National Farm Safety and Health Week (NFSHW) is taking place this year Sept. 21 – 27. NFSHW is a time to increase awareness of the high risk of accidents and injuries in agriculture and to promote the adoption of life-saving health and safety practices. Despite a slight decrease in total fatal occup...

When a barnyard is partially in concrete and the pasture is little more than holes left by the hooves of beef cattle, what’s the answer? In Craig Alleman’s case, the best solution was more concrete. Alleman’s farm was a mess, with mud and pugging throughout the pastures. Pasture vegetation didn’t st...

For most of history, sheep and goats have been bred by natural service. However, with advances in breeding technology in other livestock, synchronized breeding and artificial insemination (AI) of sheep and goats is becoming more common. Lacey Quail, Ph.D., livestock specialist at North Dakota State ...

There’s been a lot of discussion around biosecurity, especially around the ever-changing situation with foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) around the world. Lisa Pederson, livestock specialist at the Central Grasslands Research Extension Center in Streeter, ND, describes biosecurity as the combination of ...

Everyone knows that Ben & Jerry’s makes delicious ice cream, but most people are not aware of all the environmental and sustainable work they do behind the scenes. Ben & Jerry’s operates on a three-part mission that consists of creating a high-quality product, maintaining a financially sustainable a...

Over the last 15 years, I have become a super believer in winter forages. Winter forages – small grains planted during late summer or early autumn – have been selectively bred to go dormant over winter, then spring to life as soon as prolonged cold weather loosens its icy grip in March or April. Wha...

Dairy and beef farmers are aware of the cyclical nature of the cattle industry. They also know the two segments are closely related. Corey Geiger, economist for dairy production and processing, CoBank, recently discussed trends in dairy and beef. “Dairy is dynamic and growing,” said Geiger. “It’s th...

Hello, farm family! When did you last experience conflict in your farm life? Most of us experience some form of conflict every day, though we might not immediately recognize it. Types of Farm Conflict Some of us only equate “conflict” with yelling, screaming, throwing things and other forms of viole...

Despite many historians believing that clovers have truly changed the world, these crops are surprisingly modest creeping herbs, rarely reaching knee-height. According to my textbook “ Around the World in 80 Plants ” (Jonathan Drori, Lawrence King Publishing), there are two common cultivated species...