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Grazing Cover Crops and Advancing Farmer Networks in Wisconsin
Dane County Land Conservation was able to support and create intentional spaces for a group of farmers willing to take a chance on establishing and utilizing cover crops on their farms to improve soil health.
Growing the Pasture-Grazed Dairy Sector in Wisconsin
Growing the Pasture-Grazed Dairy Sector in Wisconsin is the summary report of a team of researchers, dairy farmers and chefs who conducted a comprehensive investigation of the chemical and physical properties of pasture-based milk when made into cheese, butter or other products. The group, led by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, also explored the production, […]
Video: Improving Forage Production and Quality with Native Legumes
NCR-SARE Research and Education Grant Program grant recipient, Craig Maier, discusses the research his team conducted to learn more about improving forage production and quality with native legumes in grazed warm-season grass stands. They are researching how plant species of the eastern tallgrass prairie, specifically native perennial legumes, can be established as part of a […]
Bale Grazing to Build Soil Health
Erin and Drew Gaugler are exploring and documenting the impact of bale grazing on their North Dakota farm. Outreach activities like their "mailbox tour" are helping the siblings share their findings with neighboring producers.
New Research Tackles Concerns About Grazing Corn Residue
Since the 1850’s, several states in the North Central region have dominated corn production nationally, earning the nickname “The Corn Belt.” It should come as no surprise, then, that corn residue is abundant in the region. Rick Rasby, Associate Dean of Extension, professor, and Beef Specialist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) says corn residue can […]
Economics of Grazing and Haying Cover Crops in North Central Kansas
Grown on an estimated 10 million acres across the country, cover crops are becoming an indispensable part of crop rotations. To maintain this momentum, the development of reliable information at the local level—how to craft a diversified rotation that pays—needs to keep pace with growth in farmers’ interest. That is what motivated Josh Roe to […]
Developing Michigan’s Local, Pasture-Based, Beef Production System
Whether it’s on dinner tables, in restaurants, in schools, or at markets, consumers are seeking more local food. More than 167,000 U.S. farms produced and sold local food through direct marketing in 2015, representing $8.7 billion in revenue (USDA-NASS, 2015 Local Food Marketing Practices Survey). In 2010, the Traverse Bay Economic Development Corporation and Michigan […]
Mob Grazing Increases Efficiency and Profitability of Livestock Production
Mob grazing is a recent development in grazing management that uses extremely high stocking densities for short periods of time to improve soil health, pasture productivity and carrying capacity. Alexander “Sandy” Smart is a professor of Natural Resource Management in Range Science at South Dakota State University. He has a passion for the preservation of […]
Developing a Mob Grazing System to Improve the Sustainability and Profitability of a Cattle Operation in North Dakota
Jeremiah and Krista Reiser run an all grass operation on 2,700 acres of native prairie in central North Dakota. They run a herd of leased and owned spring calving cows and also custom graze the excess grass that is not planned for their own herd. In 2010, they received a $5,991 NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher Grant […]
Finishing Time and Weights of Grass-fed Beef Animals
For more than 20 years, Jane Jewett has owned WillowSedge Farm near Palisade, Minneosta. She and her family raise and direct-market pork, poultry, lamb, and grass-fed beef on 113 acres. An increasing interest in grass-fed beef operations led Jewett to make the transition to grass-fed beef in 2008. Her interest in applying for an NCR-SARE […]
The Bison Producer's Handbook
This comprehensive book about American bison production and marketing has information for veteran farmers/ranchers and newcomers alike.
Managing Drought Risk On the Ranch
Producers throughout the nation continue to grow increasingly concerned about water scarcity. Farmers, ranchers, and agricultural educators are exploring new approaches to the challenges associated with water shortage and drought. The National Drought Mitigation Center, (NDMC) based in Lincoln, NE, has a mission of “helping people and institutions develop and implement measures to reduce societal […]
Rancher Internship Program Invests in the Future of Kansas Agriculture
Ranch ownership transitions can be complex, involving issues such as generational needs, tax issues, social attitudes, and recreational landowner competition. In an effort to help simplify the process, Calvin Adams of Beloit, KS, Cade Rensink of Ada, KS, and Ted Alexander of Medicine Lodge, KS, and the Kansas Ranch and Range Management Internship Program are […]
Julie Engel and her Sustainable System for Raising Rabbits on Pasture
Grazing and Pasture Management
Grazing management is critical to any pasture-based livestock farming system. Practices such as rotational grazing, intensive rotational grazing, and management intensive grazing can be critical to successful and sustainable grazing systems. NCR-SARE has supported research and educational opportunities around the topic of grazing and pasture management in order to help producers reduce costs and increase profits.
Video: From Pasture to Plate: Exploring Grass-Based Dairy in Wisconsin
Wisconsin researchers were awarded a SARE grant to investigate the properties of grassfed milk when made into cheese, butter, or other products. This 13 minute video summarizes the research they’ve done and the development of the grass-based (or pasture-grazed) dairy industry to date.
Effects of Supplemental Molybdenum on Animal Performance
NCR-SARE Research and Education grantee, Patricia Johnson, published, "Effects of supplemental Mo on animal performance, liver Cu concentrations, ruminal hydrogen sulfide concentrations, and the appearance of S and Mo toxicity in steers receiving fiber-based diets" in the Journal of Animal Science. Her research team wanted to identify a feed additive that would negate the toxic effects of high-sulfate water thereby allowing cattle to safely graze rangelands with high-sulfate water sources.
Mortenson Ranch's Range Restoration Video
In this video, NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher grant recipient, Todd Mortenson, describes some of his family’s many conservation efforts on their ranch in South Dakota.
Maintenance of Natural Sustainable Riparian Communities Fact Sheets Series
A graduate student from North Dakota State University created these five extension fact sheets after monitoring and reporting on the riparian ecosystem associated with the Middle Sheyenne River, a perennial stream in eastern North Dakota.
Patch Burning for Cattle and Prairie: Doing Well by Doing Good
Kansas rancher Jane Koger, who raises 125 head annually in a cow/calf herd, is trying an ambitious new strategy to protect the rare prairie ecosystem on her ranch. The resulting "patch burning" system she developed with conservation organizations, along with help from a SARE grant and her Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) field office, seems […]