The Scoop View All →
Summer Time, and the Grazing is Easy….
That’s the ear worm that keeps running through my head right now. So I thought I’d share. The reality is this is your busy time of year, and what time you have for reading is probably focused on things you need to know to actually make grazing easier. So that’s what we’re going to emphasize […]
Read More →Hey – Take a Free Webinar With Me This Friday!
I have something brand new to share with you today. I’ve never done anything like this before and I’m so excited about it! I’m hosting a webinar with Charlotte Smith this Friday, June 1, 2018 at 10 am PDT / 1 pm EDT! 3 Steps to Build Your Profitable Farm Register Here! Yes! You’ll get […]
Read More →Let’s Not Just Talk About Making Money – Let’s Do It!
We’re doing something new here at On Pasture. After years of conversations about how hard it is to make a living as a farmer/rancher, we want to do something about it. And that’s why we’re working with Charlotte Smith at 3 Cow Marketing. Farmers and ranchers have to have a whole host of skills in […]
Read More →Six Steps That Will Make You Money On Your Farm
In April, when I was at the “Our Farms, Our Future” conference, I had a “straw that broke the camel’s back” moment. For years I’ve heard from farmers and ranchers how little money they make. But at the conference, sitting in a room of about 1000 people, listening to a panel of young farmers say […]
Read More →How to Get City Folks to Understand and Support Farmers and Ranchers
It’s a common complaint among ag producers: “Those city folk don’t understand us and they don’t even know where their food comes from!” We all talk about it, but, what are we doing about it? In this week’s issue of On Pasture, John Marble shares what he’s doing about it. I REALLY want you to check […]
Read More →Ag Policy is Being Written. Does It Reflect What’s Important to You?
According to the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), “The farm bill connects the food on our plates, the farmers and ranchers who produce that food, and the natural resources – our soil, air and water – that make growing food possible. [It can have a] tremendous impact on farming livelihoods, how food is grown, and […]
Read More →Start Your Farm
New York Times Best Selling Author Forrest Pritchard’s latest book “Start Your Farm” will be hitting bookstores soon. Here’s what you need to know about the book and how to pre-order your copy.
Read More →How Do You Do Restoration on Bare Soil With No Water?
Restoration and soil health look a lot different in Tucson, Arizona than in the other places I’ve lived. Here’s a project that I’m working on. I’m sharing it with you because it’s interesting, you can learn a little more about me and where I live, and maybe you’ll have some ideas to share too.
Read More →Pasture Health View All →
Want to Know How Much Forage You’ll Have This Summer? Check Out Grass-Cast
Every spring, ranchers face the same difficult challenge—trying to guess how much grass will be available for livestock to graze during the upcoming summer. Now an innovative new Grassland Productivity Forecast or “Grass-Cast” has published its first forecast to help producers in the Northern Great Plains reduce this economically important source of uncertainty. This new, […]
Read More →Bury Your Briefs: Discover the Keys to Soil Health “Tighty Whitey” Style
Thanks to Kara Pugsley and the South Dakota Soil Health Coalition for sharing this article with us! South Dakota farmers are planting something new to test soil quality – their tighty whities. They start with a few pairs of clean 100 percent cotton briefs, bury them a couple inches in the soil, and dig them […]
Read More →Is Seeding for New Forages in Your Future?
Are you thinking about seeding for improved summer forages? Are you wondering what to seed, how much to seed and how to prepare the seedbed? Here are some tips to think about from Ed Rayburn, West Virginia University Extension Specialist, and a few good places you can go to get advice that’s right for you […]
Read More →What Kinds of Forages Are Good in Grassfed Systems?
This article comes to us from the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SARE) and Jan Holder’s book, “How to Direct Market Your Beef.” Jan and her husband took over management of their family ranch in 1992. Their plan was to “whip the ranch into shape in a few months and then spend the next […]
Read More →Wait! A Test to See if Your Grasses Are Ready to Graze
Bethany Johnston of UNL Extension tells us what leaf stages look like and what that means for grazing. Take her picture test and see if you pass!
