For Caitlin Leline Hatch, agriculture and art are not separate pursuits but are deeply intertwined. Hatch helps manage a unique seasonal grazing dairy while also building a successful career as an artist whose work celebrates rural life, agriculture and Western culture.

Overcoming the summer slump in cool-season grass pastures requires a thoughtful, nature-inspired approach to grazing management.

The Illinois Forage Institute delivered hands‑on, producer‑focused guidance to help growers improve forage systems and grazing profitability.

On Sheppard Farms, fig bars have become an unlikely cattle-handling tool.

For ranchers, a fire moving through pasture can feel like total loss – fences down, damaged infrastructure, forage gone and livestock stressed or injured. However, rangeland is resilient, and with a sound recovery plan, most operations can rebuild.

In drought years, grass that once sustained a herd through the grazing season stops growing early, reducing overall biomass production, and water resources begin to tighten. For livestock producers, this period becomes a balancing act between meeting immediate cattle needs and protecting the long-term productivity of the land.

For producers of all commodities across Idaho, water has been a topic of conversation for months and for good reason. As the mild winter turned to an early, semi-wet spring and now to a forecast extra-dry summer, the conversations continue.

Take a closer look at the tools that, combined with thorough preparation, can help reduce the impacts of drought.