Rippey’s rises by raising premium replacement Balancer heifers

GALAX, VA – “I want my heifer calves to be my premium product and my steers to be my commodity product,” said Gale Rippey. That’s not the normal pattern you find in commercial cattle, but Gale Rippey is not your normal commercial cattleman. Rippey operates a

Country Folks

As good as the paper it’s written on

by Sonja Heyck-Merlin

April 15, 2026

"There are horror stories from people about leases going bad. Often, when you dig deeper, it was a verbal agreement or it was a lease agreement that w...

Country Folks

Protecting livestock farms from cybercrime pt. 1

Part 1: Cyberthreats are real

by Sally Colby

April 15, 2026

Part 1: Cyberthreats are real The reality of cybercrime for livestock farms is almost too easy. Most farms have internet access, which means they are ...

Country Folks

Nitrogen fixing may not dramatically affect yield

by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

April 15, 2026

As a growing body of research indicates, nitrogen fixing microbials may not help farmers significantly improve their corn yields. Dr. Charlie White, s...

Country Folks

Dr. Kimmerer discusses Indigenous vision of gift economy

by Edith Tucker

April 15, 2026

Indigenous botanist Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of the best-seller “ Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge & the Teaching o...