Read More →Diversity in Pasture Plants Has Big Effects on Herd and Flock Health
Before I began farming, I was an oceanographer. I used to study tiny, planktonic crustaceans called copepods that feed on microscopic algae, at the base of the food chain, and are themselves consumed by fishes. Some 70 percent of all fishes in the ocean eat copepods at some time in their lives. So naturally, oceanographers […]
Read More →Moderate Grazing Repairs Soils
Thanks to Dennis O’Brien and researchers at the USDA Agricultural Research Service for their assistance on this article. Decades of plowing throughout the Piedmont region of the United States have degraded the soil, allowing much of it to be washed away, and robbing what is left of nutrients and organic matter. Sorghum, cotton, soybean, and […]
Read More →Let’s Waste Grass With Jim Gerrish – Part 2
This piece is drawn from a presentation Jim Gerrish did in 2015 sponsored by the Iowa Beef Center. We’ve embedded the 15:20 video of the presentation where Jim talks about the benefits of “wasting grass.” We’re also summarizing it in two bite size articles to make it easier for all you farmers and ranchers on […]
Read More →Grazing Management View All →
Being a Successful Grazier is All About Creating Resilience
Some places are unusually wet and cool this spring. Others are hotter and drier than ever and looking at the possibility of extended drought. So what’s a grazier to do? Rancher Gary Price says, “You just don’t know what’s around the next corner, so you have to prepare for the worst….Hope for the best of course, but you know, hope is not a plan.” Here’s some help for your plan.
Read More →Here’s What Reducing Pasture Recovery Periods Can Cost You
We all know that giving our pastures enough time to recover before grazing them again is critical to our success. But what may be news is how big the impact of just a few days less of recovery can turn into a problem that costs us forage and money. Dave Pratt, CEO of Ranch Management […]
Read More →Farm Hack Fly Traps
I recently joined the Regenerative Grazing Group Facebook page. Participants share information and ask questions about what’s going on in their pastures and help each other think about how we can all be better grazing managers. If you’re a facebooker, you can check it out. In the meantime, I asked if I could share this […]
Read More →Managing to Prevent Grass Tetany
Is grass tetany a threat to your herd? It could be if you’re dealing with cool conditions and lush spring forage growth. It is what we call “washy” grass. This new growth is very high in water and nitrogen. It can also be fairly high in potassium. Fields that have been fertilized with nitrogen may […]
Read More →Back to Grass – Turning Marginal Cropland to Pasture For a Diverse Sustainable Operation
Darin Michalski’s direction in life was influenced by his father. “Dad didn’t like farming much. He was more into cattle. He always cussed some of the land we farmed. It was pretty marginal land and said that we should sow this down to grass.” So when he got his first 80, that’s what Darin ended […]
Read More →How to Graze For Water Quality and Quantity
“Healthy watersheds through good land management, that’s what we work on,” says Robert Potts, President and CEO of the Dixon Water Foundation. “Managing the land is the critical component in making sure we have enough water and the kind of water we want going forward.” Their success in meeting their goals is the reason the […]
Read More →Wait! A Test to See if Your Grasses Are Ready to Graze
Bethany Johnston of UNL Extension tells us what leaf stages look like and what that means for grazing. Take her picture test and see if you pass!
Read More →Creating Resilient Soil With Cover Crops and Integrated Livestock
Thanks to Kara Pugsley, the South Dakota Soil Health Coalition and the Natural Resources Conservation Service for this profile in soil health. If you’d like to virtually visit the Reimnitz farm, check out the 4:46 video at the end of this article where Jordan describes his farm and work. Farmer and livestock producer Jordan Reimnitz has […]
Read More →The Classic by NatGLC View All →
Put Idle Land to Work With Intensively-Managed Livestock and Silvopastures
One of the things that really impressed me (Kathy) on my April visit to Greg Judy’s place in Missouri is the thoughtful way he turns forested areas into silvopastures. In addition to creating great pasture, he turns trees into money by selling it as timber, and uses left over limbs to grow another enterprise – […]
Read More →Would 43% More Forage Be Helpful? Teach Your Livestock to Eat Weeds!
It’s that time of year when I remind you that you can teach your ruminant livestock to eat your weeds so that you have as much as 43% more forage,* and you don’t have to worry about herbicide. Training a group of 50 animals to eat weeds takes just 8 hours spread over 7 days […]
Read More →Simple Soil Tests You Can Do At Home
Thanks to Nick Comerford, University of Florida, and the Soil Science Society of America for this article! We first ran it in May of 2017. We thought it went well with this week’s article “Bury Your Briefs: Discover the Keys to Soil Health “Tighty Whitey” Style.” It’s something you can do if you don’t feel […]
Read More →Look at Your Cows to Figure Out If They Need New/Bigger Paddock
Do you know if your cattle are getting enough forage? Are your paddocks big enough or is it time to move your herd to their next pasture? These tips from Jay and Krista Reiser will help you answer these questions and more. In addition to improving the soil and forage health, Jay and Krista were […]
Read More →Shade – Livestock Do Better With It – And Here’s How to Add It
In this week’s Livestock article we talk about how to start down the road of raising more heat tolerant cattle. But what can you do in the meantime? For this week’s Classic by NatGLC, we’ve drawn on two articles we’ve published in the past to give you some ideas for adding shade to your pastures. […]
Read More →Ideas for Mob Grazing Paddock Design
Think you can’t mob graze on 2700 acres? Jay and Krista Reiser describe the paddock design that works for them in North Dakota. Don’t have 2700 acres? Their design ideas will work for you just as well.
