Showing 1-7 of 7 results
Rotational Grazing with Cover Crops Case Studies
Since rotational grazing of cover crops is not a common practice, to address some of the current questions from farmers in the upper Midwest, the Sand County Foundation of Wisconsin partnered with the Sauk Soil and Water Improvement Group and the University of Wisconsin-Madison to explore short-term agronomic and environmental costs and benefits of managed […]
Does Open-Pollinated Corn Have a Place on Today’s Organic Farm?
On 205 acres near the picturesque bluffs of the Mississippi River, Stanley Smith raises beef cows and grows organic corn in southeastern Minnesota. He grew up on this small farm in the rolling hills of Winona County and worked alongside his dad until his dad retired. Smith and his wife, Vickie, purchased the farm, and […]
South Dakota Rancher Explores Sustainable Livestock Fly Control
Linda Simmons is a cattle rancher in Twin Brooks, South Dakota. Beef and sheep producers in northeastern South Dakota depend largely on native rangeland, and there are several species of flies that can cause serious economic losses there. Several years ago, Simmons experienced a failure with her feed-through insecticide plan. “We had a terrible incident of […]
Big Bluestem Management Using High Density/Short Duration Grazing
Big Bluestem is a warm season, perennial bunchgrass with blue-green stems four to eight feet tall. It has been referred to as “ice cream for cows.” Leslea and Brad Hodgson own and operate Root Prairie Galloways, where they raise Galloway beef cows and have big bluestem pastures that they want to protect from the encroachment […]
Adapting Cover Crops to Northern Climate Conventional Cropping Systems
Northeast Minnesota is home to a large beef cow-calf sector, several dairy farms, and an increasing amount of cash grain farming. In each of these types of operations, annual cultivation of corn, soybeans, oats, and barley is common. Annual cultivation of these crops can lead to high rates of nutrient leaching and soil erosion, decreased […]
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 […]
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 […]