A Focus on Soil Health Boosts Bottom Line

How managing grass sets the foundation for a ranch’s continual improvement.

Land is the common ground on which all other resources thrive. That’s why monitoring, managing and maintaining soil health is key to productivity and, ultimately, profitability on the ranch.

Texas Wildfire Early Ag Losses Total $23.1 Million

AgriLife Extension economists tally wildfire fence damage, lost grazing value, livestock deaths.

Texas wildfires that ravaged the Eastland Complex, parts of the Panhandle and Coryell County regions encompassing 433,000 acres have resulted in $23.1 million in preliminary agricultural loss estimates, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension economists.

The losses include more than 400 livestock deaths, lost grazing values and fence repair costs. Dry, windy conditions throughout the winter season and into early spring heightened the fire danger threat.

Gizmos & Gadgets

Products for use on farms, ranches or feedlots.

In this month’s edition we highlight a used equipment program and a compact track loader.

Pasture Management During a Dry Year

Be proactive about managing pastures instead of letting the weather make all the calls.

This spring has been very dry in much of the Western United States and Canada. Jim Bauer, a rancher in south-central Alberta, has been involved with forage associations and grazing management for a long time. He says that his advice for producers facing a dry season might be a bit after-the-fact, because the important thing is to be prepared ahead of time.

Behold, the Power of Grass

Don’t overlook the importance of what’s underfoot.

Sometimes the most important things are so close to us that we don’t even notice them. Sometimes they’re right underfoot. Case in point: grass.

“It’s only grass?” asked Kevin Jensen, geneticist at the Agricultural Research Service’s Forage and Range Research Laboratory in Logan, Utah. “Try to imagine life without grass: There would be no functioning ecosystems, and quality forage would be lacking; thus, wildlife and livestock would not survive.”

Leasing Arrangements in Times of Drought and Beyond

Ag economist offers steps to consider for cow or pasture leases.

Leasing or buying is often the debate that people have when deciding on their next vehicle to drive. Many in the agricultural community also enter arrangements to lease pastures, farm ground and — sometimes — even cows, according to the experts at the Kansas State University Beef Cattle Institute.