Livestock
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NOAA’s Climate.gov blog has a good discussion of the mid-March freeze event by Jake Crouch. It describes how it fits into historical context both with the warm winter that preceded it and the comparison to average last frost dates. It also describes what damage it caused, both to peaches and blueberries as well as pastures.…
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While the dry conditions in the Southeast have eased in recent weeks due to the welcome (mostly) rain we have received, livestock producers in the Northern Plains have not fared so well. Much above normal temperatures coupled with dry conditions have led to increasing drought in the region, stopping the growth of pastures and forage…
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It’s no surprise that weather has a big effect on crop development this time of year. The floods in the Midwest have been particularly bad for farmers, but other regions have also experienced impacts from frost and other extreme weather. Here is a sampling of recent stories I have read that caught my eye. AgWeb:…
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The Southeast Farm Press posted a story this week by Brad Haire on a long-lived alfalfa plot growing in south Georgia at the Sunbelt Ag Expo Darrell Williams Research Farm. Contrary to popular belief, alfalfa can not only grow but thrive in the region, especially as new varieties adapted to local conditions come to market.…
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The Association for Temperature Agroforestry posted an interesting article describing the benefits of using silvopasture in livestock production. The scientists studied the behavior of sheep raised in a forested pasture and noted that the cooling produced by the shade trees resulted in less stress on the animals. Even though the available forage was 30% less…
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A late-season blizzard last weekend has caused tremendous problems for farmers in Oklahoma and Kansas. According to a story this week in AgWeb, thousands of cattle have died in the storm and many others are starving because of lack of access to food. The story notes that “As much as 75 percent of the U.S.…
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As we approach the annual running of the Kentucky Derby, you might be musing about horses in general and thoroughbreds in particular. While you might consider Kentucky to be the center of equine activity, this article from Growing Georgia indicates that the real center is actually a lot farther south. In Ocala, Florida, to be…