Read More →Parasite Control Silver Bullet
We first shared this in March of 2017. It’s good information about managing parasites no matter what kind of livestock you’re raising. If you’d like to know how to reduce deworming and still have healthy goats or sheep, you’ll want to check out the the ATTRA/NCAT publication “Managing Internal Parasites: Success Stories.” It includes stories […]
Read More →The Easiest Way to Monitor for Tracking Pasture and Rangeland Changes
Spring is a great time to set up pasture monitoring. All you need is your smart phone, maybe a shovel or fence post from the back of your truck, and the willingness to take a picture and email it to yourself and you’ve become a monitoring master! Here’s how, from August of 2017. Enjoy! Would […]
Read More →Consider This View All →
Your Tree Planter is Saving the World – One Tree, One Planting Tube and One Weed Mat at a Time
If you farm within the sprawling Chesapeake Bay Watershed or other sensitive watersheds around the country, there is a better than even chance, you’ve heard about USDA Riparian Forest Buffer Programs. These initiatives supported by the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership are actively working, in earnest, to take whatever strategies or financial measures possible, to […]
Read More →Rickie Roddy – Texas Small Farmer of the Year, 2017
Rickie Roddy knew he was going to be a rancher early on. To get started, he saved up his money, and bought his first cow at the age of 13. “My dreams are coming true,” he says. “A 13-year old, you have big dreams. But a 13-year-old getting a cow, that was a big step […]
Read More →The Best Farm Girl Birthday Party Ever!
Doug Ferguson’s daughter wanted to have her 6th birthday party at the sale barn. It took some creativity to turn her wish into reality. But, not only did Doug Ferguson pull it off, people are still talking about what fun it was a year later!
Read More →A Major North American Climate Boundary Moves East
The 100th Meridian is one of only two climate divides in the world. (The other divides the Sahara Desert from the rest of Africa.) Now scientists have found this line is moving east, and that could impact how we farm and ranch in the future.
Read More →Walking the Walk, Talking the Talk: Our 2018 Ranch Walk-About
A lot of folks talk about how non-farmers need to understand where their food comes from and what farming and ranching is all about. Here’s how John Marble is actually doing something about it.
Read More →Grazing is a Win-Win for Ranchers, Salamanders, Frogs and the Community
This story was drawn from a piece by Ashley Spratt, a Public Affairs Specialist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Ventura Field Office in Ventura, California. It was edited for content and length. See the full piece here. Amid the rolling grasslands and oak woodlands of Santa Clara and San Benito counties […]
Read More →Listen to This – A Conversation With Greg Judy and Adam Saunders
“One of the questions people ask me is what’s the most important lessons I’ve learned in farming, and one is invest in livestock, not machinery. That’s a huge one!…Because how many tractors have you see that had a baby calf?!” That’s Greg Judy talking with Adam Saunders in the latest “Our Farms, Our Future” podcast. […]
Read More →Cattle May Be the Last Hope for Saskatchewan Sage Grouse
This 8:27 video takes us on a cattle drive with Miles Anderson, a rancher south of Fir Mountain, Saskatchewan, Canada. On this day, he’s gathering and moving about 100 cow calf pairs onto the neighboring Grasslands National Park so they can graze and create habitat for the endangered sage grouse. As we follow Miles […]
Read More →Money Matters View All →
Increase Your Profit by Understanding Marketing
I recently read on article here in On Pasture where Kathy wrote that she’s tired of people talking about how little money they make, and that some youngsters think agriculture should be a public service. For years I thought the biggest problem facing animal agriculture is the brain drain. Think about it, generations before us […]
Read More →Free, On Pasture-Hosted Course on Increasing Your Farm/Ranch Profit
You hear all the time and read it in the news that local farm fresh food is trendy and all the rage. Your gut tells you you’re doing the right thing by providing farm fresh food for your community, healing your family and protecting the land in the process. Yet, we see farm owners selling […]
Read More →Great Marketing Advice Part 2: Three Steps That Will Get New Customers to Your Farm
Greg Judy turned On Pasture onto Charlotte Smith, saying hers was the best marketing advice he’d heard. Last week we shared her first article covering six steps for getting started making money from your farm. This week she takes a deeper look at one of those steps: Attract your dream customer. I work with thousands […]
Read More →Greg Judy Says: “This Is the BEST Marketing Advice I’ve Ever Heard” – Part 1
Greg Judy introduced Kathy to Charlotte at the April “Our Farms Our Future Conference” because he’d heard her talk and knew that she had a lot to offer On Pasture and its readers. She has been kind enough to provide us with this first in a series and we’re working on ways we can provide […]
Read More →Everything You Need to Include in a Farm/Ranch Lease Contract – Part 2
Over the last few months, my Boneheaded Beef Business Blunders articles have related how I’ve been burned by ineffective land lease and custom grazing contracts. As a result, I’ve changed what I include in contracts. Here in Part 2 I share the rest of the topics I am now including in my lease contracts along […]
Read More →Everything You Need to Include in a Farm/Ranch Lease Contract – Part 1
Over the last few months, my Boneheaded Beef Business Blunders articles have related how I’ve been burned by ineffective land lease and custom grazing contracts. As a result, I’ve changed what I include in contracts. Below is a complete rundown of all the topics I am now including in my lease contracts. I will do […]
Read More →Stock Tank Adventuring – A New Business Opportunity?
