Alan Franzluebbers has been on a mission to better quantify the need for nitrogen in pasture systems. “If you have no nitrogen, then you have no yield,” said the USDA-ARS research scientist,
Photo: Emma Cotton/VTDiggerScott and Amber Hoyt operate an organic dairy farm in Vermont. Their recent experience provides a warning for others.In reading the January 25 issue of Hoard’s Dairy
Pastures are often the least-cost option for ruminant livestock production. In much of the Northeast, pasture and aftermath-grazed hay meadows are the largest portion of the agricultural acreage. Univ
Water flows downward according to gravity. If there is a hole in the bottom of a bucket, water drains out due to the pull of gravity. Without soil, a forage plant could potentially grow in a bucket wi
Interest in controlled grazing strategies have grown in recent years. This has largely been due to higher input costs. The promise of growing more grass with fewer inputs is intriguing, and some would
I grew up with conventional farming. Way back in the 1970s, most folks in farming thought that if you took a soil sample and applied the recommended amount of fertilizer, you were doing a good job of
Drought has affected wide swaths of the United States recently. For much of 2022, a large area of Missouri faced severe drought, and cattle producers are feeling the effects on their businesses
It’s not an unusual situation for people to suddenly find themselves as the not-so-proud owner or long-term renter of a previously abused or neglected pasture. In such situations, questions often
A myth can be defined in several ways, but it is often thought to be something that has been repeatedly stated over a period of years such that it becomes accepted truth when, in fact, it
We've reached the time of crisp fall mornings, and the grass is green all around — well, as long as it’s been raining in your neck of the woods! Throughout much of the eastern U.S., cool-season
Although we’re heading into the winter months, looking ahead to spring and being prepared to ward off potential pasture problems is something that should be on every producer’s mind
Making hay is an expensive process these days. Harvest costs are up because of the current high cost of diesel fuel, labor, equipment repairs, and machinery costs
Winter annual forages are a valued feed source across the United States, but this year they will offer extra benefits to those areas that have been stricken with drought
Much of the western U.S. is still facing moderate to extreme drought conditions that will likely persist through much of the current year and perhaps even longer
Cattle production in the southeastern U.S. is often considered an inefficient and unprofitable enterprise due to the lack of high-quality forage species utilized that can make beef production more
Each morning, we experience some of the many services of soil — soft cotton fibers from which to arise, clean water to wash our face, firm ground to stand on, and the aromas of brewed coffee, baking
In the third and final installment of this series about getting started with regenerative grazing, we’ll address the keys to adaptive grazing, the selective use of high stock density grazing
Widespread conversion of pasture acres to alfalfa is never going to occur, nor should it. It’s not uncommon to see alfalfa as a component of a pasture mix or, in some cases, a primary grazing species
Among humans, most communication is accomplished by speaking or writing. However, there’s a whole world of science that studies what is called nonverbal communication
