Ag News and Views: March 2009 Table of Contents

March, 2009 Table of Contents News & Views Archive Issues

Economics
Are You Making Money? by Steve Swigert
What does it take to determine if a ranch or farm is making money? Each farm or ranch has its own set of specific circumstances and reasons for being in the business.

Horticulture
New Endwall Design Supports Hoop House Structures by Steve Upson
One choice facing any grower using a portable hoop house structure is deciding on the type of endwall to install.

Livestock
Calving Seasons by Ryan Reuter
On some ranches, hay feeding is caused by the calving season, regardless of the stocking rate. This is because cows in late gestation and early lactation have nutrient requirements that often dramatically exceed the nutrient content of available forage.

Pasture and Range/Wildlife
Noble Foundation Sources for Plant Identification by Chuck Coffey and Russell Stevens
The plants that surround us are often overlooked in the day-to-day routines of many. In fact, most people have no idea of the types of plants that exist in the field.

Research
Commingling and Marketing Value-Added Cattle by Jon Biermacher and John Blanton and Ryan Reuter and Job Springer
It is well understood that marketing a uniform group of steers or heifers that have a well-characterized health management history has the potential to increase the animals' value and producer profitability.

Soils
Summer Annual Variety Trials by Jim Johnson
In the summer of 2008, the Noble Foundation conducted replicated small plot (5'x 20') variety trials of forage sorghums, sorghum sudans, sudan grasses and pearl millets.