Looking at their natural resources in a new way helped this family find a new, money-making enterprise.
Read More →An Introduction to Conservation Finance
Thank you to the Western Landowners Alliance in partnership with WRA, Inc. for sharing this series on conservation finance with On Pasture. We hope it will help you understand and evaluate different approaches to your own property that take advantage of the ecological services you provide. Conservation finance is the idea that landowners can be […]
Read More →Livestock View All →
What’s the Best Way to Protect Your Livestock from Predators?
If you’re worried about predators and wondering what you should do to protect your stock, a good place to start is this table from the Livestock-Predator Hub of UC Rangelands at the University of California, Davis. It’s based research and field-based experience describing how effective different tools are against a specific predator. There may be […]
Read More →Does Creep Feeding Calves in Pasture Pay?
This article is drawn from information provided by the University of Nebraska Lincoln Beef, Randy Saner, Nebraska Extension Educator – Beef Systems, and Travis Mulliniks, UNL Beef Cattle Nutritionist – Range Production Systems. Thanks for your great work! Creep feeding is a practice of providing feed so that calves can get to it, but the […]
Read More →Sassy Calving: More Fun ~ Less Work
Over the past ten years or so I have read many, many articles encouraging ranchers to calve in sync with nature, to calve when the other ungulate-ruminants calve. In other words, suggesting we calve in the spring rather than winter. The basis for most of this writing has been economics: a discussion of costs, inputs, […]
Read More →Selecting for Heat Tolerant Cattle Using Coat Shedding Scores
Scientists and the Farmer’s Almanac agree: this summer is going to be hotter than normal all across the U.S. and Canada. In fact, many farmers and ranchers I talk to agree that they’re seeing a trend of hotter summers over all. Everyone also agrees that heat stress reduces cattle weight gain, calf weaning weights and […]
Read More →Black is Only a Color
In a market that seems to tell us that we can only make money selling black cattle, Don Ashford has a different story to tell.
Read More →The Easiest Way to Treat Pink Eye
When visiting Greg and Jan Judy a few weeks ago, I asked Greg “What do you do about pinkeye?” “We don’t treat it,” he said. “We found that if we treated it the cow got better in 2 or 3 weeks. If we didn’t treat it, the cow got better in 2 or 3 weeks.” […]
Read More →Why Red Devon?
We all have reasons for the choosing the breed of livestock we raise. Don explains why Red Devons work for him.
Read More →Practical Advice for Dealing With Parasites
A note from the Author: I’m not much of a scientist. While I was trained in science, I am, for the most part, just an observer of nature. I see things in the world around me and make up working hypotheses that appear to fit. The solutions I present here are not proven; they are […]
Read More →The Funnies View All →
In Honor of Farmers and Ranchers Everywhere, It’s World Juggling Day!
This Saturday, June 16, you’re finally being recognized for all the different tasks you juggle on a daily basis! And just for fun, here’s one many’s take on juggling multiple tasks.
Read More →Enjoy a Little On Pasture Sing Along
It’s funny, it’s farmey, and will get you singing a song. You’re welcome! 😉 If you need a cure to keep you from singing this song in your head the rest of the day, check out this article on Earworm Cures.
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Chickens Are More Impressive With Arms and A Superhero Theme
Add a little excitement to your barnyard!
Read More →Are You Having a Bad Hair Day?
We all have bad hair days. We hope yours aren’t this bad.
Read More →New Cross Breed Dogs
There may be some excellent reasons to get one of these new breeds!
Read More →Homemade Eye Protection for Cows
Farmers and ranchers are full of ingenuity when it comes to solving problems with whatever they have lying around.
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