Farming Methods
A Tale of Two Corns
As the warmer temperatures gradually made their way into February, I found myself in my garden, clearing away excess organic material from the previous year. Among my favorite vegetables to grow are sweet corn, cucumbers, tomatoes and pumpkins. Living in a region...
From Pantry to Pasture: A Rancher’s Guide to Cattle “Meal Planning” and Feeding Methods
I'm sure that many of you have sat down to begin creating a meal plan. It can feel overwhelming at first, but once you get into a rhythm, it is a great way to provide a tasty meal, help with your budget and make the best use of your pantry items. However, there isn't...
Nurturing the Land & Livestock on Our Farm
Rotational Grazing: Nurturing the Land & Livestock on Our Farm On the farm, farmers utilize a method of cattle grazing that not only benefits the livestock but also contributes to the long-term health of the land. It's called rotational grazing, a practice...
Canning Tips
For some people this time of year, canning seems to be a constant pastime, or maybe I should say passion—like when I was still peeling cucumbers at midnight after judging at the state fair. Who doesn't enjoy seeing shelves of jars of home canned tomatoes, peaches...
Is That Garlic I Smell?
When you scoop up a handful of cattle feed normally, you will smell scents of molasses, bread (from the distiller’s grain) and hay. However, during fly season you might smell garlic. Fly season is one of many seasons farmers and ranchers have in addition to the...
Soil Investor: Stop that Soil
If people could see one thing about our farm, I wish they could see how much we care. I think about our crops all the time. I think about it at the gas station when I fill up my tank with E151. I think about our corn when I diaper my 11-month-old daughter. There are...
Recycle, Repurpose and Reuse!
The agriculture industry has always been concerned about waste. I think it boils down to the fact that as farmers, we are efficiency-minded and economically oriented. We reuse parts of machinery and always have a stash of parts that may or may not have any future...
Cattle: The Ultimate Upcyclers
I have had a love for animals and a desire to live on a farm since I was a child. Little did I know my adult life would be spent caring for animals on a farm as I raised a family with my husband. For the past 41 years I went from knowing very little about raising...
What to Expect, When You’re Expecting – Sheep Edition
There isn’t a “What to Expect, When You’re Expecting” book for sheep producers, but we have started to create our own book. On our farm, we practice an accelerated lambing program, which means we are lambing every eight months. Since we are lambing more frequently, it...
Hailed Crops and Dad’s Advice
The older I get, the more I realize how smart my parents are. My dad has always had little tidbits of wisdom that he periodically sprinkles into conversations, and it is absolutely amazing to me how many times he is right. Recently we had a horrible hail storm here in...