I had the privilege of traveling overseas to conduct research during part of the summer, so I missed all of the hot and dry weather during July. Using the Internet, I could follow the ongoing drama of the rain that never showed. But one can never appreciate the devastation until one sees it with his [...]
Significant drought conditions in many parts of Ohio have led to an increased interest in harvesting corn as silage. With very few farmers owning silage-making equipment, many are looking to neighbors that do own silage harvesting-equipment or professional custom farming providers to help them meet their needs. Questions arise about custom farming rates and the [...]
Mastitis and lameness are the two most costly health issues on dairy farms today. Cost of treatment for mastitis is certainly important, but the major factor to the cost of mastitis is the loss of milk production and the cow if she has to be culled from the herd.
Frustrated. That single word does a pretty good job of summing up the mood of many dairy farmers as they look at dwindling feed inventories and less-than-lush fields.
The Ohio Ag Manager Team was started in 2005 by OSU Extension to help Ohio farmers with their farm management questions. Our outreach efforts include offering farm management workshops, authoring informational fact sheets and publishing a monthly newsletter located at: http://ohioagmanager.osu.edu/. Here are a few of items our team is currently working on for Ohio [...]
From the musical, “Porgy and Bess,” George and Ira Gershwin composed the memorable song that begins with the phrase, “Summertime and the livin is easy.” I mean no disrespect, but summers on the farm are far from easy and 2012 has already given us quite enough of Mother Nature’s wrath. The heat, the storms, the [...]
Enrolling in an agricultural district makes sense for Ohio farmers to consider. It is a program that provides protections, doesn’t cost anything to apply, and the application form is simple to complete.
As I write this column in mid-June, the dairy and feed markets are displaying much uncertainty and even some incoherence. The increase in milk futures over the last two weeks has no fundamentals; it just doesn’t make sense.
A large number of Ohio farmers hire machinery operations and other farm related work to be completed by others. This is often due to lack of proper equipment, lack of time or lack of expertise for a particular operation. Many farm business owners do not own equipment for every possible job that they may encounter [...]
ou often pay attention to the milk components when you get your milk check, but they also serve as a window into the rumen health and metabolic balance of your cows.
