The latest issue of Ag Proud – Idaho magazine is available. To view, make sure you're logged into your agproud.com account. If you do not have access, click "Subscribe" in the top-right corner of agproud.com to add permission to view.

Succession planning protects the family operation before crisis forces decisions no one is ready to make.

Ranchers currently have exciting opportunities, but it’s important to position yourself appropriately. Operational costs as well as the price of critical inputs for cattle – such as feed and labor – have increased in recent years. To build a sustainable operation, ranchers should take advantage of the current market to develop financial resilience and thoughtfully manage risks.

The loss of an Idaho dairy farmer to a sudden cardiac event was a sobering reminder of how quickly emergencies can happen in rural communities. It also highlighted a difficult reality: in rural areas, help does not always arrive as quickly as it is needed.

Overall, producing and preserving alfalfa in cold climates requires technical planning and strategic decisions at every stage, from cutting to feedout.

How do you walk away to end an unpleasant or dangerous conversation when it is occurring in your head? One way to interrupt internal conversations is to take a break from your daily routine. Vacations can do wonders for morale, but respite can also be gleaned from shorter, more frequent intermissions to your daily life.

Resting a pasture for two growing seasons postburn is a common recommendation in the Intermountain West since at least the ’80s. “The question is, ‘Is there a real reason two full years rest are needed after fire?’” says University of Idaho (U of I) area extension range educator K. Scott Jensen. “Can it occur sooner than that without delay or harm to postfire recovery? We wanted to put some science to it.”

He calls himself a Rigby town kid, but Dennis Lake was truly his grandfather’s right-hand man on the ranch just north of town. At 88, Lake is still a critical part of the operation. 

There are many things that bother me: yippin’ dogs, antique furniture, mascots. Mascots? The lovable emblem of an athletics team? Yes, mascots bother me.