Ag-Visors

Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are tax advantaged medical savings accounts that offer consumers a different way of paying for health care expenses. HSAs allow you to pay for current health care expenses or save for future health care expenses on a tax-free basis. HSAs are paired with High Deductible Health Plans (HDHPs), which are generally less expensive than traditional health plans. HSAs are especially advantageous to self employed individuals, like small farm operators, who don’t have access to group health plans. Small businesses and farm operations can offer HSAs as an alternative to traditional health plans. 

There are many processes small agriculture businesses, farms and ranches can take to resolve conflicts that arise among partners and even family members involved in the business. Mediation is just one choice available. Mediation is a voluntary settlement process by which a neutral third party mediator assists parties in reaching mutually acceptable, voluntary, informed and consensual agreements.

Animals — no matter how domesticated — are still animals. They retain a bit of feral-nature that can never be bred out of them completely. It is no surprise then, that animals often find a way to break loose from the confines that we have set up for them. As a result, there are a variety of laws about animals running at large and about the fences that are meant to keep them in.

Hopefully this article finds everyone in the light and better after the clean up from the ice storm. I have seen a lot of people helping each other out and banding together. With winter in full swing and spring on the way, calving season is almost upon us.

Animals – no matter how domesticated – are still animals. They retain a bit of feral-nature that can never be bred out of them completely. It is no surprise then, that animals often find a way to break loose from the confines that we have set up for them.  As a result, there are a variety of laws about animals running at large, and about the fences that are meant to keep them in.

About a week after calving, a few of Smith’s cows were behaving oddly, wandering around in circles and appearing not well. The cows’ milk production was poor and their calves looked malnourished. Smith phoned his vet, who had not been to his farm for about a year, and described what he was seeing and that, to him, it looked like ketosis that his vet diagnosed during last-year’s calving season.

In the last three or four weeks I have had several calls about sudden death in calves and cattle.  My first question in these cases is what is their vaccination status? The two common answers were, they had all their shots or they have not had anything yet. My next question was, “Does the skin feel bubbly and/or feel and sound like bubble wrap and/or rice krispies as you run your hand down the legs, back and neck areas?" I have also done postmortem exams on at least two of these cases.  The resulting diagnosis was blackleg.

About a week after calving, a few of Smith’s cows were behaving oddly, wandering around in circles and appearing not well. The cows’ milk production was poor and their calves looked malnourished. Smith phoned his vet, who had not been to his farm for about a year, and described what he was seeing and that, to him, it looked like ketosis that his vet diagnosed during last-year’s calving season.

The last couple of articles I have been telling you a lot about what our regional cattle buyers don't want, so now I need to tell you exactly what they are wanting. The buyers want cattle that are vaccinated and weaned properly so they won’t have the wrecks with health like they have in the past. Buyers have spent too much money on treatments, chronics and death loss.

For many of us, New Year’s resolutions are an annual tradition. And whether we resolve to stop eating junk food, put more money in savings, spend more on our cattle's nutrition or work harder with our children in the show-ring to better chances of a blue ribbon this summer, we as farmers all set our sights on something for the new year. And, it's in the follow-through of these goals that a resolution becomes a reality. This is especially true with those financial goals.