get Through Drought
OK, I know I’m going to get smacked around just for mentioning feeding corn. But hear me out. Drought has hit a lot of places this summer resulting in poorer pastures heading into winter, and as usual, the cost of hay goes up when precipitation goes down. Alternatives for folks in this situation are to […]
Read More →Pasture Health View All →
If it’s so great, why don’t we see silvopasture everywhere?
I was at a pasture walk some time ago, when the farmer pointed to the few scraggly trees strewn throughout his paddocks. They were close to death, and the grass around them had long been trampled into nothing over the course of a long, hot summer. These trees were the sole relief from the sun, […]
Read More →Is a Second Dust Bowl on Its Way?
Thanks to Paul Gabrielsen, science writer, University Marketing & Communications, University of Utah for this piece. Got any spaces left on that 2020 bingo card? Pencil in “another Dust Bowl in the Great Plains.” A study from University of Utah researchers and their colleagues finds that atmospheric dust levels are rising across the Great Plains […]
Read More →Want to Know How to Get the Most From Your Pastures? Ask a Dairy Grazier
When Oregon dairy farmer Jon Bansen decided Double J Jerseys was going all grass fed in 2017, he faced a challenge. Milk production requires a tremendous amount of energy, so pasture forages really need to pack a punch. He also needed resilience, and feed that would hold up through heat, cold and drought. Finally, milk […]
Read More →Farmer Manages Variety and Builds Resilience Through Soil Health
Thanks to the South Dakota Soil Health Coalition for this article! South Dakota is known for its variety, and Don Nickelson’s operation in Frederick is no exception. With the help of his wife, Trista, and sons Aiden, Gavin, and Ian, Nickelson raises cattle and grows corn, soybeans, oats, triticale, alfalfa and cover crops. His farm […]
Read More →Keys for Successful Corn Stalk/Corn Residue Grazing
Thanks to Brad Schick, Nebraska Extension Educator and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln BEEFWatch newsletter for this great article! Having corn stalks to graze is a great resource for livestock producers. For dry cows, it is a relatively inexpensive feed that can typically meet, or come very close to meeting nutritional needs. Grazing can also […]
Read More →Cheating Cheatgrass
I got an email not long ago from a researcher who wondered if I could help her find a place to purchase cheatgrass seed. I wasn’t aware of anyone selling the seed, but I did want to help, so I wrote back, “My suggestion is a little odd, but I think it would work. I […]
Read More →Twice as Many Cows, Twice as Easy
This piece comes to us from Clarence Kelly,* work unit conservationist for the Soil Conservation Service (now known as the Natural Resources Conservation Service). It was first published in September of 1962 in the Soil Conservation magazine. This rancher faced a lot of the same challenges many of us face today. His solution was to […]
Read More →Using Trees as Forage
Spring and fall are wonderful times to be a grass farmer. The weather is pleasant, the livestock are fat and happy, and the forages are lush. But of course, summer comes right after spring, and the lean, dry times can wipe away the memory of those beautiful lush grasses of spring. It doesn’t take much […]
Read More →Livestock View All →
How Good Are You at Assessing Animal Temperament?
Thanks to University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s BeefWatch, and Jamie Parham and Dr. Ronald M. Lewis, UNL Professor of Animal Breeding and Genomics for this article. Some edits were made to fit On Pasture’s style guide. We also added UNL chute behavior videos so you can test your skills. Temperament is an animal’s behavioral response to handling […]
Read More →Answers to Temperament Scores
1. Temperament Score – 5 2. Temperament Score – 3 3. Temperament Score – 2 4. Temperament Score – 4 5. Temperament Score – 1
Read More →Low-Stress Livestock Handling Part 2 – Observation, Driving and Parallel Movement With a Focus on Sheep
Last week we shared a video from Boyd Holden about best practices for low-stress sheep handling. Boyd is an animal handling consultant from Australia who covers handling of both cattle and sheep in a series of training videos. I appreciate his approach of starting from the beginning and then sharing techniques in little chunks like […]
Read More →Low-Stress Livestock Handling – Best Practices for Sheep Part 1
If you’ve been reading On Pasture for very long, you’ve certainly seen Whit Hibbard’s articles sharing the ins and outs of moving cattle and other livestock. But sometimes it helps to see the principles in action. So here’s a video prepared by our friends down under, with the help of animal handling consultant Boyd Holden. […]
Read More →How to Build a Mineral Program to Meet Your Herd’s Needs
Here are two great videos from our friends at the Beef Cattle Research Council. While they focus on cattle, some of the principles Dr. McKinnon describes can help sheep and goat producers think about and adjust their own mineral programs. If animals’ mineral needs are not met, the results are costly, and can include decreased […]
Read More →Help Your Animals Adjust to a New Location by Feeding Familiar Foods
One of the challenges your livestock face on a daily basis is picking out something safe to eat without the benefit of food safety labels, or any labels at all for that matter. They’ve solved this dilemma by eating what those around them eat. But when we haul them to a pasture with forages […]
Read More →Red Clover Hay Supplementation Grows Fat Cattle
To jump right to the end of the story, researchers have found when 15% of the diet of steers in pasture was a supplement of red clover hay/ with about 3 pounds of dried distillers grain, they gained more weight than those on pasture alone – 2.45 pounds a day compared to 1.94. That’s interesting […]
Read More →How to Choose Your Replacement Heifers
This is the time of year when many folks are choosing their replacement heifers. These tips from Nebraska Extension Beef Educator Aaron Berger and his colleagues at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) will help you make good choices. First, get rid of heifers whose mothers were troublesome. Send on heifers that are: • from cows […]
Read More →Money Matters View All →
Here’s a Tool to Make Farm/Ranch Financial Analysis Easier
If you’re not a great record keeper, you’re not alone. Most folks I know would rather be outside doing chores than inside filing receipts or going through records to figure out if the latest enterprise is bringing in the expected profit. So, to make it easier, and set you up for success, the Center for […]
Read More →Is “Tradition” Harming Your Operation?
