As we wrap up 2011 and look what may happen in agriculture in 2012, I wanted to share a few excerpts I read on Corn & Soybean Digest online by David Kohl and Kent Thiesse. 2011 Year in Review by Kohl: Interconnectedness and convergence In the early part of 2011, it appeared that the U.S. […]
livestock
Stockmanship = taking care of cattle
Part 10: Finally, the final post to this series of the 10 Greatest Beef Innovations, originally posted by Farm Progress in their Beef Producer section. I saved this one for last because I believe it rings clearer today than ever before: Stockmanship. At least it should. Our not-so-much-friends from the animal rights groups are pointing […]
A “Screwy” Success Story
Part 8: A part of history that is not as common – or not talked about much – is the eradication of the screwworm that caused a lot of damage to the cattle herd (and humans!) in the past. For all of the reasons listed below, the story of screwworm eradication is one of the […]
Branding Cattle in Colorado
I’ve had some questions about branding cattle, so I thought I would share some facts along with pictures from our recent branding cattle work with weaned calves. What is a brand for? A brand is a permanent identification marker. Each ranch or cattle-owner has their own unique brand to identify their cattle. My state doesn’t […]
Squeeze Chutes | Stone to Steel
Part 7: I know that squeeze chutes make cattle work more efficient and less stressful for the cattle we are handling. Just this Thanksgiving, my family branded and doctored over 200 head in a few hours and this was possible because of our squeeze chute.Temple Grandin will also tell you the animals prefer this method […]
Cattle Rode Rails
Part 6: To read the previous five parts of this series, click here. Railroads were extremely important to the expansion of the beef industry and the start of exporting beef. When the steam engine and technology of railroads came about in the early 1800s, the options were endless in moving large, heavy cargo – livestock […]
Food follow-up
There has been a lot of follow-up and discussions about last week’s Food Dialogues in conjunction with the Town Hall style-meetings that the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance hosted. Findings of two national surveys about food and how it is grown and raised were released during these dialogues. The surveys focused separately on the opinions, […]
Distillers Grains Plants
Ethanol plants should have originally been called distillers grains plants producing a by-product of ethanol. Distillers grains {in any form – dried, wet, modified} often gets forgotten about in a lot of discussions about ethanol. Recently, the House Agriculture Committee’s subcommittee on livestock, dairy and poultry, had a hearing to examine the issue of feed […]
The Pioneer Woman | Agvocate
Thanks to my wonderful sister-in-law, Lindsay, for introducing me to The Pioneer Woman and her blog. P-Dub, as she sometimes calls herself, is a self-proclaimed city girl now ranch-wife and mom. She is an excellent writer, shares about homeschooling, cooks healthy and hearty food, and a great photographer. But what I love most about her […]
A rancher’s vacation
While others I know are vacationing in Cabo, Padre or back East, Ronny and I spent a “vacation” last week helping my family in Colorado artificially inseminating (AI) our cowherd. It was great to spend some time at home and with my parents – even if it was pretty hard work! I think this is […]
