Rob Meinen, senior extension associate, Penn State University, has been spreading the word about manure for a long time, but he says there’s still a lot to learn when it comes to manure safety. “Manure incidences often go unreported,” said Meinen. “Loss of consciousness occurs without a report. I kn...

At the Young Farmers Conference 2017, Kelly Mulville, of Paicines Ranch near San Jose, CA, addressed the benefits of merging livestock and crop cultivation with the goal of enhancing soil health, reducing disease and pest pressures, increasing the ability to farm without irrigation, enhancing carbon...

If you run your hand over a horse at this time of year, you’ll probably end up with a handful of hair. Although it seems as if shedding starts when temperatures rise, shedding is initiated by longer daylight. Horses that have spent most of the winter outside and without a blanket probably still have...

Among the routine management procedures that must be done in a sheep flock or a herd of goats is to develop a sound program for parasite control. This may sound like a very simple process but there are many roadblocks that stand in the way of achieving a good, easily managed program. Many years ago,...

On a cold and very windy Sunday in March the Goshen Hunt set out for a day of riding to hounds. It was a day much like many others that the Hunt has enjoyed and only different in one particular. There were 15 side saddle riders with it. Yes, 15 ladies in full habits riding aside on a rather spectacu...

Grazing is environmentally beneficial. It has been shown to increase water infiltration and decrease soil erosion; to enhance the water-holding capacity of the soil; to support the sequestration of nutrients; and to promote soil health and biodiversity. However, grazing has been seen as a contributo...

The Turner Dairy Farm in the rural red clay hills of southern Bedford County, VA, owned by Wayne Turner, his father, his uncle and cousin, is a morass of mud after four inches of rain in two days. The deluge has delayed late winter top dressing of grains and the Turner team has pivoted their work to...

Andrea Bjornestad, extension mental health specialist and assistant professor at South Dakota State University, references an article in the British paper ‘The Guardian’ that addressed mental health issues in farmers. “Recent depression rates in agricultural workers have varied from 7.4 percent to 2...

Hey Doc, that vaccine didn’t work! While working with our dairy clients to improve health and productivity of their herds, I’ll occasionally hear, “Hey Doc, that vaccine didn’t work.” We vaccinate cows and calves to prevent reproductive disease and loss, respiratory disease, mastitis, and scours, ju...