Farm Help

Agriculture is changing by the way farmers and ranchers communicate with, and market to, consumers. This is an era of 450 million people on mobile Internet, 68 million bloggers, 500 million Facebook users and 55 million Twitter account holders. Social media has taken its threshold within the agricultural community by allowing producers to promote a positive message for agriculture in a time where there are many critics.

So you think you produce feeder calves that should command the top price for their weight every time they go into the sale ring? Some farmers do have that kind of cattle, while others wonder why their calves sell $2 to $5 per hundred below comparable weight calves.

Many producers try to time their spring or fall breeding seasons so the calves arrive at the optimum time. Brett Barham, University of Arkansas professor of animal science specializing in beef cattle breeding and genetics, noted while the official gestation period for cattle is 283 days, individual animals can vary by a week or two. “Typically, the calving season probably needs to be dictated around available forage for the cow while she's at peak lactation,” Barham told Ozarks Farm & Neighbor. “We have spring calvers and fall calvers, and those calving seasons should be set up to have those calves about 30-60 days old during peak forage production.”

The economic evidence says there's profit to be made for cattlemen who understand what consumers want. A symposium at the recent Agriculture and Applied Economics Association meeting in Denver examined trends that document a desire for high-quality beef.

Farmers today are adding even more duties to their job description, as they are incorporating savvy marketing to capture more of the food dollar through value-added agriculture.

The importance of record keeping at the farm cannot be overstated. Not only are proper records important for the individual producer to measure their success or failure at the farm, they are also required by the IRS, says David Doshier, of David Doshier and Associates, CPA, in Yellville, Ark.

Farming and agriculture in the Ozarks plays a vital part of our local economy and is a unique industry full of its own rewards and challenges. As someone who works closely with our farming community, I feel that I can share some good information on types of lending available to small businesses in the area so we can continue working together to remain a viable and thriving community.

It's been in the news numerous times, typically associated with product recalls. It's E. coli, or formally known as the pathogen Escherichia coli O157:H7 (O157), a bacteria found in the intestines of animals and humans.

The economic evidence says there's profit to be made for cattlemen who understand what consumers want. A symposium at the recent Agriculture and Applied Economics Association meeting in Denver examined trends that document a desire for high-quality beef.

Whether as grain, forage, ensilage, or all of these, corn plays a part in feeding most Missouri and Arkansas cattle herds. Yet in terms of nutritional value, all corn is not equal.