Farm Help

Machinery and Maintenance
In order to conserve fuel and machinery energy use, Willard Downs, program chair for agricultural systems management, extension agricultural engineer at the University of Missouri and director of the Missouri AgrAbility Project; recommended that all tires on any machinery or vehicles be inflated to the recommended pressure, under-inflated tires waste energy. Additionally, air filters need to be changed on recommended schedules. He also outlines the following recommendations:

It seems that few questions in life have a clear right or wrong answer. Often, questions are tricky and the answer must be hedged and broken down depending on so many different variables that it muddies whatever clarity had been accomplished. Deciding if corn fed or grass fed beef is better is one of those tricky questions.    

One of the easiest ways to get started with creep grazing, according to Dr. John Jennings, is to use a temporary electric fence. “Set the single polywire high enough so the young calves can go under but the cows can’t,” the University of Arkansas Extension professor and forage specialist told Ozarks Farm & Neighbor. “The calves will roam into the adjacent paddocks to get the best quality forage, but will return to the cows.” Typically, the wire will be set at 35-45”.

Farmers across the country will gather February 10-12 at the Ramada Oasis Conference Center in Springfield, Mo., for the Missouri Organic Association’s (MOA) annual conference.

It's not entirely over yet, but on March 11, USDA at least partially resolved a decade-old debate over a national animal identification program.

Every season brings new and different challenges to farming operations in the Ozarks, and summertime is no different.