Pastures

I hope you readers saw the recent AgriNews article on sheep grazing under solar farms. Land stays in production while generating electricity for the grid and cash for shepherds while saving on mowing and spraying costs.

Women who own or manage farmland or who have an interest in farming are invited to the Learning Circle hosted by The Land Conservancy of McHenry County.

The earth provides an overabundance of food, but the distribution of that food is the struggle.

Does your corn have stunted, yellowing plants along the edges of the field? If so, you’re not alone. It’s a common occurrence that agronomists call edge effect.

Maybe it’s time to put some eggs in a different basket — that is, livestock. And since cattle prices are formidable for newcomers, I suggest a more reasonable approach to diversification: sheep.

The fairs have started and my granddaughters have been busy walking, setting up, washing and trimming their four market lambs and one yearling ewe.

During my travels, one question seems to be always popping up, one which many producers are not sure of answers. That is: What is regenerative agriculture?

As the Fourth of July celebrations come to a close, it’s a good idea to look out for your pets and livestock.

Summer is finally here in northern Illinois. Temperatures are going to be hot this weekend. We call it Georgia weather, teasing our daughter who lives in Georgia. Luckily, we have had more rain than they have had.

Last month I mentioned the long list of jobs and projects that needed to be done here at the farm. That list hasn’t gotten any shorter. Even though we have been able to cross off some of those tasks, we seem to keep adding to it.

My last article had just been sent off when I got word that my good friend, Jamie Willrett, had left suddenly to be with the Lord. This tragic news shook me and the rest of the cattle industry as we all lost a trusted friend and leader.

Two years ago, the Masters of Beef Advocacy program managed by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, hit 20,000 graduates. This year, the program celebrates an additional 5,000 graduates.

The winner of the Star in Agricultural Placement award will be announced during the Wednesday afternoon session of the Illinois FFA State Convention starting at 2 p.m.

Soil health and quality play a significant role in the nutritional value of pastures and cover crops, determining grazing strategies and sustainability.

These longer, warmer and sometimes wetter days are really giving the crops and pastures a great start. While most of my neighbors are done or close to finishing planting, we’ve just got a good start.

More weather events are bringing more challenges here at River Oak. The corn is planted, but a few acres will be on the list for replanting due to standing water after frequent rain the last 10 days.

We live back in the woods, so the only time I witness the sun rise is when we get started at o-dark-thirty and get out and about on the ranch somewhere. Turkey season came in mid-April and is soon to wrap up.

April was an extremely busy time, mostly because we welcomed a new granddaughter. Her name is Brynlee and she is doing well. We were lucky to spend more time in Georgia in April than Illinois.

Soil tells the story of what has happened in a field for decades.

We have some water standing on pastures and fields. I had almost given up seeing that this spring. Looks like some other events may follow. Ponds aren’t full, but have been improved.

The pastures have greened up nicely and the cows still receiving silage head out as soon as they have hoovered their daily allotment.

Spring has arrived and it is good to see grass growing and greening up. I won’t say that grass growth is exploding, because over the last few weeks, winter has tried to hang on.

This is the time of year that I become a little impatient waiting for spring. The warmer weather makes me think the grass and pasture should be getting green faster than they are. The sheep are also looking impatient.

I just saw a map of the affected drought areas of 2012 and right now and they looked awfully similar to the one for 2024.

March weather has come in like a lamb, so if the saying is true, it will turn into a lion at some point this month. It is still winter, but we are inching closer to spring.

A group raised the roof in rural Will County in northeastern Illinois, but it wasn’t from celebrating the winning goal or rambunctious behavior. A team from FBi Buildings was raising the roof of a 60-by-200-foot barn for Everett Hauert.

Hello from Graze-N-Grow. Well, it seems Elton and I missed our deadline last month. I don’t know his excuse, but mine was forgetfulness. I wasn’t really idle, though.

I was just having so much fun with the minus-15 temperatures and 20 mph winds last month that I just forgot to write an article. Well, the last part is true. Things have been mundane around here — unroll hay, break ice and fill water tanks.

Establishing an online store can help put more food dollars into the hands of farmers that are selling meat directly to consumers. “Your online store can be a competitive advantage,” said Katie Olthoff, farm wife and co-founder of ChopLocal.

It appeared as though we were going to have a repeat of our luck with weather for our Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition Pasture Walk scheduled here at River Oak. We always seem to bring rain when we schedule.

The program “Pasture Management: Recovering from 2023,” hosted by University of Illinois Extension, will focus on recovering from the drought and short forage supply in three evening sessions.

Wool season is here in northern Illinois. Those wool socks, wool blankets, sweaters, gloves and mittens are so comfortable. Wool is a remarkable natural fiber. The website www.americanwool.org has a lot of resources to help with wool promotion.

It’s been great so far this December to do chores without having to break the ice on the energy-free waterers we use here. Pretty much all fieldwork has been done by now around here.

‘Tis the season to give, so I gave the rams to the ewes. Now everybody’s happy. I should start lambing about mid-May. Hopefully we will have a lot of green vegetation to graze.

2023 was a year of wins and continued challenges that will extend into the new year for the corn industry.

As contraction of the U.S. cattle herd continues, farmers nearing retirement age are faced with deciding whether to expand again, invest more into infrastructure and whether someone is in line for succession.

When Ralph Upton Jr. started working on his family’s farm full time in 1964, he did what everyone else was doing — plowing every year.

The mill and store are very busy getting ready for Small Business Saturday. This special shopping day is the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It is a chance to support local businesses.

My philosophy is I need something to get me motivated every morning. What do all you grain farmers use as motivation after harvest?

We finally got a frost that finished off our corn after wheat. I have been busy pumping manure and did not get involved with chopping that last field of corn, but Brett reported it had made 12 tons.

Healthy soils produce healthy plants that feed healthy livestock. “If we’re going to rely on forages for our animals, we must have a healthy, nutrient-dense soil,” said Travis Meteer, commercial agriculture educator.

Cattlemen are in control to obtain a perfect graze of pastures by their animals through stocking density and timing.

One of the most rewarding aspects of my role is the chance to see how farmers are developing and implementing new innovative solutions as we work together to feed, fuel and clothe the world.

I imagine some of you have started harvest by now. Not me, though, but that’s normal. Our double-crop beans are getting really thirsty since we’ve only had a third of an inch of rain in over six weeks.

Beef cattle producers will gain insights and stay up to date on current research from cow/calf patterns to alternative forages and more at the Orr Beef Research Center’s Field Day.

Summer is flying by, as usual. With so many things going on this time of year it seems to pass too quickly and now school starts.

Can we have a “spring flush” in August? After the rains we have had, it sure looks like that in central Illinois. I didn’t get one this spring.

Our 2023 growing season continues to be a challenge, but perhaps everyone is successfully adapting, because I don’t hear as many pity parties as during some growing seasons.

The rain in the past few days has really helped all plants and crops here in northern Illinois. June was very dry. Hopefully, the July rains will be enough to get the crops growing again.

The Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition, the new voice of regenerative grazing in Illinois, is moving forward rapidly with plans and developments.