Pasture

All those tiny bubbles: A look at bloat in livestock

woody@woodylane.com — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Everyone knows a livestock producer who’s lost animals to bloat. Because of the risk, some folks flatly refuse to graze their stock on dense stands of clover or alfalfa. Others kind of shrug, saying they’ve rarely lost animals and don’t worry about it much. So … what gives?

Rest after fire: Is it as simple as two years?

chris@lslivestocksolutions.com — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 00:00:00 -0500

When is the best time to graze after a fire? This question seems simple but is quite challenging to answer because there are many factors that contribute to the context.

Your PRF insurance questions answered

rossabronson@gmail.com — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 14:30:59 -0400

As a risk management consultant, I get asked a lot of questions regarding the Pasture, Rangeland and Forage (PRF) program. Here are some questions that are asked more often than others.

Grazing permit mediation: How much livestock, how long and what is the cost?

jhebner@fulcrumdispute.org — Tue, 06 Jun 2023 11:44:36 -0400

Mediation of grazing permit cases is a relatively new utilization of the mediation process provided by the USDA farm bill. Its utilization can be and should be one that provides non-adversarial solutions to key issues between the USFS and livestock producers in Idaho for the mutual benefit of both.

What nutcrackers and rangeland monitoring have in common

selwayanne@gmail.com — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 00:00:00 -0400

Using overhead photos and high-resolution remote sensing can be like using a nutcracker to crack a walnut. These methods can more precisely pinpoint variations in plant communities and plant density than the coarser methods.

Solar and wind energy’s impact on agriculture

Thu, 16 Feb 2023 10:05:58 -0500

Solar and wind energy projects are targeting Idaho public and private lands. Is it right for Idaho?

Nardoo and opisthotonos

woody@woodylane.com — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 15:05:25 -0400

Opisthotonos, polyneuritis, beriberi, polioencephalomalacia, bracken and nardoo. What do these words all have in common? Thiamine.

At home on the sheep range

Thu, 25 Aug 2022 23:05:13 -0400

“What’s really cool about sheep is the way they’re a part of the human story,” says Dr. Hailey Wilmer, research rangeland management specialist at the U.S. Sheep Experiment Station near Dubois.

Competition, success, pasture

woody@woodylane.com — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 22:37:14 -0400

Competition is a wonderful thing. Competition has produced Michael Jordan, Billie Jean King and Secretariat. In a pasture, however, competition can work against a farmer by destroying clover and producing a mat of low-yielding bentgrass. Why?

The pasture waltz

woody@woodylane.com — Mon, 31 May 2021 13:00:01 -0400

Do you know how to waltz? Ah yes, you answer. You remember the time when you took a dance lesson and learned the box step.

Make pasture and forages work for sheep

oswalddean@gmail.com — Mon, 31 May 2010 07:00:00 -0400

Sheep producers should set annual goals for the forage and pasture grazing system. Under most farm circumstances a forage grazing plan will require several years to implement selected goals.