Screwworms eat flesh, screw-ups cost money
The flesh-eating New World screwworm has returned to the U.S. Southwest. While Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins blames the previous administration, critics point to early 2025 budget cuts made by the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency that halted critical livestock monitoring.
Cover crops build resilience into Ohio farms
Don't let another dry season catch you unprepared. Carroll SWCD's Lindsay Short explains how combining no-till farming with late-summer cover crops after your wheat harvest can dramatically improve soil water retention, suppress weeds, and provide high-quality winter forage for livestock.
What you can do to revive worn-out hay stands
Weather patterns left Ohio’s 2026 first-cutting grass hay short and low-yielding. If your long-term hay fields are struggling, OSU's Garth Ruff discusses how managing soil fertility, planning a late-summer reseeding or even transitioning the land to grazing can help maximize your returns.
Portal patient patience
You dutifully fill out your medical history on the online patient portal, only to be handed a 1992-style clipboard at check-in. Columnist Kymberly Foster Seabolt explores the frustrating redundancy of modern healthcare administration and asks: where is all that digital data actually going?
Part Three: The water war begins
In Part 3 of this series exploring Ralph Moody’s classic "Little Britches," a 1906 Colorado drought triggers a dangerous "water war." When upstream ranchers hog the vital irrigation supply, the Moody family must take a perilous late-night stand to save their newly planted crops.
Leaving the best flies behind
A fly-fishing trip to Michigan's Au Sable River brings humor, lost lures, and a deeper reflection on a late friend. Angler Jim Abrams shares a moving essay on the "best flies" left behind in trees and trout streams, and the holy waters of the Manistee River where memories endure.
‘Hats off’ to the dairy industry this June
June is Dairy Month, and there is plenty to celebrate. From small artisan farms to large herds, the U.S. dairy industry has boosted milk yields by 35% over 25 years while cutting its carbon footprint by 46%. Explore the latest trends driving dairy consumption and nutrition.
Dragonflies: Unique aerial acrobats
Naturalist Tami Gingrich explores the fascinating world of dragonflies, from their jet-propelled aquatic nymph stage to their role as agile mosquito-hunting aerial acrobats.
Do you know what’s really growing in your pasture?
Recent droughts and unpredictable weather have given pasture weeds an advantage. Ohio State University Extension educator Ted Wiseman explains how to evaluate your fields, use targeted weed control, and implement smart grazing practices to rebuild a healthy, resilient stand of forage.
Big Bacon’s Farm Bill carve-out needs to be carved out
Industrial pork giants are pushing Congress to use the 2026 Farm Bill to overturn voter-approved state animal welfare laws. Why the 'Save Our Bacon Act' is a corporate carve-out that undermines states' rights and hurts independent farmers succeeding under humane standards.
