Woody Lane

Woody Lane is a certified forage and grassland professional with AFGC and teaches forage/grazing and nutrition courses in Oregon. His book, Capturing Sunlight, Book 1: Skills & Ideas for Intensive Grazing, Sustainable Pastures, Healthy Soils, & Grassfed Livestock, is available on Amazon and through his website.

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Playing the percentages of livestock

October 1, 2023

Woody Lane

If you shorten the lambing period by two weeks, you can treat yourself to a well-earned vacation, finally. Two weeks saved from lambing can translate into two weeks on a warm tropical island with palm trees, a blue lagoon and long, white sand beaches.

Plants that practice the martial arts

Hairy vetch, poison ivy and poison oak can cause strong immunological responses in livestock. However, if producers keep a close eye on their animals, they can sleep soundly at night, even in these plants’ presence.

September 18, 2023

Woody Lane

Vetch is not vetch is not vetch. Poison ivy is not an ivy, and poison oak is not an oak. Yes, names for common plants can be delightfully whimsical and inconsistent, but there’s nothing delightful about the toxins in these plants.

9,000 sheep to gold

June 1, 2023

Woody Lane

Yes, Virginia, there was indeed gold in California – not only in the ground, but also in sheep.

Toxic algae that isn’t algae

Cyanobacteria (often called blue-green algae) can be a scary thing to see in your cattle’s water source and can be the cause of mysterious health issues. Here’s what to know about it to keep your cattle safe, especially in areas experiencing severe drought.

May 23, 2023

Woody Lane

By midsummer last year, many streams were just a series of stagnant pools. When livestock crowded the streambanks for water, state and local officials issued stern warnings again and again.

Useful traits of sorghum

Summer pastures can offer a cornucopia of traits due to the three useful traits of sorghum that are present in the summer.

May 5, 2023

Woody Lane

Three traits have revolutionized the game of sorghum breeding.

Dietary fiber or ruminant fiber?

Hay is a staple in dietary fibers of the ruminant diet, and understanding fibers is crucial to understanding ruminant nutrition.

April 5, 2023

Woody Lane

Is fiber important in human nutrition? Ask your doctor. Ask the internet. Ask anyone this side of Neptune. But then follow this up with a simple question: “What exactly is fiber?”

Why would you choose …

A systematic approach to choosing what is best for your forage operation will be the most profitable strategy, and knowing what to consider is the first step in that process.

March 9, 2023

Woody Lane

During the past few months, I’ve walked across a lot of pastures – at the monthly meetings of our forage study groups and with individual clients. Take your time to make sound decisions when renovating a field, and one day you'll stand at the edge of your field and look out over the lush, young growth.

An evening at the Confused Chromosome Club: Exponential genes

At first blush, PCR technology may seem like a redundancy on the ranch, providing little beyond a talking point at the local watering hole. But when utilized correctly, it can supply producers with a slew of valuable genetic information.

February 24, 2023

Woody Lane

My friend wasn’t buying it. He had just asked me about the meaning of PCR, and I had flippantly answered, “Polyvinyl chlorinated RedAngus.” I liked my poetic license. He was less than pleased.