USDA

Thanks to  Justin Fritscher, Natural Resources Conservation Service, for bringing us this summary of research benefiting ranchers and wildlife. Removing invading conifer trees improves the health of sagebrush ecosystems, providing better habitat for wildlife and better forage for livestock. And now, new science shows these efforts may also help improve late-season water availability, which is […]

Are you looking around your farm or ranch this winter thinking about projects that need to be done to improve your operation? Are you also looking at your bank account and trying to figure out to stretch dollars to pay for projects that would reduce erosion, increase your forage, or help you better manage your […]

Ryan Sexson shares how his family is building their future by working with others to think differently about transferring a farm/ranch to the next generation.

Beginning Jan. 9, 2017, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is offering an early termination opportunity for certain Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts in order to make it easier to transfer property to the next generation of farmers and ranchers, including family members. Normally if a landowner terminates a CRP contract early, they are required […]

When it comes to understanding and improving turkey habitat restoration, there are few more knowledgeable than farmer Chuck Borum in Pulaski, Tennessee. Borum bought a few hundred acres a decade ago with the intent of raising cattle, but with time, he saw how he could also establish top-notch turkey habitat. “Initially, we only had a […]

When Iowa livestock producer Ryan Collins bought his 170-acre farm near Harpers Ferry, he knew from experience with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) that the agency could help him plan a rotational grazing system. But he didn’t realize he’d get so much more assistance than that. When he first contacted NRCS for assistance, Collins […]