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Because farming is so central to our nation’s identity—and its idea of itself—this future can feel fraught. In 2012, the USDA forecast that most (70 percent) familyfarms would transfer hands over the next 20 years. Will familyfarms as we know and love them survive, and how do the ones that are thriving now do it?
Byron Long of Long FamilyFarm at Barrhead County, Alberta Read More Grazing corn is becoming increasingly more common. And is this a profitable way of farming? Byron Long of Long FamilyFarm at Barrhead County, Alberta Read More So is grazing cover crops. But what happens when you put the two together?
Based just outside of Bath, in Somerset, Oliver White works alongside his dad and brother on the familyfarm, where they keep about 450 ewes and 150 beef cattle. Farmers Weekly You’ve heard of Britain’s Fittest Farmer. But what about Britain’s fastest farmer?
With tight margins and a push for improved soil health being the status quo in most cattle operations, producers are working with researchers to find new and innovative ways to improve economical profitability while also improving soil for the next generation of farmers.
For Cory Carman, choosing to raise cattle outside of the feedlot system always seemed intuitive. Upon leaving her familyfarm to study agriculture at Stanford, she took up a work-study program investigating the economic viability of grass-fed beef. “It And it was the first time I’d been around feedlots before,” she says.
Just a Few Acres Farm in Lansing, NY has nearly 500,000 subscribers on YouTube, where seventh-generation farmer Pete Larson posts videos with titles like “The basics of cutting hay” and “Playing in the Dirt with Pregnant Pigs”. Pete Larson on his farm. Photography courtesy of Pete Larson and Just a Few Acres Farms.
As a second-generation rancher, Rizpah honors her family’s agricultural traditions while confronting systemic barriers in a predominantly white, male-dominated field. Assemblymember Wilsons tireless efforts exemplify her dedication to supporting Californias familyfarms and ensuring a sustainable agricultural future.
In the following discussion, I would like to share some thoughts on how to add net profit into a grazing operation, as well as share my own experiences reducing hay inputs with the grass-finished beef herd that roams across our northern Michigan familyfarm. Instead, lets talk about cattle and making money.
Look at the OS map for the area surrounding our farm in Highland Perthshire, and it is littered with Gaelic placenames related to the keeping of cattle and goats. It’s a benefit I see clearly at home, with half of our familyfarm designated as an SSSI because of the mix of species-rich upland habitats that cover our hill ground.
She observes up close, while moving cattle, “an exquisitely delicate, coral pink grass vetchling”, and at midnight “by the light of a tiny torch…feathery white flowerheads and tight pink buds”. Superficially, it is a warm, amusing, easy to read collection of snippets of life on a familyfarm.
Joshua Cave, Cave FamilyFarm in Pilot Mountain, North Carolina. While the number of farms selling fruit and tree nuts directly to consumers remained steady (just over 19,500 farms), the value of fruit and tree nuts direct sales increased by 48% since 2017.
Instead of growing a variety of crops and raising animals, most farms now rely on a commodity crop or two. That’s why less than 10 percent of farms still have animals. Previously, it was cost-effective for farmers to graze their cattle or grow their own feed.
Payne operates a 300-acre regenerative farm in Concordia, Missouri, an hour outside of Kansas City, where he raises sheep and cattle. Rooted in preindustrial farming, the method involves intentionally incorporating trees on the same land used by grazing livestock, in a way that benefits both.
Recognizing the vital role that four-legged friends often play on familyfarms and ranches, Farm Bureau launched the Farm Dog of the Year contest several years ago now a popular feature of the American Farm Bureau Federations Convention.
While these programs haven’t always been used to make farms climate resilient, they all have the potential to do so—and more funding and specific guardrails specified within the IRA would make that even more likely. Seth Watkins, a farmer from Clarinda, Iowa, was able to save his familyfarm with the help of conservation funding.
Ethan Lane moderates panel of NCBA policy specialists The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s (NCBA) Executive Committee last week approved the organization’s policy priorities for the year which focus on advocating for the reauthorization of the Farm Bill, protecting cattle producers from federal regulatory overreach, and defending the U.S.
Seasonal crops rotate through expansive pastures, cattle graze the rich sea grasses and several colonies of bees hurry about their business. But unlike neighboring farms that focus on production for faraway markets or keep a single family afloat, the farm at Kiawah River is supporting 185 families who live in the surrounding homes.
Heaven’s Hollow Farm: A Soil for Water Case Study Jacob Gilley Madison County, Virginia Heaven’s Hollow Farm is a fourth-generation familyfarm that has been in operation since 1951. Jacob, his wife Jennifer, and their children operate the farm in Orange, Virginia.
Poultry & Egg Association is now accepting nominations for the 2024 FamilyFarm Environmental Excellence Award. The award recognizes exemplary environmental stewardship by family farmers engaged in poultry and egg production. We welcome his wealth of experience in, and knowledge of, American beef from farm to fork.
A small sheep herd that was on the property from when her parents farmed the land was integrated into organic crop rotation. The Joia Food & Fiber Farm farmstead pictured with sheep, sheepdogs, and cattle grazing. Agroforestry is familyfarming, and agriculture is a family and community-based, hands-on activity.
The Small Farm Case Study A small familyfarm in the western U.S. used farm management software to consolidate their farm data from multiple years of running their cattle, pig, poultry, and sheep farm operation that was disorganized, not able to scale, and the land was suffering from overgrazing.
