As water resources become increasingly scarce in southern Idaho, producers are looking for forage options that make the most of limited irrigation. One strategy gaining traction is planting fall-seeded annual cereals for forage.

Fall began today, or tomorrow. I can’t be sure unless I check a calendar. It’s the autumnal equinox – the point at which the sun shines equally on both hemispheres of a tilted Earth.

We are entering autumn – harvest season and “get everything done on the list before winter comes” season. This season is impacted by the weather, so we check the forecast regularly. (Let’s be honest, at our age, we check it at least once a day, anyway.)

Fall calving has its advantages for calf survivability, marketing and reducing calving stress. However, the challenges of fall and winter breeding require some adjustments to management to ensure success. 

I was on my way to Almo, Idaho – literally on the other side of the mountain from my home place near Oakley – to retrieve one of my cows who’d strayed off to the east and down into the Almo Valley instead of heading west to home, as she should have done during the fall gather.

“Overall, it was an average to average-plus year,” says Terry Helms of Simplot Grower Solutions in Oakley. Helms has been an agronomist in south central Idaho since 1985 and deals with a range of crops including potatoes, sugarbeets, corn, dry beans and small grains.

The late-afternoon shadows of early fall cast by the sinking sun in the west were growing longer as I at last urged the final stragglers of the 50 or so cows out of the bottom of the draw.

By proactively managing your livestock ventilation system as the seasons change, you can ensure a stable, healthy environment for your animals year-round. Regular maintenance, thoughtful adjustments to your system and considering upgrades when possible will all contribute to optimal conditions in your dairy.

Are you excited for Halloween but tired of handing out the same types of candy year after year? If this seems familiar to you, I have several ideas to make this Halloween season unique and healthy. 

Leaving sufficient residual plant material (leaves, lower stem bases and crowns) is essential to maximize next year’s production for perennial grasses.