If you have livestock that graze pastures or you are looking to start grazing livestock, you may have read this column over the past several years and asked yourself, “How can I improve my pasture management?” With spring now here, I thought this would be a good time to review the five basic principles of [...]

As we wind down the 2012 year, it is time to assess what worked for us and what we can improve on for next year. The drought really put many of us in a bind this year, but what can we do to minimize problems for next year if we continue to have weather extremes? [...]

I went to southern Illinois last week to do some programs and I was taken aback by the severity of the drought in that region. Corn and pasture fields were not only dead, they were very dead. Many areas of corn fields were not that golden brown like you may see when harvest takes place, [...]

Winter I try to start grazing as early as possible in March. When the snow melts, I will try to feed stockpiled fescue which also provides a clean field for the cows to have calves. This year, when we moved cows to start grazing March 3, grass had already started to grow and some fescue [...]

This is the time of year to evaluate your hay and pasture fields to determine if they need to be reseeded. First and foremost, you need to make sure the pH and fertility is adequate for the forages you want to plant. If it is not, the new seeding could germinate then die or never produce to its potential.

Infected fescue is insect, disease and drought resistant. It is also a nitrogen scavenger. This gives it an advantage over other forages, especially on poor soils.

here are several ways to supplement and extend the existing hay for the winter season.

We are at my favorite time of the year. Grass is starting to grow. Depending how far south you live, some have already started to graze pastures. On my farm, the spring calving cows have been on stockpiled fescue for about three weeks on high ground, avoiding most of the mud, but this weekend I [...]

The month of December is a great time to plan. We have the opportunity to make changes to the 2010 year and plan for 2011. When I think of 2010, two things come to mind for me. First, what worked and what went wrong? Next, is there anything that can be done to improve the [...]

As a little boy on our farm in Morgan County, I could identify orchardgrass, bromegrass, alfalfa and clover, but never heard of fescue. Then fescue moved in. I’m sure it was a combination of things. It was probably the spreading of fescue from reclamation projects and the fertility of the farm going down when it [...]