Many years ago I attended the TEPAP School in Texas. That stands for “The Executive Program for Agricultural Producers.” It was a great school and I learned a lot. One thing that really shocked me when I took it was that during the entire week of class, not one topic was related to production practices. It was […] Read more
Which insect best describes you?
There are four basic types of people; the Dragonfly, the Butterfly, the Ant and the Bumblebee
The trick with winter water to keep your cattle drinking
The leaves are turning a bit early this year and we are gearing up for another winter season here at Greener Pastures. The “drought of 2015 has taken its toll on producers in our area. My neighbour stated to me that he has not seen it this dry in 55 years. Hay is very expensive so […] Read more
Recycle crop residues
Attach a chaff buncher to the back of your combine to collect straw and chaff
Did you know that 80 per cent of what goes in the front of a cow comes out the back end? Most of us might think it is a waste and wonder why the cow is such an inefficient creation? Eighty per cent is wasted! If man made the cow, or at least a machine […] Read more
In praise of water, and beavers
It frustrates me as I travel around the country witnessing how human nature can be so misguided. Sometimes we can be short sighted and forget that we need to look at the big picture. Even though we mean no harm, some of our agricultural practices can cause more damage than we think. Today, I would […] Read more
Intensive cell grazing for times of drought: It works!
I learned a long time ago you cannot plan for a drought in a drought. If that is your plan, you are way too late
In 2002, we had the worst drought in 80 years; 2003 was also dry and the grasshoppers were insane. In 2008, we had another drought. 2009 was also very dry and it was the only year I had to destock early. Now we are in 2015 and we have a severe drought in my area. What do […] Read more
Mentorship, and pasture tips and tricks
Years ago I was a young producer very interested in grazing. I was very eager to learn and went to every conference and seminar that I could find. I attended private industry agricultural schools and gained a lot of knowledge from books and magazines that I read. I had a passion. I now realize that […] Read more
Six cell design strategies for pasture cattle
For years, I have taken as many schools and seminars as I could, in a quest to improve my business. One thing that I have seen throughout my education is that pasture cell design is never explained well, if it is even discussed at all. The “why” on rotational grazing is always discussed, but the […] Read more
Portable pasture systems
Use limited equipment and to keep it simple and easily affordable
My farm is a bit different than most. I look at everything on it through a gross margin looking glass. It has to make a profit. If it doesn’t then I need to change it, adjust it or dump it. We have limited equipment and enjoy keeping it simple. We do not have a whole […] Read more
Year-round grazing systems
I have referred to a Year-Round Grazing System quite often in my articles but never actually defined it. That’s because the definition is different for everyone. We all live in different environments and have different advantages and disadvantages. What works for one farm might not always work for another. The most important part of year-round […] Read more
Avoid recycled paradigms when it comes to soil
How do plants grow? This might seem like a pretty simple and harmless question, but Jean Baptista Van Helmont was curious about this so he did a pretty basic experiment to find out. The downside to his experiment was that he was arrested for it! Here is what he did in his own words: “I […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
