I’ve been hearing many complaints about the weather. We all know to expect variable weather in early spring, so I decided to look up so data to see if these complaints hold water. During March 2013, in central Ohio, the average air temperature was 35.2 degrees, which was 5 degrees below the historical average of [...]

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 [...]

And ask neighbors not to throw clippings from shrubs over the fence. They could be poisonous. As the last blasts of winter are covering our farms, it is time to make plans for spring grazing. Many of our fields took a beating last summer and this winter as the lack of rainfall reduced forage cover. [...]

Winter always seems to create unique challenges with livestock. From keeping ice off the water troughs to providing feed with enough nutrients to maintain the animal’s needs, each year seems to be different. On the other hand, one thing that seems to occur every year is a time period dealing with mud. Late winter is [...]

Pasture is a valuable forage resource. Like any resource, it responds to management. What is your plan to add value to your pasture in 2013?

Are you getting adequate forage production from your pastures and hay fields? Are you getting maximum weight gains from your livestock with the forage species you have in your paddocks? Do you have paddocks or fields that you think need renovated? How much forage should my paddocks and hay fields be producing per year? Can [...]

Large round bales are the most popular source of hay when winter feeding beef cattle. Unfortunately, these bales are subject to a variety of losses, including feeding loss. Bale feeder design Research published in the Journal of Animal Science has shown feeding losses can be influenced by bale feeder design. The feeders investigated in this [...]

Well, it has been just over a year ago that I retired from my job as Ohio NRCS state grassland conservationist, but I am still staying involved with grazing and forage activities. Of the different things, I had the pleasure to be involved with, I believe the development and delivery of the Ohio Grazing School [...]

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? [...]

It looks like the drought of 2012 is in the record books. Rainfall is back and we actually have seen pastures and hayfields recover and produce some fall growth, while annual crops like oats, cereal rye, field peas and brassicas planted in a timely manner have also grown well. So, life is good and no [...]