Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Yearly Archives: 2014

Cowboy Herding Techniques

Now aren't you glad you don't herd cats?! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk7yqlTMvp8  

Just add compost: How to turn your grassland ranch into a carbon sink

Here's the scoop. John Wick and his wife Peggy Rathmann, the owners of Nicasio Native Grass Ranch, and the folks behind this study, are Kathy's good friends. She met them when they invited her to California to teach their cattle to eat weeds and she's so excited about the work they're doing to make the world a better place!

Kale, Kale Everywhere, But Only Cheetos To Eat

Two recent articles, one with the title above in the Atlantic and another from Modern Farmer (Why Many Farmers Eat Like Crap) have us wondering:...

The Cows Are Out – On the Lawn!

Are you using all your available forage? This dairy farmer is! And here's the economics of it too.

Organizing Pasture Walks

One of our readers wrote in and asked for an article on how to plan a pasture walk. Thanks, Carol. We hope this helps you and all the other folks who want to learn from their fellow graziers.

Plan Ahead for Broiler Profits

Last week Kathy shared the budget for a backyard broiler operation. Now, here's a budgeting tool for doing it on a larger scale to tell you what kind of profit you might expect from your own operation. Does it pay to do this? Tell us!

Soil Saves Lives

Most of us are unaware that a fungus isolated from a Missouri soil sample became an antibiotic that has saved thousands of lives, and that it was discovered by a 76 year old botanist who had come back from retirement to do something significant. It's a story we should know because it gives us another reason to take good care of our soil.

The Real Cost of Raising Meat Chickens – Year 1

It seems so easy: 1) buy chicks, 2) feed chicks, 3) harvest and package, 4) EAT. So backyard farmers decide they can do it too, and avoid the high price of Farmers Markets or Whole Foods. They could spend their spare time becoming "self-sufficient!" But here's how much that can cost, when done by a couple of home producers. Share this with folks who think you charge too much!

Three Stents for Christmas

Lots of you have been concerned and asking about Troy Bishopp after his heart attack on December 3, 2013. Here's the Grass Whisperer in his own great words to let you know what happened.

Invest In Yourself

You can never go wrong investing in yourself. ~ Orie Voth That's what my Dad told me a long time when I was trying to decide...

Orchestrating Diversified Livestock

Managing multiple species and the pasture that support them is like a complex symphony with you as the conductor. Here's how to make beautiful music

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats – Do You Know Yours?

With the New Year come those pesky New Year's Resolutions. Maybe, in addition to resolving to stop all your bad habits, you also made a resolution to develop, or at least think more about, your business plan. If so, here are a couple tools that might help you on your way.

Planning Summer Pasture

Winter is a good time to think about where you want to go this coming grazing season. Here's a short video that might give you some new ideas about diversifying pasture mixes AND your operation.

Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics: GM Corn, Roundup, and Tumors

This is the second in a series looking at the science and controversy surrounding a study that found an increase in liver and kidney disease and tumors in rats fed GM Corn and Roundup-laced water. Our purpose here isn't to discuss the use or banning of Genetically Modified Organisms, but rather to focus on understanding the scientific process so we can be more informed consumers of information.

How Science Works: Learning From Controversy Over a Study Linking GM Corn to Tumors in Rats

The whole topic of Genetically Modified Organisms is controversial, and this article doesn't discuss their use or banning their use. Instead, we want to look at this current controversy to help us understand how the scientific process works, why science done well is important to helping us make decisions, and how we can gather information to help us understand the difference between science properly done, and science poorly done.

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