It is always amazing to see the ideas, innovation and compassion that come out during a crisis. Two weeks ago I did a bonus episode of the show about the “Dairy Drive Thru” that was being put on by the State University Of New York – Morrisville. After creating that episode I thought of the folks that I am familiar with in the dairy industry in my home state of Idaho – Dairy West. I sent the link of this episode to the CEO of Dairy West, Karianne Fallow, and told her that this seemed like a great way to help dairy farmers and the public during the pandemic. Karianne got right back to me and let me know that Dairy West already had their own program in place called “Curds + Kindness”. They were also obtaining dairy products and giving them away to the public as a way to keep dairy farmers from having to dump milk. She offered to come on the show and talk about the project, and I was very excited to profile this effort. On this episode of the Off-Farm Income Podcast I have a great conversation with Karianne about “Curds + Kindness”. She will break down how you can help, what locations that dairy products are being distributed at currently and how long this project will go on. This interview definitely made me proud of what is going on right in my own back yard!
With so many dairy farmers struggling to put food on their own table it’s great see how much they’re stepping up across the country to help neighbors in need. They always say those with the least are the most generous.
The ongoing statement is that cattle and wildlife can’t co-exist and this podcast is devoted to debunking that statement. Adam and Kyle discuss the use of cattle in a grazing rotation that he calls “conservation grazing.” This system uses cattle to replicate historical Bison herds on the diverse landscape to improve habitat for Bobwhite Quail and other grassland birds. This grazing has not only increased diversity on the landscape for grassland birds but also species like whitetail deer. One of the biggest questions by landowners in our consulting business is the possibility of bringing in financial gains on their farm.
Cattle grazing contracts could be a great way to increase income, improve habitat, and increase animal populations. Win! Win! Win! We discuss the differences in grazing patterns you’ll find commonly used on the landscape today and what a herd of cow/calf or stockers looks like and their individual grazing selection. We even take a look at the historical fires and grazing and what the historical landscape might have looked like and how we can replicate it! #ForLoveoftheLand Land & Legacy is Powered by Simplecast
Cows in many ways are the back bone of the rural economy, 🐮 they do more to protect open space and fields and meadows 🌾 for wildlife then any other entity. Parks and state lands are great but they pale compared to the vast lands owned by farm families that provide habitat for billions of deer, grass land birds and other species. Wildlife is much happier in a cow pasture or corn field than a suburban big box mall parking lot. 🅿
Prices are up. Grocery stores are limiting how much each customer can buy. Last week more than 1,000 Wendy’s restaurants ran out of hamburgers.
There’s also no shortage of cattle earmarked to be turned into beef.
But prices for those animals have dropped. Sales are down. At a recent livestock auction in the San Joaquin Valley, just a handful of buyers bothered to make an appearance.
Employees at these factories work closely together, and thousands nationwide have become infected with the novel coronavirus. At least 20 have died. As their workers fall ill, the plants have lowered capacity or temporarily shut down. The plants’ diminished capacity means some beef can’t get processed, and that has thrown cold water on the market for cattle: Why pay top dollar for the animals if you might not be able to sell them later?
That’s a problem for California, the nation’s fifth-largest cattle-producing state. In a good year, commercial ranchers could aim to get more than $1 per pound for a premium calf. Now, the expected price has dived 15% to 25%, said Mark Lacey, president of the trade group California Cattlemen’s Assn.
“We’ve had some major droughts, we have had some bad market years, but this is unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” said Megan Brown, a sixth-generation cattle rancher and manager of Brown Ranch in Plumas and Butte counties. “Even in the family history, nothing compares to this.”
If you need to get your mind off the pandemic for a moment, shift it to another plague sweeping the state: spotted lanternflies. It’s one you can play an immediate, and feel-good, role in fixing. And your mission is pretty simple: Find and kill the invasive species’ eggs. Who’s ready to get smashing?
“Honestly, it’s something fun you can be doing outside right now,” says Shannon Powers, press secretary for the state Department of Agriculture. “If you’ve got kids, keep them occupied by just sending them out and telling them to look for these treasures they need to destroy.”
The severe weather of this last winter and spring has prompted many cow-calf producers to evaluate the potential of moving their calving date to a different time of year. The following are a list of ten things producers may want to think through as they evaluate moving of a calving date.