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	<title>Moorgate Farms</title>
	<link>http://www.moorgatefarms.com</link>
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		<title>Mob Grazing Cows in Iowa&#8217;s Epic 2011 Heat Wave</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;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&#8217;t start out that way, with torrential rains in June, [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.moorgatefarms.com/mob-grazing-cows-in-iowas-epic-2011-heat-wave</link>
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		<title>The Organic Pasture Rule. Is it Good or Bad?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The National Organic Program (NOP) has released new rules for livestock that mandate access to pasture for ruminant animals. These rules require that a percentage of the necessary dry matter intake per day come from pasture.  The minimum is 30% dry matter per head per day for at least 120 days over the grazing season. [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.moorgatefarms.com/the-organic-pasture-rule-is-it-good-or-bad</link>
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		<title>100% Grassfed Dairy is Great. But is it Realistic?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[There seems to be an increased interest in 100% grassfed dairy products out there in the marketplace. The food products that come from animals raised on grass are said to have a higher nutritional value (click here for more information http://www.eatwild.com/healthbenefits.htm).  Eggs, meat and dairy are the main areas of focus for farmers trying to [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.moorgatefarms.com/100-grassfed-dairy-is-great-but-is-it-realistic</link>
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		<title>Cultured Dairy. Good or Bad?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[One thing that has really help our family&#8217;s health has been the introduction by Marjorie of keifer into our diet. We take organic whole milk that I can get locally, add raw eggs from our chickens,  some bananas and coconut oil and blend up. Everyone has a glass of this every day. The cultured milk [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.moorgatefarms.com/cultured-dairy-good-or-bad</link>
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		<title>Grazing vs. Making Hay</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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&#8217;m still out grazing cows and sheep, and can now start to really look back on the season and see the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.moorgatefarms.com/grazing-vs-making-hay</link>
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		<title>Holistic Management</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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&#8217;t say [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.moorgatefarms.com/holistic-management</link>
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		<title>Rain</title>
		<description><![CDATA[If you live in Iowa, you know it&#8217;s been raining a while. It seems like the faucet turned on in June, and basically hasn&#8217;t stopped very much since. I believe east of here (east of Kalona &#8211; like Des Moines) has been getting more, but we&#8217;ve been still pretty wet. For the conventional farmers it&#8217;s [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.moorgatefarms.com/rain</link>
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		<title>Multi-species Grazing</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Sheep and cows together are a good thing. I&#8217;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 [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.moorgatefarms.com/multi-species-grazing</link>
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		<title>The Status of My 100% Grass-fed/Low-Labor Sheep Program</title>
		<description><![CDATA[So far, so good. I&#8217;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. [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.moorgatefarms.com/the-status-of-my-100-grass-fedlow-labor-sheep-program</link>
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		<title>Mob Grazing Dairy Cows</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Well, we&#8217;re in full swing with grazing dairy replacement heifers from a local Mennonite dairyman. So far we&#8217;ve managed to graze approximately 13 acres with 30 cows. That might seem like a small amount for so many cows, but what I&#8217;m employing is a technique called &#8220;mob grazing&#8221;  &#8211; it&#8217;s essentially a replica of the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.moorgatefarms.com/mob-grazing-dairy-cows</link>
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