Melissa A. Bravo

3 options de litières alternatives lorsque l’offre est limitée

November 1, 2022

Dans le monde entier, de nombreuses exploitations familiales se sont rabattues sur l'autosuffisance « fait maison » dans les dernières années puisque les infrastructures de transport et de distribution des produits agricoles ont été perturbées par les impacts économiques de la COVID-19.

Where hay is plentiful for interstate movement, what about weeds?

While undesirable for purity and "invasiveness," even if unpalatable, many of the common and troublesome weeds that detract from quality can provide more than 6% crude protein and more than 50% TDN toward an animal’s daily intake needs.

October 17, 2022

Melissa A. Bravo

While undesirable for purity and "invasiveness," even if unpalatable, many of the common and troublesome weeds that detract from quality can provide more than 6% crude protein and more than 50% TDN toward an animal’s daily intake needs.

Managing barber’s pole worms

July 14, 2022

Melissa A. Bravo

What are barber’s pole worms? In 1803, a naturalist by the name of Karl Rudolphi penned the scientific name for the parasitic barber’s pole worm, Haemonchus contortus.

Wet hay years and what to watch for

December 31, 2021

Melissa A. Bravo

Single-statement truisms in the livestock feeding business are a rare occurrence. “If this occurs, then that will occur,” is usually prefaced by a disclaimer, “as long as Mother Nature cooperates.”

Adverse weather and hidden danger of moldy feed

September 1, 2021

Melissa A. Bravo

Over the summer, the western drought and heat wave continue to intensify.

The biological risk of drought

July 9, 2021

Melissa A. Bravo

The grazing season was well underway in the southern U.S. when tornadic weather spawned in early May. Across the country, 14 states have declared worsening drought stages in the peak of calving season.

Adverse weather impacts essential nutrient uptake

May 31, 2021

Melissa A. Bravo

The first extreme precipitation event of 2021 hit Tennessee the end of March with a 12-hour deluge delivering 4 to 8 inches of rain in a swath tracking northeasterly across the eastern side of the Ohio River Basin.

3 alternative bedding options when supplies are tight

August 12, 2020

Melissa A. Bravo

Globally, many family farms fell back on “DIY self-sufficiency” in the wake of infrastructure disruptions of transporting agriculture goods due to COVID-19 economics.

COVID-19 2020 producer perspectives

May 5, 2020

Melissa A. Bravo

Through social media connections, I asked agriculture producers and associated business owners over a period of two weeks how the supply-chain train wreck and jammed city escalators of farm-to-fork perishable goods impacted their daily lives.