MANAGEMENT

Brush and trees are beneficial as shade for livestock and cover for wildlife, but dense infestations from fence to fence erode ranch profits due to limited forage production. Brush control is an expense against income in a changing economy, so its potential impact on ranch profits needs to be carefully and thoroughly analyzed.

“The customer is always right,” in the hay business. Right? Except when they’re not.

Who came up with that mantra anyway? Well, it turns out Harry Selfridge did in 1909. He was trying to drum up business for his London department store, and businesses have been paying the price for that lie ever since.

After months of planning and preparation, the last thing you want is to watch your efforts and equipment go up in flames. In a few minutes, a baler fire can devastate an operation, one that can be easily prevented.

It favorably affects farmers’ seed pricing, and that’s always good news.

A recent USDA release states, “Under its biotechnology regulations, USDA does not regulate or have any plans to regulate plants that could otherwise have been developed through traditional breeding techniques as long as they are not plant pests or developed using plant pests.

As temperatures rise, many producers are revisiting pest management strategies and practices after a record number of herbicide drift-impacted acres were reported from 2017’s growing season.

One of the primary strategies for managing risk is transferring risk outside the farm or ranch through insurance products or other mechanisms.