Feed the world? It’s up to us peasants

By Joel McNair

I’ve a dairy grazing friend who has long thought of himself as being nothing more than a peasant. A rather interesting view, I’ve thought, given that this man has made a fair amount of money operating at a scales far beyond those of the traditional midwestern dairy farmer. His house is nicer than mine.

A peasant he probably is, though, if one considers the size and clout held by agriculture’s true power brokers. ConAgra, Cargill, Monsanto, Smithfield/Shuanghui — an individual farmer cannot stand up to the likes of these behemoths no matter how many acres he might till or cows he can milk. One need look only at the history of our agricultural policy: What was once concerned primarily with keeping individuals on the land has morphed into something that is almost entirely about keeping food flows and processing/marketing profits on the upswing. Continue reading “Feed the world? It’s up to us peasants”

December 1, 2013April 18, 2020

The grass cow: Don’t fall for promises of breeding shortcuts

By Greg Palen

The numbers game in dairy genetic selection began when the AI industry switched to frozen, storable semen in the 1960s, thus providing a true choice of sires. This was the beginning of the genetic horse race for the best sires, and the long battle to define the word “best.”

Fads came and went. Genetic ranking shifted from pounds of butterfat to pounds of milk (and later protein). Universities partnered with feed companies to figure out how much grain a dairy cow would eat without getting sick, then studied “type” to determine traits most responsive to making milk in volume at younger ages. Breed type classification became a tool for bull evaluation. Ultimately, we accepted the idea of ranking bulls on a composite of milk yield and type traits. PD for each trait gave way to Net Merit, TPI and other data formulas that we could treat as a “single trait selection” process. Continue reading “The grass cow: Don’t fall for promises of breeding shortcuts”

November 1, 2013April 18, 2020

The future of grassfed: Laying out the promise and challenges

By Dr. Allen Williams

The U.S. grassfed market has grown significantly over the past 15 years. According to data compiled by the Wallace Center of the Winrock Foundation, retail sales of domestically produced grassfed beef were less than $5 million in 1998, with only about 100 beef producers actively involved in grassfed beef production. By 2012, domestic retail sales of grassfed beef had topped $400 million, with more than $1.5 billion in combined domestic and imported product sales.

That amounts to exponential growth for grassfed beef by any measure. Certainly grassfed production and marketing have come a long way in the U.S. over the past decade or so, with continued growth projected. Continue reading “The future of grassfed: Laying out the promise and challenges”

November 1, 2013April 18, 2020

Our five-step plan for healthier soils

By Gabe Brown

I want to start by telling everyone up front that I am not a soil scientist. I am a farmer/rancher who has spent the last 20 years working to improve the soil resource on my operation.

I have tried doing this in a myriad of ways, with some successes and many “learning experiences.” What I am going to do is share some of my experiences and observations, using my own operation to illustrate the concepts I follow. Realize that every operation is different. Each has its unique set of circumstances, and it is up to the operator to determine what works best on his or her own farm. Continue reading “Our five-step plan for healthier soils”

August 1, 2013April 18, 2020

Breeding within for no-grain dairy success

Van Amburghs happy with what a single bull has done for them

By Tracy Frisch

Sharon Springs, New York — After starting with a bunch of sick and undistinguished cows, organic dairy farmers Paul and Phyllis Van Amburgh are bucking conventional wisdom in their breeding and heifer-rearing programs to create a more efficient, uniform and closely related herd that thrives in their no-grain system.

As students of Gearld Fry, a controversial cattle breeding consultant from Arkansas, Paul and Phyllis have worked hard to realize their notion of an ideal cow through linear measurement, prepotent bulls and rigorous selection. And at their Dharma Lea farm, replacement heifer calves are kept with their mothers for an entire 10-month lactation. Continue reading “Breeding within for no-grain dairy success”

May 1, 2013April 18, 2020

The profit key: working within your farm

By Jon Bansen

Monmouth, Oregon—At the latest American Forage and Grasslands Council meeting, the buzz was about increasing profitability by extending the grazing season. Although one piece of the puzzle, it’s also true that increased days on pasture can come at a high price if soils and plant health are degraded.

In reality, the true profits lie with optimizing a farm’s total feed production, with an eye on putting as much forage as possible into the animal through managed grazing. There are no instructions for putting this puzzle together, as each of our farms is unique in its soil types, weather patterns, topography, irrigation potential and land base. Continue reading “The profit key: working within your farm”