How much are vaccinations worth? Here in north-central Idaho, common killed virus shots for spring branding total nearly $4 per cow and just under $8 per calf from the local vet. With that kind of investment, proper handling has to be a priority for producers.

“Efficient production from a healthy herd.” This slogan and business model of Seagull Bay and Andersen Dairy has established the operation not only in southern Idaho but on a global scale.

The National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), a multifederal government agency partnership that coordinates drought monitoring, forecasting, planning and information at national, state and local levels across the U.S., defines an “agricultural drought” as a phenomenon in which weather conditions lead to adverse plant responses, leading to outcomes that range from reduced crop and forage yields to complete crop and forage failure. 

“What’s really cool about sheep is the way they’re a part of the human story,” says Dr. Hailey Wilmer, research rangeland management specialist at the U.S. Sheep Experiment Station near Dubois.

“I always wanted to be a farmer,” says Brice Mosekian of BnB Farms in Cambridge. “I didn’t want to do it in California.”

Technology can be a farmer’s friend. For example, a device about the size of a pound or two of butter is buried in the field and is helping farmers improve crop quality, boost yields and reduce environmental impacts through data-driven insights from soil to storage.