If renting the land on better terms is the goal and farmers want the best alternative to continue at regular terms, then maintaining the landlord relationship is key. An adversarial negotiation may not be the way, but there is another way – a friendly negotiation, or better yet, a friendly conversation. After all, by definition, a negotiation is simply a conversation aimed at reaching an agreement.

Calving season was upon me. I was just finishing up my last hourlong run through the cows and heifers. It had been a cold night, and with 3 inches of snow on the ground, I dared not leave anything to chance.

There’s only one surefire way to know what hay weighs: Put it on a scale. However, most buyers and sellers don’t have a scale big enough or handy enough to weigh bales.

In the hoof-trimming arena, we deal very closely with animal welfare, which is where these images focus on. I wanted to take on the challenge, and my goal was to show the care and effort that goes into caring for animals.

Taking a minute to set up a succession and estate plan early on can allow the operation to continue successfully for the next generation.

Are your state representatives farmers or ranchers? Does your state senator come from a career in ag? Does anyone from your legislative district even have ties to production agriculture? According to Doug Jones, state representative from 1985-2005, for the 2025 session, he counts around 20 members of both houses as agriculturalists.

So what should we make of the ongoing saga to cut federal jobs in this new administration? And what about when those cuts are made to critical programs in the U.S. Department of Agriculture?