Notes From Kathy

This morning I got a call from Don Ashford, my adopted Louisiana Dad. Naturally, our conversation started with the weather. He told me they are suffering from way too much rain. Meanwhile, here in Tucson, Arizona, we have the opposite problem – only five inches of precipitation in the last 18 months. So, when we […]

I thought I knew what I was doing this morning. I worked hard last week to create a special surprise for you. But today, as I tried to put the finishing touches on it, I ran into glitches and software bugs that stopped me in my tracks. Then the internet slowed to a snail’s pace, […]

I was recently working with a colleague on a series of emails we hoped would increase visibility and engagement for a project she’s working on. We laid out a series of topics, discussed how they would get us what we wanted, and then began to split up the tasks. And that’s when I stopped us […]

Well, this is exciting! 🙂 Greg Judy’s latest book, “How to Think Like a Grazier – Inspiration, Mentors and Getting It Done” is hot off the presses. I’m excited about it for two reasons: 1) As the editor for this project, I’m really tickled about how it came together, and 2) I think graziers will […]

When Jeremy Clarkson’s farm manager retired in 2019, he didn’t hire a new one. Instead he thought, “I can do that,” explaining, “You put seeds in the ground, weather happens, it’s not difficult.” Heck, he even decided to add a flock of sheep for good measure. Then experience taught him some things. “It’s phenomenally difficult […]

We all have one, and oddly, it doesn’t come with instructions. But when given the proper care, it can be the solution to every problem we encounter as a grazier. Yes, it’s your brain. At 2% of your body weight, your brain accounts for 20% of your energy use – between 250 and 350 calories […]

I used to own goats. And as you all know, goats get out. And when they’re out they do bad things, like dance on the roof of your neighbor’s car. Or you get calls like, “Kathy, the goats are out and they’re eating the general’s flowers.” That was a Saturday and my husband and I […]

I love it when a plan comes together! Since the beginning of the year, I’ve been working with the National Grazing Lands Coalition and Yvette Gibson to put together some new, FREE resources to help folks up their grazing game. And now, I’m just so tickled to present the Grazing 101 ebook, and three online […]

I’m a bit worried about what this grazing season has in store for many of us. Let’s just start right off by looking at the Vegetation Drought Response Index for the United States as of April 25. This map combines current satellite data and information about soils, land cover, land use and ecological settings that […]

The thing about raising livestock is you never know exactly what’s going to happen, but whatever it is, it’s probably going to be messy. My friend Sandy has lots of stories about her messy life with livestock. My favorites involve her prepping to go on a date, only to realize, as her date is pulling […]

For the past 8 years I’ve published 5 to 6 “How-To” articles a week. Because readers live everywhere across the United States, and the world, I often focus on principles. I like principles because they’re a way of understanding the how things work so that I can adapt, build, and manage to meet my goals. […]

It seems that being a grazier means that you have some kind of problem to solve every day. I know plenty of you rely on answers from On Pasture, and that our archive of over 2700 articles is a valuable tool. But sometimes, you’re out in the pasture, and you need an answer NOW! For […]

The first time I set up the does in my goat research project to be bred, people kept asking, “How will you know they’re pregnant?” My answer: “If they have a baby, they were pregnant.” I was asked this question so often I decided this must be important information to have. So the next year […]

Every time you visit On Pasture, you see our tagline, “Translating research and experience into practices you can use NOW!” I thought it was a pretty good tagline when I wrote it because it describes the kinds of articles you’ll find here. But what it doesn’t tell you is WHY that’s important. The why is […]

I’ve been super busy since the beginning of the year working on projects to make the lives of graziers and On Pasture readers better. It feels like the writer’s version of a marathon and, since I’m getting a bit tired, I thought I’d share what’s coming so you can cheer across the finish line. Grazing […]