Friday, July 4, 2025

Yearly Archives: 2013

Our Farm’s BVD Train Wreck

Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus can cause early embryonic death, congential defects and abortion in pregnant cattle, and fever, diarrhea, mouth blisters, and weight loss in infected herd members. APHIS has estimated that it can cost producers $400 per cow if it infects a herd. Here's one farmer's story about surviving its impact.

Spring 2012 the Earliest On Record

By using 112 years of data from weather stations across the US, combined with an understanding of what makes a plant begin to grow, scientists are figuring out how to measure changes in growing seasons.

Are Cattle Grazing and Clean Water Compatible on Public Lands?

Please enjoy another dry story about water, where we tell you science-y stuff and that the answer is, once again, it depends. Don't forget to enjoy the song included in the piece.

Farm Feasibility Analysis Part 2: Spending Money to Make Money

The second part of a complete farm feasibility study is, in a word, money. Before you complete the pasture leasing or buying process, you...

Guide To Starting A Goat Dairy by Carol Delaney

Carol Delaney's "Guide to Starting a Commercial Goat Dairy" is a great book, and a must read for anyone considering starting their own goat...

Knowing Your Site’s Potential Might Save You A Lot of Work

If you manage wide open spaces, you'll want to know about Ecological Sites, and the process of Rangeland Health Assessments. These tools seem complicated at first, but once you're walking through your pasture, you realize it's just a pleasant walk to get to know your pastures and rangeland, so that you can graze them to meet their potential. Thanks to one of our readers for suggesting this topic!

Farm Feasibility Analysis, Part I

As part of her continuing series on how to choose the right land to lease, Meg takes us to the next step: Analyzing Carrying Capacity and Planning for rotational grazing.

How Should We Fight Fire?

The 1994 fire in Colorado that killed 14 firefighters was a personal one for Kathy Voth. She decided to share her story with us so we can explore our decisions on land management and fire prevention and safety, remembering the 14 fallen in 1994, the 19 who died in June and the many lives lost in the intervening years.

Pastured Poultry in Bear Country – An Optimist’s Cautionary Tale

I live right on the edge of town where the foothills turn quickly into mountains.  So even though I don’t feel like we live...

California Leopold Conservation Award

Each year the Sand County Foundation presents Leopold Conservation Awards recognizing achievement in voluntary conservation in eight participating states: California, Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Winners receive a trophy and a check for $10,000. This is the time of year when nominations are being taken and winners are being announced. We thought you'd enjoy hearing about some of them.

Applied Grazing Management

We'd like to meet up with all our readers and go for a nice pasture walk to talk about grazing management. (Here's the link...

Evaluating Potential Pasture Land, Part 3

In addition to the property features discussed in my last article, there are three more categories to evaluate before you decide to lease or...

Ice Cream Dreams

Editors Note:  Man does not live by grazing alone, so here's an important summer time break.  Thanks, Troy, for sharing a little history, the...

Grazing Management Basics

You're a grazier, so you know some of these things, but it never hurts to take another look at the basics, especially if you're thinking of making a change to your management.

9 Rules for Starting Your Own Farm

As a guest contributor for "The Art of Manliness," Forrest Pritchard shares his 9 Rules for Starting Your Own Farm.  From managing debt, to...

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