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Local Food Security: Challenges and Opportunity
“If the world is saved it will be saved because the people living in it have a new vision.” –Daniel Quinn No one wants to admit that the food supply we depend on could ever be in jeopardy, or that food prices are not as stable as they once were. We want to take...
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Curated Content From Around the Web
The Economics of Being Earnest About Low Stress Handling
Most people I have met would say they handle their livestock in a low stress manner. What this actually means varies from person to person. To me, if you are a successful handler, you are able to turn your animals to the right, turn them to the left, slow them down, speed them up, and stop them. If you are real good, you can spot them in one place and they will stay. I am still working on being real good! The herd of cows I currently work with will turn both directions and change speed when given the proper signal. Recently the economic benefit of being able to handle a herd in this manner became very apparent. For the last two and a half years I have been working on a ranch where we experience frequent chinooks. I love chinooks because they melt the snow over the grass we…
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Solar Powering our OFF GRID CABIN with the Jackery Solar Generator 2000 v2
Now’s the Time to Be on the Lookout for Avian Flu in Your Flock
Outbreaks of avian flu may have declined a bit over the summer since the virus doesn’t do well in the heat. But with cooler temperatures the danger rises again. In addition, one of the ways that Avian Flu may travel is via migrating birds, especially waterfowl. And since this is the time that migration occurs, it means its also a good time to take extra steps to protect your pastured poultry. The flu can travel on manure, egg flats, creates, farming materials and equipment, and with people who have unknowingly picked up the virus on their clothes, shoes or hands. Poultry that come in contact with any of these contract the disease and then continue its spread. Here’s how to recognize the flu, how to prevent it and who to call for help. Avian Flu Symptoms Birds that have contracted avian flu will show these symptoms: • Lack of energy and appetite• Decreased egg production…
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The Most Valuable Tool On My Farm — Livestock Guardian Dogs
Sandy with her dog Jefe While I have been quite handy with a shotgun complete with MagLite duct taped to the barrel, dashing after [insert predator here] has sent the poultry into a full-blown panicked frenzy in the wee hours of the night, it’s not something I particularly enjoy. I’ve battled coyote, bears, bobcats, skunks, raccoons, rats and stray dogs harassing, even killing the assorted menagerie of fowl, swine and ruminants, both large and small. In addition to shooting predators, I’ve trapped them, poisoned them and fenced them out. Venturing into bigger flocks and larger herds, I began to realize that losing an occasional hen to having its head chewed off by raccoon was giving way to a doe having kids attacks during or shortly after birth by predatory Black Buzzards and coyotes attacking full grown goats. Encountering each of these situations was a tantamount to starring in my…
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How to Prepare Your Animals to Work With You
We’re working our way up the pyramid of skills you need to become a good low-stress livestock handler. With mindset and attitude you’re starting with a strong foundation. In the last four articles I reviewed the first four of five requisite elements of low-stress livestock handling—mindset, attitude, reading, and working animals. In this article we will look at the fifth, and last, element—preparing animals. Metaphorically, each of these elements is a layer of the foundation of the low-stress livestock handling house that we are building. After working with our animals—which involves establishing control and leadership, and teaching them a basic skill set, like speeding up and slowing down, stopping and turning—the next step is to prepare our animals for future production events. Bud Williams stresses that “It’s very important to prepare or train your animals for what’s to come, even if it’s a month off. The idea is to teach…
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We Bought an Off Grid Cabin in Alaska – FIRST LOOK!
Growing Warm Season Annuals for Lambs
To keep your lambs “grazing high” through the summer, give Cowpeas a chance! Cowpeas and Sorghum-Sudan Grass planted in a prepared seedbed. In my previous On Pasture article, I recommend that you keep grassfed lambs “grazing high,” especially in late summer and early fall. When I say “high,” I’m referring to both the nutritional quality and the height of the forage. You want those lambs to continue gaining weight in the heat of the summer with minimal exposure to parasites, particularly the nasty barber-pole worm (Haemonchus contortus). Here in Louisiana and other areas of the Gulf South, our pastures consist of Bermuda and Bahia grasses, both of which continue to persist in the heat of the summer but often lose quality in late summer and early fall. Keeping those perennial swards nutritious means keeping them short, and this could expose your lambs to high numbers of parasite larvae. We have…
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Could You Make Money by Adding a Ewe For Every Cow in Your Herd?
Photo by Perry Rech Recent Dickinson Research Extension Center sales caused me to ponder the concept of adding a sheep for every cow. The center sold market cows on March 9 for $68.24 per hundredweight (cwt), or $995.58 per head, and a market ewe on March 13 for $71 per cwt, or $113.60 per head. When adjusted for body weight, an equivalent weight in sheep was worth $1,035, or $40 more than the market cows. A review of 2016 cow budgets with Tim Petry, North Dakota State University Extension Service livestock economist, shows net return after total costs in the cow-calf enterprise is around $100 per cow. For a 300-cow operation, the $30,000 would be split among unpaid family labor, management and equity, and then a return on investment could be calculated. Previous work at the Dickinson Research Extension Center revealed that for every cow on the operation, one ewe…
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Ask A Vet: Glucosamine and Other Animal Care Advice
A veterinarian discusses an assortment of animal care matters, including glucosamine benefits for pets, digging dogs, cat bladder stones, and llamas as pets. Children and PetsMost people would agree that animal care is as educational for children as it is rewarding. Humans aren’t born with the ability to relate well to other animals (this you may remember from watching your toddler try to pull the fur right off your puppy). Too many adults don’t seem to realize the limitations of kids and pets when left alone together. To teach proper handling to youngsters, adults must first separate the old wives’ tales from the facts.Take babies, for instance. Many families assume that aged animals are safe when left alone with babies. Adults don’t realize that, potentially, this is one extremely dangerous situation. Without supervision, both can behave unpredictably, especially toddlers and babies, who enjoy grabbing, yanking, and pulling fur.Dogs–who are often…
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