Livestock can be used to optimize disturbance for soil health — here’s how
Weigh the pros and cons of livestock as a tool for soil disturbance on your ranch, and then put the animals to work (for Noble Research...
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WRITING
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Aug 13, 20201 min read
The moment he shifted from 'me' to 'we'...
"We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to...
May 28, 20201 min read
LEGACIES // An author's note
“The word ‘legacy’ resonated immediately. I scribbled it on top of the first outline I made for this, the Montana Farm Bureau...
Mar 5, 20201 min read
Setting them up for success, every step of the way
From rancher to stocker to feeder, every cattle owner wants the same outcome. “We all want those calves to be as successful as they...
Mar 5, 20202 min read
The extra miles at Mill Iron Triangle Ranch
Each heifer is unique, but the moment of triumph often sounds about the same. She spins around, nuzzles the wet calf, and lets out a low...
May 12, 20191 min read
The trade-off
"So... what’s the trade-off?" I asked. "You give up a widely accepted, profitable practice to do a new thing. There must be sacrifice. Do...
Jan 13, 20193 min read
American Farm Bureau // One-Line Legacies
Thank you for coming to my "One-Line Legacies" workshop at the 2019 American Farm Bureau Federation in New Orleans! Here is the one-page...
Jan 3, 20191 min read
'Just' range cows for 'just' ranch people; just the right combination
“They’re just plain ol’ range cows.” Bob and Frances Dellit shared a good-hearted laugh at the idea of their 'plain ol' range cows' being...
Nov 12, 20181 min read
It’s not forbidden fruit: Three ‘secrets’ to ranch profitability
Dave Pratt scribbled rapidly across the giant post-it board. He switched colors with ideas, added seemingly cryptic equations to the...
Oct 15, 20181 min read
Today’s Ranch: Cell Grazing and Three Secrets for Increasing Profit
Dave Pratt, an internationally-known grazing and sustainable ranching expert, will present a one-day pasture and ranch business...
Sep 26, 20181 min read
‘Just go for it:’ Women Stepping Forward in Agriculture highlights entrepreneurial go-getters
They thought they knew everything they needed to know about barley. After all, Mike and Linda O'Brien had grown cereal grains on his...
Sep 14, 20181 min read
Filling the bread box
I’ve missed wheat harvest in Nebraska the past few years. Riding along with Herbie Husker on the side of the Case IH red combine. Sinking...
Sep 4, 20181 min read
A passion for agriculture
Sorting a livestock class is easy. Just put the good ones up, the bad ones down. Then, be ready to back it up; talk tough. But sorting...
Aug 26, 20181 min read
'One live, two dead, one just born.'
F.S. Cooley's writing is full paternal wisdom. “Uncle Sam” Hampton’s words progress with a contagious enthusiasm. Even business letters...
Aug 25, 20181 min read
Hahn family honored for enduring efforts to care for water, wildlife, soil and ranching business
"I hope they slow down every once in a while," Chuck Hahn said, nodding at the steady line of boaters, anglers and campers streaming...
Aug 23, 20181 min read
ALL IN A DAY’S WORK: Bev Fryer is Montana’s Ranch Woman of the Year
(Originally published Jan. 10, 2015) It's January at the Castle Mountain Ranch, and the wind whistles through the veil of snow that has...
Aug 21, 20181 min read
'Worth the squeeze'
Used cars. Potential dates. Bred heifers. A prudent shopper for any of the above is wise to wonder: How well were they cared for before I...
Aug 12, 20182 min read
Just breathe.
He's keeping pace beside me. My childhood playmate's dad; our middle school track coach. He's in wind pants instead of his traditional...
Aug 9, 20181 min read
Stoney Creek Farm protects 'right to farm' by conservation
In a state of 10,000 lakes, water law rules the land. At Stoney Creek Farm, near Redwood, Minnesota, Grant Breitkreutz knows conservation...
Aug 9, 20181 min read
Taking care of the money makers
In the Highwood Mountains, quality-driven cows are at the top of a supply chain that can quickly snowball. "It can be tough on the...
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