Grazier’s Focus of the Month

Earlier this summer I wrote about adapting to new climate normals and what warmer temperatures, longer droughts and more extreme weather events mean for agriculture. It was a kind of bleak picture, and I felt bad about that because I’ve tried hard to make On Pasture an uplifting place to come to in a world […]

At least 2,000 head of cattle died during an extreme heat event in southwest Kansas during one weekend in June. The week started hot and only got hotter: 80º F on Thursday, Friday up to 90º with 66% humidity. But nighttime temperatures were still dropping below the 70º, the temperature ruminants need to recover. Saturday […]

This month we’re focusing on weeds and the way we think about them. In fact, my goal is that you start appreciating them for what they are: quality forage. I know this is a hard thing to do, so I’ll start with a story about how I found out that weeds are great. It Started […]

May is another Bonus Month and Jenn Colby is back to share more about what she’s learned as the host of the podcast Choosing to Farm. Enjoy! In the course of my conversations with farmers and ranchers who have established new careers in agriculture, I’ve heard some great advice for other folks who are also […]

Why do we keep records? According to Stan Parsons, founder of Ranch Management Consultants and Ranching for Profit, records are a waste of time. He believed that records tell you where you have been, a rear view of the business. An information system on the other hand, he believed, will keep you looking ahead and […]

On Pasture reader Richard Moyer wrote me in March about the interesting times we live in and what they might mean for the 2022 grazing season. He said he’d been talking with friends in southern Appalachia about rising fuel and fertilizer prices for the upcoming season. Here’s a sample of what the conversations look like: […]

Note from Kathy: I recently tuned into a new podcast that I think On Pasture readers will like. Farmer and On Pasture contributor Jenn Colby is the host of Choosing to Farm: New Generation Stories and it is full of great ideas courtesy of first generation farmers and ranchers. I asked Jenn to tell us […]

On Pasture’s New Year’s Resolution is to help you develop a grazing business based on a vision and goals that ensure a happy, healthy life, and a grazing operation that gets you there. We started the year with examples from fellow graziers and some resources to help you figure out where you are and where […]

On Pasture’s New Year’s Resolution is to help you move into this grazing season in a way that ensures a happy, healthy life, and a grazing operation that gets you there. Step 1 is all about developing a vision and goals so you know where you are and what’s important to you. This is the […]

In December On Pasture featured two graziers who are making changes to their grazing operations to create more time and better lives for themselves and their families. With the death of his brother as a catalyst, Troy Bishopp began managing for growing more grass and using it to have more “grandchildren days.” John Marble is […]

The question “Does Grazing Winter Stockpile Slow Spring Regrowth?” first came up when we were following Troy Bishopp’s progress as he extended his New York grazing season into December. I searched the internet and spoke to a number of folks to find out. The answer to how much future forage production you’ll get from a grazed […]

Hopefully we’re not too late getting this to you. But even if you’ve seen the first flakes of winter, it’s not too late to make sure you’re ready for all the flakes to come.

Here’s how fires impact graziers, the

One of the ways that graziers can extend their season is by working with neighboring crop farmers to graze their cover crops and crop residue. So in this month’s Grazier’s Focus, we’re giving you some tools to help with the challenge of actually speaking to your neighbors and working out an agreement that’s beneficial to […]

Stockpiling is a practice graziers use to reduce winter feed costs and increase profitability. It’s nothing more than setting aside some of your pastures so that livestock will have something to graze into the fall and winter. But while that sounds simple enough, it requires some forethought and planning, an understanding of your environment and […]