Getting started with grazing
Beginning farmers have opportunities to utilize grazing systems to harvest high quality forages at a lower cost and with lower capital investment as compared to mechanical harvesting systems.
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Beginning farmers and ranchers at a glance
USDA programs have targeted assistance to beginning farmers and ranchers since the 1992 Agricultural Credit Improvement Act. Farms or ranches are considered “beginning” if the operators have managed them for 10 years or less.
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Frost seed to renovate pastures
Frost seeding is one method that producers can use to renovate pastures and improve pasture quality and/or the species mix within the pasture.
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Michigan beef herds at a crossroads
Strong competition for farmland and increased profitability of raising corn, soybeans and other crops is causing many beef cow/calf herd owners in Michigan to ponder their future.
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Forage specialist offers methods of coping with drought
With a drought as severe as last summer's, the long-lasting effects require long-term adaptations from producers who are working with the limited water supply.
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Kansas cropland values higher than traditional reports indicate
A new Kansas State University study indicates that using sales transaction data in determining the value of Kansas farmland shows a higher – in some cases significantly higher – value for the land than the traditional survey method derived from producer estimates of farmland value.
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Experts to address severe South Texas water shortage
Experts from throughout the state will gather in Weslaco on Jan. 29 to discuss options with growers facing severe water shortages this growing season.
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Irrigation management, technology help producers survive drought
Two years of drought have forced adoption of new technology and management practices in crop irrigation, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialist in Amarillo.
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Careful management aids drought survival
The U.S. Drought Monitor released on Nov. 20, 2012, shows the majority of Oklahoma and Texas in severe to extreme drought with northern Oklahoma and the Panhandle in exceptional drought.
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Drought decisions to be focus of Cattlemen's Day Feb. 15
This year, cattle producers face some tough decisions. The severe drought of 2012 depleted pastures and feed inventories. The beef industry is ever changing, and drought management will be key in 2013.
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Cattle market expert foresees decreasing beef production in 2013
The recent trend of decreasing beef production likely will continue in 2013 and 2014, said a cattle market expert at Iowa State University this week.
Two years of liquidation, brought about by dry weather conditions in key cattle producing states, have put the industry in an even tighter supply situation, said Lee Schulz, an ISU Extension and Outreach livestock specialist and assistant professor of economics.
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ASK THE EXPERT
Question: My pastures were hit pretty hard by drought this season. What should I be looking for to help my pastures recover?
Answer: Matt McGowin, DuPont Crop Protection range and pasture specialist in the mid-South region.Severe lack of moisture and record-setting heat in many parts of the country weakened plants, challenged weed control efforts and amplified plant stress from grazing. The result has been thinner stands of grass that will have a harder time competing with weeds. Read More…
