As I write this in late September, the pastures, woodlands, cropland, yards, and gardens all appear to be settling into autumn earlier than normal. This is due primarily to prolonged dry conditions. As wet as it was earlier in...
Agricultural land in the Upper Midwest has experienced substantial appreciation over the past several decades, with the recent years standing out. This includes cropland, rural homesteads, recreational land and livestock operations. Several factors have contributed to this trend, including...
Ensiling involves many different components to ensure a successful harvest and high-quality, safe feedstuff. Often, producers get in a hurry and make a big mistake right off the bat—harvesting too early, resulting in very wet feed.
Recommended Moisture Levels
Ideally, corn...
Dairy farming today comes with its share of challenges, chief among them being the shortage of workers. This issue isn’t confined to regions traditionally low on labour, it’s also impacting areas that were once abundant in manpower. However, the...
They always say if you don’t like the weather in Ohio just wait a few hours and it will change. Unfortunately, we may have to wait more than a few hours for the weather to change and bring rain,...
As a land-grant university, we often work to understand and explain farmer behavior. Every four years, we look at farmer buying behavior, with the next study set for January. We also explore other issues important to agribusinesses who serve...
Remembering the grocery list, coordinating the babysitter, and booking the doctor’s appointment aren’t typical farm chores, but every farm family needs somebody to take on these and many more day-to-day duties.
These tasks are examples of invisible work, a term...
Even though dairy cow slaughter popped higher during the last two weeks of data following the short fourth of July week, dairy cow culling continues well below last year. Reduced dairy cow culling is likely to continue the rest...
Weather conditions common to many spring and summer seasons in our region can be favorable for a certain kind of poisoning that can affect cattle on pasture. Cool, damp spring weather followed by warmer temperatures favors grasses becoming infected...
Driving the roads of Southeast Ohio last week was like getting a “while you were out” memo after returning from a week in Texas. The difference a week can make in the landscape can be drastic. The impacts of...
