Ag-Visors

With spring and summer just around the corner, people are starting to feel the dollar pinch from the many expenses spring brings at the farm — horse shoeing, colostrum and milk replacer, supplements, fertilizers and more. The additional costs to running a production agriculture business don’t stop there. Looking ahead, it is time to start making your travel plans for upcoming rodeos, summer county fairs, horse shows, FFA farm sales and auctions.

Farmers, ranchers and horse owners can get significant tax deductions by making noncash charitable contributions of farm property to qualified donees — such as agricultural schools or government programs. This serves two purposes:  One, there is a tax deduction available; and two, by culling unneeded animals or equipment, or even land, this shows the IRS that you are mindful of costs and that you are doing what you can to operate in a businesslike manner — so as to move closer towards making a profit.

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.

I thought I would continue my chapter on calving and assistance. Last time we had the straps or chains attached. Now we need to know what direction the calf is coming. Are those front feet, with the head right there, or are they rear feet with the calf coming backwards? If you follow the feet up to the next joint it will feel like a knee, which is the front leg, or it will feel like a hock which is a rear leg. When a calf is coming in normal presentation the head should be right behind the front feet or right with it. By knowing what direction the calf is presented you will be able to determine what direction to pull or assist.

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.