Agriculture is steeped in tradition. These traditions serve as a source of pride and continuity which help make us who we are in agriculture. However, these same traditions create a paradox of sorts when it comes to managing the business of ranching. Balancing respect for traditions and fostering innovation can be tricky to navigate. Another […]
Read More →How to Start a Ranch From Scratch
Can’t be done. At least that is what conventional wisdom says. I’d agree that it can’t be done, if you follow the rules of traditional ranching – running cows the way everyone else does and owning everything. If you are willing to break some rules and challenge conventional wisdom maybe you can join the amazing […]
Read More →A New Meat School Coming to a Town or Computer Near You!
Are you interested in learning more about production, processing and selling your pasture-finished product to diverse market channels? Would you like new ways to manage risk in your meat business and improve your profitability? If the answers are yes, then you’ll want to check out the Western Meat School. The Western Meat School is organized […]
Read More →Overcoming Challenges to Create a Successful Grass Fed Beef Supply Chain
A case study of a regional grass fed beef supply chain that came out this past Spring gives us a good look at how one producer addressed the issues that direct marketers in this business usually encounter. From building a brand and successfully marketing it, to having enough product to meet the demand of customers, […]
Read More →Solar Panels for Powering Your Farm/Ranch – Here’s What to Consider
If you’re wondering if solar power is a good option for your operation, this four-part video series from John Hay and University of Nebraska Extension is for you. Though the series bills itself as information for beginning farmers and ranchers, it’s really beneficial to anyone interested in solar power options. I’ve included all four videos […]
Read More →Rancher Loren Poncia Talks Covid-19 and a Shift to Direct-to-Consumer Sales
Loren Poncia of Stemple Creek Ranch near Tomales Bay, California is a fourth generation rancher raising grass fed beef, lamb and pork. His goal is to “raise an awesome, wholesome, nutritious product, and, at the same time, do the dance with Mother Nature to build soil health and biodiversity.” When Covid-19 hit, the ranch lost […]
Read More →These Could Be The Best Cows
Back in May, John wrote “What Makes a Really Good Cow” where he talked about judging the cows in your herd by blaming them for how their calves turn out and selling the cows that fail that basic test of performance. That’s a great theory, but how does it work out in practice? John shares […]
Read More →The Classic by NatGLC View All →
Early Weaning During Drought is Good For Cows, Calves, and Producers
We originally published this story in October of 2014 and it’s great information as more and more folks face off against drought conditions. It comes to us from the 2013 issue of Agricultural Research, a former publication of the USDA Agriculture Research Service, and was written by Sandra Avant. At the beginning of 2013, cattle […]
Read More →Grazing Pigs – Fencing Tips
If you’d like to raise pigs, this piece from the On Pasture archives is a great way to start. Check the end of the article for opportunities to learn more about raising livestock and marketing and selling meat. Of all the animals we have raised (cattle, sheep, goats, poultry, dogs and cats), we like the […]
Read More →Forrest Pritchard’s Secrets for Successful Farming
Forrest Pritchard is the New York Times best-selling author of three books on his experiences as a farmer, including “Start Your Farm,” Kathy’s favorite book for folks considering taking the leap. Here he shares some of his insights.
Read More →Do Animals Know Which Minerals They Need?
This is the latest knowledge we have on how animals and their response to mineral feeding. It’s an important part of building a mineral program to meet your herd’s needs. A number of companies in the U.S. sell free-choice or cafeteria-style mineral supplements. Their rationale is that ruminants will select the minerals they need and […]
Read More →Which Feed Is A Better Value? Here’s a Calculator to Help Figure it Out.
