Farmers and ranchers love feeding their cattle. There's just something about going out to the field and emptying a bag of cubes or dropping off a few more protein tubs. This is especially true for livestock producers in the Southeastern U.S. with smaller herds. But does that extra feed pay off in the long run? … Continue reading Does Feeding Pregnant Cows Impact Profitability Through Calf Finishing?
Breeding Season coming to a close
Earlier this week, I was busy in the barn at one of our farms despite the humidity and rain. We were working cattle and pulling bulls from the cow herds. The calves were receiving their first round of vaccinations (2 shots - one to protect against 7 different Clostridiums and Pinkeye, another for Respiratory diseases), … Continue reading Breeding Season coming to a close
Tennessee Animal Cruelty Prevention Act Heating Up
Updated: The bill was vetoed by Tenn. Governor Haslam on Monday, May 13. Story from the Tennessean here. Haslam's statement can be seen in this piece from the Knoxville News Sentinel. A follow-up to a previous post regarding the heated "Ag gag" bills/laws across the country. The controversy over so-called 'Ag gag' bills has heated up in … Continue reading Tennessee Animal Cruelty Prevention Act Heating Up
Angus Association visits me in Tennessee [Video]
The American Angus Association is one of the largest organizations within the cattle industry and does a great job showcasing the hard-working cattle producers across the country. Along with numerous print publications, the Angus folks have a great online presence. Their YouTube channel is full of videos featuring great news and information for cattle farmers … Continue reading Angus Association visits me in Tennessee [Video]
Social Agriculture: Social Media’s Role in Agriculture [Video]
Video of our panel at the 2013 American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting in Nashville, TN. Related articles Social Agriculture - What Is It? (farmbureau.wordpress.com) Ag Social Media 'Rock Stars' Encourage Farmers, Ranchers (farmbureau.wordpress.com) Annual Farm Bureau Meeting an Encouragement to First Time Attendees (agricultureproud.com)
Annual Farm Bureau Meeting an Encouragement to First Time Attendees
This week I'm at the annual National Farm Bureau Federation meeting in Nashville. The following is a short post I shared on the meeting blog. I encourage you to read it and many other posts from attendees on the official AFBF meeting blog. This year is my first trip to the Farm Bureau Annual Meeting … Continue reading Annual Farm Bureau Meeting an Encouragement to First Time Attendees
What does tobacco farming look like? Ask A Farmer
In yesterday's blog post, I shared several photos from my visit to a tobacco farm in Tennessee. Today I invited David Hayden (@DavidHayden7) to share more about tobacco farming and the tobacco harvest process. He grew up working with tobacco in Kentucky and studied the crop in college. Fire cured tobacco barn in Kentucky Tobacco … Continue reading What does tobacco farming look like? Ask A Farmer
Farm Photos of Tennessee Tobacco fields
Have I mentioned that tobacco is a new crop to me since moving to Tennessee? Pretty sure I was one of the "new" folks wondering why that barn was smoking! In Tennessee, tobacco is still a big crop. Both burley and dark fire are grown across North Central and Eastern parts of the state. Touring … Continue reading Farm Photos of Tennessee Tobacco fields
Cow giving birth to twins [Video]
Calving is my favorite event to occur in ranch life. No doubt about it. I've written about the good and bad during calving season. There's nothing that compares for me. That probably has something to do with how I ended up going to college studying Reproduction Physiology. I found this video of a cow giving … Continue reading Cow giving birth to twins [Video]
Smoky Mountain Sunrise
Not much to say on this Friday, other than enjoy your coffee! This sunrise always makes my coffee experience that much better. Have a great weekend! I'll be tailgating for the Tennessee vs. Florida game. ESPN College Gameday will be broadcasting from our campus. I will be grilling Certified Angus Beef steaks for the Food … Continue reading Smoky Mountain Sunrise