MANAGEMENT

At University of California – Davis, we have been studying the digestion characteristics of a down-regulated lignin alfalfa variety.

“Off with their heads!” is the trademark phrase of the Queen of Hearts, a vile and loathsome character in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. Whenever she was even slightly annoyed by one of her subjects, she would command this terrible fate for them. This is obviously not a good character trait, unless one applies the “off with their heads” philosophy to tall fescue. As it turns out, headless tall fescue is greatly beneficial to animal performance.

With the low hay prices of 2016, some producers may be thinking of trying to get into the organic hay market. Organic farming systems rely on practices such as cultural and biological pest management, and virtually prohibit synthetic chemicals in crop production and antibiotics or hormones in livestock production.

Given the tenor of the soil health buzz, however, one could not be blamed for assuming that with proper management, one could turn a compacted clay soil into something with the color, consistency and taste of chocolate cake, and the productivity of the Nile River Delta.

I don’t care who you are, standing at farm auctions has to rate in the top ten in a list of coldest jobs, especially when they’re auctioning all the household junk off first.

It is said that the only certainties in life are death and taxes. While it is a tough topic to talk about, planning for the continuation of a farm following the death of the farm’s caretaker needs to take place. I find it frustrating to hear about a farm that goes without an estate plan.