From October of 2016, here’s a timely article to help you get the most for your money. There are a variety of reasons why you might decide to feed or supplement grazing cattle in the fall and winter. One might be providing a little extra for a pasture that doesn’t meet your herd’s nutritional needs. […]
Read More →Get Rid of Bio-Film and Clean Lines, Tanks and Floats With the Easy “Slug Method”
From 2018, here’s a great way to keep water troughs clean and working well. Oregon is a funny place. We recently changed our State bird from the Meadow Lark to the Osprey, mostly because several other States were claiming the Meadow Lark, and Oregon likes being….unique. Some would say bizarre. Our State Flower is called […]
Read More →A Very Helpful Grazing Systems Planning Guide
From our September 2014 issue, here’s a guide that is still very valuable. Pictures and simple tables – that’s what I like in a book, especially if they illustrate what the author is trying to explain in a way that cuts to the chase. If you like that too, you’ll really appreciate this Grazing Systems […]
Read More →Livestock Combine With Cover Crops to Build Soil Health
From January of 2017, here’s why livestock are an important part of cover cropping.
Read More →Consider This View All →
Build Your “Room” for Success
A year ago I listened to an interview with author David Weinberger on CBC radio. The host was asking questions about Weinberger’s book ‘Too Big To Know.’ Weinberger posed the question, “Who is the smartest person in the room?” His answer….the room! In the book, the author talked about how the internet and our access […]
Read More →Getting Paid For Good Grazing: The Carbon Market of the Future
Oregon Forage and Grassland Council’s free Zoom series “Lunch With Forages” kicked off last week with a look at a potential new revenue stream for graziers: trading good grazing practices for cash. Debbie Reed, the Executive Director of Ecosystem Services Marketing Consortium, was the featured speaker and she described the carbon market and making it […]
Read More →The Time I Almost Died On My Tractor…Mom Please Skip This One.
I was sitting here thinking about how I’m glad I don’t wear my mistakes on my person. Like many of my farming kin, I have done some really thoughtless things on the farm. It seems that the end of a long day, under the sun, with deadlines looming, animals needing to be fed, and bills […]
Read More →Managing Vegetation in Solar Arrays With Sheep
Last spring we shared a series of stories from the American Solar Grazing Association on the increase in solar developments, and how sheep grazing is becoming an important part of managing vegetation so solar panels work most effectively. The first in the series described the opportunities and potential income for sheep graziers. In Part 2, […]
Read More →Make Sure Your Equipment Doesn’t Turn Into Just a Pile of Steel
“I need you to come right away. The driveline just snapped off the baler” “IT DID WHAT?! Shut it down. I’ll be there in five minutes” Click. The heat of the afternoon sun smacks me in the face as I scramble down the steps of the big, blue New Holland PowerStar 120. I hit the […]
Read More →It Takes a Village (of Insects) to Raze a Manure Pile
The manure your livestock leave behind in pasture can provide beneficial nutrients. But how do the nutrients get from the pile and into the soil? If you said Dung Beetles, you’re only 1.5 to 3% correct.
Read More →Rethinking Methane – Why Livestock Are Not the Problem and Could Be a Solution
Cow burps and farts – that’s mostly what first comes up when people talk about agricultural methane, making it seem kind of silly. So why all the concern? It’s because methane is a very powerful greenhouse gas, about 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide for the decade it lasts in the atmosphere. But, […]
Read More →Build a Self-Starter Apprentice/Employee With Feedback and Mentoring
Adding an apprentice or intern to your operation is a great way to add energy and new ideas to your operation while providing training to the next generation of graziers. But, like any new practice, there’s information to make it easier, and skills we must develop to be successful. For the past 6 weeks, Leah […]
Read More →The Funnies View All →
Tools Explained
From some friends on Facebook – these descriptions explain perfectly the way I’ve seen these tools used! DRILL PRESS: A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beer across the room, denting the freshly-painted project which […]
Read More →
Stella’s Best Leaf Jumps of All Time
Stella the Dog has a thing for piles of leaves. It’s 3:10 of fun – with a cute ending. Enjoy watching her enjoy!
Read More →Pass the Pepper – Joseph’s Machines
Ok, I liked “Pass the Salt” from last week, but I think this one is even better. Enjoy!
Read More →Pass the Salt – Joseph’s Machines
I like how the salt gets distributed in the end. It’s 4:26 of wonder. Enjoy! If you liked this and would like to see out takes and more, you can support Joseph’s artwork here. Next week, “Pass the Pepper!”
Read More →
New Articles Every Week!
Support Our Advertisers
Grazing Events
Support Our Sponsors!
