Sustainable Ag
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...
Living The Life I Love
One comment my husband makes that triggers immediate panic is, “On your way home, can you stop at…”. Despite its apparent simplicity, I have realized over our almost 38 years together that our understanding of geography differs significantly. Whether it is a...
It’s Calving Season
It's currently calving season on our farm, and many other farmers have either begun or are approaching the start of their own calving seasons! Although it involves hard work, this period is exceptionally rewarding for every cow-calf producer. This is the moment we've...
Facing Challenges and Embracing Resilience: The Importance of Crop Insurance
Is anybody else looking forward to putting 2023 in the rearview mirror? The recent farming year posed challenges for us and numerous other farmers in our region. We experienced a severe ongoing drought and summer storms that brought the "great white combine" of the...
CommonGround NE Coordinator | Amanda Fairley
Amanda and her husband Dustin, farm and raise cattle in Southeast Nebraska with their two children, Bo and Ellie. Amanda's agriculture roots run deep. She grew up on a family farm, was involved with 4-H and FFA growing up, to now owning her own business and working...
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...
Carbon Confusion
There is talk about large corporations pledging to become net zero or carbon neutral by a certain year. While this can be confusing, we may be asking ourselves, “what do these commitments mean to me, the consumer?” Nebraska...
Facts not Fear: Meatless Movement
As a registered dietitian and chef, I am often asked about plant-based diets and the rising popularity of the meatless movement. With new meat substitutes now more readily available in grocery stores and the development of public campaigns that discourage meat...
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...
The Three Rs: How They Keep Our Farm Healthy
R is for resolutions and Ready (my last name) as well as “reduce, reuse, recycle.” Those three Rs are our resolutions for this year and every year on the Ready farm. Not only are they our resolutions, but they also lead to a fourth R, and that is “regenerate.” Reduce:...