My parents both worked full-time off the farm. We raised a small herd of cattle on the farm, as well as the hay to feed them through the winter. And when I was in high school, around 2009, I started a community garden on our farm called “Project: Plant a Seed.” A childhood photo from the familyfarm.
Farm Forward recently published a major investigative report detailing systematic animal suffering and consumer fraud at Alexandre FamilyFarm—a leading large-scale organic dairy company with “well over 9,000 head of cattle,” according to co-owner Blake Alexandre—whose products are covered in certification labels.
Enter Pat Spinosa, AgAmerica’s Director of Business Development, sixth-generation cattle and citrus farmer, and the host of America’s newest farm podcast, “Like a Farmer”. As a sixth-generation cattle and citrus farmer, he saw a need to showcase the lives of those who have a love for agriculture and broadcast it mainstream.
Rotational Grazing, Multi-Species Cropping, Relay Cropping, and the Future of Digital Collars for Cattle. By Trina Moyles Tim Wray grew up on his family’scattle ranch in Irricana, a small town located 50 kilometres northeast of Calgary in southern Alberta. But they were just seeing the tip of the iceberg.
Treehouse Almonds sources nuts from roughly 50,000 acres in California’s Central Valley, and Gardiner’s familyfarm provides about 20,000 of them. The farm has changed a lot since his grandfather ran it and grew tomatoes and potatoes. Photography courtesy of Burroughs FamilyFarms. And guess what it replaces?
This certification is only provided to small independent or familyfarms, and the AGW does not charge a fee to award this certification, making it unique among certification standards. (Photography by Lena Beck) Animal Welfare Approved: This certification is not administered by a governmental body but by the nonprofit A Greener World.
Joseph Fischer, of Fischer Farms in St. Anthony, IN, has substantially reduced the impacts of downpours on his farm by adopting managed rotational grazing and improving his pastures. Not only does his cattle system capture carbon, but he also improves water infiltration and water holding capacity in his soils.
READ MORE Colorado Rancher Finds Financial Flexibility with $19.1MM Debt Consolidation AgAmerica's interest-only loan consolidation provides a solution for a Colorado cattle rancher, addressing the challenge of balancing debt structures and investment payouts, while increasing working capital for future investments and operational needs.
America’s cattle producers need a Secretary of Agriculture who will protect familyfarms and ranches, roll back crushing regulations, and stand up for rural values—and we look forward to working with Secretary-Designate Rollins to make it happen.” 5 during CattleCon 2025 in San Antonio, Texas. with Midwest Feeders, Inc.,
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension specialist, who has been providing technical expertise to livestock producers in beef cattle nutrition, management and livestock handling techniques for over 25 years. Admission to the demonstrations is free to all Western Farm Show paid attendees. The demonstrations will be led by Ron Gill, Ph.D.,
When his father, Randy, equipped his combine with a yield monitor in the early 1990s, teenage Ryan thought it was a huge step forward for the familyfarm. The Britts now farm 5,000 acres, raising cattle, corn, soybeans, wheat and hay in Randolph, Chariton and Macon counties.
The campaign, Raised with Respect , centers on the common ground found between cattle producers and beef consumers, with a focus on animal welfare and beef sustainability. The cooperative has brought 84 familyfarms into its fold in 2023, demonstrating a robust response to the trend of farm loss and agricultural consolidation.
Her familyfarm is located in Waupaca County outside of Ogdensburg where she cares for a herd of nine dairy goats, two horses, hay fields, bees, a large kitchen garden, and more. Kari Esbensen is a new member of Wisconsin Farmers Union with a lifelong love of conservation.
Farm Hounds Familyfarms often struggle to stay profitable as agriculture becomes more concentrated. There were 141,733 fewer farms in the US in 2022 than in 2017, according to the Census of Agriculture. When it comes to sustainability, experts say insect farming uses less land and water, and it has fewer emissions.
But thirsty crops and cattle have taken their toll: Amid California’s cycles of drought, excessive groundwater pumping has left Central Valley basins the most overdrafted in the state. Despite the resilience of family [farms], the mega-trend is undeniable,” says Raudabaugh.
Stroup and her husband farm about 200 acres near Bessemer City, NC. They raise beef cattle and plant wheat and soybeans. But they have been consistently stymied when it comes to internet access on their farm. Haxby and her familyfarm corn and soybeans and raise cattle and goats.
Visitors to the rural area will notice that cattle ranches dominate the landscape, once covered by Amazonian forests. A typical farm in the foothills of the Amazon in southern Caquetá. As one gets closer to the Quimbayo Gutiérrez familyfarm, the landscape begins to change. Image by Antonio Paz. Image by Antonio Paz.
The cattle, which were artificially inseminated by students in the spring, will eventually be harvested at a USDA plant and incorporated into the fine dining menu at the college’s student-run campus restaurant, Capstone Kitchen.
Other pastoralists are nomadic, walking at least 10 miles a day herding cattle from region to region in the hunt for pastureland. This [farm] has been in my family for over 125 years, she said. So its all on me, and its my familyfarm. Keeping her farm well-managed is a responsibility she doesnt take lightly.
Cindy, a cattle rancher, shares her experience: "The Farmbrite software is very user-friendly! It provides the tools to keep you organized, allowing you to log important historical information, manage your farm, and keep records safe. Whether you're a small familyfarm or a large-scale operation, Farmbrite adapts to your needs.
Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certification is an easy and effective way to pursue continued education in the cattle business. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY) announced that nominations are now being accepted for the 2025 FamilyFarm Environmental Excellence Award.
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