Guest Blog

Plants can be affected by micro-organisms of several types including bacteria, viruses and fungi. Most have what scientists refer to as “perfect” reproduction, i.e., spores are released into the air and can then move to other locations and other plants, resulting in infection at new locations.

“Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you are a thousand miles away from the cornfield.” When Einsenhower gave this speech, he didn’t have this hopeful farm girl in mind, but recently I learned he should have.

With the cattle market looking a little shaky, we’ve decided it’s time to look for additional sources of income. After scrolling through 95 infomercial channels in search of one TV show my husband and I could agree on, I have hit on the perfect solution: a week-long, fat-blaster workout called the Hay Hauler’s Shape-Up.

The nutritional requirements of animals vary, and ensuring that their dietary needs are met from grazed forages can be challenging.

I failed and broke a promise. Not long ago, I told my friend Mary Beth that I would always write about her son-in-law for my Memorial Day column. SFC Forrest Robertson made the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan; he died protecting each one of us. He is the only hero that I knew personally that made the greatest sacrifice, and that is why I have vowed to never forget. Then Monday happened.

One reason why forage-livestock production is challenging is that the value of forage is surprisingly dynamic. Forage value increases when forage growth is limited by weather, when alternative feeds are expensive or when pastures on a farm are stocked too heavily.