Breeding Schedules
Do the babies get here when they’re wanted? The gestation period is different for cows, goats, sheep and horses. The farmer should look at the food source, his or her time available to be around and market timing, and also any farm-specific variables, when developing a breeding schedule. When the goals of a farm are spelled out, a good business plan can be implemented.
10 Building Tips
1. Bid Alternatives
Bermudagrass for Pasture
Bermudagrass has become a popular forage in the Northwest Arkansas region for good reason. John Jennings, a professor and expert in forages for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, said that cold tolerance is one of the most important traits for any bermudagrass variety. There have been more varieties developed, in recent years, with sufficient tolerance to cold weather. These varieties have thus become more persistent in growth through the colder months.
Hay Development
Robert Seay, Benton County CEA, University of Arkansas Extension, started looking at Bermudagrass from an environmental standpoint as the best alternative to manage poultry litter and municipal bio-solids out of treatment plants in northwest Arkansas. “We were using Bermudagrass hay as an environmentally friendly way to dispose of poultry litter and urban sources of bio solids to help satisfy our very demanding market for Bermudagrass,” Seay said.
Fencing Types
Good fencing protects and confines valuable livestock by presenting barriers to restrict animal movement. Barriers may be physical, psychological or a combination of both. Fencing type and material influence the cost, lifespan and function of the fencing system.
Poultry Partners
It was four years ago in Siloam Springs, Ark., that about 200 farm families gathered for the first meeting of Poultry Partners. The organization mission statement was very simple: We are a grassroots coalition of family farmers whose mission is to band together to ensure survival of the family farm and our rural communities.
Missouri FFA Convention
State FFA Convention April 16-17 Regional Highlights
Stressed Out
Everyone who has ever seen “Old Yeller” gets a little teary when they have to put the faithful dog down. Everyone roots for Wilbur to win at the fair in E.B. White’s classic, “Charlotte’s Web.” The lives of animals are intertwined with our own, from the family dog to the family herd of cattle. Farmers have long known best that animals that have been handled with good husbandry practices are the best producers and the least trouble.
Fencing Types
Good fencing protects and confines valuable livestock by presenting barriers to restrict animal movement. Barriers may be physical, psychological or a combination of both. Fencing type and material influence the cost, lifespan and function of the fencing system.
NAIS Current Regulation Changes
Although state legislatures across the U.S., including our very own Arkansas House legislators like House Ag Committee Chairman Roy Ragland, are recommending the National Animal Identification System remain voluntary, the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) continues to take steps toward nationalization of the rules and regulations of identification and tagging American livestock and other agriculture products.
