Ozarks Farm & Neighbor Newspaper – written for, by & about farmers

These are tough times for cattle feeders, and particularly so for Ron Shortridge.

Some farmers will be keeping steers and heifers around longer this year. Whether they are to be sold in the spring, returned to the herd or sold at closer to 900 pounds it doesn’t really change the care they need to thrive through the fall and winter. The first need would be for sufficient feed to provide maximum growth without fattening.

Farm finance is a necessary part of farming for most every farmer. I don’t know more than a handful of farmers that I work with on a regular basis that aren’t still financing a tractor here, an upgrade on something there or new land in-between. 

Now is a good time to consider the legal liabilities associated with managing animal waste, and to ensure that measures are in place to address liability issues. The following offers a brief review of the laws that affect liability for discharges, spills, odors and other problems resulting from manure handling.

With the weather cooling as I write this article, I have seen a noticeable increase in scheduling for calf processing.  So I thought this might be a good time to discuss pre-conditioning programs and what I believe is their value to the cow-calf producer.

Name: Andrew Chandler
Family: Parents, John and Jennifer Chandler, siblings, Anna, Ethan and Isaiah
4-H Group: Lincoln 4-H, Leaders: Bob McNary and Grace Ziler