Rotational grazing creates healthier pastures by allowing time for plants to rest & recover after being bit by livestock.
Education
It’s often said “you cannot manage something that has not been measured”. The late
Peter Drucker, founder of modern business management theory often stressed thisprinciple. The same can be applied to range management.
Native and exotic plants Have many values that label them as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. For instance, the native common milkweed was historically important to indigenous cultures for food and medical purposes, but most farmers devalued the plant as an invasive competitor in cropland and pastures. Today, society places high value on this perennial flower as …
New technology is ever evolving How to incorporate it into a ranching operation takes a bit of time and ingenuity. Several producers shared their perspective for this article. The drawbacks to drone usage are significant. They include cost per usage, user friendliness, distance covered and battery issues. A basic drone with a camera costs $400-$1500 …
We hear a lot about climate change and global warming in the news. The warming trajectory provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) can give you a feeling of helplessness. Agriculture sometimes is portrayed poorly in the news, however managed land and the supporting agricultural activities only accounted for 13-21% of global total …
Holistic Ranch Management Helps With Economic and Climate Resilience Read More »
Aldo Leopold Often regarded as the father of wildlife management, quoted in his 1933 book Game Management “…game (wildlife) can be restored by the creative use of the same tools which have heretofore destroyed it – axe, cow, plow, fire, and gun”. As a Private Lands Wildlife Biologist (PLWB) working with the Bird Conservancy of …
What’ Good for the Bird is Good for the Herd: Connecting People, Birds, and Land Read More »
Have you ever found money? I lost a $20 bill one time and found it under the couch cushion several months later. Since it was my money it was nice to get it back. I once found a $10 bill on the street. No one was around so it became mine. That was a net …
Whether the goal is having a uniform group of calves to sell or avoiding hot weather during late spring calving, keeping the calving season within a narrow window can add to the cow-calf producer’s bottom line. Kiernan Brandt, SDSU Cow Calf Field Specialist shared some observations. The basic first steps include matching cows to the …
As more producers consider multi species grazing, one of the questions to be answered concerns predator control. The most efficient method of keeping predators away from small livestock such as sheep is to employ guardian animals. Dogs, lamas and donkeys or a combination thereof are all in use in SD. Dave Ollila, Newell, SD Used …
Daniel Gering A first generation farmer in Turner County. Gering’s grandfather always wanted to farm but due to medical advice regarding a health condition he sold out and started working for the local International Harvester dealer. He eventually bought the business and passed it on to Daniel’s father, Brad. Daniel worked at the dealership and …