Long-eared owl spotted on farm

We spotted an owl in our windbreak the other day.
We have seen this bird of prey for several days, along with an increasing amount of bald eagles. There are a couple of thoughts to this. One, our certified organic farm that is geared to increase biodiversity is achieving that goal and two, the presence of [...]

Historic Drought in the Midwest for 2012: Was it really that Bad?

If you lived in the Midwest of the United States this year, I’m sure you were very aware of the heat and lack of rain. In a typical year July would be very hot and humid with regular thunderstorms. August would also be hot, but at some point a change would come and the heat/humidity [...]

What is a Fair Price Paid to Farmers?

One of the most difficult aspects of commodity farming is dealing with the fact that the price for the crops or livestock produced by farmers  are by in large dictated  by someone else.  The markets for corn, soybeans, wheat, barley and conventional milk are good examples of  pricing structures that have nothing to do with [...]

Mob Grazing Cows in Iowa’s Epic 2011 Heat Wave

I’m sure those south of us will laugh at my title. That would include those folks in Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and every state to the south east. That said, it was a very hot, humid and surprisingly dry summer in Iowa. It sure didn’t start out that way, with torrential rains in June, [...]

Grazing vs. Making Hay

The weather is beautiful out here in Iowa right now. We just had a spell of rain, and where that is not good for the corn/soybean farmers it is very good for the graziers. I’m still out grazing cows and sheep, and can now start to really look back on the season and see the [...]

Holistic Management

I use a planning system on the farm that was developed initially by Allan Savory, who labeled his method Holistic Resource Management (now is renamed Holistic Management). This method has grown into a international movement, with certified instructors and teachers, books, workbooks, seminars, and other affiliated businesses.  The website that one can visit is www.holisticmanagement.org.
I can’t say [...]

Multi-species Grazing

Sheep and cows together are a good thing. I’m currently grazing cattle in a planned rotation, moving them daily. I also have a herd of St. Croix hair sheep, which I allow them to graze at will. Couple of comments about this arrangement and my thinking behind it:
1. In nature the overriding principle is diversity [...]

The Status of My 100% Grass-fed/Low-Labor Sheep Program

So far, so good. I’m coming up on my one year anniversary on this project. I got the sheep in August of 2009 as ewe lambs  from a cutting-edge breeder down in southern Missouri. One note of importance is the critical issue for any 100% grassfed program is to MAKE SURE your genetics are right. [...]

Dairy Cows Coming Soon

Amongst many things I do on this farm, I have a custom grazing service for the Amish/Mennonite dairy farmers in the area. Due to the new organic  pasture rule that has just passed through the USDA, organic dairy farms must graze their animals (except for their bulls) in such a way that  a minimum of [...]

Cloned Animals Approved for Meat and Milk

The following is an excerpt from several sources found in various publications on the Internet. What do I think about it? More reason to know your source, buy organic (at the very least), and to evaluate with extreme skepticism any rhetoric put out by the various vested interests of the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.