As harvest season approaches, you should have a good sense of your expected yields and the financial investments required to achieve them. To best prepare for next season, utilize this information with updated data on expenses and markets to calculate your true break-even point – defined as the value per unit where all expenses for the crop are covered by its revenue.

One of the most difficult decisions to make on the farm is whether or not to build a space for equipment and machinery storage and what type of space to build.

The good news is that despite the downsizing of proprietary and public alfalfa breeding programs, there is still a lot of genetic improvements being made. This is in part due to the technical advances in plant breeding.

“It’s not a complete silver bullet, but nothing is,” says Jay Smith of the J Lazy S Angus Ranch of Carmen. He and his wife Chyenne are using virtual fencing to manage cattle grazing on their Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service (USFS) permits after the 130,000-acre Moose Fire scorched their USFS grazing allotment in 2022. “I think the proof’s in the pudding when I say we want to keep using it,” he says. “The cost and the work were worth it.”

“When we’re talking vaccines, the worst-case scenario is not vaccinating,” says Idaho County Extension Educator Meranda Small. “That means you’re not giving your animals the opportunity to be set up for success in a variety of scenarios.”

Originally founded by John Peavey in 1996 as an event to show the townspeople the tradition of moving sheep off the range every year, the Trailing of the Sheep Festival attracts numerous individuals, vendors and tourists alike, from literally all around the world.

Since its arrival three years ago in Twin Falls, the Jae Foundation has built a footing from the ground up to preach the importance of affirming mental health. And by ground up, that goal starts straight from the boots.