Photo: Iowa State UniversityTrying to get additional forage production from sacrifice pastures used for overwintering or spring calving is a struggle on many farms

Grazing cattle can be easier and more effective when there is a plan to follow, but as most ranchers know, things don’t always go to plan. It can be even harder to adapt to ecological, environmental

Perhaps the best way to understand grazing livestock and forage management from a fresh perspective is to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes — or in their pasture. Whether you are a beginni

In my last column, I had discussed how to train your grazier’s eye to conduct ongoing pasture inventories

In the March 2024 issue of this column, it was questioned whether pastures were just right in maturity or too old and in need of renovation

Annual forages can be valuable tools for livestock producers who want to diversify their forage resources and bolster their feed supplies. They are especially useful to extend the grazing season in ei

Farmers currently have more options for crop inputs than ever before

Mob grazing. Management-intensive grazing. Adaptive multi-paddock grazing. The list of ways to describe an integrated system with an emphasis on forage growth and soil health runs on

You’ve heard this song and dance before: Toxic tall fescue can’t be grazed without health and performance consequences

Oftentimes, the hardest step to take toward achieving a goal is the first one. This is especially true for new and beginning farmers or those branching away from the family business

Out of sight, out of mind! This adage can certainly apply to our view of soil and the organisms that live in it

Grazing livestock is often depicted as animals out on lush, green pastures, moving periodically to new paddocks with even more lush, green forage. Although this is true, there is also the realit

This edition of Sunrise on Soil offers some ethical and spiritual musings of soil

To Will Carter, Pintlala Creek is more than a scribbled line that runs through the middle of a map of Alabama — it is a symbol of environmental stewardship that borders his beef farm

Nitrogen prices are down from their recent record-high levels. That’s good news for those who make their living with grass

Managing a grazing system without measuring forage production or animal performance is like setting the lineup for a fantasy football team without knowing the players’ statistics. In either case,

With the high cost of making or buying hay in recent years, I have been getting a lot of inquiries regarding swath grazing as an alternative to feeding baled hay

Organic matter is a key indicator of soil health and soil function, affecting the natural supply of nutrients, buffering against pH changes, softening soil to resist compaction, holding more water for

Carbon is fundamental to all life. It forms the backbone structure of carbohydrates (composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen), which are the initial products from the miraculous process of photosynthesis

Cornstalks become a major source of forage on some farms during the fall — especially if the previous growing season conditions limited pasture growth or hay production