“Overall, it was an average to average-plus year,” says Terry Helms of Simplot Grower Solutions in Oakley. Helms has been an agronomist in south central Idaho since 1985 and deals with a range of crops including potatoes, sugarbeets, corn, dry beans and small grains.

The late-afternoon shadows of early fall cast by the sinking sun in the west were growing longer as I at last urged the final stragglers of the 50 or so cows out of the bottom of the draw.

By proactively managing your livestock ventilation system as the seasons change, you can ensure a stable, healthy environment for your animals year-round. Regular maintenance, thoughtful adjustments to your system and considering upgrades when possible will all contribute to optimal conditions in your dairy.

Are you excited for Halloween but tired of handing out the same types of candy year after year? If this seems familiar to you, I have several ideas to make this Halloween season unique and healthy. 

Leaving sufficient residual plant material (leaves, lower stem bases and crowns) is essential to maximize next year’s production for perennial grasses.

While the necessity of maintaining adequate ventilation during the extremes of summer and winter is well recognized, the transitional seasons of spring and fall present unique challenges that often are overlooked. This article explores the pitfalls associated with off-season ventilation and offers actionable strategies for dairy producers to address these issues.

Invasive plants have created novel rangeland landscapes, requiring novel responses in vegetation management. We cannot turn back the clock to a time before cheatgrass, medusahead and ventenata – invasive annual grasses that are part of the new normal in the western U.S.

Now when the weather is warm is when we should begin preparing alfalfa for winter, if we want good winter survival and high yield next spring.

And just like that, it’s time for fall processing. Let’s look closely at what we’ll need to give our weaning-aged calves a leg up on their next stage of life, starting with vaccination strategy, implants and deworming.

Whether you’re going to stick with spring calving or make the move to fall calving, your fences are a critical component to operational success.